Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
appeals to mushers in winter: more than 1,000,000 acres of pristine lakes, the densest con-
centration in America, all off-limits to motorized vehicles. Mushers also like it because it's
not as cold as Alaska and often gets more snow.
Peter McClelland, who owns White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures with his wife,
Chris Hegenbarth, calls himself “a naturalist by training, a musher by choice.” As cofounder
of the Ely Area Mushing Association, he began the company in 1994 to introduce wannabes
to the Frozen North and the magic of dogsledding. He and Chris don't just sell you a dogsled
trip—they adopt you for a few days, making sure you're properly dressed, filling you with
exquisite, high-fat, high-protein foods (a must with temperatures from -20°F to -60°F), and
tucking you away in your cozy canvas yurt at night, while the dogs nestle comfortably in the
snow.
MUSH ADO ABOUT LOTS OF THINGS
If, like Jack London, you feel the “call of the wild,” here are some pointers for deal-
ing with your own Buck:
•
Never yell “Mush!” Mush, a bastardization of the French
marche
(walk), is
frowned upon by seasoned guides. The favored command is “Hike,” which
means “Go.”
•
“Gee” means turn right and “Haw” means go left.
•
“Get up” means pull harder.
•
Don't act like a drill sergeant. Screaming at your dogs only frustrates them.
Treat them firmly, but don't overdo it. These puppies live to run.
•
Before you go, read
Winterdance
by Gary Paulsen and
My Lead Dog Was
a Lesbian
by Brian Patrick O'Donoghue.
You can choose between the “winter camping adventure,” on which you overnight in a
yurt, or choose more comfortable accommodations on their lodge-based trips, where you re-
turn to the comforts of a North Woods lodge each evening. White Wilderness also offers ice-
fishing trips, a full-moon trip that includes a nighttime run with the dogs (offered only three
times a year), and the Beargrease Special. This latter trip, held the last weekend in January,
takes participants to the start and finish of the 400-mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon,
which runs along the north shore of Lake Superior.
