Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod

An incredible sled-dog race through the Alaskan wilderness and a stunning journey of discovery and survival from the author of the beloved Hatchet.

Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod—the eleven-hundred-and-eight-mile sled-dog race through the Alaskan wilderness—in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. For seventeen days, he and his team of dogs endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dog fights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations—and the relentless push to go on. Winterdance is the enthralling account told by the "best author of man-against-nature adventures writing today" (Publishers Weekly). |

“There are only a handful of indispensable dog books…Winterdance belongs among [those] classics…It is hard to find a page in this laconic book without an insight, hard to find a word that could be cut without loss…Winterdance is beautiful and is very funny and it’s about and dogs and their souls.”—Washington Post   “Winterdance will be around long after most outdoor adventure books have been forgotten. What could have been an ordinary journal becomes instead a revelation.” –Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune   “In the tradition of Jack London…[Paulsen’s] prose is spare and physical; at its best, it has the fluid simplicity of Hemingway…What’s most moving is his behavior at the end of the race; ‘I didn’t want to go in,’ he says. Armchair travelers will understand.” –Booklist   “A breathtaking, heart-stopping, roller coaster ride that depicts the brutal reality of the Iditarod, the magnificent beauty of Alaska, and the unique, if not surreal, relationship that develops between man and dog.”—Nevada Weekly