The last thing rookie musher Pat Moon remembers is running strong with his dogs down into Dalzell Gorge. He doesn't recall hitting his head on a tree. When he regained consciousness he saw his "guardian angel," fellow musher Sam Deltour, who got him safely to the next checkpoint.
Late Tuesday night Moon was resting in an emergency room bed, waiting for an MRI and other tests. He says he'll be in Nome to watch the finish, and he hopes to visit some of the checkpoints along the way to cheer on the mushers he raced alongside.
Moon, who has cancer and postponed chemotherapy to mush in this year's Iditarod, said "If I show as much enthusiasm and courage as my team did running this race, that's not going to be a problem anymore."
Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul(at)alaskadispatch.com.