If you are seeking a winter event that is adventurous, challenging, skills orientated, and hands-on, this trip is for you! Try it all - harness & drive dog teams, set-up camp, build fires, cook outdoors, snowshoe, ski, and much more. The trip begins with training in winter camping and travel skills, winter ecology, and cold weather safety & comfort. Discover the beauty of the Boundary Waters in Winter.
Sample Itinerary
Please note: While the itinerary presented is an accurate depiction of what your trip will be like, it is only an example. Our trips are real adventures in the outdoors--not pre-packaged tours that happen on a schedule.
DAY 1: Check in at the Wintergreen Lodge between 4 and 6 p.m. and settle in, relax and tour the grounds at your leisure. At 6 p.m. we will have a welcome dinner prepared for you (if you need to arrive later than 6 p.m. we can arrange to save a meal for you). Dinner will be followed by an orientation talk and slide show with your guides and fellow participants. The session will also include gear-outfitting, tips on the dynamics of winter dressing and layering, cold weather safety, nutrition and hydration, winter sleep systems and staying comfortable in the outdoors. There will be an optional star hike and star talk to complete the evening.
DAY 2: The morning of Day 2 will begin with a hot breakfast, followed by a group seminar on kennel care, dog handling, harnessing, and sledding. You will also receive practice with sledding, back-country skiing, snowshoeing and winter ecology in small group rotations during the morning. An extended lunch break and skills review in the lodge will prepare you for the afternoon.
At 2 p.m. we will load the sleds and launch the dog teams and sled until late afternoon. We will select a campsite and teach some more tidbits about winter camping skills as we set up for the night. Following dinner, we will have the chance to get to know one another with some chats and relaxation around the campfire.
DAY 3: Day 3 will start by caring for and feeding the dogs, followed by breakfast and a discussion of our route plan, trail itinerary, minimum impact practices and a safety review. We will then break camp, load the sleds and launch the dogs by 10 a.m. We will stop about midday for a trailside lunch and rest. We will continue to travel by dogsled until mid-afternoon and enjoy various stops for snacks/beverages, photos, skill tips and winter ecology information along the way. Around 3 or 4 p.m. we will select a site and set up our camp. We'll conclude the day with a campfire dinner, an evening review of the day's activities and talks on topics such as timber wolves, northern lights, and winter ecology.
DAY 4: Our day will begin with another campfire breakfast and caring for the dogs. We will review the route plans and travel logistics and then break camp. We will travel for about half of day and set up camp early to allow extra time to learn how to build a snow shelter construction, to experience "solo" excursions, and to ski and snowshoe or participate in optional orienteering exercises. And of course, the day would not be complete if the night did not end with stories and relaxation time around the campfire.
DAY 5: Day 5 will be similar to Day 4; the morning begins with dog care and a campfire breakfast, review of route plans and travel logistics. We will break camp and commence a route that will circle us back towards the main lodge. There will be an opportunity for optional skijoring or ski-towing. We will arrive back at the lodge mid-afternoon sometime and will have a snack break and time to relax in the sauna. In the evening we will have a final celebration dinner.
DAY 6: The day begins with a wrap-up breakfast and group "debrief" in the morning. You will be able to check out anytime from early morning to midday depending upon your travel needs. There will be an optional stop in Ely to tour the International Wolf Center on your way out.
Travel, Terrain, Etc...
TERRAIN/ROUTE CHOICES: You will sled over lakes and through the woods. The frozen lakes provide level and open terrain, but are more exposed to the elements. Portage trails through the woods can be hilly and something of a challenge to sled. The Superior National Forest offers a wide range of route options from very easy to very difficult.
TYPE OF TRAVEL/DISTANCE: Your main mode of transportation will be dogsled. Day two thru four includes 5- 6 hours of dogsledding on a beautiful variety of trails in the woods and along the lakes, with rest stops and a lunch break. Travel distances vary from 8- 18 miles in a day, depending on weather, snow conditions and the interests and ability of the group.
WEATHER: While snowcover in other areas of the Midwest is often disappointingly fickle, Ely claims the honor of lying within the "Ontario Powder Belt." We can count on having ample snow from early December through late March. But having lots of snow doesn't necessarily mean having lots of cold. Daytime highs range from 0 to 20 F, up to the 30s in March. Stretches of extreme weather-such as an afternoon +30" thaw or a -30" late night chill-can occur during any of these months, though they are generally short lived. With proper gear and clothing, you can be quite comfortable.
LODGING/BATHROOM FACILITIES: You will stay in our Northwoods lodges, which include indoor bathroom facilities, located just outside of Ely for your first and last nights. While we are on the trip we will sleep in our cozy Himalayan Hotel sleeping tents. We welcome requests for special dietary needs and vegetarian meals.
GROUP SIZE: Groups generally include 6 to 8 guests plus 2 or 3 guides. Each group consists of people of various ages, backgrounds and abilities, including people with disabilities.
CAMP CHORES: Our trips are cooperative in nature. WI staff will assist you in whatever areas you need, however most people pitch in where they can.
EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: If you are new to outdoor activities, you need not spend a lot of money on gear. Wilderness Inquiry will provide all necessary equipment. All you need to provide is your personal gear, such as clothing and a sleeping bag. A detailed equipment list will be sent to you upon confirmation of your participation. For items you don't have, Wintergreen can help out by making rental gear available and by providing a 20% discount on your purchase of Wintergreen Northwoods Apparel.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: No previous experience is needed to complete this trip. However, the most important thing you can do to enhance your enjoyment of a WI Program is some physical conditioning. You don't need to be an athlete. Strength is not a crucial factor. What counts is stamina and endurance, that is: good cardiovascular fitness. This can be achieved at any age. Please call us if you have any additional questions.
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Wilderness Inquiry is proud to serve Caribou Coffee on all our trips. Great food, great coffee, and great company are just some of the ingredients that make Wilderness Inquiry trips special.
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[ Dates & Fees ]
In 1964, the BWCA was designated as one of the first federally protected wilderness areas in the United States as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lies on the boundary between northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. These waters are a chain interconnected of lakes, formed by glaciation. This country is part of the Canadian Shield, a geological formation that comprises portions of the earth's most ancient exposed rock, some of which is 3 billion years old!
Two forests, the Boreal and Laurentian forests, converge to create a unique ecosystem with diversified plant and animal life in the Boundary Waters. Animals that would not normally be seen together, such as the white-tailed deer and the moose, have made the BWCA their homes. Many birds, such as bald eagles, loons and over 20 species of wood warblers use the Boundary Waters as their nesting grounds.
Humans have left their mark on the area as well. Natives inhabited the Boundary Waters area for thousands of years, with some human relics dating back to 10,000 BC. The Ojibwe and Dakotas used the intricate waterways of the BWCA for hundreds of years. Many of the portages (paths between lakes) were first used by native peoples. Artifacts from that period still turn up on the portages. European fur traders and missionaries first came into the area in the early 1700s. A merger developed between the European Voyageurs and the Ojibwe, based on trade of European goods for native knowledge and furs. This partnership ended in the mid 19th century due to the near total extinction of the beaver population and declining interest in furs as fashion.
Fur trading and logging of the Boundary Waters began taking its toll on the fragile ecosystem. People decided to act, setting aside this pristine wilderness area and working to protect it from further harm. In 1909, this area was designated as the Superior National Forest, with 1,000 acres of roadless land set aside in 1926. The current borders of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area were established in 1964 when the Wilderness Act was passed, designating 1,075,000 acres of forest to be preserved in a natural state, where the mark of humans is impermanent.
This is just the beginning of your adventure to the Boundary Waters. We will continue to provide you with more history and details as you canoe through the lakes with our trip leaders. Hope to see you on the trail!
For more information, visit these links:
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Check out the Explore Minnesota website for Wilderness Inquiry.
BWCA in Wikipedia
Wintergreen Clothing and Dogsled adventures
Wilderness Inquiry and other Boundary Water outfitters at CanoeCountry.com
Superior National Forest
Minnesota DNR Fishing Regulations
[ Dates & Fees ]
WI leads trips to this destination but currently has no dates scheduled. If you have a group of people interested, we can set up a customized adventure just for you! Please contact us if you are interested in a group trip to this destination.
info@wildernessinquiry.org
612-676-9400
800-728-0719
(Join our waiting list to be notified when WI schedules a trip to BWCA Beginning Dogsled Camping Trip)
