Balto and the Great Race

Gunnar Kaasen was the musher who was led by Balto and his team through the harsh Alaskan wilderness and against all odds. Kaasen was not Balto’s owner or trainer, but he was good friends with Seppala, and the two had an arrangement which meant that Kaasen could enlist Balto’s help whenever he wished. He and Balto had a special bond that Seppala and Balto never shared, and Kaasen “had complete faith in the dog’s and trusted him with his life” (18). Kaasen also lived in Nome during the serum crisis, and like his friend Seppala, wanted to help in any way he could. He chooses to add Balto to his team, but not as the lead dog. Kaasen is himself a Great Leader, as he knows how to take care of his team, uses his intuition to sense their needs and communicate with them, and remains calm in moments of peril.

After Kaasen’s team retrieves the serum from Olson, they are tasked with getting it to Port Safety for the final musher. The darkness along with the blizzard proves to be too much of a challenge for Kaasen’s lead dog. In that moment, he observes Balto, who has shown great intuition all along the journey, eager to take the lead. Kaasen’s implicit trust in Balto leads him to make the right decision, and Balto leads Kaasen, the other dogs, and the serum safely to Nome. Kaasen bravely searches for the serum in the darkness when the sled is sent airborne by the wind and somehow finds it, showcasing Perseverance in the Face of Great Obstacles. After the crisis is solved, Kaasen takes Balto across the country to see all of the people who admire him and to witness the unveiling of the statue in Balto’s honor.

Leonhard Seppala was one of the primary mushers and contributors to the Serum Run of 1925. He possessed many of the Qualities of a Great Leader, including the ability to train dozens of dogs, to care for his team like they were his children, and the resolve to push forward and Persevere. Seppala lived in Nome and was the original owner and trainer of both Balto and Togo, two dogs who led their teams successfully across the dangerous landscape of Alaska. Seppala’s favorite dog was Togo, because Togo proved himself eager to join the team and able to keep up from the time that he was a puppy—Seppala found him one night chasing the team out into the darkness and Togo was by his side from then on.

Seppala’s team traversed over 250 miles for the sake of the serum transport. At one point, Seppala decides to take a massive risk by using a shortcut across Norton Sound, a bay inland of the Bering Sea known to be extraordinarily dangerous, with gusting winds, shifting ice, and predators. Because of his solid training and trust in his team, they manage to successfully cross the bay, but not before they are temporarily plunged into its waters. In that moment, Seppala shows his resolve and deep concern for his dogs as he pulls them from the frigid waters one by one and attends to their paws. Seppala’s own daughter contracted diphtheria and nearly died several years before, and he was determined not to let that happen to other children. Seppala felt a sense of conflict when the Serum Run ended and Balto and Kaasen’s team received most of the national attention: “[H]e was extremely proud of Balto, but for the rest of his life he felt a pang of regret when he remembered how Togo’s achievements had not been recognized” (87).

Doctor Curtis Welch was the only doctor who lived in Nome during the serum crisis of 1925. In December of 1924, parents of children in the city began bringing their children to his care with concerns about sore throats and flu-like symptoms. Dr. Welch did his best to treat the children, but it soon became clear that this was no ordinary virus. By January 1925, over 100 children, Inuit, and other adults were infected with diphtheria. The only cure at the time, an anti-toxin serum, was precious due to epidemics breaking out across the northern continent. When Dr. Welch’s supply ran out amidst rising cases, he sent out an urgent telegram to call for serum to be sent to Nome to save the lives of those affected. This call initiated what became the internationally famous story of heroism and community that was the Serum Run of 1925.

Dr. Welch maintained a stable and hopeful mindset through a period of crisis. He worked with Nurse Morgan and many Red Cross volunteers to care for the sick and devise a plan to administer the serum when it arrived. An illustration in the novel shows Dr. Welch sitting in his hospital with sick children surrounding him. He stares down at a bottle of empty serum with a look of deep concern upon his face. Being the only doctor working in such a remote part of the world was in itself a demonstration of strength and resolve on the part of Dr. Welch, and his handling of the diphtheria epidemic that struck his town shows his resourcefulness under immense pressure.