“This book is a well written narrative of the 1998 edition of the incomparable Yukon International Sled Dog race. "A 1,023 mile race over frozen rivers, icy mountain passes...in the darkness of seventeen hour nights and in temperatures that drop as low as 40 degrees below zero." There is simply no other race on earth as tough as it.
It is hard to say whether the main character is the people in the race, the dogs or the land itself, as all three are equally phenomenal.
The people in the race and those who live up there are true adventurers with fascinating characters and souls of steel.
"On the trail, Aliy resigns herself to the flu. She's holding on, riding the runners, and periodically throwing up...She relies on her dogs to stay on the trail...tries to assume a trancelike state of mind, pushing aside thoughts of the 950 miles ahead of her, the cold, the dog food that needs to be cooked, the steep summits ahead, all of it." Note that this was at about day 4, she ended up finishing the race in 13 days 21 hours and 40 mins.
The faithfulness and unconditional love of dogs is well known, but reading about sled dogs makes clear that they are truly astounding animals and will remind you why they are so special. As Balzar puts it, "In all the animal kingdom, they were our original friends."
A great book that immerses you in a world that is very real, but very far removed.
Highly recommend.
”
Daniel N wrote this review Friday, January 6, 2012.
(
reply |
permalink )
