Back of the Pack: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome [Paperback]

Don Bowers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Once infected with the mushing virus, there is no cure -- there is only the trail" Don Bowers learned the truth of these words as he lived his dream of running Alaska’s grueling 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. With no mushing experience and little money, but with a spirit of adventure and support from friends, he started from scratch to put together a team. Over the next two years, he discovered that becoming a serious musher is not to be undertaken by the faint of heart, or by those who cannot learn to laugh at themselves and keep going in the face of daunting difficulties and dangers. By the time he eventually pulled under the famous burled arch at the end of Front Street in Nome, his perspective on life had been changed forever by his dogs and by the staggering scope and intensity of the Iditarod. This is Everyman’s Iditarod, a tribute to the dedicated dreamers and their dogs who run to Nome in back of the pack with no hope of prize money or glory. This is truly "the rest of the story" of the Last Great Race on Earth.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Don Bowers has accurately captured this marvelous transformation in Back of the Pack, and has beautifully conveyed the poetry and sense of awe and respect that come with it. He faithfully shows us the joy and work and heartbreak and intensity of learning how to drive dogs, culminating in an incredible journey to Nome in the 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Before he could make it to the finish line on Front Street, he discovered that he and his dogs were capable of far more than he ever thought possible. Don's story is a true-life example of learning how to "Dream big and dare to fail."
Norman Vaughan

After reading Back of the Pack you'll watch the rookies heading down Fourth Avenue at the start of the Iditarod with a much better insight. Don draws a clear picture of what it's like to be a neophyte musher. Anyone with an interest in dogs--or who just likes a good read--will thoroughly enjoy it. This may be the best book yet about the Iditarod.
Phil Meyer, D.V.M. (20-year Iditarod and Junior Iditarod race veterinarian)

About the Author

Don Bowers lives at Montana Creek, Alaska, in a cabin he built himself. Born in 1948 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Don is an Air Force Academy graduate with masters degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology and Alaska Pacific University. For most of his Air Force career he was a C-130 Hercules transport pilot, flying Hurricane Hunters in the Caribbean and Spectre gunships in Southeast Asia as well as "trash haulers" all over Alaska. Don arrived on the Last Frontier in 1975 and became involved with the Iditarod as a member of the volunteer Iditarod Air Force. Upon retirement from the "real" Air Force, Don set about to run the Iditarod with his own team, even though he had virtually no experience as a musher. He is a certified elementary teacher as well as a commercial pilot in Talkeetna during summer. Don is the author of Alaska Airmen's Logbook for Alaska, Northwest Canada, and Russia, published by the Alaska Airmen's Association.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Publication Consultants; 1 edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888125241
• ISBN-13: 978-1888125245
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Iditarod & Dog-Sledding

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome, January 5, 2000

By 

Jen (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back of the Pack: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome (Paperback)

I love this book. I am in my 4th year of mushing. I love the sport. This book tells you what it is like to deal with these wonderful creatures that are a special breed. The author had a wonderful insight to share his thoughts, feelings, adventures,failures, and successes. Most of us dont tell of things that we did wrong. He not only tells you about what he did wrong, but what he learned from it. I am hoping to run the Iditarod sometime in the future with my daughter, and this is a book that I will for sure have her read before we set of to THE GREATEST RACE. I recommend this book for a veteran, or a beginner, or anyone that just has an interest in dogs. I have laughed outloud while reading this book and I have cried, and had every other emotion but anger. This book is the best I have read in a long time about this sport. Thank you DON.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography for a Non-Musher, July 4, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (Fairbanks, Alaska, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back of the Pack: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome (Paperback)

As a fellow US Air Force Academy Grad, I was thrilled by Don Bowers' adventure! Spending years as an Iditarod pilot, Don finally decides to run the race. He shows the true human effort behind running the race, not as a champion, but as a man willing to give his all to prove his determination and the love for his dogs. Unfortunately, Don Bowers died this year doing one of the things he truly loved: flying airplanes. This book is a tribute to the man and the sport that took over his soul. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves mushing or for anybody with an adventurous heart. It's a true uplift from the everyday drag of modern life. It will yield to the wanderlust of even the most rigid of people. It shows that some people out there still pursue their dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem. Farewell, Don Bowers! May your book be a tribute to you and the sport that you loved!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will touch your heart, March 23, 2001

By 

Fischer Jeannette (Dielsdorf Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back of the Pack: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome (Paperback)

Don Bowers wrote it with so much heart, it's amazing! If you love sleddogs, Alaska and the Iditarod - it's a must to read it (especially if you want to run the Iditarod once)! Even if English isn't your mother tongue - you will love it! I laughed but also cried while reading the book. It really touched me very much! Don Bowers was killed by an air-crash in summer 2000 and even if I haven't known him personally - my eyes went wet when I heard about it! I wish I could have meet him once...... (sorry, about my bad english, but even with this english it is easy to read his book)!