Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod

Gary Paulsen has a weird, weird mind. I had read his books like Hatchet when I was a teen, but this non-fiction novel was an entirely different creature (perhaps a dog? ;))

In retrospect I probably read it during the wrong part of the year (Late January into Early February. During a definite cold snap in New England). When he talked about negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit on The Yukon or even a warm negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit it sent a literal chill down my spine for sure.

I've always had an interest in the Iditarod (like I do in the Boston Marathon. Cool to watch, don't really ever want to participate.) And this book helped reinforce that. The way Paulsen talked about the dogs and the race as well as the training made the whole thing show more come alive. And the chapter about his Major wrecks was hilarious and had me laughing the whole way through it.

A must read, though I suggest it be read during the summer, and during a heat wave, a very, very long heat wave. show less

"But the beauty of the woods, the incredible joy of it is too alluring to be ignored, and I could not stand to be away from it--indeed, still can't--and so I ran dogs simply to run dogs; to be in and part of the forest, the woods."

“How can it be to live without the dogs.”

Paulsen is a outdoorsy, kind of guy, living in the wilds of Minnesota, but one day, in his early 40s, he decides to run the Iditarod. A grueling 1,180 miles dog-race, from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
This is his memoir, of that event and it is awesome. It is also funny, gripping and terrifying. There is more adventure packed into these pages, that you would find, in a half a dozen other books.
I thought the idea of climbing Mt. Everest, is insane, (it does remind me show more of Into Thin Air, just not as somber) but this is a whole different kind of madness.
I can not recommend this one high enough and I will be searching out more of his work. show less

This book nailed me to my chair for the afternoon, but I felt like I was racing through it pulled by a team of sled dogs running for pure joy. This is Paulsen's story of his naive preparations for, and first experience of running the 1100+ mile Iditarod in 1983. Fascinating, moving, hilarious, terrifying. We should be grateful that a diagnosis of heart disease stopped him from running after his third start; he would either have died out there somewhere, or simply become so obsessed with the race, at one with his dogs, that he never would have written this beautiful book for the benefit of mere humans.

Just one of my absolute favorites!
Gary Paulsen, known for his young adult novels, has just absolutely crushed it with his autobiographical masterpiece on his attempt at prepping for and running the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska.
Not a novice at running sled dogs, as Paulsen explains in his early chapters (he checks his traps around northern MN using a team), he believes that he would like to run the Iditarod race in Alaska. The only problem is that he doesn't know what to do or how to do it.
This hilarious tale is one of a man and his ignorance and maybe lost in the humor is the love story between he and his dogs he spends so much time with, yes, even Devil... It has everything, adventure, humor, love, dogs, friends, an all-too-knowing show more spouse, hate, races, and heartbreak.
Cannot recommend this higher. This is a book for everyone. Go get it! show less

Just one of my absolute favorites!
Gary Paulsen, known for his young adult novels, has just absolutely crushed it with his autobiographical masterpiece on his attempt at prepping for and running the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska.
Not a novice at running sled dogs, as Paulsen explains in his early chapters (he checks his traps around northern MN using a team), he believes that he would like to run the Iditarod race in Alaska. The only problem is that he doesn't know what to do or how to do it.
This hilarious tale is one of a man and his ignorance and maybe lost in the humor is the love story between he and his dogs he spends so much time with, yes, even Devil... It has everything, adventure, humor, love, dogs, friends, an all-too-knowing show more spouse, hate, races, and heartbreak.
Cannot recommend this higher. This is a book for everyone. Go get it! show less

What a wild ride/read! This narrative of the author’s first run of the Iditarod is crazy to the point of insane, filled with gritty, descriptive language of the hardships endured by musher and dogs alike and laugh out loud funny in so many places. I am grateful to my sister for the rec. I would never have chosen it if I had not seen her review on Goodreads. The author’s name, Gary Paulsen, brought immediate and fond memories of Hatchett, a YA book from my kids’ school days. I love his writing style, so approachable, self-deprecating, sparing no details. If you are looking for an exciting, quick read, this one will do it. The ending was a surprise which always adds to the drama of finishing a true story.

Fantastic read. Gary Paulsen tells the story of his dogs and the Iditarod in way that pulls you into his world. He tells it all in a straight forward and sometimes laugh-out-loud way. He lays it all out there; his mishaps, his confusions, his mistakes, his triumphs. Every page turned takes you farther into understanding how he learned his way into the race and trials and tribulations during the race. Winterdance is full of ups and downs and he tells a story that makes you feel all his emotions/challenges, plus funny. It is one of those kind of books that when you come to the last few chapters, a ping of sadness hits because you know the end is near.