natalie bradshaw q and a mushing magazine

Q & A with Natalie Bradshaw

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Location: Hovland, Minnesota

Occupation: Kennel manager and dog musher

Next Race/Adventure:

Soon it’s gonna be peak berry season here. So I’m looking forward to picking thimbleberries, maybe taking a dog along. Saia is a great berry sniffer. Even though she’s blind, she will find berries. Thimbleberries are kind of like raspberries. They taste like candied raspberries. They’re super flavorful.

Read More Profiles

We had the pleasure of having dinner and sitting down with Natalie at Points Unknown in Nortern Mineesota. She hasn’t been mushing very long but she has a lot of advice, namely about chocolate! 

One Race I Dream of Racing Is...

I have not done any racing yet. 

One Place I Dream of Mushing Is...

Oh gosh, I don’t know about racing. I just like being out in the woods with dogs. I’d love to do some adventures on lakes. think frozen lakes.

So, I also love the hills. think it’s really fun, you know, climbing up and shooting down them. But getting on the frozen lake, I would like to see what that’s like.

My Biggest Pet Peeve Is...

Someone that talks too slow. 

One Thing I Can't Live Without Is...

Technology.

The Greatest Advice I Ever Got Was...

The sleds that you’re using were built by the same sled makers Will Steger. They are extra sturdy. Okay. It’s like driving a piece of furniture.

The Sled I'm Running Most Right Now Is...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

My Biggest Blunder Was...

I could live in a city. When I got up here I was like this is where I’m supposed to be.

I Learned...

Just so much happier up here. I was living in Chicago before this, downtown Chicago.

The Hardest Part About Doing My Dream Mushing Trip Is...

Just experience. I’ve been part of this just the past mushing. So I loved it, but just getting more experience, getting out there more.

My Best Advice For Young Mushers Is...

You can do it. I got terrible advice. I got told that mushing doesn’t exist anymore basically. So I was like, no. But getting up here, it’s amazing how much of a mecca it is just here in Minnesota. Yeah. Very, very happy to learn that.

Happiness Is...

Happiness is home.

My Most Challenging Race/Expedition Was...

Gosh, there was one trip early in the season last year where…

The snow machine that we were using to break trail, it malfunctioned. So this is early in my experience. We had to turn all the dogs around. We had two teams out. while taking the dogs off and putting them on our portable ready line, I knocked a contact out. So it was just chaos.

 

What Scares Me The Most Is...

So this is early in my experience. We had to turn all the dogs around. We had two teams out. while taking the dogs off and putting them on our portable ready line, I knocked a contact out. So it was just chaos. I was running half blind. Just a pirate.

My Favorite Trail Meal Is...

Chocolate, last year we used some ganache that we used for like a chocolate torte type of thing to make hot chocolate Very good. Yeah leftover ganache. That’s the trick.

The True Gift Of Mushing Is...

Hanging out with the dogs.

One Thing I Will Never Do Again Is...

Get in between dogs who are fighting through a fence. That’s always interesting.

Natalie Bradshaw Mushing Magazine
This article was conducted during the 2024 Team & Trail Tour.  Subscribe to Mushing Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or  browse the digital archives here.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Discover Mushing Plus Banner
Serious about mushing? Earn money sharing your knowledge on Mushing.com! More Information ℹ️