Welcome to the Wintergreen Blog

Welcome to our Wintergreen Stories!
Wintergreen is famous for many things: our beloved sled dogs, our "best in the business" guides, our sumptuous meals, our lovely lodge and our exquisitely beautiful northwoods "backyard." But we're equally proud of our stories -- the many tales that have spun from our adventures over the years. We'll post them on this page one by one so please check back often as the collection grows. Consider this page your chance to join us around the campfire for story night by clicking the titles below.

1. Probing the Mysteries of Shackleton’s “Endurance” Expedition

It’s considered the greatest survival tale in polar expedition history. In 1914, British explorer Ernest Shackleton sailed to Antarctica with 27 men in hopes of traversing the continent. But his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea, propelling the team into a 20-month nightmare of cold and near starvation. In a desperate attempt to seek help, Shackleton undertook a treacherous 800-mile ocean crossing by open boat to South Georgia Island. There he faced his saga’s climactic chapter: traversing the island’s soaring uncharted ramparts to reach a remote whaling station. In the end, he brought his entire team home alive.

In November 2012, Ely adventurer Paul Schurke retraced that South Georgia route on a ski mountaineering trek that followed Shackleton’s diary notes. Curiously, the writings recount an “unseen presence” felt by Shackleton and his colleagues throughout the crossing. Paul believes that mystery may be embodied in one of the expedition’s most beloved artifacts: a trail-seasoned banjo. Paul, who operates Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge in Ely and co-led the 1986 North Pole expedition with Will Steger, explores this and other mysteries of the Shackleton trek in this story that appeared in various publications. Click the story title to download.