Baker takes Iditarod lead

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race has a new leader, as Kotzebue resident John Baker was the first musher out of Ophir this morning at 8:49.

Baker left the checkpoint 668 miles from Nome with 14 of the 16 dogs he started with. Baker, however, has yet to take his mandatory eight- or 24-hour layovers.

A pack of six other mushers followed Baker to Ophir, with Whitehorse musher Hans Gatt and local brothers Cim and Ramey Smyth leading that group.

The gamesmanship of the layovers has started. The group of eight mushers out front are expected to take their 24-hour layovers in either Ophir or at the next checkpoint in Cripple.

Behind the leaders, many mushers have declared their layovers in Takotna, the checkpoint immediately before Ophir. Iditarod press releases report Jeff King, Zack Steer and Hugh Neff are among the mushers using that strategy.

The trail is reported to have a firm base with light snow. After the checkpoint in Cripple, the trail turns northeast to the Yukon River, which the mushers will follow for more than 200 miles.

Of the 71 teams that started on Sunday, six have scratched at either Finger Lake or Rainy Pass.