Chasing Winter

arcticovenWeb

I am a lover of all seasons, except for spring breakup in Alaska. This year when breakup season came earlier than normal, I had zero hesitation to follow the snow so we could continue to run our dogs. This required us to drive 13 hours north on one of the least maintained “state highways” in […]

How Rude!

Howrude

The list of bad behaviors in sled dogs is nearly endless. Some dogs growl, grab, bite and fight. Others bolt the wrong direction; they won’t slow down or stop; they dash to or flee from strangers; they bark, shy, squirrel away, can’t be caught, or crowd people. Some destroy everything from harnesses to mitts. Poorly-trained […]

2020 Serum Run Expedition: Traveling Home from Nenana to Nome

Traveling by dog team en route to Elim on the Iditarod Trail.

February 24, 2020, Nenana. I was scurrying around the staging area surrounded by 12 of my sled dogs preparing to embark on the 2020 Serum Run Trail Expedition.  Soon, my dogs and me would travel through a small grove of trees to the Nenana River and follow the tracks of the men and dogs whose […]

The best

Beetle and Miki share an extra tight bond since their adventures in March 2019.

Almost any way you look at it, Beetle-Bug is not a very good sled dog. Born in our 2012 “Bug” litter of husky pups, he lacks the smooth fast trot of his brother Cricket, the power and superior conformation of his sister Junebug or the cheery drive of his other sister Skeeter-Bug.  Beetle’s 90-pound weight […]

Who’s The Boss?

Boss, left, and her friend Moose

Inside Boss’s canine cranium a glorious plan was conceived: One day she would become the lead dog. Her dream seemed far-fetched, though.  How could a runt who weighed only 60 pounds be capable of leading a team of 22 hardened Alaskan malamutes that were twice her size?  I am here to tell you her amazing […]

Trail guide extraordinaire: Meet Nanook, the hero dog

Crow Pass guide dog Nanook rescued Amelia Milling last summer.

  The headlines ran far and wide, from every major news outlet in the U.S., to the Daily Mail in the UK. Even the New York Post ran the story. If you like dogs and have a Facebook account, several friends probably tagged you to read the story, “Husky Saves Deaf, Injured Hiker in Alaska.” […]

The New Mushing Magazine is out

Joe Garnie is on the cover

Mushing Magazine #180 is out and has been shipped. Here is what's in it: Arctic adventure with Ketil Reitan, Dryland race preview of European Championships, race report from first Chugiak Dryland races in Alaska, a report of Greenland huskies in the summer; in the vet corner Dawn Brown talks about foot care; in club news […]

Meet Joar Leifseth Ulsom

Joar Leifseth Ulsom plays with his winning Iditarod team back home in Willow.

Joar Leifseth Ulsom is not a new name in the Alaskan mushing circuit, but to the broader public, not much was known about this quiet Norwegian musher who burst onto the Alaskan dog mushing scene in 2013. In conversations among media or mushers, he was referred to as “The Norwegian”, just as years earlier his […]

Mushing now available online

A dog team arrives in Safety.

The newest edition of Mushing Magazine is now en route to subscribers by postal delivery but for those who cannot wait or have no subscription, we offer an online subscription of the full magazine for $25 per year. It's easy to sign up. Go to Subscriptions, select the online subscription and pay securely with Paypal. […]

Number 178 at the printer

Mushing magazine #178

Mushing magazine #178 is at the printer and to be shipped to subscribers on Monday, May 14. This is the magazine that follows #177, which was published under previous management of Mushing magazine. You may notice that #177 was the July/August 2017 edition, mailed out in January 18. We now produced #178 but instead of […]