This course has been designed by family physicians Tom Viren and Skip Hofstrand who work in emergency rooms in northern Minnesota and have experience living and guiding in remote wilderness settings. It is not a Wilderness Medicine Course, but rather focuses on topics we find important in our daily practices and is taught in a wilderness setting.
The first two days will be spent at the lodge for talks in the mornings and evenings, and learning about dogsledding and winter travel/camping with M17077’s experienced staff during the day. The following two days will be spent on trail, and the final night back in the Lodge.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Check-in mid-afternoon, kennel tour, gear outfitting and clothing check, welcoming dinner by our French chef followed by fireplace orientation meeting to discuss goals for the retreat.
Day 2: CME seminars and discussions following breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dog sled training run mid-morning, dog sled excursion mid-afternoon. Dinner and special evening presentation by Skip, Tom and Paul Schurke on the various arctic expeditions they've been involved with.
Day 3: CME breakfast seminar followed by a small group field training rotations on various winter travel and camping skills. Pack up gear and sleds following indoor lunch break and launch dog sled camping trip mid-afternoon. Set camp that evening and enjoy a campfire dinner and gathering. Dog sled day trip excursions from the campsite and optional winter activities including snow shelter/igloo construction, campfire evening.
Day 4: Break camp in the morning and depart by dog team, visit scenic and historic sites en route back to lodge, arrive mid-afternoon. R&R, celebration dinner, optional evening Finnish-style sauna.
Day 5: A send-off brunch and wrap-up chat on final "Musher’s Graduation" morning. Check-out early to late morning as your travel plans require, optional visit to Ely's International Wolf Center with tickets compliments of M17077. Lodging involves nights at Trail Lodges. Double-occupancy bedrooms/shared bathrooms (single occupancy when available with surcharge).
- indoor lunch 1st and last day; campfire, trailside lunches on other days plus snack and beverage breaks
- dinners generally prepared by our French chef Bernard Herrmann
- evening socializing or slide talks by Layne on a variety of topics
- chance to try snowshoeing, skiing, "ski-jouring" and our Finnish sauna
- a special welcoming dinner on your first night and send.
Guest Instructors:
Skip Hofstrand works as an emergency physician in northern rural Minnesota and as an instructor for CALS, Comprehensive Advanced Life Support. He has researched cold related injuries and has been the medical director for Paul Schurke and Will Steger’s 1986 North Pole Expedition, and all of Will Steger's subsequent expedition’s. His new book "Expedition Home," with an introduction by Will Steger, has just been released.
Tom Viren is an emergency room physician in Grand Rapids MN. Prior to settling into medicine as a career, he took ten years off to go camping. He guided trips in summer and winter, spent a season as a staff member for Wintergreen, and was an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School leading trips in Alaska for five years.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Tues Mar 4 - Sun Mar 9: 5 nights, $ 1475.
All-inclusive package rate, per adult in double rooms, single rooms $ 100 more when available.
Also see tour packages in:
USA
Minnesota
Dogsledding
Multi-activity
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