Project Polar Bear

Copper

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:14:32 -0600

Age: 11, born in March 1998
Birthplace: Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge; Ely, MN
Parents: Ottowa and Dusty
Favorite position: Lead
Favorite quote: "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." -Steve Prefontaine

Canadian Lynx

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:52:04 -0600

The Canadian Lynx is a North American member of the cat family. It ranges across Canada and into Alaska as well as some parts of the northern United States. The Canadian Lynx has a dense silvery-brown coat, ruffed face and tufted ears. It is larger than the bobcat and over twice the size of the domestic cat.

A Canadian Lynx stalking its prey.

Willow Ptarmigan

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:56:09 -0600

The Willow Ptarmigan is a medium sized bird. It is a member of the grouse family. In Europe, the Willow Ptarmigan is called Willow Grouse. It is a sedentary species, breeding in birch and other forests and tundra across northern Eurasia, and in Alaska and northern Canada. It is the state bird of Alaska.

This is what a male Willow Ptarmigan looks like in the spring.

Thistle

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:33:52 -0600

Age: 7, born in March 2002
Birthplace: Bert and Johnny Hyde's home; Ely, MN
Parents: Daisy and Nightshade
Favorite position: Wheel
Favorite quote: "Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment." -- Rita Mae Brown

The long road home.

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:03:52 -0600

The journey home has been long. The Tundra Train left Churchill about 5 hours late, which means we were loading dogs and sleds onto the boxcar around midnight.

We rode the train for the rest of the night and most of the next day. It was fun to look out the window and watch the transition from tundra to Boreal Forest. The trees increased in size as we traveled south. I also noticed that the amount of snow decreased as we traveled south.

We got off the train in Thompson, where we left our cars and dog trailer. While giving the dogs a chance to stretch their legs at the train station in Thompson, Paul drove up with the dog trailer in tow. Bubba (one of the dogs) let out a loud, excited howl the second he saw the trailer. He knew that the trailer meant we were heading home! I think that the dogs, like us, enjoyed the adventure, but were ready to go home.

We drove through most of the night in rain and fog. It seems like we left winter behind us and spring has arrived in southern Manitoba.

After crossing the border between Canada and the United States, we stopped to share a treat with the dogs. A gas station just happened to have a soft-serve ice cream machine, so we made sure that every dog got an ice cream cone. It took some of the dogs a few minutes to figure out that the ice cream was food, but most of the dogs happily wolfed down their treat, cone and all.

Snowy Owl

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:18:56 -0600

The Snowy Owl is white with yellow eyes and a black bill. Males are completely white, but females have some dark spots. Full grown snowy owls are about 20-26 inches tall with a 50-60 inch wingspan. These birds weigh between 3.5 and 6.6 pounds. The Snowy Owl is well-adapted to its Arctic environment thanks to its thick plumage, heavily-feathered feet, and color.

A Snowy Owl swoops down to catch a lemming.

Buster

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:33:10 -0600

Age: 8, born in June 2000
Birthplace: Tor Dixon's kennel, Quaanaq, Greenland
Parents: unknown
Favorite position: Lead
Favorite quote: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."--Will Rogers

Feeding our dogs

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:30:04 -0600

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Lemming

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:22:43 -0600

Lemmings are small rodents that live in treeless areas of northern Canada. Their bodies are well adapted to the cold conditions they live in; they have a very thick coat of fur in the winter, short ears, short legs, and short tails. Adult lemmings are about 150 mm in total length, including about 20 mm of tail. Their body weight varies from about 55 g in some years to about 115 g in others.

A Collared Lemming.

What did you learn?

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:10:29 -0600

We could use some feedback from you. Now that Project Polar Bear is in its final week, we'd like to know what your favorite learning experience was. Which Animal of the Arctic was your favorite? Please explain why. Was there anything you found interesting in Notes from the Trail or Dog of the Day?

Traveling on the Sea Ice to Churchill

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:01:16 -0600

Everyone in the group was very happy to arrive in Churchill after a day of dogsledding on the sea ice. Our last day of dogsledding had just the right amount of challenge. The wind had died down and the temperature was fairly high (between 15 and 20 F). When I say sea ice, I don't mean ice like a skating rink. The sea ice in Hudson Bay is anything but flat. Wind and waves cause large chunks of ice to jut up at odd angles, making for a rather bumpy dogsled ride. Nikola described it as being in a rodeo. Skiing was rather awkward too, but everyone was in such a good mood, this didn't seem to matter. The distance from the Northern Studies Center into Churchill was about 15 miles, and about two thirds of that distance was on the sea ice.

It was hard work traveling over the sea ice.

On our way into town, we passed by the polar bear jail. During the fall when many polar bears migrate through Churchill, problem bears are taken here. Of course, there are no bears there now and all we saw were several large bear traps and a large empty building.

Large traps are used to catch Polar Bears that wander into town and cause trouble in Churchill. The bears are often held at the "Polar Bear Jail" until ice forms in the fall and they can travel onto the ice and hunt seals.

In Churchill, we staked out the dogs near our hotel. It felt odd to leave them out on the tundra, without setting up camp in between the two rows of dogs. After the dogs were fed, we went in search of food for ourselves.

The only open restaurant was Gypsy's, a bakery and restaurant owned by a Portuguese family. It was the perfect place for our post-trip celebratory feast.

During the following day, we broke up into smaller groups to explore Churchill. Dave and several others spent the morning feeding Brian LaDune's dogs. They had the opportunity to see all 150 of these Inuit dogs!

We drove around in Brian's pick up truck and tossed a large chunk of frozen meat to each of his 150 Canadian Inuit Dogs.

I walked to the Prince of Wales Fort, which is across the Churchill River. After being on skis for several days, it felt good to walk. The fort was surrounded by snow drifts as high as its two-story walls.

Later in the day, everyone met up to visit the Inuit museum in the center of town. The museum contains an astonishing amount of artifacts, ranging from a kayak and harpoon, to carved whale bones.

Our time in Churchill has been enjoyable. All of the people we have met here are incredibly nice, eager to learn about our dogsled adventure.

Ramona

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:01:03 -0600

Age: 2, born in March 2007
Birthplace: Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge; Ely, MN
Parents: Patches and Steve
Favorite position: Lead
Favorite quote: "The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid."--Claudia Lady Byrd Johnson

Suma

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:44:45 -0600

Age: 7, born in March 2002
Birthplace: Crockett Lake, near Ely, MN
Parents: Thule and Goofy
Favorite position: Swing
Favorite quote: "We should eat all of our provisions now so that we have less to carry."--Christopher Robbins, Winnie the Pooh

Arctic Fox

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:00:36 -0600

The Arctic Fox is a small fox that lives in the very far north. It is also called the White Fox or the Snow Fox. Since they have lived for so long in the frozen north, they have adapted to the cold in multiple ways. The Arctic Fox has deep, thick fur that changes colors with the season. Most are a bright white in the winter to camouflage with the snow and more brown-gray in the summer. Some have a color variation that makes them a gray-blue color throughout the year. They also have thick fur on their paws to insulate themselves from the cold ground and to provide traction on slick ice. Their fur is even warmer than the polar bear or the Arctic wolf. Their tail has extra-thick fur, too. It helps them with balance, but also provides more warm protection when curled up. They also have a good supply of body fat, and their small efficient shape allows them to keep less of their body exposed to the cold.

The Arctic Fox's winter coat is completely white.

What should we do in Churchill?

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:44:08 -0600

Today we dogsled from the Churchill Northern Studies Center into the town of Churchill. In Churchill there are many interesting things to see and do. We will leave it up to you to figure out what we should do.

Here are the options . . . One option is a museum full of Inuit artifacts. This would be a great option to learn about the Inuit culture and history. The second option is the Prince of Wales Fort, which is at the mouth of the Churchill River. We could take a tour of the fort to learn about the settlement of the town and history of the fur trade in the area. The third option is to visit a very large kennel of Canadian Inuit sled dogs. The Wintergreen dogs live in a large kennel, but this one is apparently the largest kennel of Canadian Inuit dogs in the world, with about 150 dogs.

The choice is up to you! Please tell us what you would like to learn about. Be sure to include your reasons.