Gary Paulsen

Gary running the dogs. (https://www.google.com/search?q=gary+paulsen&espv= (4thgraderlmustangs.blogspot.com))

In his memoir, the author, Gary Paulsen, needs to build a relationship with his dogs by becoming one with the dogs. He has to sleep in the kennel with the dogs. He even needs to mark his own territory by peeing on the ground. Gary also ate the dog's food. Soon he started thinking like a dog. According to Winterdance, Gary said to his dogs, "I don't know these things yet. You guys will need to teach me."

In order to run in the Iditarod, Gary Paulsen needed to learn how to survive in the wilderness and train fifteen dogs. He had to build sleds that he could use in the summer and winter to hold all of his equipment. He also had an encounter with a coyote and a beaver. He faced climate changes. At one point when he was traveling across the Norton Sound, he almost fell through the sea ice/salt water ice - not fresh water ice, which he was more familiar with. Another struggle was training the dogs not to fight with each other. He also had the dogs pull a car so they would get used to pulling a heavy sled filled with gear. According to the chapter, "First Snow", the dog's instincts took over and made Gary realize that he needed to trust his dogs.

From the beginning, as he tried to get his dogs to conquer the Iditarod, Gary faced many difficulties. When he was traveling to his first check point, he got lost on the wrong trail, and a third of the teams followed him. As they were traveling back they encountered a moose that almost killed him and one of the other team's dogs. Gary said it was hard to see a man's best friend die. Another close call was when he went through Rainy Pass trail and fell off a cliff that dropped to a frozen river. He miraculously landed it perfectly with his team all in tact. Another musher said, "That it must have been dumb luck." At Don's cabin, Gary stayed behind with another musher and his team. When it was time to go to the next check point, the other dog team would not stand, so the musher began to beat one of his dogs to death. That was mentally difficult for Gary to witness, and he reported it as soon as he reached the next check point.

After the Iditarod, Gary became a very famous writer. He wrote many award-winning children's and adult books. His travel experience has helped him to write many interesting stories. He even sailed the Pacific Ocean after suffering from heart disease. In 2003 he got back into dog sledding by breeding and training sled dogs for the Iditarod.

Gary Paulsen is a hero to me because he never gave up. He ran the 1,150 mile Iditarod dog-sledding race. He had to learn how to survive in the outdoors and needed to train fifteen dogs. He even encountered a moose, murderer and dangerous terrain. When he suffered heart disease, he had to make the hardest decision of his life by giving up his dogs and sledding. He inspired others and myself by writing and sharing his experiences.