November 2009
Our dogs are howling -- and so are we! -- it's been snowing here off & on all week with temps dipping well below freezing. Our favorite season is just ahead and our trips are shaping up nicely. For our registered guests, please note that our “Trip Kits” are being sent this week so watch for them in your mailbox soon. For those of you thinking of sledding with us this season, please note that (as always) returning guests are welcome to our “alumni” discount and (new this year!) so is anyone accompanying you. Plus, with 4 or more you can plan your own private trip on dates of your choice at group discount. And if you're hoping to go but don't have the 'dough,' remember that if your dates are flexible we're happy to alert you to trip options available at substantial discounts. Happy trails! Paul & Sue Schurke & the Wintergreen team, toll free 1-877-753-3386
New Twists for the New Season
Our Parent-Daughter trips (Jan 14-18) have been such a hit that, by popular request, this year we've added a Parent-Son trip as well (Feb 11-15 Pres. Holiday). Our advanced trips include our new Director's Choice Tutorials during which campfires will include discussion presentations by Paul Schurke on various wilderness skills and environmental issues. Contract programs include a camping trip for aspiring Eagle Scouts, a dogsled expedition with a cross-cultural visit to an Ojibwa village for Canada's Lakehead University, a CME seminar for doctors, a CLE trip for attorneys and a divinity retreat for St. Johns University. You'll find some fun changes on the Wintergreen website as well. Web wizard Dave Freeman has added great slide shows to our trip pages. He's also building a new recommended reading page where you'll find our favorite adventure books plus this new Wintergreen blog. It will feature Paul's weekly updates on kennel & lodge happenings, a rotating series of his 3-minute adventure stories and the best of northwoods humor.
Storytelling has long been a fond Wintergreen tradition -- our guides and guests spend many evenings swapping tales around the fireplace or campfire. This season we're bumping that up to a whole new level. We've been invited to link up with a storytelling phenomena that is sweeping the country -- The Moth. Launched by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, these story-swapping get-togethers have attracted the likes of Garrison Keillor, Rosie O'Donnell, Malcolm Gladwell, Suzanne Vega and Ethan Hawke to the Moth Ball, the Moth Radio Hour, Moth Story Slams -- and folks like us hosting MothUps in our homes. On Wintergreen trips we've always invited our guests to bring a "secret snack" to share with their group (to add a bit of their personal "flavor" to the trip). Now we'll be inviting you to bring a story to share as well. MothUp ground rules are simple: stories that are about yourself, are basically true, and are no more than 5 minutes long. We look forward to sharing & hearing lots of great stories this winter. We've pitched one of our favorite stories (the dog named Sam) to the Moth Radio Hour. We'll let you know if/when it airs on public radio.
Announcing: Our 2010 Arctic Trips
(well, sub-arctic actually…email us for full details!)
Last year's dogsled trip up Hudson Bay along Polar Bear National Park was such a hit that we're doing it again: 10 days, Mar 31-Apr 9. Canada's famous "Tundra Train" will take us, our dogs & gear to the launch point near a native encampment. From there, we'll sled and tent our way through the wildlife refuge and reach Hudson Bay. Then we'll head across the Arctic Ocean pack ice for a visit to one of the far north's most unusual communities, Churchill. Along the way, we'll enjoy an evening at the Northern Studies Center for an update on arctic research.
In late April, we're pioneering a new and very special far north trip itinerary: 12 days, Apr 11-23 We're heading to the Northwest Territories to visit the wilderness homestead of Dave & Kirsten Olesen and their two young daughters. We'll join them for a dogsled journey in their "backyard," the most expansive wilderness remaining in North America --the Barrenlands-- homeland of caribou, musk ox, wolves and wolverine. We'll meet in Yellowknife, the NWT's capitol, and fly by ski plane to Dave & Kristen's "Hoarfrost River Homestead" on Great Slave Lake. They'll share with us the wilderness home & lifestyle they've created, which has been the subject of Dave's two great books (including "Cold Nights, Fast Trails" shown at right). Then with their dogteams (Dave & Kristen are Iditarod mushers), we'll embark on a 7-day trip from the boreal forest to the barrenlands to experience some of the wildest country on the continent with the family that knows it best. This trip represents a wonderful reunion for Wintergreen because Dave led trips with us before pursuing his dream in the far north 22 years ago.
The Wintergreen Team
The stellar crew we've had for the past several years will all be back once again. As you might expect, they've all enjoyed an adventurous summer: Bria Schurke has been working on a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) in upstate New York. Fishing, canoe trips and travels out west filled Chef Bernard Herrmann's summer. Lynn Anne Vesper was a wilderness ranger in the BWCAW. Steve Eisenmenger guided fishing trips in Alaska. Kate Ford directed the Girl Scout High Adventure Base. Jason Zabokrtsky's Boundary Waters Guide Service has been taking off nicely. Dave "Goose" Gossage managed canoe outfitting for our friends down the road at Timber Trail Lodge with help from our guides Chris Maher & Ellen Root. Chris and our Swedish guide Lisa Stroem are departing in January for a dogsled expedition across the mythical Northwest Passage and may finish up in Churchill on Hudson Bay about the same time our Wintergreen trip will be there in April. Dave Freeman and Amy Voytilla have been guiding canoe and kayak trips along Lake Superior's North Shore and -- drum roll please!-- planning for their wedding ceremony in the Wintergreen woods next March! Then on Earth Day (April 22) they launch their 3-year,11,700 mile journey across North America by kayak, canoe, and dogsled as part of their Wilderness Classroom to bring adventure learning into schools.
Our Beloved Doggers
Betty and Boop are newest additions to the Wintergreen team. Born in August to Gracy and Jens, they'll be ready for harness training in March. And Covey's pups from last March, Domino & Jupiter, will be rarin' to go this December. Our kennel enjoyed its coolest, most bug-free summer ever -- happy, healthy dogs! Meanwhile, Peter Schurke has been putting his high school shop class skills to work by building our new sauna. And guide Kate Ford is creating a very special stained-glass window to add a colorful glow to the steam room.
Doggy treats are great but we'll be introducing our guests to an even better way to reward our sled dogs for pulling you around the woods all day -- doggie "rolfing." Briah Anson, an expert in the Rolfing process of soft tissue manipulation has pioneered this technique's application for animals. She's Rolfed cats, horses, llamas, owls, eagles, moose & cougars and will be applying her skills to our dogs. Our staff may have a chance to learn the technique and we'll be happy to pass along what we learn to our guests so you'll have another way to spend quality time with our dogs after sledding besides scooping poop!
Wintergreen in the News
Wilderness News, the quarterly publication of the Quetico Superior Foundation will feature a profile on Wintergreen in its winter issue. Minnesota Trails Magazine features a piece on dogsledding involving Wintergreen in its winter issue as well. If you're a supporter of the Nature Conservancy and wondered why the canoeist on the cover of their current magazine looked vaguely familiar, here's why: That's Paul Schurke reflected in the waters of White Iron Lake. He was involved in the successful "Vote Yes for Clean Water" referendum in Minnesota last fall which is featured in the Nature Conservancy Magazine.
This fall has been a 'book bonanza' for Wintergreen -- we're featured in 3 new books: North Pole Tenderfoot is Doug Hall's delightful and inspiring account of our 1999 dogsled trek to the North Pole. Lots of great Wintergreen stories resulted from this trip and Doug recounts them with heaps of heart and humor. You Want To Go Where? by public relations expert Jeff Blumenfeld lets you in on the secret about how we and other adventures get corporate sponsors to pay for the trips of our dreams. Jeff represented major sponsors on both our North Pole and our Bering Bridge expeditions and his "behind the scenes" recounting of those expeditions is loaded with laughs. Richard Weise, former president of the Explorers Club and host of the Exploration TV series, joined us for our 2005 dogsled and ski trek to the North Pole. His new book Born to Explore is a tool box for backyard adventurers with illustrated how-to tips including a chapter on a how to build an igloo and parachute shelter by recounting the ones Paul and son Peter Schurke built with him at the North Pole. And visit Ely on the map at http://www.350.org/ to see the event at Wintergreen in October as we participated in the global day of action on climate change.
Our dogs are howling -- and so are we! -- it's been snowing here off & on all week with temps dipping well below freezing. Our favorite season is just ahead and our trips are shaping up nicely. For our registered guests, please note that our “Trip Kits” are being sent this week so watch for them in your mailbox soon. For those of you thinking of sledding with us this season, please note that (as always) returning guests are welcome to our “alumni” discount and (new this year!) so is anyone accompanying you. Plus, with 4 or more you can plan your own private trip on dates of your choice at group discount. And if you're hoping to go but don't have the 'dough,' remember that if your dates are flexible we're happy to alert you to trip options available at substantial discounts. Happy trails! Paul & Sue Schurke & the Wintergreen team, toll free 1-877-753-3386
New Twists for the New Season
Our Parent-Daughter trips (Jan 14-18) have been such a hit that, by popular request, this year we've added a Parent-Son trip as well (Feb 11-15 Pres. Holiday). Our advanced trips include our new Director's Choice Tutorials during which campfires will include discussion presentations by Paul Schurke on various wilderness skills and environmental issues. Contract programs include a camping trip for aspiring Eagle Scouts, a dogsled expedition with a cross-cultural visit to an Ojibwa village for Canada's Lakehead University, a CME seminar for doctors, a CLE trip for attorneys and a divinity retreat for St. Johns University. You'll find some fun changes on the Wintergreen website as well. Web wizard Dave Freeman has added great slide shows to our trip pages. He's also building a new recommended reading page where you'll find our favorite adventure books plus this new Wintergreen blog. It will feature Paul's weekly updates on kennel & lodge happenings, a rotating series of his 3-minute adventure stories and the best of northwoods humor.
Storytelling has long been a fond Wintergreen tradition -- our guides and guests spend many evenings swapping tales around the fireplace or campfire. This season we're bumping that up to a whole new level. We've been invited to link up with a storytelling phenomena that is sweeping the country -- The Moth. Launched by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, these story-swapping get-togethers have attracted the likes of Garrison Keillor, Rosie O'Donnell, Malcolm Gladwell, Suzanne Vega and Ethan Hawke to the Moth Ball, the Moth Radio Hour, Moth Story Slams -- and folks like us hosting MothUps in our homes. On Wintergreen trips we've always invited our guests to bring a "secret snack" to share with their group (to add a bit of their personal "flavor" to the trip). Now we'll be inviting you to bring a story to share as well. MothUp ground rules are simple: stories that are about yourself, are basically true, and are no more than 5 minutes long. We look forward to sharing & hearing lots of great stories this winter. We've pitched one of our favorite stories (the dog named Sam) to the Moth Radio Hour. We'll let you know if/when it airs on public radio.
Announcing: Our 2010 Arctic Trips
(well, sub-arctic actually…email us for full details!)
Last year's dogsled trip up Hudson Bay along Polar Bear National Park was such a hit that we're doing it again: 10 days, Mar 31-Apr 9. Canada's famous "Tundra Train" will take us, our dogs & gear to the launch point near a native encampment. From there, we'll sled and tent our way through the wildlife refuge and reach Hudson Bay. Then we'll head across the Arctic Ocean pack ice for a visit to one of the far north's most unusual communities, Churchill. Along the way, we'll enjoy an evening at the Northern Studies Center for an update on arctic research.
In late April, we're pioneering a new and very special far north trip itinerary: 12 days, Apr 11-23 We're heading to the Northwest Territories to visit the wilderness homestead of Dave & Kirsten Olesen and their two young daughters. We'll join them for a dogsled journey in their "backyard," the most expansive wilderness remaining in North America --the Barrenlands-- homeland of caribou, musk ox, wolves and wolverine. We'll meet in Yellowknife, the NWT's capitol, and fly by ski plane to Dave & Kristen's "Hoarfrost River Homestead" on Great Slave Lake. They'll share with us the wilderness home & lifestyle they've created, which has been the subject of Dave's two great books (including "Cold Nights, Fast Trails" shown at right). Then with their dogteams (Dave & Kristen are Iditarod mushers), we'll embark on a 7-day trip from the boreal forest to the barrenlands to experience some of the wildest country on the continent with the family that knows it best. This trip represents a wonderful reunion for Wintergreen because Dave led trips with us before pursuing his dream in the far north 22 years ago.
The Wintergreen Team
The stellar crew we've had for the past several years will all be back once again. As you might expect, they've all enjoyed an adventurous summer: Bria Schurke has been working on a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) in upstate New York. Fishing, canoe trips and travels out west filled Chef Bernard Herrmann's summer. Lynn Anne Vesper was a wilderness ranger in the BWCAW. Steve Eisenmenger guided fishing trips in Alaska. Kate Ford directed the Girl Scout High Adventure Base. Jason Zabokrtsky's Boundary Waters Guide Service has been taking off nicely. Dave "Goose" Gossage managed canoe outfitting for our friends down the road at Timber Trail Lodge with help from our guides Chris Maher & Ellen Root. Chris and our Swedish guide Lisa Stroem are departing in January for a dogsled expedition across the mythical Northwest Passage and may finish up in Churchill on Hudson Bay about the same time our Wintergreen trip will be there in April. Dave Freeman and Amy Voytilla have been guiding canoe and kayak trips along Lake Superior's North Shore and -- drum roll please!-- planning for their wedding ceremony in the Wintergreen woods next March! Then on Earth Day (April 22) they launch their 3-year,11,700 mile journey across North America by kayak, canoe, and dogsled as part of their Wilderness Classroom to bring adventure learning into schools.
Our Beloved Doggers
Betty and Boop are newest additions to the Wintergreen team. Born in August to Gracy and Jens, they'll be ready for harness training in March. And Covey's pups from last March, Domino & Jupiter, will be rarin' to go this December. Our kennel enjoyed its coolest, most bug-free summer ever -- happy, healthy dogs! Meanwhile, Peter Schurke has been putting his high school shop class skills to work by building our new sauna. And guide Kate Ford is creating a very special stained-glass window to add a colorful glow to the steam room.
Doggy treats are great but we'll be introducing our guests to an even better way to reward our sled dogs for pulling you around the woods all day -- doggie "rolfing." Briah Anson, an expert in the Rolfing process of soft tissue manipulation has pioneered this technique's application for animals. She's Rolfed cats, horses, llamas, owls, eagles, moose & cougars and will be applying her skills to our dogs. Our staff may have a chance to learn the technique and we'll be happy to pass along what we learn to our guests so you'll have another way to spend quality time with our dogs after sledding besides scooping poop!
Wintergreen in the News
Wilderness News, the quarterly publication of the Quetico Superior Foundation will feature a profile on Wintergreen in its winter issue. Minnesota Trails Magazine features a piece on dogsledding involving Wintergreen in its winter issue as well. If you're a supporter of the Nature Conservancy and wondered why the canoeist on the cover of their current magazine looked vaguely familiar, here's why: That's Paul Schurke reflected in the waters of White Iron Lake. He was involved in the successful "Vote Yes for Clean Water" referendum in Minnesota last fall which is featured in the Nature Conservancy Magazine.
This fall has been a 'book bonanza' for Wintergreen -- we're featured in 3 new books: North Pole Tenderfoot is Doug Hall's delightful and inspiring account of our 1999 dogsled trek to the North Pole. Lots of great Wintergreen stories resulted from this trip and Doug recounts them with heaps of heart and humor. You Want To Go Where? by public relations expert Jeff Blumenfeld lets you in on the secret about how we and other adventures get corporate sponsors to pay for the trips of our dreams. Jeff represented major sponsors on both our North Pole and our Bering Bridge expeditions and his "behind the scenes" recounting of those expeditions is loaded with laughs. Richard Weise, former president of the Explorers Club and host of the Exploration TV series, joined us for our 2005 dogsled and ski trek to the North Pole. His new book Born to Explore is a tool box for backyard adventurers with illustrated how-to tips including a chapter on a how to build an igloo and parachute shelter by recounting the ones Paul and son Peter Schurke built with him at the North Pole. And visit Ely on the map at http://www.350.org/ to see the event at Wintergreen in October as we participated in the global day of action on climate change.
