Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge

Where oh where have the Schurkes been for the past month?

Our Arctic travels included sailing Svalbard Island --which lies between Norway & the North Pole-- with son Peter skippering the 8-berth schooner Nanuk. Enjoy this spectacular montage thanks to Layne Kennedy who, for 30 years, has taught Wintergreen's Dogsled Photography Adventures. Thanks Layne!
https://vimeo.com/1209117744
NOTE: The sequence of polar bear pics shows a young bear approaching a research hut whose occupants scare the bear away with a 'cracker shell'-- noisy & smokey but harmless.

Svalbard 2026 A small group of eight folks, family & friends, exploring Svalbard in a 50ft. sailboat captained by Peter Schurke based out of Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Here's some visual samples from their journey in the high arctic.

Enjoy this Boundary Waters Podcast on the native American history of our beloved canoe country
by Paul Schurke with WTIP radio host & Grand Portage direct descendant Staci Drouillard

"Paul Schurke is a business owner and winter adventurer from Ely, Minnesota. In this episode Paul shares stories about the deep human history of the Kawishiwi Triangle and the White Iron Chain of lakes, including the site of a Laurel-era settlement on Birch Lake. He also fills us in on the Finnish and Ojibwe cultural history of the area, and explains why he feels that history is an important part of exploring and paddling in the Wilderness."

https://wtip.org/podcasts/boundary-waters-podcast/

SUMMER AT WINTERGREEN

Wintergreen's Canadian Inuit dogs, being Arctic animals, go into a seasonal torpor & generally sleep the summer away. Nonetheless, we give them plenty of room to groove and they run free in open pens or on our new zip lines, and some are free to roam the grounds as our "Walmart Greeter Dogs" (like Frazer, Brewster & Alice!) Industrial sprinklers cool the kennel on warm days. Guide Henry is doing a great job with kennel care.

Paul & Sue Schurke are headed to Norway for a month to catch up with son Peter, captain of the Arctic sailing ship Nanuk, to sail the Svalbard Islands with a group of friends & Wintergreen's Dogsled Photography host Layne Kennedy. We're sure to come back with lots of great pics from a stunning place where polar bear, blue whales, walrus & caribou are often seen.

FLASH NEWS! Wintergreen's 2026-27 Dogsled Trip options are now posted on our website. Because of the huge response to the recent New York Times article on Wintergreen, many trips are already filled, but contact us if you're preferred options are full and we'll see what we can do. Please note that we'll have limited contact until our return from the Arctic in early July.

That's a wrap! We said goodbye to our last group this morning after another great season. Lucky us: northern Minnesota ran colder & snowier than average this winter -- and still is! Our crew is headed out on end-of-the-season 'staff frolic' trips, some to ice fish the BWCA, others of us to traverse Quetico given next week's wintery forecast. We can't get enough of a good thing!

Email us if you'd like to be on our "Sneak Preview" list to get advance notice of next season's trips as soon as they're set this spring and get 'first dibs' on your preferred options before they fill.

40 years ago, we launched an expedition to the North Pole that made history. More importantly, this epic adventure changed our lives and launched several legacies.

This extraordinary KARE 11 documentary captures the polar drama and illuminates those legacies: first & foremost the Steger Wilderness Center plus the Ann Bancroft Foundation and Sue & Paul Schurke's Wintergreen companies. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/AxdrVvFwm5o

PLEASE join me in opposing a US Senate bill that would damage our beloved Boundary Waters FOREVER. "HJR 140" would allow the nation's most polluting industry --copper sulfide mining-- to operate right next to the nation's most popular and pristine protected place: our BWCAW.

VERY URGENT: this bill is set for Senate vote next week!!

VERY EASY TO DO: Just call the US Senate switchboard now: 202-224-3121. A recording will ask you for the names of your US Senators (or state). You'll then be forwarded to their voice mail where you can leave a voice message expressing your appreciation for our beautiful Boundary Waters region and asking them to OPPOSE "House Joint Resolution 140"

THANK YOU! Paul Schurke with our North Pole team at the Top of the World, May 1, 1986 -- 40 years ago this spring!

Thank you Sen. Tina Smith for speaking out for our beloved Boundary Waters!
(…and for your appreciation of Wintergreen apparel)

Where in the World is Peter Schurke?

Find out in this stunning short film about his current Arctic gig. Last season, we shared the trailer of this fine documentary by Ryan Rumpca. But you can now enjoy the full 12-minute piece.

Where the Wind Takes You | FULL FILM Embracing the power of the arctic wind just 10 degrees shy of the North Pole, captain Peter Schurke sails North dodging icebergs, exploring remote fjords, an...