Minnesota Dogsled Adventure

(Additional video footage is available on the Dogsledding Video Gallery)

During the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday, Jani’s brother Matt and his wife Cathy mentioned that they had signed up for a dogsledding adventure in the Boundary Waters Area of Minnesota. Gary reacted to this, asking Cathy/Matt to let kim know whether they had any cancellations, because it sounded like something he might like to try. Jani was not interested, having done a fair amount of winter camping when she was younger, and feeling much the wiser.

As it turned out, there were openings, so Gary pursued the possibility of trying out this new sport.

Cathy & Matt had chosen to rough it, selecting a trip that had them camping in the snow every night, and cross-country skiing (and snowshoeing) when they were not mushing. However, there were other options available. Gary, being not quite as adventurous, chose a “lodge-based” trip, meaning he would have a warm bed and a shower available each night of his trip, something he found appealing. He chose the easier of these two options, which also featured chef-prepared hot meals every night as well; another plus, in his estimation.

Since Jani had opted out, Gary asked his younger sister (Stacy) if she might be interested, and she jumped at the chance. COVID was not yet at the lockdown stage, but California had experienced some cases and there were some questions as to whether that would preclude her from coming. She took a chance, flew in from the Bay Area, and met up with her brother in Ely Minnesota. They had a ball.

Brother & Sister in the Snow: Slideshow

Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge did a great job making sure all their participants were prepared with proper clothing and equipment. They also provided a seasoned guide in LynnAnne Vesper. For the uninitiated, the guide skis out in front of the dog teams, over some pretty rough terrain, tight woodland trails (summertime portage trails) and over frozen lakes. She looks after the dogs, before and after each day’s work, and is also charged with preparing meals. One cannot offer enough superlatives for the job LynnAnne and Wintergreen did.

Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge & Guide: Slideshow

We were told beforehand that the dogs like to pull, which might seem unlikely. By the time our 4 days were over, we had become believers; it was plainly obvious that this was the truth. They did most of the work, but we were expected to help on uphill runs and on curves, when the musher would get off the sled and push from behind or alongside, when the snow depth permitted.

Unlike driving a team of horses, on a dogsled the “driver” is hostage to the dogs. The musher has only two tools: a brake and one’s voice with which to yell commands.

Mushing in Minnesota: Slideshow