Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod

A booty is “a type of sock that is made to protect the dog’s feet from small cuts and sores” (“Mushing Terminology.” Iditarod.com.). Paulsen spends a lot of time checking his dogs’ toes for tiny cuts, taking off and putting on their booties.

The gangline is “the cable that connects the sled to the team of dogs” (“Mushing Terminology.” Iditarod.com.). Paulsen often refers to the gangline when some calamity occurs that involves the whole team. For example, in the chapter “Dogs From Hell,” Paulsen connects the gangline to a bicycle for summer training. He has attached too many dogs, and when they break the line holding the gangline to a tree, “the bike shot out of the yard, heading for the road at what seemed terminal velocity” (65).

Gee is the driver’s “command for a right turn” (“Mushing Terminology.” Iditarod.com.). Directional commands such as “gee” and “haw” (turn left) often appear in the book when the team encounters some problem and Paulsen must steer them out of it. For instance, when the team is crossing Norton Sound and Paulsen realizes they are on dangerously thin ice, he yells, “Gee around!” His faithful lead dog responds: “Cookie knew it meant to swing out to the right and bring the team back around to get out of a tight spot” (244).