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ONE HUNDRED WINTERS: Retracing the Great Race Against DeathNow Available on Amazon and through Signed Copies at MushMaine.com As the world marks one hundred years since the legendary 1925 Serum

Honoring a Century of Courage, Character, and Maine Heritage Maine has officially recognized the Seppala Siberian Sleddog as the state’s official dog breed—a long-overdue tribute to one of the most

This past September I gave a presentation at “Poland Spring Heritage Days” for the Preservation Society on the rich history Maine has with the famed Togo and the Seppala Siberian

Discussions around genetic diversity in the Seppala Siberian Sleddog never truly begin or end; they simply permeate. Seppalas have never enjoyed the luxury of wide genetic berth to pull from

My kids have grown up around Seppalas, so they have a very discerning eye.

The oldest three are all grown up and out of the house now.

But when they

The legendary Leonhard Seppala and Togo Return to Nome on the 100 Year Anniversary of the Famous “Race of Mercy”

Poland Spring, Maine/ Nome Alaska- In 1925, legendary musher Leonhard

What an adventure yesterday\’s race was for our purebred team of Seppala Siberians- and great lessons learned! We had two Seppala teams in the four dog class with Jamie Nichols

I\’m hearing rumblings. The mushing community is small. And the purebred mushing community is a subset within a subset of our culture. Word gets around. And although I have been

Traditional arctic sled dogs are generally smarter than other breeds. But that has it\’s drawbacks. In dogs, as in humans, there is a big difference in intelligence and trainability. If

A reporter once asked Cecil “Mush” Moore, “What does it take to be a good musher?” n“You just have to be as smart as the dogs. Most people aren\’t.” Moore

It is both a heavy burden and a great honor to have been selected from among members to serve on the board of the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club a

A Scion White as Snow: Jeuahnee of Cold River In the world of dog breeding, bloodlines come and go. Many of them never contribute to a broader whole at all,

As I have discussed in other articles, The Seppala Siberian Sleddog has undergone two genetic bottlenecks over the past 100 years. nWhen such notable Seppala legends as Doug Willet and

Everyone keeps asking for a report on our race yesterday so I figured it would be easiest to post it here. We want to say thank you to the community

When Down East Magazine made public my plans to take a Seppala team to Nome Alaska via the Iditarod, on the 100 year anniversary of Seppala’s team helping to save

Everyone knows the value of a great lead dog. What few understand is the value of a strong and courageous wheel dog. While the leader’s initiate the turn on the

I love reading the biographies of the great explorers of the great age of exploration. And one thing that is constant with all my heroes is their agility. Their ability

REMEMBERING A MUSHING LEGEND On behalf of the board of the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club, I want to honor the passing of our club founder, Douglas Willett. Doug Willett

With the passing of the great Lance Mackey, I see lots of folks sharing their stories about him. And there are a great many folks with greater stories to tell

Kennel UpdatenSummer has been a busy time for us. We are continuing the build on our new 50 acre kennel with a log shelter cabin and a second larger puppy

Maine has lost a legend. Mushing has lost an advocate. Seppala Siberians have lost a supporter. We have lost our dear friend. Darlene with Poland Spring\’s Hazel Darlene Farr, and

In my ongoing quest to finish what Perry Greene started in 1951, by ascending Mount Katahdin by dogteam, I received a big surprise. A few weeks ago, Peter Richard’s gave

Those who are new to the world of Seppalas are often confused by the fact that, while most Seppala Siberians are considered Siberian Huskies by the American Kennel Club, most

We were wrapping up our final training run of the season in a snowstorm, just two nights before the big race. Caleb was running our eight dog team. We only

Ascending great summits by dogteam is a long standing tradition in history. n In 1926, Arthur Walden and his team of Chinooks summited New England’s tallest mountain- Mount Washington. Walden

When my 17 year-old son, Caleb, started down the shoot of the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dogs Race yesterday morning, I could never have imagined that his race would end

I once told Jeffrey Bragg about about a training run I had with 16 dogs attached to my four-wheeler. He responded by telling me that I should not ever have

The first Poland Spring Carnival Race was held January 15-16, 1926. The race was called by many names in the Maine papers; Poland Spring Sleddog Derby, New England Dogsled Race,

Wake up!” dad said. “We are going on a training run.” We got dressed warm and went outside.     It was a cold day and the snow was up

Updated: Aug 18, 2021 Ive had a few conversations over the past few weeks with folks that have been around Seppala Siberian Sleddogs for as long or longer than I.

Should we vote Yes, on halting Central Maine Power’s new corridor through Maine’s North Woods? Before I share my opinion, allow me to introduce myself for those who may not

Id like to tell you the story of how the Seppala Siberian Sleddogs made their way from Chuckchi villages in Siberia one hundred years ago, to our Poland Spring Kennels

Day seven began with hopeful yet anxious anticipation. Hopeful because I felt confident that we’d make it to our finish in Greenville some forty five miles distant, across the wide

I was awakened by the shaking of my bunk and the loud report of exploding ordnance just after 5am. It took my mind a few seconds to recalibrate. I was

I woke up around 6am at the beautiful Nugent’s Camp on day five and fed the team. The owners, Rob and Stella had kindly stocked the fridge with eggs, sausage

What I\’m about to share with you is embarrassing. In fact, it\’s taken me a few days to write this entry because I debated whether or not to include this

It was nearly minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up on day three. I went out to feed the dogs. Druid was already pacing in circles, like a fighter

Day two of the expedition began for me at 530am. This was my team’s first night on the trail, and I wanted to get out of the cabin and check

Updated: Mar 8, 2021 “Well that was embarrassing.” I said to my boys as they ran up onto the dyke to see if they could help. “Heavy.” I wrestled the sled

Updated: Mar 27, 2021 2/20/2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Solo Dog Sled Expedition Across the Wilderness of North Maine To Raise Funds for Togo Monument in Poland Spring, Maine Fort Kent, Maine—

Updated: Mar 8, 2021 Togo 261 Expedition. I wanted to let our team friends know that I am embarking on a roughly 285 mile Expedition the last week of February across

Thanks to Disney\’s \”Togo\” more Siberian breeders are affixing \”Seppala\” to their pups for profit, making the real thing harder to find. But the ISSSC has the vision to ensure

Updated: Jul 11, 2020   The ambers still glowed bright against the thin wall of our tent. By now my two teen sons were fast asleep, completely spent from the nearly

Based on a true story. The first in a series of short stories -by Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes Getting tangled up The team careened down the ridge at a full gallop.

My fumbling attempts to transition a great sled dog into a great lead dog. It was a mid March day. My only day off work for the week. My dogs

We have all seen the memes, “If you are cold, they are cold. Bring them inside.” But full truth seldom fits on a meme. When I was younger and dumber,

“I sadly can’t do it anymore. I am retiring from dogsled racing. Ever since the accident I’ve lost my nerve. I am in fear. I don’t have it anymore…” These

It was a brisk -4F at 430am when we loaded our Seppala Siberian Sleddogs into the truck at Poland Spring Seppala Kennels headed toward Fort Kent. My 15 year old