Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen is such an inspiration to me. He writes books and races dogs. He is an outdoor person. He has done many things outside. He is a great story teller and in his book woodsong he explains all about how well he got to know his dogs. Anyways he said that even if he didn't finish first in the race he is really happy that he ran it. That was just very inspiring to me because first to have fun. It takes a long time to train your dogs. I know exactly how hard it is to train a dog because i have four of my own. It takes patience, devotion, time, dedication, love, hard work, a big huge truck load of doggy treats, and I say mostly love. HP

Historic Iditarod

I think that running the historic Iditarod Trail would be very fun, historic, and difficult. think about all the racers that have ran on the trail. I the first race 35 mushers attempted it but only 2 finished it. the Iditarod trail used to be a mail supply route. that is one thing that is very historical. When Mushers and their dogs delivered serum to sick children. that was a very hart warming thing to read about, I almost cried! But as you see it is a very historic trail. I think that many people should race it every year. HJA

Historic Iditarod

The Iditarod race is ran on a race that was originally a mail supply route. Part of the trail became a life saving highway for children that lived in Nome. Serum or a liquid to cure diseases has to be sent to the children to get them better. That is a very inspiring story to me. The children were saved by a kind musher who took the medicine over to them. Now I have a very great respect for them and I know that mushers sacrifice their time to take the medicine to the kind innocent children waiting for the kind mushers to safe them. Now I want to be a musher and save children. HP

Jr. Iditarod wins by a nose

I think that on February 24, 2008 when Jessica Klejka took first, it was really inspiring. she won by a nose only two seconds before the lead dogs of Cain Carter. She makes me want to race because it sounds fun to win. The jr. iditarod is a one hundred and forty mile race. for mushers ages fourteen to seventeen. So I should convince my mom to let my race. with Hailey Peatross big buff dog Max. The race is designed to train young mushers to travel long distances with there dogs teams. It is fun to win but you have to take care of your dogs. HJA

A sled dog's life

I feel the Alaskan Huskies are the best dog for the Iditarod. They are very strong driven animals which makes them very good athletes. Mushers have many dogs in their family. They think of their dogs as trained athletes and most of all their friend. AWWW!!! What makes a good sled dog is one question asked. Martin Buser said a good sled dog is like a great person. Honest hardworking, curious, and a good attitude are great. Lead dogs show signs of being a leader when they are just a little puppy. They are curious and spunky. As they get older they take charge and learn the commands very quickly. How do your dogs deal with freezing temperatures is one great question asked. Martin Buser again says that the dogs are comfy in cold temperatures. They perform better in cold that warm. The mushers have to check their feet for frost bite when the temperature is really cold. They have to put boots on the dogs and jackets and make sure they're not too cold. HP

Meet Gary Paulsen

When Gary Paulsen was racing he had to feed to feed his dogs meat. He got a donation of out dated meat. The meat from the grocery store. He would grind it up into a paste that he could freeze and feed to the dogs later. When I trained my dogs, it took about eighteen months of intense training. We had to go on long runs! It took a lot of time to get them to trust me. When I raced in the iditarod, it had some big challenges!! Staying awake, staying warm, and taking care of the dogs, was a very hard challenge. The dogs are the biggest challenge. Gary Paulsen couldn't eat or sleep until the dogs had been fed, watered, there feet checked and there beds made. The best thing about racing is the dogs and that is why I race. HJA

what i learned

I learned a lot of things about husky dogs today. Siberians don't eat as much as Alaskans and they are slower with stronger feet. Alaskans are fast but they are more prone to foot injury. The Iditarod trail is actually 1112 miles long. I learned that it starts in Anchorage Alaska and ends in Nome Alaska. There are also many stops in between. It would be long and hard but it would be fun.
HJA