Halfway Update from Rich

hey guys, it's rich. rob and i got into goose around 3 this afternoon, sleds are in "pretty good shape" considering what they have been put through. we have had to deal with mechanicals since the second checkpoint from running out of gas because the drawdown tank not working, to low octane fuel making the sled run in limp mode, to 3 broken track adjuster bolts, to broken rocker arm bolt in skid, to the grand finale of sheering off the left rear hanger for the left rear skid bolt at seal lake yesterday. we slept in a woodshed last night and left for nipishish at 5:30am today with my skid held together with a tow strap and team 1 with a broken arm in their primary clutch. going was slow but we were making progress. our support team, todd, dave, and the milleys were making their way a 6 hour ride one way. we met them 6 km from harveys check and plated my sled with a fabricated piece they sourced late last night in goosebay. they also brought a clutch for team 1 so we were rolling once again. rob and i rode our butts off back to goose to make up lost time from mechanicals and our times reflect our effort. we were happy with our progress today given a 14 hour hold up at seal lake yesterday. a lot of teams are broke and crippled as of right now, in fact there are 3 sleds in the impound lot with no skids in them, just sitting on the ground. tomorrow will be a good day for us, we leave around 8 am after some brief repairs. it will give us a lot of daylight. the trail from seal back to orma is so severe that we will not be able to backtrack and a new track will have to be punched through over the western hills around the lake. this is good for us because it takes a lot of time and energy to do this for the lead teams all the while rob and i will be making up some more ground. i can only hope that our mechanical problems are over and we can finish this race a few places higher than we currently are. we are discouraged with the breakdowns, but realize a race like this invites serious problems. tucker hibberts uncle, Rex, is running pretty well and told my wife today that the iron dog is nowhere near as difficult as Cain's Quest, that says a lot since he has raced the iron dog. keep an eye on us, and think no breakdowns!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!