Editing Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (section)

=== Into the Interior ===
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!  style="text-align:center; background:#ccf;"| Into the [[Alaska Interior|Interior]]
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| Rainy Pass to [[Rohn, Alaska|Rohn]] {{convert|48|mi|km|abbr=on}}
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| Rohn to [[Nikolai, Alaska|Nikolai]] {{convert|75|mi|km|abbr=on}}
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| Nikolai to [[McGrath, Alaska|McGrath]] {{convert|48|mi|km|abbr=on}}
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| McGrath to [[Takotna, Alaska|Takotna]] {{convert|18|mi|km|abbr=on}}
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| Takotna to [[Ophir, Alaska|Ophir]] {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=on}}
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!  style="text-align:center; background:#ccf;"| Trails diverge
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From Rainy Pass, the route continues up the mountain, past the tree line to the divide of the Alaska Range, and then passes down into the Alaska Interior. The elevation of the pass is {{convert|3200|ft|m|1}}, and some nearby peaks exceed {{convert|5000|ft|m|1}}. The valley up the mountains is exposed to blizzards. In 1974, there were several cases of frostbite when the temperature dropped to {{convert|-50|°F|°C}}, and the {{convert|50|mph|kph|1|adj=on}} winds caused the wind chill to drop to {{convert|-130|°F|°C}}. The wind also erases the trail and markers, making the path hard to follow. In 1976, retired colonel [[Norman D. Vaughan|Norman Vaughan]], who drove a dog team in [[Richard E. Byrd]]'s 1928 expedition to the [[South Pole]] and competed in the only [[Sled dog race at the 1932 Winter Olympics|Olympic sled dog race]], became lost for five days after leaving Rainy Pass and nearly died.

The trail down Dalzell Gorge from the divide is regarded as the worst stretch of the trail. Steep and straight, it drops {{convert|1000|ft|m}} in elevation in just {{convert|5|mi|km}}, and there is little traction so the teams are hard to control. Mushers have to ride the brake most of the way down and use a snow hook for traction. In 1988, rookie Peryll Kyzer fell through an ice bridge into a creek and spent the night wet. The route then follows [[Tatina River]], which is also hazardous: in 1986 Butcher's lead dogs fell through the ice but landed on a second layer of ice instead of falling into the river. In 1997, Ramey Smyth lost the end of his little finger when it hit an overhanging branch while negotiating the gorge.<ref name="adn.com">{{cite web |title = Meet the mushers: It takes all kinds to run the Iditarod |first = Steve |last = Wilstein |url = http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/030605/dogmushing_0306dog009001.shtml |publisher = [[Peninsula Clarion]] |agency = Associated Press |date = 2005-03-06 |access-date = 2009-07-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110102090200/http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/030605/dogmushing_0306dog009001.shtml |archive-date = 2011-01-02 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

[[Rohn, Alaska|Rohn]] is the next checkpoint and is located in a spruce forest with no wind and a poor airstrip. The isolation, its location immediately after the rigors of Rainy Pass and before the {{convert|75|mi|km|adj=on}} haul to the next checkpoint, makes it a popular place for mushers to take a 4-8 hour break. From Rohn, the trail follows the south fork of the Kuskokwim River, where freezing water running over a layer of ice (overflow) is a hazard. In 1975, Vaughan was hospitalized for frostbite after running through an overflow. In 1973, Terry Miller and his team were almost drawn into a hole in the river by the powerful current in an overflow but were rescued by Tom Mercer who came back to save them.

About {{convert|45|mi|km}} from Rohn, the path leaves the river and passes into the Farewell Burn. In 1976, a [[wildfire]] burned {{convert|360000|acre|km2}} of spruce. The hazards resulting from wildfire force teams to move very slowly and can cause paw injuries. Clumps of [[Cyperaceae|sedge]] or [[grass]] which balloon out into a canopy {{convert|2|ft|mm}} above the ground can support a deceptively thin crust of snow. Fallen timber is also a concern.

Nikolai, an [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan]] settlement on the banks of the Kuskokwim River, is the first [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] village used as a checkpoint, and the arrival of the sled teams is one of the largest social events of the year. The route then follows the south fork of the Kuskokwim to the former mining town of McGrath. According to the [[United States 2010 Census|2010 census]], it has a population of 401, making it the largest checkpoint in the Interior. McGrath is also notable for being the first site in Alaska to receive [[mail]] by aircraft (in 1924), heralding the end of the sled dog era. It still has a good airfield, so journalists are common.

Following McGrath is [[Takotna, Alaska|Takotna]], formerly a commercial hub during the [[gold rush]]. The ghost town of Ophir, named for the reputed source of King [[Solomon]]'s gold by religious prospectors, is the next checkpoint. By this stage in the race, the front-runners may be several days ahead of those in the back of the pack.
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