From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Martin Buser was singing to himself as he packed to leave the checkpoint. Then came the whistling:

From Beth Bragg in Anchorage --

You may have noticed that the official standings list six mushers as "scratched" and one as "withdrawn."

Yes, there's a difference.

The short version: A scratch is voluntary. Being withdrawn is involuntary.

Mitch Seavey, the champion in 2004 and a top-10 finisher every year since, was withdrawn by race officials early this morning after he cut some of his fingers while slicing open a bale of straw.

The cousin of two-time Iditarod runnerup Ramy Brooks was killed in a car accident Saturday in Fairbanks, but news of the tragedy got twisted, leading some -- including mushers on the trail -- to believe Brooks was the crash victim.

Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said race officials spoke to the Brooks family earlier this week to confirm what happened.

Magnus Kaltenborn from Lillehammer, Norway, prepares to leave Takotna Thursday, March 10. (Bob Hallinen)

Thursday update, 8:00 p.m.

Sebastian Schnuelle didn’t have the Iditarod Trail to himself for long after leaving the abandoned town of Iditarod at 5:35 p.m. Thursday.

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Daily News photographer Bob Hallinen snapped this shot of the northern lights outside a home near the Iditarod checkpoint. Only about 40 people live in the riverside village of Takotna. This is the view they get on a clear night.

Walking back to the school after watching Mackey leave, you could see the aurora shaking toward the mountains. Within minutes, it was nearly gone.

Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Behold:

And with the flash:

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

This was the scene at about 8:30 p.m. tonight, a few hours before Mackey was scheduled to leave the checkpoint at the end of his 24-hour layover ...

Hans Gatt said his team is recovering from kennel cough. (Bob Hallinen photo)
From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Four-time Iditarod winner Martin Buser, sat at a long chow hall table beside DeeDee Jonrowe with a nearly empty pie tin in one hand and a plastic fork in the other. The Seaveys – father Mitch and son Dallas – talked quietly nearby, sipping from steaming Styrofoam cups.

A flat-screen TV displayed race standings on the wall behind them, but for now, none of the mushers were moving.

This is the Iditarod on pause, as the race’s big dogs all spent the day in the sunny riverside checkpoint for their mandatory 24-hour rest. Buser expects to return to the trail at about 10 p.m. tonight with a team competitors say is perfect for this year’s hard, speedy trail.

Lance Mackey will follow about an hour and a half later, behind what the defending champion says is a hobbled dog team.

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

This from the local community hall, where burgers and steaks sizzle on the grill at all hours for mushers. It smells like pie and coffee, and pictures of famous racers, including Mackey's brother Rick, line the walls.

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

See Iditarod leader Martin Buser's earbuds in this clip? He's got an iTouch full of everything but rap and "acid rock," he said.

He was listening to the final chapter of comedian Adam Carolla's "In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks," when he pulled into Takotna at 8:16 p.m. last night.

He's got a few more hours before he can take off tonight:

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Sebastian Schnuelle on kennel cough, his elderly team, and Martin Buser from Kyle Hopkins on Vimeo.

Defending champion Lance Mackey.

From Kyle Hopkins in Takotna --

Lance Mackey's the second musher I've talked to today with a tattoo for a wedding ring. Wattie McDonald, of Scotland, has "Wendy" inked on his ring finger.

Look closely at this picture and see if you can spot what's missing: One of Mackey's fingers.

The throat-cancer survivor had it removed when surgery-related nerve damage left it useless.

Around his neck he's wearing a kind of medallion with an engraving of his face blending with the face of his former lead dog, Larry.

Mackey, whose team has been struggling, says he misses the champion leader. He's thinking of taking it easy on the Iditarod next year, maybe running a puppy team and spending eight hours at every checkpoint.

Name: Pepper
Gender: Male
Age: 2
Weight: 55-60 pounds
Position: Team dog
Musher: Gerald Sousa, Talkeetna

Pepper doesn’t like anyone touching his hind legs and has no patience for the veterinarians who check dogs for injuries along the trail.

“He growls and he wants to bite their hands off. The vets I don’t like, I go ahead and tell them 'something’s wrong with Pepper,'” Sousa said, winking.

Pepper closed his eyes and lifted his head as Sousa petted him. He’s racing well this year, the musher said.

The dog’s grandfather is Governor, who ran for Iditarod veteran Paul Gebhardt and is “the Michael Jordan” of sled dogs, Sousa said.

The rest of the “Meet the Sled Dogs” here. Our plan is to keep adding more daily.

From Beth Bragg in Anchorage --

USA Today's "Paw Print Post" -- a blog for animal lovers -- is taking a poll on whether the Iditarod is sport or torture for the dogs.

So far, those who believe PETA and other critics of the race should "leave it be" are leading the way with 49 percent of the vote.

The "end it now" choice has drawn 37 percent of votes.

Wednesday, 1 p.m update
Four mushers who raced through Takotna, where 31 others mushers are gathered for rest and perhaps 24-hour layovers, are into Ophir.

From Kyle Hopkins in Nikolai --

The Nikolai resident I'm sharing a table with here in the school gymnasium suspects Mackey's just playing head-games with his rivals, for what it's worth.

From Kyle Hopkins in Nikolai --

From Kyle Hopkins in Nikolai --

Rolling up plastic for his dog sled runners? That's hard. Lifting his left arm above his chest? That hurts.

But mushing with what appears to be a broken collar bone isn't as bad as five-time Iditarod champion Rick Swenson expected.

Beware the official Iditarod standings.

Daily News reporter Kyle Hopkins reports from Nikolai that he watched John Baker leave the checkpoint bound for McGrath this afternoon around 3 or 3:30.

As of 2:50 p.m., however, the standings showed that Baker was still on the trail between Rohn and Nikolai.

In fact, he reached Nikolai at 10:42 a.m.

"Baker is here and gone," Hopkins said. "I watched him leave."