During summer one finds themselves saying I can’t wait until the mosquitos are gone, or til it’s not so hot out, or I can be done watering the garden…. and then when all that happens and summer is over, you think, how did that go by so fast. Funny life. So it has been a busy time with gardens, trying to finish the “summer” jobs, upping the husky training, … but when you love fall, it is ok. We have spent a lot of time shoveling gravel all around the dog yard this summer, kind of cursing the abundance of rain (over eight inches above normal) and how much of it needs to be moved. But as with so many grudging tasks, there might be a silver lining side…. we are spending a huge amount of time in the dog yard. It has struck me how much some of the dogs are reminding me of “dog’s past”. Now Sven is a sweet lovable, alpha-like, handsome boy and I have called him Sven Bob for awhile and not because I was thinking of my past dog Bob. But as I thought about it, he does really remind me of that wonderful Crooks pup who was a main leader and alpha for years. And four year old Koyuk, named after a Native Alaska village in the Iditarod, has been finding ways to get me to pet him longer. He has been extra friendly and entertaining lately and I find myself thinking of Uno-tuk; they look some alike and Uno tuk has his name from an Inuit village too. I hope Koyuk is as good of a leader as I am sure I will be working with him this winter. Amaroq is reminding me a lot of Bear, so devoted and in tune with me. Interestingly she and Bear went on many loose walks together when she was a pup and I know she is a keen observer. And Osa has earned the nickname TJ for Tillie Junior as her friendly rub my belly personality is very much like her great aunt, Craig’s Tillie. I have had dogs for over 30 years and it’s fun to think about all the great huskies we have had and how intertwined they are with the great ones we have now. Our gardens were not quite as large as normal but still took a lot of time. It is fun to be doing the harvesting now and the tomatoes are starting to ripen. Potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, greens and beets are all doing well. YOGA WEEKEND OCTOBER 6-8 Join us for an energizing & relaxing weekend in the heart of the boreal forest, 50 mi. N. of Duluth with Yoga instructor Laura Haack & naturalist/guide Kathleen Anderson – Wintermoon Summersun Lodge. Our retreat center is eco-friendly, 100% solar power, organic gardens, wood heat, Finnish sauna, pure well water and healthy hearty meals. There will be 4 one hour plus yoga sessions focusing on centering, balance and stretching. There will be time for relaxing, hiking, playing with (32) sled dogs, art, reading, and we will eat our meals together. Many of our meals originate from the organic gardens harvest & we can accommodate dietary considerations. The weekend starts at 5 pm on Friday and includes lodging, all meals and yoga. Cost – $200. Please feel free to share this info and a registrations is included. Please let me know if you have any questions. It would be great to have you join us, Kathleen and Laura We will be having a Trails Weekend, open to all women who would like to work in the woods = October 20-22 and I provide the food, Bunkher, sauna, tools,… we work about 4 hours on Sat. and a couple hr. Sun a.m. and we will be having a Calendar Party with the new 2018 Outdoorsy Husky Loving Women Calendar ready for sale. If you would like to order one, they are $25. & includes P & H; they are a benefit for the vet fund. Also busy with two trips to the BW and what fun to explore the beauty and serenity of our Minnesota wilderness. Half of the women had never been before and so it was great to share with them. Many thanks to Alexis who helped us out the last couple months and best to her on a road trip out West. If you know of anyone who might like to have the most fantastic winter running sled dogs, please let me know.
And it would be great to have you join us this winter for some fantastic mushing with our amazing huskies.
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Full moon morning – 37 degrees Oh aggkaka with strawberry rhubarb sauce, mmm…Fran’s hot cereal with blueberries, a handful of raspberries as we walk to the garden…. oh August ! The huskies are doing well this summer, it has not been too hot and we have gotten rain on a regular basis to keep them cool and clean. The 16 month old pups are enjoying running loose every morning and it is very fun to see how fast their games of chase are. Can’t wait to see them in the teams this winter. One morning I let Amaroq loose to run around the yard and she ran towards the pen Lydia and Oh-too are in and without hesitation jumped the 3′ fence. After checking them out, she chose to jump over the 4′ high section to get out. She’s done it several times now. One day I was watering the huskies and was at Lena’s in the back row and the other dogs were looking over our way barking very excitedly. I looked back in the woods where they were looking and there was an animal moving around in the bushes. It was jumping or struggling and I couldn’t tell what it was…. we have had wolves, foxes and bears around, I had a momentary panic …. I walked in closer and then saw it was…. Urho! His snap had broken so he was loose and he was playing with his kong in the bushes. He loves to jump on it and move it around and play with it. I laughed with relief. Heart in the Earth was wonderful – herbal walks and creating antibiotic salve with Pam Thompson, a presentation on a solo BWCAW trip by Dawn Spitzer Ulrich, Iditarod Tales and Tails by Renee Casey, yoga with Alexis, massage with Dana Kuehn, kayaking, canoeing, SUP, walking huskies and a Lake Superior cruise made for a fun outdoors weekend (with amazing weather). Many thanks to the presenters, helpers and all those who attended. Heart in the Earth was so energizing and the feeling of connecting and sharing outdoor adventures with other women so special that I am planning to offer it every year and schedule on the first full weekend in August. It will still have the regular activities of kayaking, herbal workshop, walking huskies, …. and every year will offer different speakers and activities too. We would love to have you plan to join us. There are still openings for Kayaking September 22-24 during the Fall Colors. It is a refreshing time to be paddling, cooler weather and beautiful trees. And now is the time to plan for winter dogsledding. If you have a group of 6-8, I still have a few dates available and they are listed on the Trips page – Dogsledding. The gardens are doing well. We have been eating lots of vegetables and it is a time of year one feels very “sustainable” – lots of home-grown organic food and lots of sun for power. We just finished pulling and harvesting our 300 garlic plants and they look great, lots of good pesto!
Kayaking season has started with a fun and energetic group from North Dakota. Eight friends who know each other through a fitness center joined us this full moon weekend. It was good weather and paddling and both nights the wolves howled. You can hear the yips of the youngsters with the beautiful serenade of the adults. Many thanks to Peggy, Rebecca and Erin who knew about us through taking yoga and came up and helped on this trip- you were beyond amazing. And thanks to all for all the huskies who got walked this weekend – there were some favorites out there, Akiak, Nome, Sven, Lemmikki, Sigurd and Foxy ! There are still openings for Kayak trips: July 21-23, August 11-13, 18-20 and September 22-24 fall colors and Heart in the Earth August 4-6. Heart in the Earth will have a very special cruise on Lake Superior on Sunday. Looking at the beautiful, rocky shoreline from the lake is like seeing a “new” world, so totally different and magnificent. Also our 2 speakers -Dawn on the BWCAW and Renee on Iditarod are interesting, colorful adventures. The dogs are good and up until this past week, it hasn’t been too hot for them. Tahti and Osa are sporting new canopies and their patios look like you could have a really nice picnic there. They love the shade. Pups are still getting to run loose in the mornings and I will often do two at a time as they really like to chase each other. I have built a new very shaded pen on the east side of the dog yard for Oh-too and Lydia and they seem to be getting along very well. One of the projects I have started this summer is upgrading the husky huts, some new legs, roofs and other repairs. It is very fun working out there with them. The gardens are coming along ok. Got a lot of things in late and it has been kind of rainy and cool for them. And we have a pesky rabbit who has been getting in the fence somehow. My project this week is to find out where and put an end to that. We are getting some wonderful greens now.
Still looking for a handler if anyone is interested, starting anytime. Thanks to Alexis who has been helping out part time and is great with the dogs. There’s a new web site: Eventyr.com that is for small outdoor adventure businesses that I am going to be involved with. They are great to be promoting the unique and lesser known outings that people can do. One of the women involved came up to Brimson and wrote a profile for my business: Eventyr.com Kathleen The environmentalist J.M. Dare As the sun shone down through the timbers, the breeze softly whispered through the pine needles and newly budding trees. The birds sang, the red squirrels frolicked, and the wind chimes softly played a melody, while I sat with Kathleen on a sunny spring day in Brimson. Located between Two Harbors and Ely, MN, it’s the perfect location to “play in the outdoors.” Kathleen is an environmentalist, a minimalist, a pioneer among women, a storyteller, a sled dogger, kayaker, gardener, teacher, carpenter, and guide. She effortlessly exudes a calmness and peacefulness which lingered with me for days after meeting her. It was a blissful feeling. Even the faintest sound of her voice lulled her dogs to be still, as we spoke. A true testament of her love, gentleness and understanding for her dogs, and theirs for her. Kathleen has been guiding women’s retreats for 44 years. Offering dog sledding, hiking, kayaking, and yoga adventures. Her log home and cabins are loaded with charm, and positioned optimally on 404 acres of pure wilderness, with handcrafted cabins she built herself, a Finnish sauna with the cleansing aroma of essential oils and cedar, organic gardens, and over 30 beautiful Alaskan Huskies. This experience is one of kind, with wood burning stoves, an outdoor water pump, and solar power for electricity. It’s reminiscent of all the joys and activities of a summer and winter camp year round. This experience is 100% authentic living-with a rustic appeal, and a peacefulness most people don’t find in their personal lives. For Kathleen, her place has offered her healing, freedom to grow, and an opportunity to become a whole woman over the years. She lives life on her terms, how she wants, when she wants, and with the freedom to do what she loves. Now she says, “I am able to share this with other women. To allow them a space where they can disconnect with their lives, drop into a heartspace with other women-sharing, helping, talking, developing a sense of community, while rejuvenating their souls in nature.” That is exactly how I felt when I left her place and drove through the tall whispering pines on my way home. My time with her will always be something I cherish. |