Concept

“As a kid, I moved around Alaska, including rural villages along the route of the famous Iditarod Trail sled dog race. I even went to school with the daughter of five-time Iditarod winner, Rick Swenson. He took me out ‘mushing’ a few times. Dog sledding, mushing, and weight pulling, which involves a dog pulling a weighted sled, were integral parts of the communities I grew up in. The history and traditions of working dogs like these were vibrant elements of my village life. Famous dog-mushers, such as Susan Butcher and Emmett Peters, and celebrated sled dogs, like Togo and Nugget, were childhood heroes of sorts, able to ‘tough out’ the harsh elements to survive not just the race, but in some cases to ensure community survival.

A few years back, I met a musher who was having a difficult journey with alcoholism and addiction. He was recently sober, but the years of ‘toughing it out’ by himself, unable to stop drinking, still weighed him down. His fiercely earned sobriety was due in large part to his relationship with one of his dogs. This high-spirited Alaskan husky lived so very much in the moment that that ‘presentness’ rubbed off on him. Alaskan huskies can be frequently mistaken for mutts, but they are some of the very best mushing dogs in the world. A fact I have known since childhood. This 40 lb. Alaskan husky had recently won a major weight-pulling competition, pulling over 3000 lb. on ice, beating massive 150 lb.+ dogs, such as mastiffs, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, and corsos. He outpulled them all! This husky revealed to this man the potential in an underdog.

That was the kernel of truth that I took for this fictional coming-of-age story about a downtrodden alcoholic at rock bottom and a stray dog embarking (pun intended) on an unusual but inspiring journey of sobriety and weight pulling. When Matt discovers Yup’ik’s astounding weight-pulling ability, he discovers a passion he didn’t know he was capable of. The obstacle? His fear—of people, of connection, of the world. These two wayward and wounded souls discover how to trust each other and eventually others. At its heart, this film is about forgiveness and finding the courage to repair and stake a claim in your life. It’s a universal and heart-rending story underscored by deep emotional complexity.”

Rob Grabow, Filmmaker
Writer | Producer | Co-Director | Lead Actor