• Experience the exhilaration of mushing a team of sled dogs through wilderness
• Learn or improve your cross country skiing on endless miles of well-groomed ski trails
• Snowshoe the loop on Oberg Mountain with its 8 overlooks
• Luxuriate in your private room in a beautiful lakeside condo with a view of Lake Superior
• Explore the totally charming town of Grand Marais
• Relax 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.  Rating: [1]  [2]  [3]  4  5

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.

• experienced guides who will teach you everything you need to know
• 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 dog sledding with two women per sled

9:30 am in Duluth, Minnesota (DLH) on January 8, 2011

3:00 pm at the airport in Duluth on January 12, 2011

You can download the complete trip information here. You can also watch a video from last year

January 8: The trip begins Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in Duluth, Minnesota, when we pick you up at the airport or your hotel. We will drive up to Tofte, about a two hour drive from Duluth, and share a welcome lunch at the local gem - the Coho Cafe. After taking time to settle in, we'll stretch our legs with a snow shoe walk on nearby Oberg Mountain (weather permitting). Following 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 9: 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 10: 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 11: 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. If more snowshoeing is what you desire, we will explore a scenic trail at George Washington Pines.  After a hearty lunch, we will have time to explore the shops and galleries of Grand Marais, or you can explore more trails by ski or snowshoe.  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 12: Today we will hike on one of the nearby frozen rivers giving us the chance to see a beautiful river gorge. The sense of power and nature is even more spectacular on this winter hike.  We will 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).