Matt Hayashida was born in Massachusetts but moved west to pursue his passion for the outdoors. He worked in Wyoming for three years as a river/fishing guide during the summer and a dog sled tour guide in the winter. In 1993, he began mushing for personal ambitions and set his sights on the Iditarod the first time he stepped on the runners.
Matt moved to Alaska in 1993 to work with Martin Buser and has been running dogs almost year-round ever since. He makes his living as a sled tour guide on Alaskan glaciers in the summer and trains when the tourist season drops off.
