Iditarod: One Thousand Miles Across Alaska by Dog Team

This is the story of my Iditarod Sled Dog Race, one thousand miles across Alaska from Anchorage to Nome. Unique among such books, this story focuses on the dogs, their personalities, and how the dogs and I trained to become a team good enough to take on the world's longest sled dog race. On our way to Nome we experienced many difficulties and frightening challenges but always we felt the joy of overcoming each challenge as a team. Finally, came the thrill of victory as my dogs and I succeeded in finishing the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Every year on the first Saturday of March mushers set out from Anchorage Alaska to compete in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race on a 1,000 mile quest to be the first team to reach the gold mining town of Nome. At least one in five will quit. For those powered by their dream to succeed, they will face numbing cold, negotiate broken sea ice, brave blizzards, cross mountains, navigate snow covered trails over hundreds of miles of wilderness, and face angry moose.

Ask any musher what matters most and they will answer, "My dogs." Mushers will go without sleep, booty their dogs' feet, massage legs, feed, snack, rest, hug, praise, and encourage each one to be the best sled dog they can be, to do what they were born to do, what they love to do - pull a sled.