Leaving the Rohn checkpoint a 6:23 p.m. Alaska time Tuesday, Laura Daugereau has regained three spots and is currently running in 53rd place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. There are 65 mushers still running.

Daugereau arrived at the checkpoint shortly before 1 p.m. and spent a little less than 8 hours tending to her 15-dog team and herself.

The 26-year-old Port Gamble woman left the checkpoint about a minute behind Iditarod rookie Tom Thurston of Oak Creek, Colo.

This section of the trailway, starting in Rainy Pass, is considered the most scenic, according to race organizers. From here, mushers start down to the flatlands of the Alaskan interior. Mushers also will contend with colder temperatures. It was 32 degrees this morning in Rohn and 21 degrees in Nikolai, the next checkpoint.

From Rohn, mushers face on the longest runs between checkpoints in the 1,150-mile race. It is 75 miles to the next stop in Nikolai, with the first 20 miles considered some of the worst stretch of trail on the route, according to the race Web site. Race organizers recommend running the first stretch during daylight or in convoy with an experienced musher.