The leaders in the 2019 Yukon Quest left Dawson City bound for Eagle, Alaska, overnight on Feb. 6 following a 36-hour mandatory layover.
Brent Sass was the first to hit the trail, leaving at 11:24 p.m. with a full team of 14 dogs.
Next out of Dawson were Yukoners Michelle Phillips and Hans Gatt.
Phillips left at 11:51 p.m. with a team of 12 dogs after dropping two in Dawson. Gatt was close behind, leaving at 12:07 a.m. on Feb. 7 with the same 13 dogs he arrived with.
Allen Moore was fourth to go, leaving at 12:16 a.m. with 13 dogs on the line.
Canadian Denis Tremblay left at 3:51 a.m. with 11 dogs in sixth position.
Nathaniel Hamlyn left just before 10 a.m. in 10th position.
As of 10 a.m. on Feb. 7, 18 mushers are in Dawson waiting to resume racing and two more on still on the trail to Dawson.
Out on the trail, Sass continues to lead as he and his team travel on past Clinton Creek.
Gatt, Moore, Phillips and Paig Drobny are all stopped at Clinton Creek.
Locals Brian Wilmshurst and Jason Biasetti are able to leave at 2:11 p.m. and 3:58 p.m. respectively.
Yukoner Rob Cooke sits in 19th position and is able to resume racing at 8:17 p.m.
An update to mushers on trail conditions indicates that the trail into Eagle has plenty of snow cover on the 40 Mile River with very little overflow and some jumble ice. Snow drifts are expected on American Summit.
Contact John Hopkin-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com