DOGS

So Many Trails, So Little Time…

  • A different kinda GEE-HAW!
  • THE BERRY CENTER FARM, NEW CASTLE, KY

… our last six months in a nutshell/slideshow! As Johnny Cash would say, “We’ve been EVERYWHERE, friends…”

We’ve been to… Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts…

And now SUMMER READING 2025 is just over the hill! Here’s to more trails to discover, more libraries to explore, more books to read, more friends to meet!

Email Karen and Noggin at mymusher @ gmail.com to book a talk at your library or school… MUSH!

COLOR! CREATIVITY! COLLABORATION!

Get out your crayons and colored pencils, paper mache and clay, paints and brushes, or whichever mediums inspire YOU! Noggin and Karen are gearing up for “COLOR OUR WORLD—SUMMER READING 2025!” Email us today at mymusher@gmail.com to save a date (we’re also booking winter & spring school and public library talks). And while you’re enjoying a sample of amazing mushing artwork created by students and library patrons over the years, click on the PLAY button below the slideshow to listen to Noggin’s all-time favorite song—“Noggin, You’re the One!”—available on our new dog mushing album, TRAIL ANGELS.

  • There’s nothing happier than a sled dog on snow…
  • A sled dog in her bed with many hands stroking her
  • Karen Land and her dog team at the 2002 Iditarod Start Line, Anchorage, Alaska. Pig (R) and Gnome (L) in lead. Photo credit: Jeff Schultz
  • Romano stickers!

Click PLAY here to listen to “Noggin, You’re the One!”

And go to https://peddlersfrench.bandcamp.com/album/trail-angels to hear our other original mushing tunes and purchase your own CD or digital download. Thank you for supporting our truly unique musical collaboration!

OUR MUSHING ALBUM IS HERE!

TRAIL ANGELS NOW AVAILABLE AT: https://peddlersfrench.bandcamp.com/album/trail-angels

Co-written with veteran dog sled racer, writer and lecturer, Karen Land, Trail Angels takes listeners on an album-length journey to the wild north to experience the lives of mushers, Alaskan huskies, bush pilots, and more.

Peddler’s French founders Philadelphia Phil and Matt Scutchfield assembled a multi-generational ensemble of acoustic players and singers, gathering artists from throughout the US for a series of studio recording sessions completed over a one-year period. All songs on the album were inspired by brave and beloved dogs, and real-life mushing adventures in Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48.

Trail Angels comes in an eco-wallet with a dramatic image by official Iditarod photographer Jeff Schultz gracing the cover. Messages from Karen and Phil are included in the full-color, 4-page insert, complete with a song-by-song listing of the many fine musicians on the album. The insert image of Karen and her team just strides away from the Iditarod finish line in Nome comes from Schultz’s 2006 book, “Iditarod Glory”.

Produced by Philadelphia Phil and Matt Scutchfield
All songs written by Phillip Henry Christopher (Philadelphia Phil) and Karen Land
Photos by Jeff Schultz: SchultzPhoto.com
Art Direction and Design by Bruce Lampe
Peddler’s French: philadelphiaphil.com
Karen Land: stringofdogs.com

*Iditarod Bering Sea banner photo by Jasper Bond

The Spirit of Sled Dogs

My 24th year of dog mushing talks is off to an exciting and enthusiastic start! In the first three months of 2024, we’ve given over 40 talks in Indiana, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York (not to mention the busy 2023 Autumn tour in North Carolina). Thank you to the librarians and teachers who hosted us as well as all of the students, patrons, and dog lovers who made us feel at home in your communities. This lovely little article written by Nathan Bagster sums up why we love doing what we do, and why we plan to keep on spreading that beautiful sled dog spirit…

https://gannett.mynews360.com/news/347554/exploring-the-spirit-of-sled-dog-mushing/

Interested in a visit? Email us at mymusher at gmail.com today!

LIBRARIES ARE COOL!

LIBRARIES ARE COOL! Spring and Summer Reading 2023 was a blast!

Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa… along with meeting so many devoted librarians and enthusiastic readers/patrons, another highlight of our June tour was celebrating Chloe’s 17th birthday out on the road. Chloe loves travel. And we adore her! Here’s to more adventures in the future… MUSH!

shhh… Noggin’s surprise party for her 12th birthday is very soon…

2022 Snapshots from the Road

65 TALKS in 6 WEEKS!

Indiana, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York…

It was such a joy to finally get back to the East coast and visit many of the schools and libraries we had to postpone two years ago due to Covid. Patience pays off! We met so many wonderful people. I loved seeing Noggin and Chloe so happy out in the world again. Happy dogs=happy me. It seemed everyone was craving close connections. Thank you to all of the teachers, librarians, and hosts who made our trip possible!

Next year’s EAST COAST tour will happen March/April 2023. Email us at mymusher at gmail.com for more information and to save your place on our schedule.

And, we continue to book SUMMER and FALL presentations. Email us with any questions, thoughts, or ideas. We’re always up for a new adventure!

2021: The Last Legs

Noggin, Chloe, and I just wrapped up another unusual season. With vaccination certificates in hand/paw, loads of hand sanitizer, and extra masks, we road-tripped across Kansas and Colorado, giving talks in schools and public libraries. Because of Covid, many of our presentations were given outdoors. We had large turn-outs even at night in 30-degree weather. Everyone was bundled up, and hot chocolate was plentiful. What fun we had! Librarians and teachers are a resilient and creative bunch. I have enjoyed working with them over the last 22 years. I look forward to many more library and school visits in the future.

Now, our sights are aimed up the trail towards 2022 SUMMER READING. OCEANS OF POSSIBILITIES is the next summer reading theme and, believe it or not, this makes a talk about dog mushing the perfect match. Did you know that a great portion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog takes place on frozen bodies of water? Dog teams traverse frozen lakes, rivers (including 250 miles on the mighty Yukon), and the awe-inspiring BERING SEA! Karen provides a unique perspective to OCEANS OF POSSIBILITIES with stories from her travels across sea ice by dog team to the historic gold-rush town of Nome. Climate change is also a topic that is ever-present when learning about the sport of mushing and Alaska. Email Karen at mymusher at gmail.com for more information and to save a spot on our calendar.

Back on the Trail

The LIBRARY TRAIL, that is : )

After almost 14 months away from in-person/in-dog library talks because of the pandemic, Noggin, Chloe, and I (all of us fully-vaccinated) are back at it! We gave a few warm-up talks in Indiana before we packed up our truck to spend several weeks on the road in Kansas for Tails and Tales Summer Reading. We had a such a fun time visiting with folks, seeing the sights, and checking out all of those great public libraries (16 total) across the state. We have missed you all! If you’re interested in an in-person/in-dog presentation for your school or library, email us now (mymusher @ gmail.com) to get on the schedule. And if you’re still Zooming, no worries, we do that, too! Here are a few shots from our road-trip adventures.