Returning North

Well...I'm back, and way behind schedule on my updates. Guess I'll start from the beginning....

I arrived back up at the Wintergreen ranch December 27th and was immediately put on a camping trip with some kids from Mounds Park Academy out of Maplewood. 3 eleven year old girls, 3 fourteen year old boys, and one teacher ventured into the woods with Amy the other guide and me!

We hit the trails early in the morning and tracked our two 6-dog team camping sleds into the BWCA. We were fortunate this trip to bring our canvas wall tent with a small wood stove as rain and a wintery mix was in the forecast, which proved to be right.

After one night of "wintery mix", the kids moved into tents, and we spent the next few days trying to dry out. Conditions got cold and snowy after that and made for beautiful scenery as the snow stuck to the tree branches and created a scene out of Narnia.

For 4 days and nights we collected firewood, cooked around the fire, hiked and explored, joked around in the tent, but didn't do much dogsledding. The slush conditions were as bad as they have ever been and prevented us from cruising the lakes. (When it snows a lot, the weight of the snow on the lakes pushes the ice down, then water seeps through cracks and creates slush beneath the snow on the lake, which creates impossible travel conditions by dogsled.)

The final day attempted to cross South Farm Lake into Farm lake where we would rendezvous with our dog trailer and truck. We made about 300 yards in 6 hours in blizzard like conditions, as the slush froze our runners and prevented any good progress.

We pushed and pulled into the night, finally getting one sled out with 12 dogs around 8 PM. A long hard day that had 3 girls crying, one of which insisted on sleeping in the middle of the lake in below zero temps, the boys were collapsing in exhaustion after pushing the 7oo pound sleds through slushy snowy ice, and the dogs had about had enough. It ended with me and two guides getting the sleds out late into the evening while the kids enjoyed pizza in town.

That evening some other guides and me drank some beers and laughed about the impossible day, and stories of the past. It ended with whiskey yoga, led zeppelin, and finally a warm bed.

Just another good trip in the north!

Until the next one....

Sir Maximus Pittackleton