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OctoberNewsletter 2010
 October
Newsletter Features:
In the recent challenging economic times, we have managed to hold our prices steady over the past few years for the benefit of our clients. Wilderness Journey will lock in the present rates until December 1, 2010 so book early to take advantage! Booking now will also enter you in the Superior National Forest’s permit lottery system and assure you a date and entry point of your choosing. After December 1st 2010, rates will rise 10% across the board to accommodate our rising costs. These rates are still the best around. Inquire
about our new packages: Tow boat packages for those that have time constraints
or a slight aversion to physical activities; and Deluxe Package providing
gourmet meals where each client will have their own personal guide. We really encourage anyone that is
interested in a 2011 trip to please email or call ASAP. Meet
Our New Guide – Nate Hurliman
Nathan
Hurliman, is a Michigan native but his love for outdoor adventure has taken him
many different places with all sorts of people. Nathan has been working with Outward
Bound for over 5 Years with over 500 days in the field. Outward Bound trips were
7-22 day trips with many different types of clientele from at-risk youth to
veterans of war. He has lead trips from
canoeing to sea kayaking to long winter dogsled/cross-country ski expeditions. Nate’s been fishing since he was 5 years old
starting at the Detroit River and Lake Erie and eventually travelling to places
like the Lake Superior, BWCA, Apostle Islands and the Japan Sea. Also worth
noting is his employment at many restaurants as a youth and through college so
he knows his way around the camp kitchen and an open fire stove. Nathan
currently resides in Ely, Minnesota- home to many BWCA entry points. Nate
has a bachelors of Science in Environmental Conservation and Biology from
Northern Michigan University, Associates of Science in Wilderness Management
from Vermillion Community college in Ely, MN.
He also has his Wilderness First Responder Certification. “I have always had a need for exploration and adventure in my life. After I graduated from high school, I moved up to my family’s hunting cabin to battle with the northern winter. Since then I have experienced many different adventures and looking forward to many more.”
2010 Season STATS This
was the greatest season Wilderness Journey has ever had. First and foremost, we
would like to thank all of 2010 clients for making this an incredible
season. I hope all of you who follow the
newsletters will agree that this was a banner year and we have many, many more trip
reports to come! We hired a new guide, bought more equipment and created new
routes. To give you an idea what this season was all about, we have put
together a few facts and stats. 2010
GRAND TOTALS
Weather Conditions:
Wildlife Stats: The Boundary Waters never lets me down. This was the greatest year. I not only heard countless howling packs of wolves but I was witness to many different encounters. Each one was special in its own right, but the encounter with the Shatz group will probably never be topped. You can read about it at the bottom of this newsletter. Then there are the countless other wildlife species all of which get me excited. I get as much joy from hand feeding a vole as I do seeing an eagle steal one of our steaks. Here are just a few of the encounters we have had. The list can go on forever but this is a small example:
Nature's Displays The
Boundary Waters also offered breathtaking natural displays including:
All
this and not one major injury! Sure, we
had a few cuts and bruises, but besides a personal attack by a couple of crazed
fish, wielding treble hooks around like a medieval torture device, and two
hooks impaled in my hands it was all fantastic. I
could not possibly write everything that has happened in the BWCA during the
last season. The
Incredible Fishing
 The
Shatz’s Trip
Well,
Mark had told me that something very important to his wife Rhonna was to hear
wolves howling. One is very lucky to ever hear a wolf howl in their lifetime, and
I have been fortunate enough not only to hear them more times than I can count,
but to see them on many occasions. The
other challenge was they only had enough time to take a four day trip. That
really put the pressure on me to deliver, so I planned a trip up the Little
Indian Sioux River where the year before I had heard a local pack of wolves
howl many times. As
we made our way to our destination (which was about a 12 mile travel) it dawned
on me that they only had four days, so why not stop somewhere just before our
goal and enjoy the BWCA since they were under a time constraint. They all
agreed and we were able to get the best campsite on the lake on an island about
150 yards from the mainland. We reached the campsite about 1:00pm and had camp
set up and were eating lunch by 2:30pm. When lunch was over and the chores were
done I had to take a short nap. (I’m not
lazy, I wake up at 2:00am on days we enter the park.) It
was 3:30pm and I heard what sounded like a wolf howl! I jumped up out of a sound sleep and listened
closely and heard two wolves howl! I quickly unzipped the tent and ran through
camp yelling for everyone to follow me, because I could tell the wolves were
close. When we reached the shoreline we could hear them and we were staring at
the nearby shoreline when it started. A
lone 6 month old pup came out to the shoreline and howled. In unison we all gasped in a joyful groan and
if it couldn’t get better, slowly from the dark woods behind the pup appeared
the most beautiful jet black wolf I had ever seen. Then they both looked to the
sky and howled in a chorus that only they can do. I
looked over to Rhonna and I swear I could see tears welling up in her eyes. I
say, “Well, what do you think?” She says,
“Thank you” and I replied, “My job is done. Can we go home now?” and they all
laughed. This event went on for 15 or 20 minutes. The wolves would walk into
the woods, walk down 30 yards, and come out on the shoreline and howl over and
over making their way down the shoreline. I’m
sure they all knew but I had to tell them that this is an extraordinary event.
I love it when Wilderness Journey delivers! We
all were in very high spirits and just a few hours into their first day and they
say the trip was a success. When we were over the experience, I went to gather
firewood while Mark and Danny went to try their luck at fishing. After a few
hours, I was splitting the wood when Mark and Danny paddled around the corner.
I yelled out to ask them if they any luck.
Mark said, “Not a bite!” but he had an incredible smile on his face and
he had me wondering now what had happened.
Before they hit the shoreline they started to tell me that they had followed
the wolves for 30 minutes, sometimes getting within 15 yards of them, and the
wolves would just come out look at them and howl and continue on. It was
obvious that this event had really affected Mark and he realized that this was
an encounter that could not be duplicated. As
we were talking about this experience they came back across the lake from us
and started to howl again. We were all in disbelief and began trying to look
for them. Danny, the youngster with a
keen eye, looked up across the lake at a huge exposed Canadian shield jutting
out of the shoreline about 150 feet in the air and there they were at the top
giving us our their last good bye and final howl! What a sight! Now
that’s the kind of experience you can have with Wilderness Journey in the
Boundary Waters. Now is the time to book that trip. Time and space is running
out at our present rate! Memories like this only happen if you place yourself
in that situation and there’s no better time then now! I’ve
been back for one week and I am already anticipating what next year will
bring…I love the wilderness! Ramsey Dowgiallo The End of Season Slideshow! Check it out!
Newsletters:
Be sure you are on our email list to receive our monthly newsletters that include trip
reports and helpful adventure imformation. The newsletter is usually sent within the first
week of every month. NEWSLETTER DIRECTORY Checkout the three photo slideshows below: Fish, Wildlife and Scenery. We think these photos are a great example of what you can expect.
Share our newsletters with other adventurists and encourage
them to join our EMAIL LIST!. |
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Marchar Wolverine Lake, Michigan 48390 |
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Book
Your Trip Now to Lock in 2010 Rates!
Wilderness
Journey prides itself using the best equipment, treating our clients with the
utmost respect and taking them into the wilderness to learn about nature and
all that it has to offer.
May
and June were by far the two best months of fishing of the year. One week it
would be large Walleyes (Assenmacher) and then the next week (Schilling). We
caught 235 fish in a few days of hitting the water. Even in July we were
catching our limits and they were all quality fish.
When
I first talk to a client over the phone about a trip I always ask them to
describe the most important thing they want to experience in the BWCA because a
trip of this magnitude offers many different experiences i.e. fishing,
wildlife, scenery or plant life.
