Since 1973, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, has united mushers, dogs, and spectators for a 938 mile run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. This can take anywhere from 8 days to over 15! I’ve heard of the Iditarod, but it wasn’t until my husband started following Blair Braverman on Twitter a few years back that I really started getting into it. I read her book and started looking into other female mushers like Aly Zirkle and the Berington twins, Anna and Kristy. And the dogs – they have this amazing way of making you feel so happy and alive and grateful. They are pure energy and joy!
Below are a few books in our collection by female mushers!
This Much Country: A Memoir by Kristin Knight Pace
After a brokenheart, Pace moves to take care of a team of sled dogs and discovers her inner and physical strength was greater then she ever knew. Falling in love with her sled dogs leads her on her greatest journey – the Iditarod. “Pace wonderfully captures the adrenaline rush of flying across a snow-covered landscape in 40-below temperatures, as well as the despair of later burying two of her beloved dogs in the frozen tundra. Pace is candid about life in the frozen north, and her self-awareness makes this a worthy addition to the outdoor adventure genre.”
Fast Into the Night: A Woman, Her Dogs, and Their Journey North on the Iditarod Trail by Debbie Clarke Moderow
“Moderow takes us inside dog sledding in Alaska, not just on the Iditarod Trail but through training and bonding with her dogs. Her first attempt at age 47 failed but not for lack of heart-hers and the dog team of Taiga, Su, Piney, Creek, Nacho, Zappy, Juliet, and Kanga. The huskies are essential characters in the author’s tale and prove that it is not just a race but a key daily test of communication, will, and perseverance. There is no glamour here, just an honest sense of a woman’s and mother’s life before and after the challenges of the Alaskan ritual.”
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman
“The most dangerous predators in the wild aren’t the animals, warns Braverman. A self-described “tough girl,” the author reveals how she delayed college to enroll in a traditional Norwegian folk school, where she learned dog sledding and wilderness techniques, along with 40 other teenagers. Obsessed with the North since childhood, Braverman worked as a tour guide in Alaska, where the male-dominated camp culture forced her into frightening sexual situations. An unforgettable journey through the heart and mind of an incredibly courageous woman.”
Keep track of the 48th running of the Iditarod here.
~posted by Kara P.
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