The 4th Annual Dawg Daze took place at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge on March 2, 2024. Dawg Daze is an event that celebrates winter, trails, and dogs and is associated with the annual Copper Dog Festival. Even though the main races of Copper Dog were cancelled this year due to snow, we were able to still hold Dawg Daze at the Lodge.
In keeping with the traditions of past Dawg Daze, three main events were held for dogs who brought their humans out to celebrate the day. The Forest Dog Derby, The Dog Costume Contest, and the Best Trick were open to the public. This year, due to the Perimeter Trail being closed due to inconsistent snow, we modified the derby track to be on the forest trails (a 1.1. mile track). This provided a different experience for the participants — humans and dogs.
The winners were awarded a certificate and a Pooch Pouch containing 6 dog biscuits made in house by the kitchen team.
The 2022 & 2023 Perimeter Dog Derby champion team Bobbi and Thor held on to their winning streak again this year with a skijoring time of 6 minutes flat. Second place went to Kay and Milford with a time of 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Kristen and Tak came in for third place with a time of 12 minutes and 25 seconds. Team Blaze (Milford and Rex, and Tom) won first place in the costume. Second place in the costume contest went to Bat Dog and Bat Woman (Thor and Bobbi). Third place went to Bugs and Monica who were dressed as Gamers. The most impressive trick was done by Bugs. All the contestants were very good dogs and everyone walked away with treats for coming out to celebrate.
The weather for the event was sunny and unseasonably warm with temperatures in the upper-40’s. The forest trails were well groomed and offered a smooth race course for the skijoring teams. Considering the warm weather, the trails did start to get soft with each pass.
After conclusion of all the events, everyone was smiles and drools as awards and treats were presented and photos were taken.
ngg_shortcode_0_placeholderDawg Daze takes the opportunity to support the Copper Country Humane Society by accepting monetary and supply donations. Participants provided their donations, and we will deliver their donations to the Copper Country Humane Society.
We look forward to seeing our human and dog friends again next year for the Fifth Annual Dawg Daze in 2025. Keep an eye on our calendar for future events.
The festival was 1.5 days of activities focused on dark skies, and enjoying stargazing and the Northern Lights. The speakers at the festival were (shown in alphabetical order):
Nate Bett, Dark Sky / Northern Lights Photographer
Chris Guibert, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park
Amber Harrison, International Dark-Sky Association
Andrew Johnson, Headlands Dark Sky Park
Melissa Kaelin, Author, Below the 45th Parallel
MaryBeth Kiczenski, Dark Sky / Northern Lights Photographer
“Astro” Bob King, Astronomy Author
John Mueller, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park
Amy Oestreich, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park
Tom Oliver, Michigan Tech University Center for Environmental Science and Outreach
During the festival, it was announced the Lights Out! program at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park. Installed light switches for each of the street lights, and turned off all the street lights during the festival.
As part of the operations philosophy of the Lodge, we had a maximum number of people that could attend the festival. This is an optimal number of visitors in order to ensure that the desired experience is experienced by the guests. That number was 50 officially registered guests, which was sold out 2 weeks before the event.
This is an annual event, with the 2024 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival to be held sometime in April.
Below are images from the 2023 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival.
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Snowshoe Trail Grooming and Tracking Adventures (A Wolf?)
written by Tom Oliver | March 3, 2024
An important aspect of our winter activities at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (KML) is that we need to regularly check trail conditions, reset the trails after snowstorms, and sometimes repair trail sections which get damaged from use or changing weather conditions.
On Friday (March 18, 2022), I ventured out on the section of the Snowshoe Trail, which I knew was going to be used for our monthly “Moonlit Snowshoe Hikes” scheduled for the following night. With the recent warming trend we had seen in the region, I was concerned about 1) small avalanches possibly burying one particular section of the trail which passes below a short but picturesque “cliff” and 2) the overall stability of the snow due to the daily cycle of melt and freeze we had seen during the previous week. Inspecting the trail a day in advance would be much better than dealing with unexpected challenges while guiding a group of guests (potentially up to 20), after dark and in the cold.
Sometimes, though, doing regular tasks at KML provides some unique and unexpected experiences. In this case, as I rounded the snow-buried green for Hole #2 on our golf course, I noticed some animal tracks that caught my attention. Seeing animal tracks in the snow is not an uncommon occurrence and it provides me with a general understanding of the animals that actively use the KML grounds. I commonly see the tracks of squirrels, turkeys, snowshoe hares, mice, coyotes, and foxes while I am snowshoeing. On one occasion, I also encountered a set of bobcat tracks that crossed the trail.
The tracks I saw on Friday, though, were especially interesting to me. The prints were egg-shaped, with impressions from claws present, meaning that they were the tracks of a canine. They were large prints with, what seemed like, a large stride. My initial thought was that the animal making the tracks might be a wolf. However, animal tracks in snow can often appear to be larger than what they actually are, especially if the snow has been melting and refreezing.
For me to make the claim that a wolf (Canislupus) had passed over the golf course, I needed to eliminate the other possibilities – coyote (Canis latrans) and domestic dog (Canis familiaris) – first. So, I tried to find clear prints that were not deep in the snow, not distorted from any thawing, and easily photographable. It was the final requirement which proved, at first, to be unobtainable. I found tracks on the surface, where the hardened snow was able to support the animal, and left impressions about ⅛-inch to ¼-inch deep. However, given the mid-day light conditions, I could not get any of the pictures of the prints to look like anything other than snow with some texture. Hoping to find some better prints, I followed the animal’s path back to where it had crossed Highway 41 (adjacent to the west border of the KML property). I did not find any suitable prints
At this point, I decided that I likely wouldn’t find any prints that would suit my needs and that I still needed to complete my primary task, inspecting the snowshoe trail. So, I continued on with my trail inspection, accepting that I wouldn’t claim to have found wolf tracks on the property.
When I completed my trail inspection, the tracks remained on my mind. The particular thoughts that remained for me were 1) I might be able to find a suitable print to measure if the animal happened to walk through areas with more shallow snow, 2) if I followed the track, I might come upon other evidence (e.g., scat or a kill site) which could give me more information on the animal’s identity, and 3) the track appeared quite fresh to me and I was convinced that the animal had passed through sometime during the previous 12-14 hours…which meant that it could be bedded down somewhere among the trees and I might even be able to get a picture of the animal itself – if I was stealthy enough. So, I backtracked to Hole #2 on the golf course and picked up the animal’s trail on the opposite side of the green where I had initially seen it.
Because I thought it would be interesting to see a map of where the animal traveled on the property, I turned on a GPS app on my iPhone to record the path I was following. Then I began to slowly follow the tracks in the snow, searching for good prints or other sign the animal may have left, while scanning the land in front of me for any movement or unexpected spots in the snow which might be an animal lying down.
Within 30 feet, I found a print that was excellent for both measuring and photographing. It was at a location near the base of an older white pine tree where the snow had become shallow enough to not cause the print to 1) be obscured by loose snow falling into the print or so hardened that a print was not well formed. Additionally, the print did not sink into the snow too much to cause additional splaying of the individual toes, which could make the print larger than typical. All I had to do was measure it; however, I don’t typically have a tape measure in my possession when I go snowshoeing. I do, though, almost always have camera batteries, which I could use as a size reference in the pictures I took. I measured out two sticks close to the length and width of the print, placed them and the camera battery near the print and took a picture of it all. Even though this still did not immediately tell me the print measurements, after returning to the lodge, I measured the camera battery length and calculated how many battery lengths would meet the lengths of each of the sticks I had placed in the scene. While still imprecise, I was able to determine that the print was just shy of 5 inches and its width was a little bit more than 3 inches.
Animal print with camera battery and relatively straight sticks placed in frame references for measuring at a later time.
Animal print with camera battery and relatively straight sticks placed in frame references for measuring at a later time. Circle indicates the general space of the track measured.
I also used my snowshoes in a similar manner for measuring the length between individual prints (the animal’s stride length), which ranged between 2 and 3 feet, even in the deep snow.
Series of tracks leading through an area of rough on the KML Golf Course
Series of tracks leading through an area of rough on the KML Golf Course, with a line added indicating a typical stride length for the animal.
With track sizes and stride length that large, I felt I could reasonably eliminate a coyote as the animal which created the tracks. In addition to that evidence, there were also some places where one of the animal’s leg sank deeply into the snow. At those places, I reached my arm down into the depression and noted where the surface of the snow correlated to my arm. In each case, the snow surface was at about mid-bicep on my arm. The tip of my fingers to mid-bicep measures 21 inches. This is telling, because in those instances of deep prints in the snow, the animal’s brisket did not leave a mark on the surface of the snow – further supporting that the animal was not a coyote.
Distinguishing dogs from wolves, especially just from tracks, can be challenging. Certainly, we allow dogs on KML property and we recently hosted Dawg Daze (a skijoring event) on our ski trails. However, tracks of domestic dogs are almost always on or adjacent to the cross country ski and snowshoe trails and don’t lead away from trails without a corresponding track caused by humans who are accompanying the dog. While I haven’t personally encountered nor heard of any free-ranging domestic dogs in the area, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any. Another telling characteristic that this set of tracks was not created by a large domestic dog is in the pattern of movement. Most domestic dogs instinctively move in a back and forth (almost erratic) “scanning” fashion, on both small and large scales, whereas wolves tend to walk more directly when traveling.
Wolf track with a line added showing non-erratic direction of travel.
When looking at the GPS trail of the animal’s path across the golf course it is very direct in its heading.
Please note the “gaps” in the GPS trail on the map are due to me losing the animal’s track for a brief period of time due to its ability to intermittently walk on top of the snow. When this would happen, I would shut the GPS app off, begin an arching zig-zag pattern of searching the area to find the next discernible print, and then restart the GPS app when that happened.
For people, wolves have, for a very long time, been controversial creatures on the landscape. In terms of adaptability, the gray wolf (Canis lupus), as a species, is arguably one of the most adaptable top-predators that we know of in North America. They, historically, occupied all ecosystems on the continent, except maybe extreme arctic and alpine regions. The one thing gray wolves do not adapt to well, though, is encroachment by humans. So, where you find higher densities of people you will likely not encounter a wolf. For me to find the evidence of being in the same space as a wolf (within just a few hours) reminded me that even though the region is becoming more and more encroached on by human development it still remains a wonderfully wild place.
The inaugural running of this event had perfect weather (50-60 degrees during the daytime and 40-55 degrees during the night time), and even the bugs cooperated (for the most part)!
The race is a 3.5 mile loop around the Lodge property. Runners choose to run for 12 or 24 hours. In that time, they run as many laps as they can. Each lap started and ended at the gazebo next to the historic Lodge building. As runners completed each lap, they recorded their lap time, and then either head out for another lap or X out on the board and call it a race!
Below is a summary of the results.
12-hour solo: Kate McCloud, 16 laps (57.6 miles)
24-hour solo: Janelle Gomez, 20 laps (72 miles)
12-hour 2-person team: The Lone Rangers , 14 laps (50.4 miles)
12-Hour 4-person team: The Heavy Breathers, 13 laps (46.8 miles)
24-hour 4-person team: Total Hardness, 29 laps (104.4 miles)
It was wonderful to see runners meeting and exceeding their goals, running their farthest distance yet, cheering each other on, and having fun. And the medals (hand made by Aaron Maki of Old Hand Design Company) and shirts (printed by Beau Warren at Tee See Tee) were a fun benefit for the participants.
Wed Talk with Kae: The Peace Only an Intimate Wedding Can Give
written by Mariah Summers | March 3, 2024
Some towns nestle up against our hearts. They end up becoming the type of place you know you’ll yearn for and think about when drowning in the everyday monotony. The place where you say, “can we fit it in this year?” in addition to the vacation you’ve been saving your PTO days for. Or at least… That’s what rolls through my mind. So let’s take that love of a place that feels like home and add something even more special to the mix: celebrating the love you share with your significant other.
This is where I have to admit my bias – I love Copper Harbor. This place truly is the town that nestled against my heart. I went to Northern Michigan University just to be a little closer to one of my own favorite places in the world. I’ve always looked forward to walking the lava flows, hearing the water splash against the coast, and breathing in that earthy smell so unique to the grounds here. In my mind, there’s almost no reason not to consider getting married here… but here’s my schtick: if you’re an adventurous, earthbound person who loves the little things, join me in adding Copper Harbor to your intimate wedding list.
The very nature of an intimate wedding is just this: the freedom of spending intentional, quality time with those you love. It’s being able to close your eyes, envision a room full of all your favorite people… but then opening your eyes, and it being a reality. It’s booking cabins together so your best friends can play being your neighbor and your family being just across the way. It’s opening your door, taking a step outside and seeing your people on their own porches looking back at you. It’s having coffee together while watching the sun illuminate the trees, casually enjoying breakfast while looking across the golf course and picturing your first few steps down the aisle. Listening to the birds sing their morning songs and knowing that there really is no better way to start your wedding day.
An intimate wedding is the convenience of staying all in one place, no additional travel required. It’s being able to sit alone under the oak trees to catch your breath rather than hopping in the car to drive forty minutes to the next venue. It’s feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your cheeks and knowing everything is just as it should be. It’s watching the sunset fall behind Brockway Mountain, listening to the laughs of your friends, and having drinks together in front of the fireplace. Intimate weddings are the gift of making memories like we want on Christmas… but instead, we’re living off the joy from your wedding day as Copper Harbor has nestles into your heart too.
I’m the kind of gal who loves love, and as a photographer I can’t help but look out for those beautiful locations. Now that I work here, it feels like every time I peak out the window my breath gets taken away. The beautiful, tall trees and the darling ways their branches grow from living a life in the Harbor… Well, what can I say – this can be your reality, too.
Wed Talk with Mariah: The menu tasting
written by Mariah Summers | March 3, 2024
So you’ve secured a venue, and are starting to reach out to vendors. Flowers, music, cake, and the big one, catering. Maybe your venue takes care of your catering, or maybe you need to find an outside vendor. But in either case, a tasting option will probably be in your future.
What does that mean exactly? Tastings are offered in two common ways…group tastings or private tastings. In either option, one thing remains the same: your wedding menu tasting is for you to learn about the chef’s style and quality of cooking. It is NOT a free-for-all tasting of anything and everything you want from the menu. For private tastings, there will most likely be a set tasting menu, or you may have limited choices from different categories. Group tastings look a little different, with a buffet style set-up of dishes the chef wants to highlight.
The group tastings will be the choice the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge offers moving forward. Twice a year we will be offering group tastings free for couples who have booked weddings with us, and a cover fee for those still shopping around. This gives everyone a chance to try several different food options. 2021 tastings will be:
May 1, 2021
October 23, 2021
Remember to take notes on what you taste, and take pictures so you can distinguish between dishes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and give feedback, for your best experience possible. And have fun!
Wed Talk with Mariah – The Winter Wedding
written by Mariah Summers | March 3, 2024
The fire is warm, the snow is falling gently outside the window, and you are standing with your other half about to dedicate your lives to each other in front of the fireplace. Or, maybe you are standing outside under the gently falling snow wrapped in a fuzzy, warm shawl while reciting those vows.
Sound appealing? We think so, too. The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is exploring a new idea…winter weddings! If you think that the Brockway Mountain backdrop is beautiful in the summer, the snow-capped ridge in the winter is another level of wilderness beauty.
A winter wedding in the Keweenaw stands out. You may attend two or three weddings throughout the summer and fall, but that winter wedding…that is the wedding you will remember.
Let’s consider some other appealing points:
Vendor availability could be wide open. In fact, you might be the center of their attention! 78% of weddings in the United States take place between the months of May and October. Instead of you wrestling for space on the calendar, the vendors may be fighting over you! Maybe the health situation in the world this year meant you had to reschedule your date and now you can’t find vendors with any availability later in the year. Think winter!
Speaking of wrestling, imagine tentatively picking a summer date, and then immediately starting to worry about that weather forecast? Instead of wrestling the elements and dreading that soaking downpour, a snowfall in the winter will only leave you with wonderful photo opportunities. Not worries about being drenched in rain . Or, stay inside and get married. That cozy fireplace scene could be your backdrop.
Those photo opportunities though! The colors of your flowers and bridesmaid dresses will pop against the white snowy backdrop. And let’s face it, you know you want to throw a snowball at your new spouse. Now you can blame it on the photo op!
Bottom line, should a winter wedding at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge be in the cards? We are working to figure out if we shouldn’t rule out that November through April wedding. It could be the unique, fun, joyous, and adventurous start to a great marriage!
Weddings: Coping with planning during times of uncertainty and change
written by Mariah Summers | March 3, 2024
Here we are, at the start of the summer season in the Keweenaw. The beginning of May is a time of change, as businesses begin opening up, snow is melting, and the temperatures are warming up for guests to enjoy a superior Keweenaw summer and fall season. A change that creates warmth and vibrancy in the Keweenaw.
However, this year has taken an interesting twist. Executive orders are restricting many businesses in Michigan. To stay safe, citizens in Michigan and around the country are being advised to stay home. Normal Keweenaw vibrancy has been dampened and postponed.
This is contrary to what normally occurs during the month of May at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. We are normally ramping up for a summer season. And this wasn’t any different this year, as we had many weekends full of events and weddings.
We had events and weddings scheduled for every weekend from May until the end of October. In order to allay health concerns and stop the spread of a disease, events in May have been cancelled. We have had several cancellations in June, and we continue to monitor the status for July – October weddings at the Lodge.
Instead of greeting happy and joyful brides, grooms, and their supporting wedding parties, we are now advising and counseling wedding parties about their options for weddings and what we are seeing happening during these times of uncertainty caused by a pandemic and governmental executive orders. Our focus at the Lodge is on celebrating a couple’s most special moments together. Seeing those moments disappearing is disheartening.
However, not all is lost! The current health crisis might have dampened the spirit and enthusiasm surrounding weddings; however, there might be an end in sight and the future awaits — whether it is in your own backyard, or here in the Keweenaw.
The sun continues to rise daily in the East, and brightens each and every day. You can do the same! We still have a plan to have a great season, and are executing on that plan. We positively look forward to each and every day, and we want everyone to do the same as they continue to look forward to their special event. We want to find ways for you to have a fun, joyous, adventuresome, and also safe and healthy, experience! To keep wedding planning on track, we will make necessary changes, and we will continue staying positive.
That said, how do the current changes in our environment affect the wedding couple? To put your mind at ease, the result is a positive change.
It is a difficult decision you are facing, and we want to be here to ease that decision making process. We can help you make decisions on scaling down your wedding, whether virtual options would fit your situation, or help you find and book a new date that will work for you and your other vendors. Try thinking about what aspects of your wedding are non-negotiable as it relates to the current restrictions in your area. That can help paint a clear picture of whether a new date or cancellation is necessary, or if you can mold your existing wedding to fit the proper criteria. We know you are watching the news, staying up late reading articles from wedding industry experts, and just generally existing in panic mode. Committing to a decision is the best thing to calm your mind and move forward.
Of course, what we all want is for you to be able to keep your original wedding date as planned. We will do whatever we can to make that happen. Our refund policies are flexible during this uncertain time. We know that we are not the only vendor on your list of contacts, and that you are trying to keep up with and coordinate several different vendor policies. We will be able to offer you a plated dinner versus a buffet, at no extra charge. Or, provide servers for your buffet to minimize guest contact as much as possible. We will be able to offer sanitizing supplies, masks, and gloves. Instead of pre-set tables we will offer rolled silverware. We will try to accommodate any special requests you have to help you and your guests feel comfortable and able to have a great time.
However you choose to proceed with your planning, the most important thing is that you are starting a life together. Take the time with your fiancé to do something special that reminds you of why you fell in love and why you are getting married. Whatever that union looks like now, in the end, you will have a beautiful future to look forward to together.
Three special events in May have been dissolved
written by John Mueller | March 3, 2024
After calls yesterday with leads from Events, Food and Beverage, and Lodging, the decision was made to cancel the first three special events in May.
This entails “dissolving” the following special events:
These decisions were made due to the uncertainty with the State of Michigan’s mandates that are being issued in association with the health concerns in the world at this time.
With the current situation, Michigan Tech decided to cancel their graduation commencement. Our first event in May, a guest chef program with Ben Hunter, was geared towards graduating Tech students and their families — to celebrate the graduation with a special feast. With graduation not taking place, we did not feel that we would be able to garner enough guests to warrant having the event (assuming we could hold the dine-in event based upon state mandates for restaurants).
For Mother’s Day weekend and lunch, with the unknown surrounding the operations of restaurants, we didn’t feel we could plan and execute well for a glorious Mother’s Day Lunch in the current situation and environment.
For the Back 9 Endurance Race, we were having people traveling from various locations around the country to run the 12- and 24-hour races at the Lodge. We did not want our enthusiastic runners to be put in a spot of not being able to cancel their flights if we were not able to hold the event due to state mandates. Thus, we decided to make the decision now to cancel the race rather than wait until we were closer to the date of the event.
We will now focus on having our first special event of the 2020 season on May 23rd, which is a wedding. This is also Memorial Day weekend.
The current mandate from the governor of Michigan indicates that lodging and restaurants are considered essential businesses. Thus, we are able to be open for operations. However, we will adjust how we can operate based upon if that mandate goes past our official opening date. For example, if we are not able to have dine-in services at that time because of a state mandate, we can figure out take-out operations to our guests in the cabins and others in the area of the Keweenaw. We take it step-by-step, and adjust accordingly.
Join us for a Mother’s Day Weekend of activities!
written by Mariah Summers | March 3, 2024
The snow is deep and the air is cold, but it’s not too early to start thinking of those first blooming flowers and the warm sunshine on our faces. Mother’s Day and spring go hand in hand, come and celebrate Mom and one of the first weekends of spring with us at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge!
Mom works hard all year, and we have a whole weekend planned to celebrate her! The weekend will kick off with a Friday evening reception (May 8th), with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Join us Saturday morning (May 9th) with a hike and scavenger hunt in the fresh morning air, then send Mom off to a pampering massage by the talented Johanna while the rest of the family heads over to our Create-Your-Own-Bouquet station, provided by Calumet Floral, to make mom a custom flower arrangement.
Saturday night, relax in the conference room for a movie and snack. Watch as a family, or Mom and Dad can drop the kids off to watch while they enjoy a dinner in our restaurant.
Sunday (May 10th) is the main event, our delicious Mother’s Day Lunch. A delicious menu designed by our chefs for this special day.
