The Iditarod

Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod - the 1,180-mile sled-dog race through the Alaskan wilderness - in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. For 17 days, he and his team of dogs endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations - and the relentless push to go on.

The lives of three business leaders converge, each at vastly different checkpoints within their careers. A young sales producer eager to make his mark, a seasoned executive struggling with burnout, trying to make meaning of it all, and a consultant coming to grips with the reality that leading a team is much more difficult that producing results on his own.

Claire Stanfield became a lawyer to make her father proud, but after a troubling case leaves her shaken, she escapes to Alaska and immerses herself in the world of dog sledding. Dillon Cord became a police officer to serve his community, but he moves to Nome in the wake of a life-altering incident.

The Incredible True Account of Leonhard Seppala and Togo's Life of Adventure in Alaska and the Far North. Leonhard Seppala a legend throughout Alaska, got his introduction to the dogsled as a musher for the Pioneer Mining Company during his first winter there. Where he was presented with his first team—a batch of puppies brought back from Siberia for use on an expedition to the North Pole by the arctic explorer Roald Amundsen and presented to Seppala when Amundsen canceled the expedition. It was with this pack of Siberian huskies led by Suggen, that Seppala made history in the All-Alaska ...

At age 47, a mother of two, Debbie Moderow was not your average musher in the Iditarod, but that's where she found herself when, less than 200 miles from the finish line, her dogs decided they didn't want to run anymore. After all her preparation, after all the careful management of her team, and after their running so well for over a week, the huskies balked. But the sting of not completing the race after coming so far was nothing compared to the disappointment Moderow felt in having lost touch with her dogs.

While many veterinarians apply, only a small number are approved to examine the elite canine athletes who, using solely their muscle and an innate drive to race, carry handlers between frozen outposts each year, risking injury, illness, and fatigue along the way. In Four Thousand Paws, Lee Morgan—a member of the Iditarod's expert veterinary corps—tells the story of these heroic dogs, following the teams as they traverse deep spruce forests, climb steep mountain slopes, and navigate over ice-bound rivers toward Nome, on the coast of the Bering Sea, where the famed Burled Arch awaits.

From Year of the Dog: "To say that dogs saved my life may sound trite to some. It may sound like I am overstating to others – or being dramatic. But if not for the dream of dogs, the company of dogs, the help of dogs, the beauty of the dogs, I am sure I would be here today, but I am not sure I would be alive." "Have you ever had a problem so large, so confounding, sitting right in front of you that it just didn't seem possible to solve, ever?" "I relaxed a little and tried to enjoy the scenery through some of the race – which was more like just a tour for me now since I was so far ...

Blow by blow accounts of one young man's two Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race runs. Takes the reader down the trail through the author's eyes, ears, legs, and hands. Primary focus tries to stay on the incredible Alaskan Husky sled dogs who pull the author across the wild breadth of Alaska. As handler for his uncle, four time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, Chapoton goes from rookie to Iditarod finisher, then does it again the following year. Dog lovers and adventure fans will enjoy this fast paced easy read.

Pete developed a love of nature at a young age, first through the fantastic adventures he had read about in classic adventure books, and then thanks to frequent trips to Telluride. He immediately fell in love with the fresh air and majestic mountains. He decided to move to Alaska, "the final frontier", by himself to try his hand at dog mushing, and it almost got him killed. When his mother passed away, Pete decided to honor her legacy by running 50 marathons in 50 states and raising over $60,000 for cancer research in the process.

He found out she was unfaithful... with his business partner. Time to end a couple of relationships and take that trip north to Alaska... After discovering his fiancée and business partner were having an affair, California chiropractor Jaime Hernandez decides to indulge in his fantasy trip to Alaska to travel the Iditarod Trail by snowmachine. After an accident knocks him for a loop, he’s rescued by a woman dog musher who’s going blind. The odd couple find they have more in common than a love of good food. Will the female owner of Second Chance Kennels give him even a first chance at ...