Yesterday we spent several hours gathering firewood. Today we are sticking close to home, cooking, eating, reading, and writing. We are currently reading Sled Dogs to Saint Paul, a wonderful book by Frank Moe. We got to know Frank during the winter of 2012 when he ran his dog team from Grand Marais, Minnesota to the state capitol carrying thousands of petitions signed by people who are concerned about the sulfide-ore copper mines that are being proposed in Northern MN. Amy and I helped with his journey, which in many ways was the catalyst that led us to spend over 100 days sailing and paddling from Ely to Washington D.C. in the fall of 2014, which in turn led us to set out to spend a year in the Wilderness.
Frank has generously offered to loan us 3 of his beloved sled dogs for the winter. Acorn, Ace, and Tank were all part of the team that pulled him to St. Paul; Acorn was in the lead, as she has been during dozens of races for Frank over the last decade.
Frank is planning to bring in our three new companions once the snow and ice conditions allow, which we hope will be soon. Sled dogs are like people; they have their own unique personalities and we are very excited to have them join us. The dogs love to run and are literally born to pull. When you pull out a harness, or make any move to suggest it might be time to run, they usually erupt in howls and barking. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious and we can’t wait to start working with them.
We have a lot of things to be thankful for during this holiday season. We are especially thankful to be spending it in this great Wilderness, joined in spirit by so many people who are all working to protect these precious lakes, rivers, streams, forests and all of the communities that rely on this amazing landscape.
#wildernessyear
