4Sem2Iditarod

I finished Winterdance by Gary Paulsen a few days ago and was very sad to do so. It has been awhile since I found a book that made me sad to flip the last few pages. It wasn't a sad book at all, it was one of the most genuinely happy books I have ever read. It is about Paulsen's first experience running the infamous Iditarod race through Alaska's vast wilderness via sled dogs (if you haven't read my previous blogs which I presume you have not).

As his training before the race progressed, Paulsen begun to realize his internal evolution from man to dog. He began to think like a dog, spending all his time with his team. He even went through a period of time where he slept in the dog kennel with his dogs. I found out, after finishing Winterdance, that the whole book is about  Paulsen finding himself and what it means to be human. there was one part, towards the end of the race, where he is staying overnight with a villager way up north in Alaska. The villager asked him why he lives the way they do in civilization. Why does he act that way? Why doesn't he live this way with the dogs? Isn't living this (the villager's way) better?Paulsen told him that yes, the way up in Alaska is better. I think that that was the biggest turning point of the book. When he realized that real life is totally different than his actual life down in the lower 48 with his wife and son.

This turning point is super interesting yet also inspiring in a way. When I get the chance, I would love to take a long trip into some form of wilderness for a bit. I think that that is a great way to find oneself or to come to terms with other things in one's life. When I was 15, I went to Tanzania to do community service, and although I wasn't really in a wilderness setting, nor was I alone, I came back totally different. I think everyone should try to do a trip of some sort.

Anyways, I really loved Winterdance and am trying to find wildernessy books like. So I am very open to suggestions!!!!

3sem2 Iditarod

To coincide with my author study for this course, I have begun to read Winterdance by Gary Paulsen. I am a little over halfway into it and I really can't put it down! It's not even like the book is a real dramatic page turner. It is a memoir about Paulsen's experiences running the Iditarod race in Alaska, and if you aren't a dog person, you probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much as I do. I even laugh out loud at some parts. Like when he described himself training with his new team of dogs. It was early fall so he attached an old 50's bicycle to the dogs and they flew out of the yard and into the woods. The three new dogs decided to chase after a rabbit and the whole team joined in flinging Paulsen off the bike into the trees. The dogs then chased the rabbit for over ten miles before turning around and running all the way home dragging the old bike behind them. Paulsen, however, didn't know this and followed their trail for miles until giving up and stumbling home at 3 o'clock in the morning. His wife woke and told him that the lead dog, Cookie, lead them home hours ago. They were all sleeping in the yard with the old bike. I found this story hysterical. There are so many silly incidents like this during his period of training.

I love how his writing engages me. The scenery he describes sounds so beautiful and it puts me in such a lovely mood. Paulsen, at the time, lived so simply. He and his wife were basically broke so they had  to hunt, trap, fish, farm. Anything they could, but they were happy. So content it seems. I value that lifestyle immensely. Being self-sufficient like that is definitely something I want to strive for when I'm older.

I am about to start reading about the race. The Iditarod seems like the craziest race on Earth! Thousands of miles through Alaska. Temperatures down to 60 below, with every person to his/herself to face the elements with their teams of dogs. At one of the mandatory meetings that Paulsen attended, people were warning each other about “suckholes” which are basically whirlpools beneath the ice that can suck a whole team down. They also talked about how a certain stretch of the race has no snow this year. No snow?! How do you run a sled on dirt? Paulsen was completely ignorant throughout the whole meeting and his training really. So it will be really interesting to see how the race starts off versus how it ends! At least I know that he doesn’t die.