Winter has been easy on us here at Whitefish Point this year. So far,
only thirteen feet of snow have fallen, which places our accumulation
seven feet below where it was last year at this time. I ain't
complaining; we still have two feet of hardpack on the ground, plenty
for dogsledding, and enough to make snowshoes required wear, but
we've only had to shovel the barn and house roofs one time. Sadly,
the air also stinks of snowmobile exhaust, and it's dangerous to hike
or mush on public trails. In fact, the "tones" just went off to
inform us (my partner is a paramedic) that still another snowmobiler
has crashed into a tree - too much horsepower, too much testosterone,
and too little experience, as usual.
The Free Snowshoe Workshop sponsored by Timberwolf Wilderness
Adventures and the Paradise Area Tourism Council was a great time.
Whitefish Township did a great job of clearing the parking lot at
Sawmill Creek Park, just outside of the village of Paradise. And when
it got too busy for our two guides to handle everyone, local
Paradisians pitched in by serving hot chocolate, grilling hot dogs, and
even helping to fit visitors into snowshoes.
Our namesake wolves - Chakota, Nahanni, and Kenai - are fluffy in
their winter coats, and maybe a little too well fed. They're all
going about 140-145 pounds this year. The 5,000 square-feet addition
we added to their compound last summer has become their playground,
where Nahanni and Kenai chase each other around like a couple of kids.
In the last year they've been visited (we don't charge people to
see them) by folks from Russia, England, Spain, Iceland, Israel, and
India, to name the more exotic places. We had to shut down visits for
a few weeks late last summer because the wolves got too stressed, but
they got over it after having some time to relax. We are getting the
message out that wolves are a good thing for the environment, and
that's a good feeling.
Our dog teams are healthy, and just a little fat, but they're
among the finest sled dogs I've seen. They love to pull the sleds,
but all of them come from racing bloodlines, and our three-quarter-mile
track hardly challenges the 25-milers. We'll continue teaching
Dogsledding Workshops until the snow melts, but it looks as if bare
ground may come early to Paradise this year.
I've been pretty busy teaching Winter Survival classes and
conducting Snowshoe Tours into Lake Superior State Forest, but my
partner has only a couple of Kayak Tours booked for the coming summer.
Business or otherwise, we're both anxious to get back on the water.
I took a (non-business) trip up the remote Betsy River last September,
and the moon was so gorgeous the first night that I didn't make camp
until almost midnight.
Chris Hallaxs, the local, experienced, woodsman who disappeared in
Lake Superior State Forest last March has yet to be found. A few
locals harbor the romanic notion that he might be just living in the
woods, but my own experience makes me fear otherwise. Sad as it is,
his disappearance serves as a lesson that backpackers should never
underestimate Michigan's Upper Peninsula - or overestimate
themselves. Caution and preparation are the order of the day when
camping here in any season.
The coyotes are getting brave around here. They've figured out
that the sled dogs and wolves can't get them, and now they're bold
enough to hang out in front of the barn, where I chop up venison for
feeding the wolves. So far, they haven't stood their ground against
our rottweiler, but we're cautious about shining a light at the
surrounding woods before letting her out at night. Local wild wolves
generally avoid our place, but there are also cougars living in the
area, and she's no match for either of those.
That's all the news from the northwoods for now. I'm hard into
another book, and magazine assignments are keeping me busier than I
should be. If you're in the area of Paradise, Michigan, and would
like to see gray wolves up close, give us a call at Timberwolf
Wilderness Adventures, and we'll set up a time to visit. Call us
first, though - I just turned down a camera crew from Snowmobiler TV
because they gave us short notice and we had prior obligations.
May 2005 be a good one for us all. Keep warm, my friends.


Len McDougall, author of the books: The Encyclopedia of Tracks and
Scats * The Log Cabin: An Adventure * Practical Outdoor Projects * The
Field & Stream Wilderness Survival Handbook * The Snowshoe Handbook *
The Outdoors Almanac * The Complete Tracker * Practical Outdoor
Survival *
Survival/Tracking Instructor for Timberwolf Wilderness Adventures,
Paradise, MI (906) 492-3905

Len,

Glad to hear you are keeping busy while the ice is around. I grew up
in Marquette so I can appreciate your tales. I look forward to being
up there in March. I prefer the summer, but it isn't too bad for short
visits. I always tell people to paddle in May you need to carry an ice
pick, just in case.

I may check out your wilderness adventures when there. Always looking
for things to occupy the teenagers.

--
Gordon Niessen
If you aren't on the bleeding edge, you are history.

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"Gordon Niessen" wrote in message
...
Len,

Glad to hear you are keeping busy while the ice is around. I
grew up
in Marquette so I can appreciate your tales. I look forward to
being
up there in March. I prefer the summer,
====================
Which day is summer? ;-)





but it isn't too bad for short
visits. I always tell people to paddle in May you need to
carry an ice
pick, just in case.

I may check out your wilderness adventures when there. Always
looking
for things to occupy the teenagers.

--
Gordon Niessen
If you aren't on the bleeding edge, you are history.

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure
Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
120,000+ Newsgroups
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Encryption =----