Woodsong: Chapter 7–Day 1

by Gary Paulsen
The author invites the young reader into the grueling experience of training for and running the Alaskan Iditarod dogsled race. It is a study in preparation, training, perseverance, learning from hardship and failure, teamwork, commitment, humility, and how to finish.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–Day 1, Chapters Day 2–Days 16 and 17
15 words 103 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. regimen
    a routine or procedure for managing something or achieving a goal
    As soon as we started the extreme weight-loss regimen, Fred began showing up with bits and pieces of food he’d buried all around the yard and kennel over the past year.
  2. persistence
    steady determination
    One unforgettable incident with the electric fence illustrates his persistence.
  3. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    ...On the third try he backed off and thought about it. I figured he was done, until he sat up and hit the wire running. Once more it hammered him, but his momentum carried the day and he broke the wire.
  4. deftly
    with dexterity; in a dexterous manner
    He studied the house, figured I was the reason for his discomfort, waited until I was walking across the yard, and lifted my kneecap as deftly as a surgeon.
  5. mutiny
    open rebellion against constituted authority
    I became furious at their mutiny...
  6. resounding
    characterized by loud, deep sound
    With a resounding thump the whole pile—sled, dogs, gear, and me, upside down—plummeted into a heap in the bottom of what seemed to be a deep gully.
  7. disengage
    release from something that holds fast or entangles
    I went back to the sled, reached down to disengage the hook and when I did, the dogs exploded forward.
  8. duration
    the period of time during which something continues
    We hunkered in for the duration.
  9. delirium
    state of violent mental agitation
    I went into a high fever and delirium.
  10. hallucinate
    have illusions; perceive what is not actually there
    I began to hallucinate and while hallucinating somebody arrived (a man I did not know) and he “helped” me harness my team.
  11. competence
    the quality of being adequately or well qualified
    The man with no name was there and he smiled peacefully and quietly and untangled the dogs with his gentle competence and pulled them out straight and got them going again, then stood back as we went by and I tried once more to touch him but could not.
  12. undertaking
    any piece of work that is attempted
    It is such a massive undertaking, such a logistical complication to train a team and take them up to Alaska and run the race.
  13. logistical
    of or relating to the management of an operation or event
    It is such a massive undertaking, such a logistical complication to train a team and take them up to Alaska and run the race.
  14. publicity
    a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea
    The show start in Anchorage is done for television, and to give Anchorage publicity.
  15. sham
    adopted in order to deceive
    The dogs blow out of the starting chutes and scramble for speed and this time it is into the bush, directly into the wilderness, but this sham start and restart has taken all day, and so the race truly starts at the end of the day.
Created on Sat Dec 20 21:40:15 EST 2025 (updated Tue Feb 03 11:11:17 EST 2026)

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