Karen Land demonstrates mushing techniques to visitors at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
(Photos by Alyssa Richardson)

The Warsaw Community Public Library had a great turnout Saturday, March 28, for Indiana-native Karen Land’s presentation on her adventures racing the Alaskan Iditarod.

Land, who grew up near Indianapolis, has completed the nearly 1,100 mile Iditarod Trail sled dog race a total of three times. The trail stretches through some of the most difficult and beautiful terrain throughout Alaska. Mushers traverse across mountains, frozen bodies of water, dense forests and tundra at temperatures far below freezing.

According to Land, mushers begin their adventure with a ride through the streets of Anchorage. This trip offers non-racers a chance to enjoy the action by offering rides to the highest bidders upon a musher’s sled. Once outside of Anchorage, mushers embark on the true start of their race, which stretches past south central Alaska to Nome, which is located on the western Bering Sea Coast.

Land and her 16 dog sled team have completed the race three times; once in 2002, where she finished 49th with a race time of 13 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, again in 2003 and lastly in 2004, where she completed her best race time, 12 days, 6 hours, 45 minutes, and finished 56th.

Though Land, who currently resides in Montana, has not raced the Iditarod in some time, she has not left her love for dogs or adventure behind. Land now travels the United States, acting as a public speaker, writer and storyteller with her dogs. Special visits from her dog Borage are also offered to guests who attend her presentations.

During her visit to WCPL, Land offered visitors a chance to peak inside the pack of a musher. Equipped with her sled and gear, she demonstrated how a musher packs a sled as well as discussing musher maneuvering and braking on the sled.

To learn more about Land, visit her blog here.