Iditarod racer shares insights into mushing from decades of dogsledding

When Karen Land was a young adult hiking the Appalachian Trail, a librarian recommended a book that inspired her to shift the course of her life completely.

That book was “Winterdance” by Gary Paulsen, a narrative nonfiction account of completing the Iditarod. The Iditarod is an annual 1,100-mile dogsledding race across Alaska that regularly attracts some of the fastest and most dedicated mushers. On Nov. 17, she shared tales of her experiences to a crowd at the Kilgore Memorial Library in York, Nebraska.

“I stayed up all night reading that book,” Land said. “When I left my tent, I told everyone I met, ‘I’m going to be a dog musher when I get done hiking.’”

That dream became a reality, and she has since completed numerous races.

The Iditarod commemorates a heroic dogsledding run to Nom