Okpik, Northern Tier High Adventure Base | Toteadler.com

Dog sled ride

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:54:33 -0400

Dog sled ride

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:54:30 -0400

Welcome back

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:54:22 -0400

Sledding down the portage trail

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Weeeee!

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Contemplating the drop

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Quincy

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Grey jay admiring the skis

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Grey Jay

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:53:15 -0400

Forest scavenger. Come in pairs. Will try to steal your food or anything you drop.

Pay dirt

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:52 -0400

Yep, now we have a hole in the ice for water. The ice was probably close to two feet thick.

Teamwork!

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:48 -0400

Apparently it goes faster if you get more than one person on the auger. One to steady (Matt), one to push down (Eric), one to turn (Patrick), one to supervise (Ian) and one to document (Mrs. D)

Water

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:44 -0400

Drilling the hole for water. Once the whole was auger we'd dip buckets in and take out water. Its important to still purify it even if its frozen. Iodine isn't effective when its cold out and pump filters can freeze so we used the tried and true boiling method to purify the water. Patrick, Eric, Matt (on the auger), and Kenny

View from the (mostly) top

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:36 -0400

We started back there on the other side of the white flatness.

Trail's slippery

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:32 -0400

Trail's slippery, any way to get to the top winds. My method was to kick my toes in and move quickly.

Up up and away

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:28 -0400

Adjusting Layers

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:52:12 -0400

Mr. Moser (my father) adjusting his layers.

Rest stop

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:51:18 -0400

Me at one of our rest stops. I'm wearing long underwear, a wind parka, and light snow pants. It's work pulling the sleds and it's important not to overheat so you adjust the layers you're wearing to how you feel at the moment. A very manual thermostat if you will.

Our trip

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:46:55 -0400

Dog sledding

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Dog sledding

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Dog sledding

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Welcome home

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Bye bye

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:46:28 -0400

Kitchen

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Deluxe Snow Accommodations

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Snow Trench

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Sleeping

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:58 -0400

I slept on my sled, on two closed foam pads

Sunset

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:55 -0400

Sunset

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:53 -0400

Building the Quincy Shelter

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:51 -0400

The Quincy Shelter is built like the fire circle benches. Pile up snow, wait two ours, come back and hollow it out. Unfortunately the same problem that hit the benches hit the shelter. It was cold enough to set so it wasn't stable enough to safely sleep in. Anyways, as for technique, make sure to pound out any blocky lumps so its all a single consistency.

The creation.

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:44 -0400

Our fire circle. All that was really needed was a clear spot on the ice to put the fire pan/metal garbage can lid. We started with two seats and later rapped around the third bench connecting them. Theoretically you can pile up snow, let it sit, come back and carve it out and it'll be solid. It ended up being a little two warm for the snow to set so it didn't quite work as the benches collapsed when they were sat on.

Master builders

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:43 -0400

The adult leaders with their creation that we build while waiting for the youth to do some other camp set-up. Me, my dad, Mrs. D, and Eric.

Who's driving?

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:35 -0400

On our way to camp.

Up the portage trail

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:30 -0400

At least we aren't carrying canoes.

Through the looking glasses

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:29 -0400

The view through my ski googles. When the sun's out it can be painfully bright standing on all that snow and ice. I used my skiing googles to counteract the effect.

Ruff!

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:27 -0400

The conditions were just right for shadow puppets. Yeah, I know, I'm easily amused.

Onward

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:26 -0400

More frozeness

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:25 -0400

You should see it when its thawed out, its just as beautiful, just more wet.

Frozeness

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:24 -0400

Making time

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And away

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Single file lines keep our footprints in one place so we don't mess up the snow for the hell of it. Its part of the "leave no trace" ethos. Yeah, all the flat white is frozen lake.

Meeting

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:17 -0400

Eric, Mr. Gettis, and Mr. Moser (the elder) discussing details for the weekend. Mr. Gettis is doing the Musher Camp, they take care of the sled dogs and learn a bit about handling them.

Packing sleds

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:16 -0400

At the cabins packing the sleds for the trip. Its like backpacking but instead of carrying everything on your back you put it in sleds and pull it behind you.

Trek Planning

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:12 -0400

Looking at a map and planning the trek in the dinning hall. Seated second from left is our interpreter Eric, the guide for our trip.

To the cabins

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:10 -0400

Hauling our stuff on sleds from the parking lot to the cabins we would be staying at the first and last night.

Ely, MN

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:08 -0400

Looks warm and inviting.

Ely, MN

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:06 -0400

Welcome to Minnesota

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