The Women's Winter Adventures 2008 were an absolute success and we are really excited to be able to present the Points Unknown Women’s Winter Adventures 2009!
Details to come for the Gunflint Lodge Women's Winter Adventures 2009! Each adventure will be limited to eight participants! In addition to our Gunflint Lodge Women's Winter Adventure, we offer weekly adventures at the lodge. Click here to learn more!
WHAT: Dog Sledding instruction on miles of breathtakingly scenic trails leaving the Points Unknown cabin. This adventure was added in response to many requests for a dog sledding only adventure. In it, we will dig deeper into the skills of dog sledding and take longer runs with the dogs into more diverse and scenic areas of the northwoods. This adventure is limited to six participants!
WHAT IF I HAVE ALREADY DONE SOME DOG SLEDDING: There is always something new to learn! We will tailor make your adventure based on your ability.
WHAT WE HOPE YOU GAIN BY CHOOSING THIS ADVENTURE: New friends. An invigorated spirit. New winter survival knowledge. A deeper love for the outdoors. A new love and understanding of sled dogs. WHEN: February Adventure Arrive at the Points Unknown cabin on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 2:00PM. Departure is on Sunday, February 8th, 2009 at 2:00PM. Snowmobile and/or dog sled shuttles will be available between 2:00PM and 3:00PM both days to help you get your gear to and from your car. WHERE: The rustic Points Unknown cabin off the Arrowhead Trail in Hovland, MN. FEE: $695 includes: Rustic but cozy lodging. All meals that are made from natural/organic products. All instruction.
EVERY Points Unknown adventure has gourmet meals prepared by one of the finest Chefs Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN has to offer, adding a touch of elegance to this northwoods adventure!
ACCOMMODATIONS: You will rest in the comfort of a rustic, hand hewn, dove tail log cabin situated in the Mukwa Hills of the remote woods north of Grand Marais, MN. The cabin is heated by a woodstove. Read a book and relax by the propane lights in the evening. The all natural meals will be cooked on a propane stove. The outhouse is close to the cabin and has an unbelievably warm seat! Sleeping arrangements are cozy cots so bring a sleeping pad if you want extra comfort. There is no running water but water from an artesian spring is provided for drinking, washing and cooking. Fall asleep to the romantic howls of the sled dogs in the otherwise still night.
Other Activities: Explore with your own snow shoes or X-country skis. Try to identify the fresh animal tracks that are seen all around the cabin every morning. Moose, wolves, coyotes, fox, martin, river otters and deer have been seen around the cabin or while on trail. There are two resident Canadian Jays that provide occasional entertainment. Photo ops are at every turn! What to Bring: Our complete Gear List will tell you everything you need to know to prepare yourself for the variable temperatures and conditions of winter in Northern Minnesota. Is this trip for me? If you have an adventurous spirit, love nature and the great outdoors, are open to new experiences and love the idea of spending a weekend with furry four legged friends, this trip is for you! Can I physically do this trip? We are happy to customize a trip for anyone of any ability, however this trip requires the following: 1) You must be able to walk, snowshoe or x-country ski at least one mile. 2) You must be able to lift at least 25 lbs. 3) You must be able to easily lift your legs 12 inches off the ground, up and over a moving object. Emergency Phone: There is no cell phone coverage north of Grand Marais. A Satellite phone is available at the cabin for emergencies. Transportation: Hovland, Minnesota is approximately a 40 minute drive north of Grand Marais, MN and about a 5 ½ hour drive from Minneapolis/St. Paul. If flying, the Duluth, MN airport is the closest in the US. The Thunder Bay, Ontario area is within 45 minutes North of Hovland. After your registration, indemnificaton agreement and deposit are received, names of other participants will be sent in case you would like to coordinate travel plans. Payment: A $200 nonrefundable deposit is needed with the registration form. Payment in full is due by January 7, 2009. Cancellation after this date is not refundable. Points Unknown reserves the right to make changes to the trip due to severe weather or extraordinary circumstances. Please print and send your registration form and the indemnification agreement along with your deposit to: Points Unknown, P.O. Box 311, Watertown, MN 55388. If you have any questions please contact me at linda@points-unknown.com or 612.327.6965.
The schedule will be sent to you prior to the date of the adventure.
We have three different types of traditional sled dogs; Canadian Inuit Dogs, Freight Alaskan Huskies, and Hedlund Huskies. You will find GREAT enthusiasm from the dogs and it is displayed from the moment you arrive until the moment you depart. They find great pleasure in jumping up to greet you (even though they are supposed to have manners, they choose when they use them) and screaming at the top of their lungs when they know it is meal time or when they know we are going for a run.
The Canadian Inuit Dog is a primitive breed of sled dog that the Inuit people use for polar bear hunting and seal hunting. This is a rare breed that is pack oriented. They are the "tanks" of the sled dog world and are unstoppable in their desire to pull. They wear their emotions on their sleeve and seem to display 100% of whatever emotion they are feeling at the time. They LOVE people and are over exuberant when expressing it. This is a true working breed.
Our Freight Alaskan Huskies are larger and broader than the typical racing Alaskan Husky and have much heavier coats. Most are big lap dogs at camp that would tip toe around a sleeping baby. They quickly turn into focused pullers in the team, at hook up and while out on the trail!
Hedlund Huskies are a rare line of Alaskan Husky that dates back to the 1940s in Alaskan trapline teams. At this time we have three Hedlund Huskies, all from Alaska, with one more on the way! Tuloon, our first Hedlund arrival in 2004, had puppies in September of 2007 and we added three puppies with mixed Hedlund and our own Freight Alaskan lines. The Hedlunds are a graceful and steady line.
Directions will be mailed upon receipt of registration form, nonrefundable deposit and signed Participant Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risks and Release and Indemnity Agreement. For those of you who would like to arrive in the area Wednesday night we recommend the Grand Marais Inn – 218.387.1585. It is a “bare bones” motel run by nice people. If you would like other recommendations, please let us know.
	Linda Newman grew up all over the United States in a U.S. Forest Service family. The wilderness has always been a main focus in her life. Linda had a dog all through her childhood but didn't find her true passion for them until the 1990s. Linda has been training dogs since 1994. She got her first sled dogs in 2000 and thus began her sled dog training. She came from a background of Australian Shepherds, obedience and agility training. What a shock the sled dogs provided! No more "what can I do for you, how much and how long?" More like "Right. I'm not doing that until I get what I want. Then I will decide what you get and when." She loved them nonetheless and found a way to get extraordinary things out of them and wants to share that with others. Linda's dream of a career that included her passion for the outdoors and her love and respect for her canine companions began in early 2005 when she started Points Unknown. Linda does adventure trips with the dogs in the BWCA, Canada and Minnesota. In addition to heading the dog mushing program at Gunflint Lodge, Grand Marais, MN, USA, Linda teaches pull training classes at a local training center, is a DNR Becoming an Outdoors Women program instructor, and is giving dog mushing instruction and demonstrations at local events. Linda is Wilderness First Aid Certified with the Wilderness Medical Associates.
	Sandy Schwartz recently moved to Colorado from Minnesota with her husband Mark and seven sled dogs where she opened her own Pilates studio. She was involved with arctic and alpine research for eight years and enjoyed working in the sub-arctic climates of the Mt. Washington Observatory, NH, and Niwot Ridge Research Station, CO. She also moonlighted as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) for five years in rural Vermont, and has a lot of fun dreaming up gourmet meals for the camp stove. An avid backcountry skier, rock & ice climber, mountaineer, Sandy loves the wilderness and enjoys helping other women discover how easy it can be to explore outdoors. She began dog mushing in 2004 and became a DNR Becoming an Outdoors Women program instructor in 2006.
Photo courtesy of Karen DeBoise	Karen DeBoise was born in Massachusetts and is currently living in Illinois with her husband and furry house mates. She has worked around animals all her life. While living in Massachusetts, she worked in a local zoo and as a veterinary assistant. Karen is currently involved in a dog therapy program and visits local nursing homes with a couple of her sled dogs. Bitten by the mushing bug in 2005, she immediately began her dog sledding lifestyle. She participates in dog sled races throughout the Midwest and enjoys being out with her dogs whether she’s racing or just out for the fun of it, taking a leisurely run through the wilderness. “When you’re out in the woods enjoying the beautiful scenery with only the sound of the runners gliding through the snow and the dogs breathing, it doesn’t get any better”, Karen says.
	Kate Stenso-Miller loves to teach people skills for helping them enjoy their time outdoors. She is employed as an outdoor recreation specialist for the Three Rivers Park District in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and had volunteered over the years for a number of outdoor organizations including Becoming an Outdoors Woman which is a DNR program, the Minnesota Orienteering Club and the Minnesota Youth Ski League. Kate's idea of the perfect outdoor adventure includes lots of laughter, good friends and some good muscle stretching. She takes pride in helping to provide an expanded knowledge of the world and ourselves.
Photo courtesy of Erik Simula	Erik Simula is currently the director of the Arrowhead Wilderness School in Hovland, MN and a National Park Ranger with the Grand Portage National Monument where he is a master birch bark canoe builder. He is also an occasional instructor at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN, Vermillion Community College in Ely, MN and the Voyager's Outward Bound School in Ely, MN. His wildnerness guide experience extends from the BWCAW to Denali National Park in Alaska. Erik has twenty years of dog sledding experience and has run the John Beargrease dog sled race twelve times. Being a Wilderness EMT(Emergency Medical Technician), rounds off Erik's wilderness skills resume.
Photo courtesy of J.D. Fratzke	J.D. Fratzke Born to the Mississippi River in Winona, MN, JD moved to Minneapolis in 1992 and groveled his way into a number of restaurant kitchens around the immediate metro area; most notably cafee un, deux, trois, Pronto Ristorante and finally made his bones as sous chef at Chino Latino in 1999. In December of 2003, JD was appointed Executive Chef of Muffuletta in the Park in St. Paul, MN USA where he currently has more fun being paid than any bald man in history. He has worked to exemplify the idea that “food tastes better closest to its source.” Muffuletta’s kitchen considers it a point of pride to utilize the hard work and superlative flavors of ingredients produced by Minnesota’s network of small farms. Their dedication to organic cultivation of produce and ethical animal husbandry is a tremendous source of inspiration for Muffuletta’s daily menu.JD was married to his wife, Lisa, a painter, in 1999 and in September of 2004 their daughter, Nina Jeann was born.
Photo courtesy of Scott Pampuch	Scott Pampuch had his first cooking job as an overnight short order cook in High School. Little did he know that this would take him where it did. He attended Culinary School at the Minneapolis Technical College from 1995-1997. In 1996, Scott left the office life of "eight to five" to work where he was most comfortable; The Kitchen. After working in a few kitchens, most notably The Modern Cafe, in Minneapolis, MN, for five years, he found his true passion for cooking was right in his own backyard. Growing up in Minnesota, he realized that there were many supporters of small independent restaurants. Scott then opened Corner Table where he takes pride in supporting many family farms in the southeastern part of Minnesota, near his home town of Winona.
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