Hannah Moderow
Author of Lily's Mountain
Works by Hannah Moderow
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Born to Mush is aptly named.
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always show more follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…) show less
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always show more follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…) show less
Born to Mush is aptly named.
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always show more follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…) show less
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always show more follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…) show less
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- Works
- 2
- Members
- 30
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- #449,941
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 3