A dog team in hot pursuit of skier Heidi Loosen at "Man versus Dog"
The first reaction most people had when they heard about Bearskin’s “Man versus Dog” Wilderness Pursuit ski race was generally, “Pffffft. That’s crazy. Skiers can’t beat dog teams.”
If you’re visiting the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo in Minneapolis this weekend, stop by the Bearskin booth and say hi to Quinn, Kate, our musher Erik Simula and one of his friendly sled dogs.
Grab a Bearskin brochure –there’s a $50 off coupon secretly tucked in there, good on a new reservation of 3 days or more that can be used by anyone. Usually we have a coupon like this available for new guests who have never visited Bearskin before, but the Expo coupon will work for anyone. You can also enter a drawing to win a free stay at Bearskin.
Justine Curgenven
Quinn spent Wednesday and Thursday paddling for filmaker Justine Curgenven, of Cackle TV, while she filmed the last leg of Erik Simula’s 1000 mile birch bark canoe journey. Eventually this will appear as a segment in her next DVD.
Our 2 year anniversary of buying Bearskin Lodge came and went on July 20th. As usual, we were way too busy running a resort to celebrate the day. But surprise, surprise, 2 years have gone by and Bearskin has survived us. We know of many resorts that are having a tough summer so we’re endlessly thankful for our loyal guests who return year after year after year.
It’s been a summer of good fishing. Of all the surprising fish this season, this fish is probably the biggest and best. The 31 inch walleye was caught by Harley Handegard (who does take his fishing pretty seriously) in a “not-to-be-disclosed” location.
Erik Simula’s 1000 mile birch bark canoe journey across the Arrowhead continues. The most recent leg of his journey was hard on the birch bark canoe. He had one very close call when he felt fortunate that the canoe did not split in half. According to Erik’s father, Vern, the bottom of the canoe now has some serious splits. We have two more of Erik’s birch bark canoes here at Bearskin. We are wondering if perhaps at some point Erik will have to substitue another canoe.
Pages from Erik's journal
Photo from Duluth News Tribune by Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com
Many Bearskin Lodge guests who read this blog also frequently follow Erik Simula’s Arrowhead Journey online. Erik created the winter mushing program at Bearskin Lodge, which was a huge success last winter, primarily because Erik is so articulate and interesting. Summer Bearskin guests may have met Erik in his role as a Grand Portage National Monument park ranger, demonstrating the skill of building birch bark canoes for hundreds of visitors every year.
For those of you who are following Erik Simula’s 1000 mile Arrowhead Journey online, there are some great new photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrowhead journey/
Erik has also posted his daily journal entries for the trip between Grand Portage and Grand Marais on the blog http://arrowheadjourney.wordpress.com
The forecast for the upcoming weekend includes some colder temperatures, but with the potential for sunny days. The snow continues to be wonderful. Guests repeatedly tell us that the snow is the best it’s been in a decade and that the quality of the grooming has been excellent.
As I type this, I’m watching a group of women skiers from Cabin 3 glide by on the lake path. Frost is making the trees along the lake’s bank look like white cotton candy today, so right now the skiers appear to be posing for an idyllic Christmas card photo. (Where’s the camera, where’s the camera? Never nearby when we need it!) To keep up on current trail conditions, check out our trail reports at http://bearskintrailreports.wordpress.com/
