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January 30, 2000
Going to the dogsGFW students gainexperience duringrecent sled dog tripBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer WINTHROP -- Although still a part of Minnesota, there is a difference in the way of life between Winthrop and the Boundary Waters, as 17 juniors and seniors at GFW HIgh School recently discovered. The group, with the assistance of two chaperones, traveled to Grand Marais, on the north shore of Lake Superior, to participate in a unique learning experience involving sled dogs owned by Arlie Jorgenson Outfitters. The students were part of Pat Hentges' Environmental Studies and Society Class, which meets for one semester, at GFW High School. They were divided into three groups, participating in a day trip, an overnight trip and kennel maintenance. "We left early in the morning on Monday, which means we didn't get much sleep and it was a long bus ride," senior Charles Noreen said. "We didn't get much time to rest, because we started working as soon as we got there." As soon as they arrived, they were introduced to their guides, learned how to use the sleds and care for the dogs, ate a meal and went on their way, Junior Lindsay Webster said. "On the overnight trip we went about two and a half hours in, going about 15 miles." The students experienced windy conditions and slippery trails throughout the journey, which sometimes made it difficult to control the dogs, and it was snowing as well, Noreen said. "The overnight trip was real fun," he said. "It didn't seem like we were working as much as with the day trip, because we had longer to take care of things." While participating in the overnight portion, the students and sponsors slept in waterproof tents outside, with a small fire placed inside the tent for warmth, Hengtes said. "There were a lot of dry pine needles in the area that we used to light the stoves," Noreen said. "It was really fun. It was really warm when we went to sleep, but the tents were cold when we woke up." Each person was given one sled with a team of six dogs they were responsible for feeding and monitoring throughout the trip. The dogs were kept on two long chains, Webster said. "The fun part was taking the dogs on the trails," Junior Micah Pagel said. "We flipped a lot, but we all worked together to help each other out when that happened." The rivers were solid ice, so once the dogs got onto the ice, it was difficult to stop the sleds, Noreen said. "We used an ice hook that helped us stop quick, but it caused us to get tangled," he said. "It was difficult to get out of at times. It was funny when you think back on it." The students learned how to feed the animals properly and learned how to monitor them for diseases. The sleds had plastic runners rather than metal blades, to provide better traction. "The big thing we learned is that there is a lot more out there if you just take the time to look for it," Webster said. The trip was approved by the school board before school got out for the summer and was not designed as a vacation, because everyone had to participate, Hentges said. "The two goals for the program were that they learn to experience teamwork and that they learn something new," he said. "Some of the students had never been camping before, so it was a learning experience." With the exception of the overnight trips, everyone stayed in a heated cabin at a resort. "The students had a lot of freedom, for the most part," Hentges said. "The important thing is that they didn't use that freedom. They were serious about what they were doing. I thought there would be a lot of downtime and there really wasn't." The idea for the trip developed about four years ago, when Hentges was visiting Wisconsin and saw an article about sledding and decided that was something he wanted to try. "I tried for three years to set this up, but couldn't fit it into the curriculum," he said. "This is not a science class and the main focus was the trip." The students had to keep a journal and prepare a presentation about the trip. They also did a research project about the Boundary waters prior to beginning the trip. "There was an amazing bond formed between the students and nature, which was an overall goal of the project,' Hentges said.
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