Bethel rookie Victoria Hardwick hasn't moved for a couple hours from a spot on the trail about 15 miles outside Aniak, as of 12:00 Sunday morning. Musher Roger Lee passed her on the trail and told crew at the Aniak check point that said she's stuck northeast of Whitefish Lake. She's been out there a few hours and couldn't get team moving. Late Saturday evening, Aniak checkpoint volunteers went on snowmachines to check on her as temperatures dip towards 40 below zero. The crews called to report Hardwick will push on. They brought her firewood to keep warm, but she did not except it. At 12:30 her GPS tracker began moving.
**
Jeff King has been reunited with his two lead dogs. The two arrived into checkpoint in a truck after they had got away from the line. King told KYUK's Will Peterson in Kalskag that he didn't exactly know how it happened, but it was while the team was running. He said that he decided to pick up the pace and hollered to the dogs. They gave a strong yank, which broke the line and the dogs disappeared "into the darkness."
The dogs arrived safely in Kalskag in a truck of someone who found them. King was reunited and will continue his race. K300 Race President Myron Angstman Saturday evening said he did not know of any race rules that apply this particular situation and said that there have been cases of loose dogs a handful of times in the past. King spent a half hour in Kalskag before moving back on the trail to Tuluksak.
**
Rob Cooke has scratched from the 2017 Kuskokwim 300. Rob Cooke arrived in the Kalskag checkpoint at 11:00 a.m. Saturday and scratched. Three of his dogs required medical attention ending the Whitehorse, Yukon Territory musher's race.