Tour Guides of the Month

Juneau

• Joel Kersting – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Joe Pawelek – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Tonya Schlentner – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Austin Barr – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Dustin Schmidt – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• David Cannamore – Alaska Galore Tours
• Chelsea Momany – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Gin Williams – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Ian MacDougall – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Audrey Guzowski – Gastineau Guiding
• Rachel Bishop – Gastineau Guiding
• Stacy La Mascus – Gastineau Guiding

Skagway:

• Mattie Schmidt – Gold Rush Sled Dogs/Klondike Gold Fields
• Matt Hayashida – Gold Rush Sled Dogs/ Klondike Gold Fields
• Therese Bartlett – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Matt Hall – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Alyssa Komac – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Megan Perry – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Deborah Morse – Klondike Gold Fields
• Angie Goddwin – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Ben Palmer – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Brady Williams – Chilkat Guides
• Chessie May – Alaska Nature Tours
• Dave Paradise – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Jesse Guilliams – Chilkat Guides
• Jesse Stein – Chilkat Guides
• Lilly Ratliff – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Mario Benassi – Chilkat River Adventures
• Paul Nicastro – Chilkat Guides
• Rachel Landon – Red Onion Saloon
• Shawn Daniels – Chilkat Guides
• Steve Kroschel – Chilkat River Adventures
• Steve Merrow – Chilkat Guides
• Tyler Geist – Alaska Mountain Guides

Dock Representative Recognition

Juneau:

• Hannah Findlay – TEMSCO Helicopters
• Dyllon Judkins – Gastineau Guiding Co.
• Jackie Schulz – Juneau Jeep Adventure
• Mikaela Rodriguez – Gastineau Guiding Co.
• Nate Barzee – Allen Marine Tours

Skagway:

• Nicky Hunter – TEMSCO Helicopters
• Ben Palmer – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Julie Martin – White Pass & Yukon Route
• Megan McGill – Chilkat Guides
• Rebecca Hylton – White Pass & Yukon Route
• Tyler Geist – Alaska Mountain Guides

Shore Excursion Recognition

Juneau:

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Pilot’s Choice Ice Age Exploration, Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour, and Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier
• Alaska Canopy Adventures for Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition
• Allen Marine Tours for Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer, Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest, Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest, and Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Quest & Lodge Salmon Meal
• Alaska Zipline Adventures for Alpine Zip & Mendenhall Glacier Adventure
• ERA Helicopters for Dog Sled Adventure by Helicopter and Glacier Adventure by Helicopter
• Gastineau Guiding Co for Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari, Alaska’s Whales & Mendenhall Glacier Trail, and Whales & Glaciers Citizen Science Adventure
• Juneau Jeep Adventures for Juneau by Jeep
• NorthStar Trekking for Helicopter Glacier Walkabout and Helicopter Glacier Trek
• Wings Airways for Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast and Glacier Flightseeing Adventure

Skagway:

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Dog Sledding & Glacier Flightseeing and Glacier Discovery by Helicopter
• Alaska Excursions for Musher’s Camp & Sled Dog Experience
• Alaska Mountain Guides for Adventure Park & Ziplines
• Chilkat Guides for Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float Adventure
• Chilkat River Adventures for Alaska Wildlife Park
• Jewell Gardens for Golden Glassblowing Experience at Jewell Gardens
• Packer Expeditions for Heli-Hike & Rail Adventure

Tour Guides of the Month

Juneau

• Joe Pawelek – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Joel Kersting – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Tonya Schlentner – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Dustin Schmidt – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Gus Guenther – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• David Cannamore – Alaska Galore Tours
• Fred Vollmer – Alaska Travel Adventures
• Gin Williams – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Rachelle Sloss – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Stacy La Mascus – Gastineau Guiding

Skagway

• Mattie Schmidt – Gold Rush Sled Dogs/Klondike Gold Fields
• Matt Hayashida – Gold Rush Sled Dogs/ Klondike Gold Fields
• Alyssa Komac – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Matt Hall – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Therese Bartlett – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Alisa Beske – Chilkat Guides
• Angie Goddwin – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Daniel Johnston – Chilkat Guides
• Dillon Keate – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Jerry Gentile – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Kevin Richards – Alaska Nature Tours
• Kurt Bivins – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Lilly Ratliff – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Lindy Jones – Alaska Nature Tours
• Mario Benassi – Chilkat River Adventures
• Marissa Taborag-Byrne – Jewell Gardens
• Rachel Landon – Red Onion Saloon
• Ronnie Hauser – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Steve Kroschel – Chilkat River Adventures
• Steve Merrow – Chilkat Guides
• Tyler Geist – Alaska Mountain Guides

Top Excursions of the Month

Juneau

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Pilot’s Choice Ice Age Exploration, Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour, Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier, and Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Salmon Bake Combo
• Alaska Canopy Adventures for Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition
• Alaska Zipline Adventures for Alpine Zip & Mendenhall Glacier Adventure
• Allen Marine Tours for Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer, Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest, Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest, and Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Quest & Lodge Salmon Meal
• Alaska Travel Adventures for Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Salmon Bake Combo
• Alaska Zipline Adventures for Alpine Zip & Mendenhall Glacier Adventure
• ERA Helicopters for Dog Sled Adventure by Helicopter and Glacier Adventure by Helicopter
• Gastineau Guiding Co for Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari, Alaska’s Whales & Mendenhall Glacier Trail, and Whales & Glaciers Citizen Science Adventure
• Juneau Jeep Adventures for Juneau by Jeep
• NorthStar Trekking for Helicopter Glacier Walkabout and Helicopter Glacier Trek
• Wings Airways for Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast and Glacier Flightseeing Adventure

Skagway

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Dog Sledding & Glacier Flightseeing and Glacier Discovery by Helicopter
• Alaska Excursions for Musher’s Camp & Sled Dog Experience
• Alaska Mountain Guides for Adventure Park & Ziplines and Klondike Rock Climbing & Rappelling
• Chilkat River Adventures for Alaska Wildlife Park
• Jewell Gardens for Golden Glassblowing Experience at Jewell Gardens
• Packer Expeditions for Heli-Hike & Rail Adventure and Glacier Lake Kayak, Scenic Railway & Klondike Summit
• Takshanuk Mountain Trail for Takshanuk Mountain Trail by 4×4
• White Pass & Yukon Route for White Pass Bennett Lake Adventure

Be sure to check out Joe’s adventures on his blog as well: thebeerman.blogspot.com.

Tour Guides of the Month

Juneau

• Joe Pawelek – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Joel Kersting – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Tonya Schlentner – Gold Rush Tours/TEMSCO
• Brandon Hauser – Gastineau Guiding
• Jesse Ennis – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Olivia Pitesa – Alaska Zipline Adventures
• Rich Morris – Gastineau Guiding
• Stacy La Mascus – Gastineau Guiding
• Tim Lyon – Gastineau Guiding

Skagway:

• Matt Hayashida – Gold Rush Sled Dogs/ Klondike Gold Fields
• Alyssa Komac – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Matt Hall – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Megan Perry – Alaska Icefield Expeditions/TEMSCO
• Angie Goddwin – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Ben Maher – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Billy Flowers – Alaska Mountain Guides
• David Maletta – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Jamie Smith – Alaska Mountain Guides
• Jerry Gentile – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Mario Benassi – Chilkat River Adventures
• Rachel Landon – Red Onion Saloon
• Ronnie Hauser – Takshanuk Mountain Trail
• Steve Kroschel – Chilkat River Adventures

Top Excursions of the Month

Skagway

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Dog Sledding & Glacier Flightseeing and Glacier Discovery by Helicopter
• Klondike Gold Fields for Gold Panning, Sled Dogs & 40 Degrees Below Zero Experience

Juneau

• TEMSCO Helicopters for Pilot’s Choice Ice Age Exploration, Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour, Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier, Dog Sled Summer Camp and Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Salmon Bake Combo

Kudos to our Partners Too!

• Hannah Findlay – TEMSCO Helicopters
• Sterling Ingram – Klondike Gold Fields

The full Princess Cruises article about the awards

IditaGrow

IditaGrow is a composting company that thrives on what we dispose of. Instead of taking our dog waste to the sewage treatment plant and taking away valuable space here in Juneau, IditaGrow pumps our waste and takes it to Haines, Alaska where it is sent through a very involved process that makes it safe for gardens everywhere.

Great dog waste makes great compost

We clean up a lot of waste in our camps. It’s amazing just how much we do on a daily basis. The beauty of the waste is that our dogs are fed the best food on the market for sled dogs. This food, combined with great metabolism, produces a very nutrient rich dog waste which is prime for composting.

Gardening with IditaGrow

To make sure that IditaGrow was good and could be used on any plant or vegetable in a garden we decided to have it tested like crazy. All of the lab reports came back saying it was amazing and one of the most nutrient rich samples they have ever tested. That wasn’t enough for us though. We decided to grow whatever we could in it and we had a great output in a much shorter time than expected. Our camp cook, Ron Anderson, has created a beautiful garden in our camp using IditaGrow to help.

Read more about IditaGrow’s composting process

If and when you get the chance to step foot on the beautiful land that is known as Alaska, there are a few places that you will not want to miss on your journey. Listed below are a few of the most popular destinations while visiting Alaska.

If you ever get the chance to take a cruise to Alaska, it is absolutely recommended! There are many beautiful coastal cities that you can view on your way around Alaska, including: Skagway, Juneau and Fairbanks. When you get a look at the view from the deck of a ship, it is a scene that you will likely never forget.

The forests of Alaska can be just as memorable as the well known wildlife that calls it home. There are many glaciers and icebergs found in Alaska. For many visitors, it can be a very peaceful and surreal experience to visit Alaska. According to scientists, the glaciers of Alaska (with the exception of one) are shrinking in size, so if you want to see them for yourself, time is of the essence. They may seem huge right now, but in many years, they may well be a part of the water that surrounds Alaska.

If you are like most travelers, then one of the first things you may think of when someone mentions Alaska are the incredible mountains. Though there are many photographs of these mountains floating around, there is nothing like the incredible view in person!

Aside from the scenic points of view in Alaska, certain history is also of important note. If you were inclined, you may want to stop by a saloon or other historical attraction that were known as the building blocks of Alaska’s early settlement. Alaska was a key factor in the gold rush, too, so that is also an important part of it’s history to learn a little more about.

While sightseeing is a big part of the vacation process, it is also equally important to be properly prepared for your trip to Alaska. It is especially imperative that you are aware of the current weather conditions when you are packing and traveling. In a moment’s notice, it can become quite wet and cold in Alaska, so it is recommended that you keep a jacket near at all times.

In Alaska, there are times of the year that “never end”; sometimes, the sun doesn’t set for weeks at a time! These times of the year really help with the development of Alaska’s fruits and vegetables. Alaska is acknowledged as having beautiful crops of lettuce and strawberries.

When you are trying to think of a destination for your next family vacation, remember Alaska! There are a ton of activities and things to see in Alaska, so boredom should never have the chance to set in. If you are making a list of things to do while you are in Alaska, try including these things:

• Dog Sledding
• Snowmobiling
• Mountain Biking
• Hunting
• Kayaking
• Humpback Whale Watching
• Fishing
• Helicopter/Plane Tour
• Attend Current Festivals
• Catch the Moonrise/Moonset

When you are on your vacation in the beautiful land of Alaska, make sure you take plenty of pictures! Be sure to pack enough film and/or memory cards and travel accessories for your camera so that you don’t miss a second of your trip.

Now that we have observed everything that makes Alaska so special, I think I am ready to book a cruise. What about you?

Article Source

Juneau wasn’t always Juneau. In fact, the miners met in 1881 to change it from Rockwell to Juneau. Before Rockwell, it was called Harrisburg, until the people of the area got sick of Richard Harris who the town had been named after. The people decided to lean towards the co-founder Joe Juneau and the name of the town stuck.

Richard Harris and Joe Juneau were sent to find gold and followed the guidance of Tlingit Chief Kowee to the head of Gold Creek where they found gold nuggets the “size of peas and beans,” according to Harris. This brought a rush of miners to the area that set up a tent town. The rush also brought missionaries, bars, and trading outposts. It was becoming quite the little settlement and within a year became an actual town. Juneau was one of the first towns founded after Russia bought Alaska.

In 1916, the Alaska-Juneau gold mine was built and opened near Juneau and became the largest mine of its kind in the world. Juneau felt it’s growth strengthen by other resources as well. Fishing was a big industry and with it came canneries. Being a rain forest, you can image that a sawmill opened up after to help boost the growth in the area.

You can still see quite a bit about the gold rush history of Juneau today. There are mine tours that will take you around to the different buildings necessary for the mining operations. The buildings downtown are reminiscent of a rapid growth gold town. The best part for us is the normal commute to work is through one of the most beautiful former mines in the area. It is like a history gallery all the way up to the camp. The camp itself is like an early gold rush tent camp complete with canvas wooden buildings and canvass tops.

Photo credit to old-picture.com

]]> http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/07/a-short-history-of-the-juneau-gold-rush/feed/ 4 http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/05/summer-in-mushing-camp/ http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/05/summer-in-mushing-camp/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 18:09:01 +0000 Joel Turner http://www.goldrushdogs.com/?p=262

This spring has been pretty warm so far. Usually when we get to Sheep Creek valley in the spring the snow is 4-6 feet deep. This year there was no snow on the ground and the hills were already starting to turn green.

Because of this lack of snow we were able to get started on our setup projects early, which is always nice. We were very busy making improvements to the living quarters and to the overall experience of the Gold Rush Dogs visitor.

We’re working on two cabins for the crew as an upgrade from our wall tents. They will be close to the same size but will offer better protection from the elements and keep our crew’s gear nice and dry. Dry crew gear means a happy crew!

If you like hot chocolate then our reception hut is for you! Our Facilities Manager, Mike Gaede, has expanded the reception hut and has upgraded the interior with a nice refreshment bar to serve those who would like a relaxing drink.

The introduction hut is getting a little face-lift this year. Gardening is something that is fun to do when you get plenty of rain. There are many things that grow in Southeast Alaska that struggle elsewhere. Our garden is being tended to by Ron Anderson, our camp cook, and is a nice image in our picturesque little “town”.

So if you like good scenery, dogs, and old gold mining, you should come and visit our camp. We love to entertain our guests and share our knowledge of dog sledding and Alaska. You will learn a lot just by hanging out with our crew and riding with our dogs. Oh yeah, we also love to show off our puppies!

]]> http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/05/summer-in-mushing-camp/feed/ 2 http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/05/juneau-musher-camp/ http://goldrushdogs.com/2010/05/juneau-musher-camp/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 17:16:36 +0000 Joel Turner http://www.goldrushdogs.com/?p=261 What is it like to live in a musher camp? It is awesome! Being surrounded by a camp full of people that love dogs and the outdoors as much as you do is very fulfilling. We all completely geek out about each other’s stories and tales of mushing in harsh weather and through beautiful scenery.

We learn about our visitors

Our visitors are definitely one of the best parts of being in this camp. We get to meet so many interesting and awesome people from all sorts of different backgrounds. We get to learn all about our visitors’ dogs and it’s easy to see how much they love them just by the look in their eyes and the way they talk about them. Learning about the different places in the world and how the life of a dog is different in each place and with each family is amazing. We love dog stories so be sure to tell us yours when you visit!

We learn from other mushers

One of the most exciting things about a mushing camp is that you get to see a couple of other styles of training the dogs. Even our most experienced mushers learn new tricks and pick up tips on how to be more efficient in their training and dog care. Our mushers are always open to learning and trying new things as well as teaching others about what worked for them.

Mushers are very entertaining

What happens when there are no tours going on in the camp? We’ll just say it’s interesting Our mushers and handlers are very entertaining and all have their own talents and hobbies that make it fun to be around them. For instance, our cook is a great writer and poet who also happens to have a green thumb. He has been able to build a beautiful garden in the corner of our little town. One of our mushers is a great artist that was able to really absorb the Southeast Alaskan Native culture and produce beautiful pieces of art.

All about the dogs

The most important members in the camp are, of course, the dogs. The dogs are who get all the attention all the love and all the exercise! Most people don’t realize that our dogs actually get more attention than most house pets. We spend all day, every day with them. They have so closely become our family that the though of being without them is unbearable. We treat them as if the were our own children (just ask the children of a musher!) and they love us in return.

Tell us your stories

Have you ever lived in a remote camp? Do you have any dog stories? We would love to hear them! Feel free to post your experiences in the comments to tell the community about your experiences.

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