2017 Dog Sledding and Aurora Trip

2017 Dog Sledding and Aurora Trip

Dates: November 10 to November 17, 2017

Pro photographers:  Kevin Pepper

Tuition is $5495USD and is all-inclusive. Limited to 10 guests.

Deposit of $1000USD with balance due August 1, 2017

Join Kevin Allen Pepper on this landscape photography adventure workshop! An amazing wilderness adventure that will take you back to the early days of transportation by dog sled and snowmobile. You will spend your days mushing on the training grounds of many a quest musher and it will take you winding through some of the most spectacular wilderness in the Yukon. We will photograph early and late light in spectacular scenery - all the while teaching or reinforcing techniques in composition, the art of seeing, shooting for HDR, panoramas and more. But it doesn't stop there. After dinner, be ready because with clear skies and solar activity, we hope to shoot the northern lights and stars well into the night! We will have 6 full days of shooting the landscape and the wildlife that inhabits - birds, mountain goats, thinhorn sheep, and more.

You will spend the first few days learning the basics of mushing and each day the trails will advance slightly in difficulty. Relax in the evenings with a shower, a sauna or in our cozy lodge by the wood stove. Then step back in time and camp in our wall tent camp at Dry Creek. We do everything we can to ensure that this is your adventure of a lifetime and that you go home with many happy memories of your visit in the remote outback of the Yukon.

Itinerary

Day 1: November 10, 2017

You will fly from your home to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, arriving anytime this day. The workshop officially starts with a welcome dinner in town, at 6pm.

Day 2: November 11, 2017

We will picked up around 10AM in the hotel lobby. As a group we will do some last minute shopping and pick up any items missing from the packing list. Afterwards we drive to the Sky High Wilderness Ranch, 20km South of Whitehorse where we outfit you with your expedition clothing. Enjoy a hot lunch, get acquainted with your new home and photograph the horses that freely roam the property, and then be introduced to your 4 legged companions for the week.

Now you learn the basics of; dog care, checking their feet and shoulders, dog massage, sledding and parts of the sled. Harness your team, hook up and go for your very first run! After taking care of the dogs we can enjoy the sauna, have a shower, hot dinner and cozy up by the fire. If the aurora is forecasted, we will be headed out to photograph natures paint brush as it colors the snow and frozen lakes green and magenta. Overnight at Sky High Wilderness Ranch.

Day 3: November 12, 2017

We will gather for a pre-dawn breakfast in the comfort of our lodge dining room and discuss our day. Then, while the morning sun lifts slowly over the magnificent horizon, we say good morning to our new canine friends and ensure they are fed, watered and happy. Of course we find time to shoot the sunrise and capture the beautiful morning light. Today we cover approximately 35km in distance driving towards secluded Jackson Lake. The only sound will be the runners in the snow, the working dogs, the clicking of your shutters and your words of encouragement.

This is the day that you begin to know each dog's personality and form a bond that only man, woman and dog can understand. With every stop to take photos of snow covered landscapes and mountain ranges, we make sure we praise and show of affection for our dogs, they will learn to trust you and you to trust them… and yes, even start to pose for some great photos.

Tonight we will relax in our sod roof sauna before retiring for the night… but if the aurora is out, expect to be photographing well into the night! Overnight at Sky High Wilderness Ranch.

Day 4: November 13, 2017

This day takes us towards beautiful Bonneville Lakes, west of the ranch. The trails are narrower here with some challenging ups and downs. The scenery is breathtaking and the coastal mountains are always in view to the south and west. Part of the trip we are above tree line and easily cover 20-30km. In harmony with the running rhythm of your team you will enjoy nature like you have never experienced it before…. No sounds, no humans, and only the sun to guide us. There is a gravity fed shower and sauna waiting for you in the lodge. Again, we will shoot the night sky if it is clear! Overnight at Sky High Wilderness Ranch.

Day 5: November 14, 2017

Imagine yourself years ago when only dogsled was used for transportation. Head out into the untouched wilderness for a few days of winter camping at our wall tent camp at Dry Creek. A surge of new life creeps into your soul as you journey farther into the amazing landscape surrounding the Fish Lake Area. The trail on this day follows the shores of Fish Lake, climbs and heads into the coastal mountain range to the south. We promise you will enjoy the crisp freshness of this day and we won’t even have to remind you to take photos! There is a photo at every turn.

Curl up at night by the woodstove for a cozy sleep in our wall tents. Today we will travel by snowmobile so that we have the flexibility to travel at night to hunt for the aurora amidst the mountains and open meadows covered by a blanket of snow. Overnight at Wall tent Camp.

Day 6: November 15, 2017

At dawn enjoy a hearty camp breakfast in our wall tent kitchen. From our camp, weather permitting we will make a run to the top of the mountain above the tree line to Ptarmigan Flats. Keep your eyes open for this beautiful white bird, while sledding on miles of windblown hill tops. Today again we travel by snowmobile so that we have the flexibility to travel at night to hunt for the auroras! Overnight at Wall tent Camp.

Day 7: November 16, 2017

Wake with the sun, say good morning to the sun as it starts to paint the skies, then return to the camp for a hot cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast. On this last day breathe deeply the fresh clean air and take in the rugged landscape one last time as you drive west towards Sky High Wilderness Ranch. As you push the white powder aside with your sled one last time, it’s time to soak the beautiful scenery of the remote landscapes one last time.

Return to Sky High Wilderness Ranch for a hot lunch. Then head over to say good bye to your new friends that pulled you early in the week and take some photos of the kennel that has 140 huskies and other dogs that pull the sleds. Now we pack up and enjoy the drive winding down Fish Lake Rd. to Whitehorse for our last night at the Best Western Gold Rush Inn (single accommodation). Once we arrive in Whitehorse you will receive your musher diploma and a shuttle pass. We will have a final dinner in town and reflect on an amazing photographic adventure.

Day 8: November 17, 2017

Flights home anytime, from Whitehorse airport. There is a shuttle from our hotel to the airport, flights depart in the mornings and afternoon from Whitehorse to either Vancouver or Edmonton.

We point out, that unforeseeable circumstances such as weather conditions, wind chill factor, extreme temperatures (-30 or lower), condition of the group or illness of the dogs may force us to change this itinerary. The safety of our guests takes precedence and our decisions are final.

Details

Fitness: This Dog sledding adventure is a challenging but relaxed fun trip! We supply you with the best equipment possible and teach you all the important aspects of mushing.  To participate you must be healthy, enjoy working with dogs and have a good team spirit. Dog sledding is comparable to light cross-country skiing - you should be in reasonably good physical condition. There are two people per sled, one standing and one sitting - and there is availability of riding on snowmobile, also.

Accommodations: In Whitehorse, on the first and last nights, single rooms. At our lodge, we have double occupancy. At the walled tented camp we have dorm-style sleeping.

The camps have no power or telephone, showers are gravity fed nature and not available in tent camp. Gravity fed shower and wood heated sauna at Lodge. The lodge will also have a generator for battery and laptop charging.

What's Included: All photographic instruction, guiding, meals, transportation and lodging from the time we meet for dinner on November 10, 2017 until the time we say goodbye at breakfast on November 17, 2017. Accommodations as listed above. Use of dogsled and 3 to 6 Huskies, use of snowmobile, winter boots, sleeping bag.

What's Not Included: Air transportation to and from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Alcoholic beverages. Items of a personal nature. Guide gratuities. Anything not specifically mentions in "What's Included" above.
If yelling "Mush" and seeing the lights dance over a winter landscape appeals to you, then click on this link to see more photos before you contact me, http://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/2017-dog-sledding-and-aurora