March 16th
Midnight in Shaktoolik, home of the wolverines. A beautiful day in Alaska, It’s been my first day on the coast.
Belly is...manageable. Hoping that after a good night’s rest we’ll get all systems back on board and my gluttony from two or three days ago finally stops accosting me.
But, another town is down. Man, for all you survivors and cancer fighters out there, you are my strength. When I start feeling sorry for myself and my stomach being all knotted up I think of everything that you go through. I can’t thank you enough.
We’ll see how we’re feeling in the morning, and then, onwards!
Good morning everyone! A rare mid-day update. It’s 11:00 here on the Bering Sea in Shaktoolik.
I’m playing the belly/wind game. This is a completely exposed stretch and today the wind is blowing out of the north at 10-20 mph and this 45 mile stretch which has taken people anywhere from 4 hours to 20 hours. I’m going to do my best to try and fall in somewhere closer to the single digit number...
The plan is working on getting some food in my belly and getting myself back to level after the struggles in Unalakleet with, I think, eating too much. I’m not exactly sure, but it was certainly unpleasant.
But, we got out of there and we made it to Shaktoolik which is huge. Forecasts are for south winds tomorrow. There is a cabin 15 miles from here and the winds are due to switch sometime late this afternoon, so I’ll go Smoky and the Bandit and try to make a run for the border so to speak, and get to that cabin.
Hopefully the rest will bring my stomach back on line and we can bust into Koyuk which will be another great step.
Hope everyone is doing well back home, I miss you all dearly.
Onwards!
Good evening everyone still from Shaktoolik.
I was reminded, speaking to my sister, of Tom Hanks watching his hanky, letting him know when the wind was right so he could get off of the island. I’m doing much the same here. This stretch is notorious for its wind, and certainly I could go out and buck the 20 mph headwind. But, as I’ve done this entire journey I’m sticking to my pre-race plan and the advice of others which is: From Shaktoolik to Koyuk, pay attention to the wind.
So, no need for concern, if anything it’s been another bit of a blessing. My stomach continues to return closer and closer to normalcy which is fantastic.
We will head out when the hanky blows from the south. If that ends up being later in the evening, we’ll let Mother Nature do her trick and seal up this trail a bit more, and we’ll make the crossing to Koyuk tomorrow.
Forecast for the following day is for the wind to blow out of the north which would be fantastic leaving Koyuk. Although my patience is being tested, I think this is the proper thing to do. So don’t get worried that the blue dot hasn’t bounced along, it’s doing what it needs to be doing right now.
Continue sending me good mojo and tomorrow (or this evening) we will move towards Koyuk.
Have a wonderful evening. Onwards!
"For friends, for family, for Iowa, and for cancer fighters everywhere. This ride is for a lot of reasons, and I carry each and every one of them with me out on the trail."
- Steve Cannon
This journey is to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click here to learn more and make a donation
