Adventure trips for women: Dogsledding and Winter Fun

"I loved almost every minute of the trip. While the activities were obviously the highlight, I most enjoyed the relaxed, congenial atmosphere created by the guides. Everybody (I think!) felt comfortable, welcome and well catered to." RS, 2007, Los Angeles, CA

Highlights:

Experiencing the exhilaration of mushing a team of sled dogs through wilderness
Learning or improving your cross country skiing on endless miles of well-groomed ski trails
Snowshoeing the loop on Oberg Mountain with its 8 overlooks
Luxuriating in your private room in a beautiful lakeside condo with a view of Lake Superior
Exploring the totally charming town of Grand Marais
Relaxing your tired muscles in the hot tub and sauna

Combining lots of outdoor activity, natural beauty, and four nights in an award-winning resort, this wintertime adventure vacation is the perfect recipe for an interlude in your daily life that is at once invigorating and deeply relaxing. The invigorating part comes from the very fun activities of dog sledding, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. The relaxing part comes from the rest of the trip. It's not just the hot tub or saunas, or even the optional massages. It's also the beauty and quiet of the condos, with their windows looking out over Lake Superior; delicious meals that you don't have to plan or cook; and the camaraderie of other women. We guarantee that by the end of five days you will feel like you've completely gotten away from the daily grind.

This trip is for any woman who wants to experience a variety of winter activities while staying in wonderful accommodations. This trip can be as relaxed or active as you choose! If you want to have the energy to do everything we offer, some prior conditioning is definitely a good idea.

Accommodations:

four nights at the award-winning Bluefin Bay resort. Bluefin is a collection of well-designed, comfortably appointed seaside vacation homes located right on the lake, each with fireplaces, jacuzzis, and great views. They also boast a year-round outdoor pool and hot tub, two saunas, an indoor pool and whirlpool/spa and an exercise room. We've reserved three homes, each of which has three bedrooms with a double bed.

Maximum group size: 10

Trip price: $1285 - $1375* There is a $50 deduction for registration prior to 9/30/08 and 3% of the trip fee if the balance is paid by check. $300 deposit. *If you are coming with someone with whom you would like to share a room, you can each deduct $200 from the trip price.

Trip price includes:

guide services and instruction
four nights lodging in a private room
meals from lunch on Saturday thru lunch on Wednesday
skis and snowshoes
round trip transportation from Duluth, MN
one full day of dogsledding with two women per sled

Trip starts: at 10:00 am in Duluth, Minnesota (DLH) on January 10

Trip ends: at 3:00 pm at the airport in Duluth on January 14

More information: These have not been updated for 2009 so check back for the most recent versions; we do not anticipate significant changes a summary of all this information, packing list, notes on packing list, general information (must have Adobe Acrobat Reader)

For pictures from previous trips, click here

To learn more about Bluefin Bay Resort, visit www.bluefinbay.com; to learn more about the surrounding area, visit the web site of the Lutsen Tofte Tourism association at www.lutsen-tofte.com.

Register for this trip or Contact us for more information

Itinerary

January 10: The trip begins Saturday at 10 a.m. in Duluth, Minnesota, when we pick you up at your hotel or the airport. We’ll drive up to Tofte, about a two hour drive from Duluth, stopping for lunch along the way. After taking time to settle in, we'll stretch our legs with a snow shoe walk on nearby Oberg Mountain. After a short climb to the top (only in Minnesota would this be considered a mountain) there is a relatively flat loop trail leading to 8 different overlooks, a perfect introduction to the area. We'll end our day with a hearty dinner and afterwards enjoy a roaring fire, relax our muscles in a hot tub or sauna, or just sit in our comfortable living room and gaze out the window at the vast frozen lake.

January 11: This morning we'll go for a cross country ski near Bluefin Bay. The trails are appropriate for a variety of ski levels and your guides provide the instruction you need to improve your skiing techniques. In the afternoon you may choose to relax or read at our condo or do some snowshoeing, or perhaps go out for another ski. There's a run that's all downhill and lots of fun! And of course there is a massage therapist available by appointment. Those wanting down time are welcome to relax at the resort and take advantage of its many amenities.

January 12: Today is our dog sledding day! We get up early to meet our dogs and guides - sled dogs are some of the funniest, friendliest, most quirky dogs there are and they love to pull. After learning how to hook them up, we're off for a full day of sledding. We'll drive the sled across lakes and through the woods and learn how to assist the dogs by "poling." We will experiment with shifting our weight on the runners to help the sled turn and jump on and off the runners when we're going up hill. After an active morning we'll all need a break, so we'll stop to make a fire and have a hot lunch. With two women in every sled, you have the opportunity to switch between the very vigorous activity of driving the sled and a more relaxing time of sitting cozily bundled in the sled and watching the spectacular winter scenery go by. We guarantee that if you love dogs, you'll adore sled dogs!

January 13: We plan to ski at Pincushion Mountain, a cross country ski area with a variety of trails and a great place on the North Shore for both traditional and skate skiing. After lunch we'll have time in the afternoon to explore the shops and galleries of Grand Marais. Grand Marais is a charming and friendly town and though some of the stores are closed in winter, it's still well worth a visit. We'll go out for dinner that night at a local restaurant before heading back to Bluefin.

January 14: Today we’ll hike on the frozen Onion River, giving us the chance to see this beautiful river gorge from the inside up. While it may sound scary, it's really very safe (if it isn't, we won't go) - and the sense of solitude and wilderness is greater than any other place. We’ll plan to share a final lunch and leave Tofte by 1:00 p.m. We will be back at the Duluth airport not later than 3 p.m. The Duluth Airport is quite small and you can plan to fly out anytime after 4 pm. (Once winter flight schedules are set this may be adjusted).