Alaska's Dog Heroes: True Stories of Remarkable Canines (PAWS IV)

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As far as Alaska books go, this is often the first to roll off someones list when prompted with 'What do you recommend?' This best-selling memoir from Richard Proenneke's journals and with firsthand knowledge of his subject and the setting, Sam Keith has woven a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond. PAULSEN: Yes, my wife and son were there. And they had flown up. And Cookie didn't want to - we got to 12 feet from the finish line, and she - there was a big crowd there and people yelling stuff, so she stopped. And then she sat - she just... There's no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace and funerals are a community affair. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for her local newspaper. If anyone knows the going-on in this close-knit town--from births to weddings to funerals--she does. Heather Lende adds this to the list of Alaska books to read as she gives a take on her offbeat Alaskan hometown celebrating life in a dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful place. The biggest of the Alaskan dog breeds is the Alaskan malamute. The malamute is a powerful dog, towering over two feet tall and weighing up to 80 pounds. They are among the best canines at hauling hefty sleds because of their size.

PAULSEN: Yeah, as a matter of fact, it was a strange thing. I ran the Iditarod in '83. And something happened in the Iditarod that made me think of a book called "Dogsong." It was - an Eskimo boy asked me to teach him about dogs. And I thought then of a book about an Eskimo boy using a dog team to find his heritage. And I wrote the book, and then it won a Newbery honor. And that kind of - everything took off then. The 1980 unabridged audiobook adaptation by Recorded Books LLC (#80110) (3 audio-cassettes, 4.5 hours playing time), narrated by Frank Muller. [50]When I came off the run, somebody told me about the race. And I thought that the Iditarod must be the maximum expression of that beauty, that running the dogs 1,180 miles - well, I thought it was 1,049 then, but it turned out to be 1,180. Running them 1,180 miles would all be beautiful. And by God, it was. I mean, I ran it twice, and it was all beautiful both time.

This non fiction novel brings to life the way cities, villages and outposts were cut off from any form of communication sans the occasional musher and dog sled that braved the treacherous conditions to make a trip to the furthest reaches of the state. MOSS-COANE: So when you got into Nome in the middle of the night, anyone there to cheer you across the finish line? Follow a young couple as they spend the summer traveling the "mighty Yukon." Stories of adventure, romance, and history combine with breathtaking photos to give us a very personal view of one of the last and greatest wild, unspoiled rivers in North America.When outside help fails to arrive, John’s only hope lies in escaping. His thousand-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness grows more improbable when he encounters a blind Eskimo girl and an elderly woman. The two need his protection from those who would harm them, and he needs their knowledge of the terrain and their companionship to survive. The harsh journey and constant danger push him beyond his limits as he discovers a new sense of hope and the possibility of loving again. MOSS-COANE: ...That you sleep in the kennel. But how did that change your relationship with them, to sleep together? Muller, Frank (1980), The call of the wild, Clinton, MD, ISBN 1-55690-082-1, OCLC 10115178 {{ citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) The story finishes up with the death of the sled dog as transportation and the birth of the Iditerod. It also has a short appendix which details what happened to the various people and dogs that so famously traveled the dog trails in Alaska.