Mushing at Bearskin

Dog sled trips for winter 2019-2020!

Mushers Erin Altemus and Matt Schmidt will be returning to Bearskin this winter to offer a limited schedule of dog sled trips on site at Bearskin.  As many of you know, our long-time musher Erik Simula retired. (Guests often ask — Erik is doing great and is now director of a local historical society).  Erik was a hard act to follow, but last year we found the  team of Erin Altemus and Matt Schmidt, who offer an equally outstanding dog sled experience for Bearskin guests.

Matt and Erin started running sled dogs at YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint Trail 15 years ago. Several years later they started their own kennel and began racing. Now they have almost 40 dogs in the deep woods off the Gunflint Trail and a daughter Sylvia, who is two and a half and aspires to run the dogs someday. Matt and Erin take turns racing the dogs in the Gunflint Mail Run and Beargrease every year and often run races in Michigan and Maine as well. This year they bring their guiding experience to Bearskin to offer tours and education about mushing.

Erin and Matt are professional dog sled racers. Watch for them in major Minnesota dog sled races — it’s always fun to have a special musher to follow.  When they aren’t racing, they’ll be at Bearskin to give dog sled trips. Everything filled up well ahead of time last year, so give us a call early if you’re hoping to experience a dog sled trip during your Bearskin stay.

 

Schedule

 

  • December 28
  • December 29
  • December 30
  • December 31
  • January 1
  • January 2
  • January 3
  • January 4
  • January 5
  • January 18
  • January 19
  • January 25
  • January 26
  • February 8
  • February 9

Details

Erin and Matt have changed the schedule this year.  Each mushing trip will be a 45 minute experience. Trips will go out 6 times a day at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM.
$90/ages 13+
$60/child riding with or with another child.
300 lb total weight of riders per sled
Maximum two sleds at a time
Other trip lengths and experiences may be possible with special arrangements.

 

Darn, what if our Bearskin visit doesn’t coincide with these dates?

Mushers come and go. It’s a hard way to make a living, and consequently there are just a fraction of the number of mushers in the area that there were a few years ago.  Call us if your plans don’t coincide with these dates, and we can suggest other options.