Sunday I wrote about how Hugh Neff had what seemed like an insurmountable lead of 30 miles and nearly 6 hours over his closest competitor, Hans Gatt. As of late last night, both are out of the race.
Gatt, continuing to suffer from the soaking and unbelievable cold he experienced on American Summit, got a second drenching from some severe overflow on the trail heading into, I believe, Central. Frostbite started to affect his hands and he required assistance from musher Sebastian Schnuelle. When he scratched, Hans Gatt said he had stage two frostbite--think second degree burns--and his hands were extremely sensitive.
After Hugh Neff left Central at 4:11 AM Monday morning--more than eight (8) hours ahead of the #2 musher, Dan Kaduce (who left at 12:30 PM Monday), Neff seemed like a shoo-in for the winning spot. But that was before Eagle Summit threw its full fury at Neff and then Kaduce. First Neff found the going above tree line more than he and his team could stand, then his lead dog, Geronimo, fell in his traces.
Neff was eventually joined by Dan Kaduce, who had left his parka back at Slavens and whose team also found Eagle Summit to be too much. After being pinned down at the tree line just below Eagle Summit for hours and eventually being passed by Sebastian Schuelle, both Neff and Kaduce headed for the road and they and their teams were trucked into 101 Milepost Check Point where they are expected to scratch.
Weather and the Great White North have played havoc with this year's Yukon Quest. If/when Neff and Kaduce scratch there will be just 14 mushers and their teams of the 25 that started the race still on the trail.
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