Nine Dog Winter

By Bruce Batchelor

Outdoors & Nature

Language: English Not Rated (NR)

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Overview Ratings & Reviews

An inspiring and entertaining true account of living in Canada's Yukon, including lengthy camping trips at incredibly cold temperatures travelling with two dog teams. The lengthy appendices provide a treasure-trove of information on building harnessing, toboggans, winter clothing, camping food, shelters, care and training of sled dogs, and much more.

The Story Behind This Book

"Nine Dog Winter by Bruce T. Batchelor is a wonderful true story about 2 crazy Canadians venturing out into the northern backcountry, to, of all things, learn to mush and survive on their own. Gathering up a questionable team of nine huskies, salvage gear, and a stack of food supplies, they set off to live a dream out exploring the back country of Canada, sometimes learning the hard way how tough mother nature can be. "You'll laugh out loud, you'll learn some simple outdoor skills and you might even cry at times. A good book to sit by the fire and read cover to cover. Nine Dog Winter will earn a spot on any book shelf!" - Theresa Daily, editor at GoMush.com

Praise and Reviews

"A real page turner. I couldn't wait to see what was around the next bend in the trail as I raced through this delightful read. An instant classic about Canada's North as experienced by two plucky southerners." -- David Pettigrew, filmmaker, adventurer and sourdough

"A fantastic read and very difficult to put down at times. A fascinating insight into one couple's dream to live in the simple and harsh life of winter in a trappers cabin." -- Kevin Gray, UK

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "True Love and Pure Fright!", December 4, 2008

By	J. Gunn (Morro Bay, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Nine Dog Winter" by Bruce Batchelor

On the way to the grocery store I caught up with a man with a shaggy mutt on a leash. He nodded & I said, "Good morning" to him and "Hi Dog" to his multi, ½-Shepard/½- Something else. The man said, "His name is Rags."
I said, "I just finished a book about him", pointing to Rags. "It was called "Nine Dog Winter", about a couple who went up to the Yukon, acquired 9 dogs that nobody else wanted bad enough to keep and just had a great time at 45 below zero, teaching them to be a team. They made all their own stuff, sleds, beds, harnesses, mittens, tools, heaters, boilers & freight toboggans "
I told him about Batchelor's talent for bringing the Yukon River country between Whitehorse and Dawson City to life, my life: "The moon illuminated the river valley with blue light, making the scene glow with a romantic, gentle softness, the patches of snow and angled ice reflected the brilliance in an iridescent array of colour, the hues of the evergreens and the metallic sheen on the basalt cliffs, all of it a magical tableau."
Adventure? That too, a murder, a dangerous river ice breakup, "Tyhee" and "Casey" get torn up by a Grizzly (they live). Plenty of excitement to keep you turning pages instead of putting the book down.
In Chapter One there's plenty of reference to the man's Heater, who by Chapter 45 turns out to be accepted by the happy reader as the man's Love. The book is bursting with love. People with each other. People with dogs. Dogs with people. Everybody with the outdoors. And, you and me with "Nine Dog Winter".
Batchelor is a yarn-spinner and a poet, a Gentle Man who can dish it out and take it. I enjoyed, very much, being with him and his lovely, tough lady. And, of course, the other nine.
-- review by J. Gunn, Morro Bay, CA

"Wonderful ride through the frozen tundra (from your warm cozy chair)
Enjoy the vicarious (thankfully) thrill of a motley crew of sled dogs and a romping real life adventure surviving (and thriving) in the frozen Yukon." -- author Martha Goguen

"Nine Dog Winter" is the story of a young man and a young woman who, at the start of the eighties, decide to strike out into the Yukon in the old school way with a sled of dogs. Their adventures are a thrilling tale, sure to please readers and with much information on modern dog sledding. A blend of technical info, human interest story, and canine love, "Nine Dog Winter" is a solid recommendation for any True Adventure collection. -- Midwest Book Review

I LOVED reading it. Bruce has a rare gift among writers: he writes like he speaks. His "voice" comes through his literary voice as if he was sitting telling you these amusing incidents while you share a hot cocoa by the fireside of a winter evening. You can almost "hear" his voice rising in excitment at the dangers and pausing dramatically before revealing the outcome. -- Doc Williamson, AZ