Lufa is a dog that really wants to be with people. She loves human attention. And the guides respond to it. She is the only dog in the kennel of about 80 dogs that is allowed to run free while we are in a winter camp. Lufa makes a unique cooing sound when she howls.…
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Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2009.
The propane gas industry adds a rotten egg smell to their naturally colorless, odorless, and very explosive propane product. That’s a good start. However, sometimes that could lead to unsafe confusion. Is that rotten egg smell a dangerous propane leak, or just the Thanksgiving leftovers reminding me of their long-ago demise in the frig? Alas,…
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A saying from Ely’s famed Dorothy Molter: Kwitchurbeliakin. Try saying it out loud if you’re not sure what you’re looking at. Dorothy is regarded as the last person allowed to lawfully live in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A self-sufficient, hardy woman, she did very little “belly aching.” Canoeists on Knife Lake loved to…
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Buster (above) is a lucky dog. His doghouse is near the main entrance to the kennel. That means he gets extra petting from guests. He’s one of my favorites because he is ultra-consistant and reliable. That means I give him some extra attention. But, he’s really lucky to just be alive. He was born a…
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When it warms up to 0 degrees, it feels like a heat wave! So is the case today. I ski to work at Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge. It’s about a 15 minute ski from my cabin, depending on the weather and snow conditions. The short mid-December days mean that I’m typically skiing the route in the…
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Living in the North Woods means we are well aware of forest fire dangers. We are particularly conscientious about putting out our campfires. We know, in some cases first hand, about the devastating effects of forest fires caused by improperly extinguished campfires. Case in point. When I started guiding Boundary Waters trips in the mid-nineties…
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Most Wintergreen alumni won’t recognize the names on these dog harnesses. They are the new duds for our puppies born in March to Lucky and Thule. Our dogs are purebred Canadian Inuit dogs and they are, quite literally, born to pull. For thousands of years, the Inuit (or Eskimo) people have relied on the breed…
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Those smart folks at the National Weather Service got it right this weekend. The following forecast came true: Weather report for Ely: … Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 12 PM CST Monday… Snow intensity will increase through the afternoon… persisting overnight. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour. Winds of 20…
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