So you want to have a fantastic time on an exciting adventure, well we have a lot of those. But what if you wanted to expand a trip with us to include some other great events. I have a proposal for you; imagine coming to the start of the John Beargease Sled Dog Marathon, a 400-mile sled dog race along the north shore of

Lake Superior then heading out on a White Wilderness Winter Odyssey, which would end just in time for the Ely Winter Festival.

 First step of the journey; travel to Duluth MN on or before January 29th and stay in the Canal Park area of Duluth.  The evening of the twenty-ninth attend the Beargrease Gala event, a great evening with a yet to be announced speaker that is related to sled dogs or the north woods, and is always entertaining.

Saturday you can view the cutest puppy contest, opening ceremonies, and watch the race dogs get their vet checks. Any participants who come to these events will be welcome to join Peter and Shawn for dinner after the opening ceremonies and talk about the upcoming race.

Sunday watch the race start. A crazy event, with hundreds of dogs feeding off of each other’s enthusiasm creating a scene not often seen or heard. The eight and fourteen dog teams blast out of the stands and begin their journey just before you head north to begin a journey by dog team of your own.

After the start head to Ely to start our Jan 31-Feb 5th Winter Odyssey, a trip inspired by a participant listening to stories of long distance races.

When the trip is over hang around in Ely for a few more days as the Ely Winter Festival kicks off with the annual snow-carving contest on Saturday February sixth.

If this is too much for you join our Whispering Pines Package Jan 27-31st and hit the Beargease start on the way home.

It is always hard to explain to people the connection between a working dog and a person working along side the dog. By working dog I do not mean a dog bred for working; a husky that does nothing but play in the back yard and sleep on the couch is a couch potato, I mean a dog working with a person to accomplish a task.  Every year I get phone calls from people who have a 1-3 year old Siberian husky they want to give me. They all say the same thing, “she should be in your environment, she is not content in our home”.

Unfortunately I cannot take them, dogs bred for pets rarely make it in a serious sled dog kennel. However my advice for them is to give the dog a job, one of the best being to join an agility club. When the two (human and canine) are working together, in this case getting through the obsticals, not only do they have a great time together but it also solves problems back at home.

It is the same here: working with a dog to accomplish a task together builds a strong bond, even for people who only come on a short trip. I would like to quote a letter I received from a customer that came on a trip this winter.

As hard as it may be to understand, I still think of my wonderful team of dogs that dragged my lard butt over 65 miles of wonderful pristine wilderness.

Our enthusiastic dogs are the reason the trips are so special. On one of our trips you will not only have the chance to develop an amazing rapport with your dogs as they guide you through the snow covered north woods, but also get a small taste of a historic lifestyle.