We are really excited to be able to present the Points Unknown Women’s Winter Adventures 2010!
The dates for this adventure will be Thursday, February 4 - Sunday, February 7, 2010. Click here for details!
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: March Adventure - Thursday, March 4th - Sunday, March 7th. Arrive at the Points Unknown cabin on Thursday, March 4th at 2:00PM. Departure is on Sunday, March 7th 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: $795 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 February 7, 2010. 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. 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. Points Unknown, was contracted to provide dog mushing adventures at a popular northern Minnesota Lodge in Grand Marais, MN, USA in the winters of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 and Linda headed up this program. She currently 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.
	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. Karen began working with Points Unknown in the winter of 2007-2008 and we are pleased to have her back for several weeks this winter season.
Photo courtesy of Joy's Sleddog Photos	Don Deckert grew up on a farm in central Minnesota where he learned to appreciate working animals and the great outdoors from a very early age. Coon hounds and Golden Retrievers were the dogs of choice on the farm while Don was growing up. Extensive camping, backpacking, and canoeing where a big part of Don's life in his teenage and young adult years. Don started "collecting" Siberian Huskies during 1994 because of his fascination with their beauty, independent nature and outdoor working abilities. Although he knew nothing about mushing at the time, he studied books, searched the internet and began meeting and becoming friends with mushers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Being a woodworker by trade, Don decided to build a dogsled and try his hand at mushing during the late winter months of 2000. After hooking up his first two Siberian Huskies and going for a 1 1/2 mile run, Don was hooked and has been mushing ever since. Don currently has a team of 7 Siberian Huskies that he runs recreationally and competes in 15 to 30 mile races in the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan area. Dogsledding demonstrations and educational seminars are also a part of Don's typical autumn and winter schedule. Don began working with Points Unknown during the winter of 2008 and we are very excited to have him back for several weeks, working with the mushers and clients of Points Unknown, again this winter. You can meet his dogs by going to his website. Tundra Star Siberians
Photo courtesy of Jon Williams	Jon Williams, 53, is a clinical pharmacist at the Great River Medical Center in West Burlington,Iowa. At an early age, he discovered how much he loved exploring the outdoors, through camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing. This led him to spend 20 years of volunteer time serving on the Des Moines County Conservation Board and Partners for Conservation Foundation. He has backpacked the North Western states, Alberta/British Columbia, and Isle Royale. Rock climbed in Wisconsin and Idaho with the Iowa Mountaineers. With his wife Jane, they have canoed extensively through out the BWCAW and Quetico over the last 20 years. In 2000, Jon canoed the Hunter Island route, which circumnavigates the BWCAW and Quetico. Jon always enjoyed X-country skiing and ice fishing in the wintertime, but wanted to find a way to explore this time of year even more. So in 1986, he bought his first Alaskan Malamute puppy. After reading a couple of books on sled dog training he was able to get his first dog to pull a sled full of ice fishing equipment and accompany him on his many ice fishing excursions. Several Malamutes later, he realized more training was necessary. He wanted to see if he could handle winter camping with sled dogs so he spent a week learning how at Paul Schurke's Wintergreen in January of 1997. Next stop, was completing two of Jamie Nelson/Ann Stead's mushing boot camps in northern Minnesota. The boot camps were an unbelievable "dog and musher," learning experience; also a way to meet people from all over the country and gain mushing friends from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Over the last several years Jon has enjoyed winter camping and mushing with his friends in northern Minnesota. Currently, Jon has 11 Alaskan Malamutes that make up his Ravencrest Kennels in rural southeast Iowa. There he trains his 10 dog team and is always looking for new adventures with them up North. Jon is also a pilot and enjoys flying from the grass strip airfield near his home to visit friends all over the Mid West. This will be Jon’s first season with Points Unknown, assisting with client adventures.
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.
	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.
________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2005-2007 Points Unknown LLC - Watertown, MN 55388 - 612.327.6965 - linda@points-unknown.com