Adam Lindenmuth began his mushing journey in 2017, stepped into racing by 2019, and officially established his own kennel in 2021 with a clear goal in mind — to raise his own pups and one day run the Iditarod with them.
Now that those pups are old enough, that dream is becoming reality.
Before he found mushing, Adam had a strong passion for long national scenic trails, having hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Arizona Trail.
For him, the Iditarod felt like a natural next step in combining endurance, wilderness, and adventure.
What is your full name?
Adam Lindenmuth
Do you have a nickname?
Squig (trail name from thru-hiking the PCT, CDT, AZT)
Do you have a kennel name?
Sojourn Kennels
Where were you brought up?
I grew up in east Texas
Where do you live now?
I live in Caswell, AK
How many sled dogs do you own?
I have 26 sled dogs, 6 retirees and 5 yearlings, so I will have a pool of 15 for Iditarod, and will likely borrow a few young dogs from mentors.
How long have you owned sled dogs?
I’ve had my own dogs since 2021
What races have you competed in?
Ive competed in the CB300, Quest 300 (4th), knik 200, a few Goose Bay 150s, Two Rivers 200 (2nd) two Tdog 200s (4th, 1st), and a hand full of various 100s. I also raced in the kobuk440, but decided to scratch at mile 310.
What’s your greatest achievement so far?
Id say raising and training my own team that can get itself down a trail is my greatest achievement in the dog world.
Has it always been a dream to run the Iditarod?
I got into dogs in 2017, and wanted to do iditarod once I learned about it.
What made you decide that this year would be the year to sign up for the race?
I did my qualifiers from 2019-2021, and was planning on running it in 2022, but decided i wanted to do it with my own dogs, so it took a few years to breed and raise a team. Now that the pups are old enough, its finally time to sign up!
What can you tell me about your team?
My team is built from 2-3 year olds. Jessie Holmes helped build my team by selling me 2 retired females (Mega, Ginny) who were breed to Yeti and Odin. I also bred them to Homer, a dog I raced when I worked at Kathleen Fredericks Shameless Huskies Kennel. I was able to buy Homer when I left to start my own kennel.
Do you have a website?
I do not have a website at the moment, just social media
Do you have sponsors?
I do not have any official sponsors at the moment
Do you look up to a specific musher?
I look up to many mushers, but specifically the ones that have mentored me the most. Matt Hall, Joanna Weber, and Jessie Holmes, and Robert Reddington. I also am very thankful for Beckie Hacker, who has given me so much information on dog care and medical advice.
Have you handled for an Iditarod Veteran musher in the past?
I handled and raced for Kathleen Frederick for a few years as my intro to dog racing.
Have you won any awards during a race?
I placed 1st in the Tdog 200 and 2nd in the Two Rivers 200
What’s your favourite sled dog race?
My favorite race is probably the Tdog 200, but I also really enjoyed the Copper Basin 300. The Goose Bay 150 is also a good time. The Kobuk was also an excellent race and I look forward to returning eventually.
How are you preparing for your first Iditarod?
I’m preparing for iditarod by gathering information from as many sources as possible and applying that knowledge the best that I can for the way my team and I run.
What do you think you can expect from Iditarod?
I think the only thing I can reliably expect from iditarod is the unexpected.
What’s the best advice you have received regarding mushing?
Its very hard to narrow down what the best advice I’ve been given is. But the thing that comes to mind first is to run your own race, which I have been told in more or less words by many mushers.
Are you from a mushing background?
I am not from a mushing background.
Do you have any friends who are also dog mushers?
Most of my friends are dog mushers, which is ideal when all I talk about is dogs.
Is there a certain part of the Iditarod trail you are looking forward to? Like maybe the beautiful scenery from the Yukon River or the food from Takotna checkpoint?
I’m excited for the Alaska range and the coast!
Is there any part of the Iditarod trail you are nervous about like the Bering sea coast or the Steps?
I am nervous about the Alaska range and the coast!
If for some reason you don’t make it to the finish line in Nome, will you try again?
Unless I get out there and it turns out to be not for me, I plan to return to iditarod as often as finances allow, regardless of if I finish or not.
Following the advice of running your own race, my race will end where it does. If we make it to Nome that would be great! But I hope to value the experiance regardless of where our race ends.
What kind of things do you like to do when not mushing?
When not mushing I enjoy sewing my own gear, nerding out researching gear, backpacking, and video games.
What is your favorite food / drink?
My favorite drink is Coke, favorite food is caribou.
What’s your favorite music?
My favorite music is pretty hard to narrow down. It seems to change theme with each season. Last year I really enjoyed soundtracks from western movies while on the sled. Its a great vibe.
What’s your favorite film?
My favorite film is Dune.
What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book is Oathbringer from Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archive series.
What’s your favorite city?
My favorite city has to be Coldfoot.
What’s your favorite item of clothing?
My favorite clothing item is my hat with my headlamp attached to the bill.
Do you have a lucky charm?
No lucky charms
Thank you to Adam for taking time to answer our questions in the Meet the Rookie series.
We wish him the best of luck in the 2026 Iditarod.
You can follow his race on the Iditarod website.
Photos courtesy of Iditarod, Whitney McLaren & Julia Redington
