ED BLECHNER, 66, of Addison poses with some of his sled dogs. The Addison man's 12 dogs, half of which are retired from pulling, provide companionship and help keep Blechner active.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
How long in life can you continue to pursue physically and emotionally demanding hobbies that have you outside in extreme temperatures, facing challenging and even dangerous scenarios?
The answer for Ed Blechner, dog sled driver of almost 40 years, is “as long as I can.”
Blechner, now 66, first got into dog sledding in 1975. “I was always interested in dogs in functional, non-traditional ways,” he says. With a parallel interest in winter camping, working with sled dogs seemed like a natural hobby to pursue.
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