Jerry Joinson, 57, was born and raised in northern Saskatchewan, CANADA. He began mushing in 1965 and began thinking about the Iditarod in the when it first started. He moved to Ft. St. James in 2005 because of the large, active dog mushing community and opportunities for sport fishing. He has raced in Canada, Russia, Oregon and in 2011, ran the Yukon Quest. He says, “I run sled dogs for the sheer enjoyment of being out in the wilderness with my dogs. Every now and then, I enter a race to improve my skills and dog care that I learn from other mushers and veterinarians. I am entering Iditarod to challenge myself and my dogs against the best teams in the world…and to see a completely NEW trail!” Jerry is a carpenter and sheep rancher and a member of the Ft. St. James Dogsled Association. He says his hobbies are sheep ranching and chicken farming. Jerry and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of Arrin, 34, Colson, 32, Jessica, 25, Daniel, 23, Lexi, 13. They have four grandchildren, Brandon, Riann, Jonah and Anderson.