After graduating from high school, Amaree flew up to Alaska for the opportunity to work and learn with Turning Heads Kennel as a Glacier Guide, which set the stage for his guiding career. After the summer, he headed to Northern Finland for the winter, where he trained, learned, and guided sled dogs along the Finnish-Russian border. A big mountain and backcountry snowboarder, Amaree is always seeking new journeys of knowledge and experience in the mountains, with the goal of becoming an Alaskan Splitboard and Winter Guide.
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James McBryde
Originally from Mississippi, James moved to Alaska to follow his passion for working with dogs. A pre-vet student at Mississippi State University, he spends most of his time studying and caring for animals. When he’s not immersed in his studies or working with dogs, you’ll find James out exploring the great outdoors—whether it’s hiking, kayaking, or fishing, he’s always ready for an adventure!
This is James’ first season with us. We are excited to have him join our team.
Glacier Camp Setup is Underway!
We’ve officially started establishing our dog sledding camp on Godwin Glacier for the 2025 season! Today, we took advantage of beautiful weather and flew load after load up to the glacier using a long line and helicopter. We’re feeling lucky to have several more clear days in the forecast and are getting excited for tours to begin soon.
Setting up a remote glacier camp is no small feat — it takes over 15 loads of gear to build out everything we need for the season. From dog sleds to our kitchen and outhouse, everything that makes our camp function is flown up in the spring and brought back down at the end of summer.
Today’s setup went smoothly, and we even got the initial dog posts installed. One thing we’re especially proud of at our kennel is how we prioritize our dogs’ well-being. After years of observing and testing, we’ve found that our sled dogs are happiest with wooden dog houses. That means our next big task is assembling all of those houses on the glacier — a labor-intensive job, but totally worth it for our four-legged teammates.
We’re incredibly proud of our crew and how everyone has come together to kick off the season strong. Check out our meet the crew section to learn about our team.
Stay tuned — more updates to come!
Sam Paperman
Sam grew up in Seward, AK next to Travis Beals. As a kid, when he got in trouble, he would go hide in Travis’ dog houses! After that childhood, he started working for Travis at 14 and ran the Junior Iditarod when he was 17, in 2020. The last two years, he has volunteered for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race at the Shaktoolik and Eagle Island checkpoint. This year, Sam finished both the T-Dog 200 and the Kobuk 440.
Sam has been part of the Turning Heads Kennel team for over 8 years on and off. When not working on the Glacier or at the Kennel, Sam also spends time on the RV Sikuliaq as a diesel mechanic.
Min
Min is our spunky teacup Sheltie and one of the greeter dogs at Turning Heads Kennel. While she’s not a fan of playing fetch, she absolutely loves watching the other dogs play. Min enjoys a good chase, especially when it comes to the sled dogs or the dog cart (if we let her, of course!). She’s a fan of gentle ear scratches and will happily accept them. Min has some quirky habits—she’s a little neurotic when it comes to windows and coffee pots. If someone touches either, you can bet she’ll have a full-on barking fit! Despite her small size, Min has no shortage of confidence and firmly believes she’s the biggest dog in the kennel.