Going Wild

A typical mid-winter day for Mary Knight (Class of 1998) starts long before the sun makes its way into the Alaskan sky. Guided by a headlamp, she mixes a five-gallon bucket of ultra-high-fat kibble and meat to feed her team of 15 Alaskan Huskies. 

Once the dogs are fed, there is firewood to chop, snow to shovel, and the seemingly endless list of tasks that comes with rural life. And by mid-morning, Mary is harnessing the dogs for a training run on the nearby trails. In the spring, she typically takes her pack on long camping trips, visits remote cabins far from the nearest roads, or participates in local sled dog races. There’s also the occasional dogsled ride with friends, and plenty of pets and cuddles with her beloved pups. 

It’s a far cry from the lush tropics of Indonesia and bustling streets of Jakarta, where Mary spent much of her formative years. Today, she lives about 80 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Interior Alaska, spending her days between her work as an Emergency Department nurse and her passion for training and running sled dogs through the wilderness.

“I have been a ‘dog person’ for as long as memory — and photographs — serve. And after moving to Alaska and discovering that dogsledding perfectly combined with my love of wilderness travel to open up a whole new world of trails, I was hooked,” Mary explains. “I started my first small team in 2009, and have been working with sled dogs ever since.”

Her journey to the “untamed north” actually found its beginnings at JIS, where some of her most transformative learning moments took place outside the classroom. Field trips and hands-on experiences introduced her to remote parts of Indonesia that may not always be featured in mainstream travel brochures or shows. From exploring Ujung Kulong and Krakatau to traveling across Irian Jaya’s Baliem Valley and the Thousand Islands for IB Biology, she found herself developing “a love for spending time out-of-doors in places with few human fingerprints”.

“Although Alaska and Jakarta seem worlds apart, looking back, there were many threads of my education at JIS that planted the seeds for a deep love for and appreciation of the wilderness I enjoy in the north country now,” she recalls. “Opportunities to explore the world outside of the classroom, led by teachers with a genuine enthusiasm for ecology, conservation, and the unique place we were all so privileged to call home, laid a strong foundation of curiosity and appreciation for the world around me.”

Throughout college, Mary continued to seek out off-the-beaten-path destinations, as well as formal instruction in wilderness travel skills and risk management. 

“The combination of hard skills and growing personal resonance with the power of the wilderness to challenge, inspire, and empower eventually drew me to Alaska, where I spent some time as a backcountry guide before eventually pursuing further education in healthcare.”

While Mary ultimately found her professional calling in the medical field, she also remained devoted to rivers and trails, and, of course, her 15 Huskies. There’s sweet Tazzy, the “class clown” who can be a little clumsy; headstrong Hanners, the team cheerleader who loves to jump and charge down the trail; and unflappable Mako, who is newly retired from sledding and now serves as a therapy animal.

“Twelve of them are active team dogs, and the other three are retired and spend lots of well-earned time on the couch by the woodstove,” Mary says, the love she has for them shining through as she describes their unique quirks. “Each dog brings different strengths to the pack, and learning to work with their various personalities and preferences to build a strong, cohesive team has been an interesting puzzle and enjoyable challenge through the years.” 

After more than 15 years training and traveling with the pack, Mary views them as not just dogs, but companions and fellow adventurers. Together, they have shared countless unforgettable moments in the Alaskan wilderness. On one of their most memorable journeys, Mary was traveling with a team of 10 young dogs. For four of them, it was their very first overnight trip over the mountains. Not long after leaving the cabin, however, Mary’s sled caught on a tree root, resulting in a crash that left it badly damaged. It became clear there was no way they could safely traverse the steep, winding trail that still lay ahead. While she was unsure of what to do, Mary knew that she could trust her dogs. 

“I held my breath and unhooked seven of the dogs from the sled lines. One by one, they disappeared down the trail in the dark. The remaining three dogs and I limped our way slowly down the mountain with the broken sled.

“When we finally arrived at the trail intersection deep in the valley, I had seen no sign of the rest of my team. I stopped the sled to consider my options […] and then watched in amazement as one by one, each of the loose dogs reappeared out of the dark and ran up to me, ready to be put back in the team!

“We ran the remaining 15 miles back to the trail-head together as the sun rose, and the amount of gratitude and pride (and relief!) I felt was overwhelming.”

Mary’s latest adventure may not be as dangerous, but it’s already turning out to be an exciting one that’s filled with possibilities. Two years ago, she decided to purchase a 100-year-old roadhouse from the Gold Rush era. A full day’s travel from the nearest road, it has served as a shelter cabin for wilderness travelers since the 1980s. Increasing river erosion, however, threatens to destroy the historic structure — unless Mary steps in to save it. 

“In addition to keeping the building open as an emergency shelter, I am hoping to open it up for folks to experience the Alaskan wilderness to recharge, heal, and grow by connecting with nature and challenging themselves in the remote heart of the interior — and maybe learn to drive a dogsled,” she says, adding that the biggest challenge would be to move the century-old building safely away from the riverbank, with the extra challenge of being 50 miles from the nearest road. “Success is not guaranteed, but I am determined to do my best to save this little piece of living history.”

To learn more about the Tolovano Roadhouse and follow Mary’s efforts to preserve it, go to tolovanaroadhouse.com or visit its Facebook page.

It’s sure to be another demanding journey, but no stranger to them, Mary is eager to meet the undertaking head-on. She encourages today’s JIS students to do the same when being faced with a new challenge or seemingly daunting task.

“Seek and embrace new experiences, especially those that take you out of your comfort zone, and present opportunities to meet new people, see new places and face challenges with enthusiasm,” she says. “Building flexibility and resilience while feeding your natural curiosity will serve you throughout your life, opening doors to adventures you could never have imagined.”