Okpik 2018 was a wonderful time. Good weather up and back.
They have multiple options for your stay. You can spend the entire trek out on the ice camping, do a ski trek where you move camp each night and ski at least 5 miles each day and a dog sled trek where you spend the trip dog sledding. Due to the weather forecast of very low temps, our crew decided to stay close to basecamp. This gave them the option to stay out in tents, build a quinzee to stay in, or stay in a cabin if the temperature got too cold.

When you arrive, you spend the first night in a small warm cabin.
The crew photo before the adventure begins.

meeting

Meeting their interpreter.  He will be with them for the entire trek.  He is also the one to be sure it is safe for them to be out in case of severe weather.Each crew starts with planning their trek.  Where they will stay and what they will be doing.  This is important for basecamp to know where everyone is out in the woods.

Part of their training session.  Talking about layering pads under the sleeping bag to stay warm.  They have enough gear to completely outfit your entire crew if needed.

 Forecast for the week.  Good thing they have plenty of warm gear!

Lots of skis, poles and snowshoes. Thats a lot of snow leading to a cabin. Sunrise in Northern Minnesota is always pretty in the winter. I think they need a sign for the winter. Getting ready to sled down one of their big hills. Yea, its fun!

Sledding closeup Another group photo Selfie

Outside, you can stay in a tent, or you can build a quinzee.  The quinzees are fun to build and really warm inside. A variation on broom ball A very clear ski at night Oh yea! Dogsledding. They are ready to go! Dogsledding is an amazing amount of fun!

 

The group had an incredible amount of fun at OKPIK.  They took advantage of all of the activities they offered.  Can’t wait for the next time to go back!