Category Archives: DVD & Video

Spirit of the Wind

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Helen Hegener

The award-winning 1979 movie Spirit of the Wind is based upon the early life and rise to prominence of the legendary Athabaskan trapper and dog musher George Attla, Jr., Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Iditarod, Movies, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Transportation, Uncategorized, Videos | Tagged George Attla, Iditarod, mushing, Northern Light Media, Spirit of the Wind | 2 Comments

Today the Matanuska Colony barns are an iconic reminder of what has been called the last great pioneering adventure in America. I have been living with, admiring, and photographing these picturesque barns for decades, and in 2012 I turned my longtime interest into a book, a video, and a website. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Colony Barns, DVD & Video, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information, photographs, Videos | Tagged barns, books, Helen Hegener, Matanuska Colony | Leave a comment

Sled Dog Movies

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Helen Hegener

Last year, 2018, was noted by the Chinese calendar’s zodiac as being the Year of the Dog, but this year, 2019, seems to be the Year of the Sled Dog, as film after film featuring heroic sled dogs is released to movie theaters and home streaming services. There are two movies about the great Serum Run to Nome during the 1925 diphtheria epidemic, one focusing on the champion musher Leonhard Seppala, and the other on his favorite lead dog, Togo. One is an independent production, the other is from the powerhouse film company Disney Studios, but both are absorbing stories, beautifully filmed. Another champion musher, the sprint racing legend George Attla, is the subject of a new PBS documentary, and one of the greatest dog stories of all time is brought to life by a great film legend, Harrison Ford. Pass the popcorn! Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Movies, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Videos | Tagged Attla, Brian Presley, Disney, George Attla, Harrison Ford, Huslia, Joe Bifelt, Leonhard Seppala, Nenana, Nome, Serum Run, Siberian huskies, sled dogs, The Call of the Wild, The Great Alaskan Race, Togo | Leave a comment

Alaskan Adventurer Mary Shields

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Helen Hegener

In 1974, the second year the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was run, Mary Shields became the first woman to finish the race, with the smallest team in the race (only eight dogs) and a part-Labrador lead dog named … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, DVD & Video | Tagged Alaskan Tails of the Trail, Hope Race, Iditarod, Jon Van Zyle, Mary Shields, Pyrola Publishing, Robert Service, Season of the Sled Dog, Sled Dog Tales, The Alaskan Happy Dog Trilogy, The Nature of Things, Will Curtis, Yukon Quest | 4 Comments

Still Crazy After All These Years

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Helen Hegener

Still Crazy After All These Years by Helen Hegener with Rod Perry Adventure has been a way of life for Rod Perry of Chugiak, Alaska. Now seventy-four, an age when most are slowing way down if not sitting still, Rod … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Buzz Rohlfing, Fat Albert, Gil Perry, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Men of 73, Rod Perry, Sourdough, Trailbreakers | Leave a comment

Icebound

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Helen Hegener

“On January 28, 1925, newspapers and radio stations broke a terrifying story — diphtheria had broken out in Nome, Alaska, separated from the rest of the world for seven months by a frozen ocean. With aviation still in its infancy … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, DVD & Video, Uncategorized | Tagged Alaska, Balto, Daniel Anker, diphtheria, Gunnar Kaasen, Helen Hegener, Icebound, Leonhard Seppala, Megan Edge, mushing, Nome, Northern Light Media, Serum Run, sled dogs, Togo | Leave a comment

Northern Light Media Store

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Helen Hegener

In addition to the overview featuring all of the books we publish, each book is spotlighted on its own ordering page Continue reading →

Posted in Books, DVD & Video, News & Information | Tagged Alaska, Helen Hegener, Lance Mackey, mushing history, Northern Light Media | Leave a comment

Roadhouse Videos

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Alaskan roadhouses are a popular subject for video photographers, as shown in the three videos below. All of these roadhouses are included in the new book from Northern Light Media, Alaskan Roadhouses: Shelter, Food and Lodging Along Alaska’s Roads and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Books, DVD & Video | Tagged Alaska, Alaska Nellie, Alaskan Roadhouses, Rika's Roadhouse, Talkeetna Roadhouse | Leave a comment

The Great Alone

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Helen Hegener

During the 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race the independent filmmaker Greg Kohs followed four-time Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey along the trail. Combining that hard-won film footage with family photos, interviews and other media, Kohs produced a … Continue reading →

Posted in DVD & Video | Tagged Alaska Dispatch, Dick Mackey, Greg Kohs, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Lance Mackey, Northern Light Media, Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF, Suzanna Caldwell, The Great Alone, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

The Great Alone

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Helen Hegener

Lance Mackey is one of the greatest dog drivers of all time. Four-time Yukon Quest Champion. Four-time Iditarod Champion. Winner of the Humanitarian Award for excellence in sled dog care for both races, winner of numerous awards over the years … Continue reading →