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Hardwick Safe In Aniak, Scratches from K300

Adrian Wagner
/
KYUK

Victoria Hardwick has made it safely back to the Aniak checkpoint after being out on the ice in -40 degree weather for close to 15 hours. Hardwick has scratched and was assisted in getting to Aniak after her dogs would not move.

At around 10 o’clock Saturday evening at the Aniak check most mushers had made it though and were on their way to Kalskag, except for Victoria Hardwick and Rodger Lee. Hardwick, in her third year of mushing, left Kalskag after not getting much rest.

“My dogs got tired so they took a break and didn’t want to get going again for awhile. I think I probably should have rested them a little longer in Kalskag maybe,” said Hardwick. 

Lee caught up with Hardwick, and says he tried to help her get her dogs moving but they wouldn’t budge. 

“My plan was to keep going. Just wait for the dogs to get rested up and try again,” said Hardwick 

Race officials started to worry around 8:00 when Hardwick’s GPS tracker had not moved in several hours. Around 10:00 two volunteers, Kelly Kelenbach, and Ricky Ciletti left on snow machine to find Hardwick, who was between 10 and 15 miles from Aniak.

The volunteers brought firewood, which they offered to Hardwick. Volunteer Ricky Ciletti met her in the cold.

“At no point did she ever ask for a fire from us," said Ciletti.  She’s tough.” 

Despite not asking for wood, she did eventually stand with the two men near the fire. Officials say it’s not clear if this is against the rules and wasn’t the reason Hardwick scratched. The men left and then were asked by race officials to pick Hardwick up.

“At any moment, any of these mushers, that they’re in trouble, they have a help button, or they have a rescue button,” said Ciletti.

Hardwick didn’t use that button, but race officials, and the Tulusak vet agreed it was not safe for Hardwick or her dogs to continue. The two volunteers returned, and brought Hardwick the news. She arrived in Aniak on the back of a snowmachine around 8:30.