CROOKED LAKE LOOP (6 nights)
pm Mon. Jan 21 - am Sun. Jan 27 $1125, ($100 off for Wintergreen "alumni") 6 nights total, 4 nights/5 days on trail covering 30 miles, 1st and last night in lodges. Led by Wintergreen director Paul Schurke (his favorite route!)
Enjoy the scenic highlights of the Boundary Waters’ spectacular border route in their winter splendor, including Curtain Falls, the Beartrap River, Table Rock, the Indian pictographs of Sunday Bay, the old airplane & WWII “weasel” in the woods, Warrior Hill and the spectacular Painted Cliffs of Lac La Croix. Visiting this sacred pocket of wilderness at the height of winter is an annual pilgrimage for us. If you want 'real' winter, this is your trip - January means short days, deep snow, brisk temps and generally clear skies (more chance to enjoy stars and northern lights). And you don’t want to miss our annual boot hockey or curling match on “Howlin’ Wolf” bay!
ANNOUNCING! Our first-ever "DOG-PULKING" TRIP
pm Sat. Jan 12 - am Fri Jan 18, $875, 6 nights total, 5 days/4 nights on trail, 1st & last nights in lodges, led by senior guide Dave Gossage  "Pulking" is very popular in Scandinavia and has a long rich history inspired by explorers Fridthof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. You'll travel by ski or snowshoe assisted by a dog or two harnessed to your pulk (a small riderless sled with your trail gear). You'll learn to control the pulk with a tow line while traveling either alongside it, behind it or between the dogs and the sled.You'll travel slower & steadier than you would by dogsled, with more sustained excursion but with fewer of the spills and tangles that come with wielding the big sleds & large teams. You don't need to be an athlete or ski racer for this trip but you should be comfortable on skis and/or snowshoes and have good cardiovascular fitness. Because it involves fewer dogs (we call it our "dog lite" trip!), we can offer this trip at a lesser rate than our other advanced trips. Plus, pulking is a technique that you -- with minimal equipment and a good-sized pet dog - can adapt for your own trips.
New! Mid-season DIRECTOR'S CHOICE TUTORIAL TRIP (6 nights) pm Sun Feb 10 - am Sat. Feb 16 (Pres. Hol.) $1,125 ($100 off for Wintergreen "alumni"), 6 nights total, 4 nights/5 days on the trail covering 40 miles or so, 1st and last night in lodges. Led by Wintergreen director Paul Schurke As our “alumni” know, we’ve garnered a lot of info over the years about the northwoods and the world of winter that we share on our trips – but most of it gets shared very informally and casually. On this special trip we’ll take a more purposeful tack and present a campfire seminar each morning and/or evening on a variety of topics: cold weather physiology, winter ecology, navigation skills, winter meteorology & climate change, the winter sky. And while we’ll be traveling by dogsled & ski each day (on a route of Paul’s choosing), we’ll also take time on most afternoons for a field trip or workshop to apply this information – perhaps a snowshoe orienteering course, a flora identification hike, constructing snow shelters or nighttime dogsledding with Orion as our guide. We’ll enjoy a grand adventure together but instruction, discussion & learning-by-doing will be the focus of this special trip. CENTRAL WILDERNESS CIRCLE (6 nights) pm Mon. Feb 25 - am Sun. Mar 2 $1025 ($100 off for Wintergreen "alumni") , 6 nights total, 4 nights/5 days on the trail covering 40 miles, 1st and last night in lodges, led by senior Wintergreen staff This delightful route packs in great variety with travel on both forest trails and lake trails. It also includes some fast travel on packed tracks as well as trail-breaking through virgin snowscapes. Embarking from Moose Lake, we’ll head up through Ensign Lake and Knife Lakes. After a stop at Pine Island (The “Root Beer Lady” Dorothy Molter's historic homesite), we’ll venture into the dramatic topography of Kekekabic country and pass by the heart of the “BWCA Blowdown of 1999”--the legendary storm that left a moonscape in its wake. We’ll emerge at Fraser and Thomas Lakes and finish up via a 9-mile overland winter trail that takes us on towards Snowbank along narrow forested draws --a perfect grand finale-- and all enjoyed in moderate March weather! Late-season DIRECTOR'S CHOICE TRIP (7 nights) pm Sat. Mar 8 - am Sat. Mar 15 $1,225 ($100 off for Wintergreen "alumni"), 7 nights total, 5 nights/6 days on the trail covering 50 miles or so, 1st and last night in lodges. Led by Wintergreen director Paul Schurke
Late March generally offers some of the finest travel conditions of the season -- long days, moderate temps, crusted snow and fast trails --meaning you can cover a lot of country with little effort, especially on the big lake chains. This season Wintergreen director Paul Schurke will lead a special advanced trip on the route of his choice. Pending snow & ice conditions, it might be the Lac La Croix area (with a visit to the Ojibway village) or the scenic Crooked Lake chain (with some fishing fun) or possibly even the Rose-Mountain-Moose Chain leading to the Grand Portage Trail on the Boundary Waters' eastern edge. He'll make the route choice by mid-season but whichever he chooses, you can be sure this trip will be great fun and grand adventure. | 
“Thanks for bringing real-life "intensity" to my world -- with challenges, rewards, new vision and new understanding about myself and the ‘wild’ world.” Ben J., IA
ABOUT OUR ADVANCED TRIPS:
Compared with our beginning trips, these highly adventurous treks involve dogsledding and skiing greater distances and deeper into the wilderness to reach the northwood’s top scenic & historic sites. Open to adults & teens in good fitness who are ready for a physical challenge in a remote winter setting. Previous camping experience (summer or winter) and familiarity with skiing is helpful because the skills you’ll learn on these trips are gained largely along the trail.
During the first evening’s orientation at the lodge. the guides will organize your group as a team so that when the trek is launched the next morning, everyone is prepared to learn and assist with camp and trail duties. Each group of 6-7 participants (plus 2 guides) has 2 freight sleds driven by 2 persons each. This means that 4 participants are mushing at any given time while others in rotation are following along on skis. But since these trips take you far off the beaten path across unbroken snowscapes, the travel pace is very moderate (like a brisk walking pace).
Technical skiing skills are not needed but you do need to be reasonably fit and willing to give skiing a try. These trips are grand adventures, sometimes challenging, always rewarding and led by our most senior guides or by Wintergreen director & arctic explorer Paul Schurke. Most of the participants on these trips are returning Wintergreen “alumni” but new-comers with good fitness and previous outdoor experience are welcome.
Current openings
RATES: Package rates are all-inclusive, per adult. $100 off for ages 8-16. Check-in is 4-6 pm, check-out is 9-11 am.
TO REGISTER: Click here or call us toll-free at 877-753-3386 (877-Sled Fun) to inquire about openings on your preferred trip dates and to receive our registration form. Register with a $100 deposit, balance due 2 months before trip.
FOR MORE INFO: Click here for answers to "Frequently Asked Questions." Click here for comments from our guests. Or call us toll-free 877-753-3386 (877-Sled Fun). We hope to hear from you! |
