Boundary Waters Beavers

20 February 2012

Yesterday, I was skiing in front of two dog teams. Fennel was running in lead next to his new friend, Monax. I skied up over a bump. The dog teams followed, up and over. The bump was a beaver dam. In the winter we travel through many areas where beavers live. We see plenty of evidence of the beavers. We see their dams, blocking streams to form ponds. We also see their lodges, where they...

Feeding the Sled Dogs

13 February 2012

Student Response Worksheet (Upper)

Student Response Worksheet (Lower)

This week's Notes from the Trail is all about taking care of sled dogs. In last week's Cast YOUR Vote, students helped us narrow down this topic. Based on your votes, we will focus on feeding the dogs.

Dave and I walked down to the dog kennel this morning. We opened the dog food shed and pulled out a 50 pound block of...

Sled Dogs Come in All Shapes and Sizes

05 February 2012

Upper Student Response Worksheet
Lower Student Response Worksheet

Watching the results for last week's Cast YOUR Vote was exciting. When the poll closed, there was a tie between “different types of sled dogs” and “caring for sled dogs”. Dave and I have decided to talk about the different types of sled dogs in this week's Notes from the Trail. Then, we will write about caring for...

Sharing the Wilderness with Wolves

29 January 2012

Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region via Flickr

Student Response Worksheet (Upper)

Student Response Worksheet (Lower)

Yesterday afternoon I noticed a group of ravens perched in a tree and the trail was covered in raven tracks and wolf tracks. I thought there might be a wolf kill near by. Then I noticed a tuft of fur on the snow. Soon I realized the wolves had killed...

Sulfide Mining Near the Boundary Waters

23 January 2012

Upper Student Response Worksheet

Lower Student Response Worksheet

Through last week’s Cast Your Vote students decided that we should highlight mining near the Boundary Waters. Mining inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is not allowed. However, several mining companies would like to build mines very close to the wilderness. This type of mining is called sulfide mining...

Exploring Fennel’s Puppyhood Homestead

17 January 2012

Student Response Worksheet (Upper)

Student Response Worksheet (Lower)

Nine years ago my friend Eric Frost and I were preparing for a two month dogsledding adventure through Northern Canada. The only problem was that we did not have any sled dogs! Luckily Eric’s friend, Jessa, knew a family that lived deep in the woods outside of Ely, Minnesota. Their log cabin was 6 miles from the...

Exploring the boreal forest by dogsled.

08 January 2012

Download a one page student response worksheet and answer the questions as you read this Notes from the Trail!

Student Response Worksheet Upper Student Response Worksheet Lower

This winter Amy, Fennel, and I are living on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely, Minnesota. Can you find Ely, Minnesota and the Boundary Waters on a map? The Boundary Waters Canoe Area...

Trekking to Grand Portage in the Footsteps of the Fur Trade

30 October 2011

Student Response Worksheet (Lower)

Student Response Worksheet (Upper)

As we paddled down the Pigeon River towards Grand Portage the fact that Amy and I would be trading our tent for a house and trading our canoe for a car started to sink in. After 5 months paddling through some of the most remote, pristine wilderness we have ever seen, we would have to return to civilization – at...

Tags: Canoe Hiking Boreal Forest Great Lakes