The 2016 Iditarod starts today!

I actually read Iditarod Adventures: Tales From Mushers Along the Trail last April, but figured I'd listed enough about the Great Race and that I could wait a bit. As with other collections, it's by Lew Freedman with illustrations by Jon Van Zyle. This may be my favorite collection (they are all good) because there are entries this time about folks that work behind the scenes. Some have been volunteers for decades. A common theme is that the race gets in your blood, there is no doing it just once! Even the musher from Jamaica agrees!

She was born in Kentucky, went to Alaska to work on a boat one summer to earn money for college never left. A 'tourist' trip to Nome to see the end of the Iditarod inspired her to volunteer for the race, then work for, and eventually train with Jeff King. Running With Champions: a Midlife Journey on the Iditarod Trail, by Lisa Frederic has wonderful stories of the dogs she raised from puppies to become part of her team, the chaos they can create, and the absolute joy of running them. I love that she sings to her dogs when they are out on the trail ... John Denver songs!

Much of what I found in Sled Dog. Powerful Miracle, by Stephen Person, I've read before but what was new was the story about Isobel. Suffering from a disease that caused her to go blind, Isobles racing days were over. Or were they?

You may call her legally blind, or visually impaired, but never, never call her handicapped. Running the Iditarod had been a dream from childhood, but was it even possible of some one who could barely see? No End In Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer, by Rachel Scdoris and Rick Steber is the biography of this remarkable woman (up to about 2006). One of the qualifying races Rachel ran was the John Beargrease Memorial Sled Dog Race, named for a man who delivered the mail by dog team in the late 1800's. I found a book about him in the bibliography and tracked it down. (See the February 4th, 2016 post).

As readers of my blog know, I enjoy quote books so was pleased to find Sled Dog Wisdom, collected by Tricia Brown. This is a continuation/update from her earlier book Lessons My Sled Dog Taught Me (see the March 11, 2014 post), and what fun it is! There are quotes from some of the same people who were Junior Iditarod runners at that time and now are veterans of the trail. Wonderful photos, too.

Expect more on this subject as the 2016 Iditarod continues. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog