Join host Robert Forto as he welcomes junior musher, Emily Robinson to the podcast.

Emily Robinson, 14, says that as a second-generation musher, born and raised in Interior Alaska, I have grown up with a kennel of Alaskan Huskies. From the age of three, my dad has taken me mushing. When I was young, I rode in his sled. By the time I was four, he had built a small dog sled and would tie a rope to the sled so I could glide behind him. I would watch his every move in front of me and copy them. At that early age, I fell in love with dog mushing. My dad started mushing in Michigan when he was in middle school and, after graduation, came to Alaska to work in a kennel. In 2001, he ran the Iditarod and finished with all 16 dogs.

The kennel he started is a part of our family, and now my dad has given me a team to race. My parents have taken me on long trips, and rarely does the weather stop us, even at 30 below 0. Traveling long distances in cold temperatures with the dogs is what we do for fun. We love living in Alaska and the adventures we have exploring the state. Emily placed 6th in last year’s Willow 100. She is in the 8th grade and says she plays old-time fiddle, runs a trapline with her dad, and enjoys swimming. She says her parents have been very supportive as have her friends and family members and she looks forward to this year’s Jr. Iditarod and Willow 100.