Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Racing & Adventures - Touring

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Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Nature's Kennel

PO Box 5
McMillan, MI 49853
Tel: 1-906-748-0513
Email: info@natureskennel.com

Who We Are

Touring Photo Gallery

Who We Are

"The excitement of Alaska, without the airfare" --Susan Ager, tour guest and columnist for the Detroit Free Press
Owners Ed and Tasha Stielstra invite you to share a bit of sled dog magic this year! We are now taking reservations for our 2011-2012 winter season! Join us for our 9th season of overnight, full-day and 1/2 day tours at our main kennel location near McMillan. New for this year is the opportunity to upgrade your overnight trip to one of our Wine & Cheese or Beer & Brat speciality tours! Click on "Overnight Adventures" below for more information. There are many great trips available for 2012, and great snow here at Nature's Kennel!

Ed Stielstra

Ed has been racing now for over 18 years. He graduated from Michigan State University and started Nature's Kennel in Ludington, Michigan. After getting married in 1998, he and Tasha moved their kennel to Duluth, Minnesota where they held "real careers" for four years. They returned to Michigan in 2002 to operate Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Racing and Adventures on a full-time basis.

Age: 42

Hometown: McMillan, MI

Notable Races:

Iditarod

UP 200

Iditarod

UP 200

Tasha Stielstra

Instead of teaching elementary students, Tasha now teaches sled dogs! Ed finally talked Tasha into racing about 5 years ago. She has since completed La Grande Odyssée in France and has won Marquette's UP 200. Tasha now takes care of all our "business" and spends most of her time training the young dogs, running with the puppies, keeping track of Nate, and making sure the sled dog world keeps turning!

Age: 37

Hometown: McMillan, MI

Notable Races:

La Grande Odysssee

Orange Award

UP 200

Humanitarian Award

UP 200

John Beargrease 150

Nate Stielstra

Degree/Professional Certifications: Professional certified as an adorable baby and beginner dog driver.
Ask me about this on your tour: I woud prefer to talk about deer and trucks rather than sled dogs. I also like to talk about Hilary (aka Gus) my nanny, and I can name all of our guides (and probably tell you some great stories about them as well!).
What dog breed would I be: A puppy of any sort that likes to chew things up.
Most amazing place I’ve ever been: I have been to Maine, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and Canada but my favorite place is where ever my mom is going.
Snapshot: Nate pretty much breaks every rule in the toddler safety books: mixing meat with your bare hands, starting the fourwheeler before you can reach the shifter, riding the four wheeler while training a team of 10 puppies and sitting on mom's lap, and driving the tractor with dad. Nate loves being around the kennel and helping out all the guides.

Age: 1

Hometown: McMillan, MI

Jessica Wallstrom

Degree/Certifications: Agricultural Business, Minor Dairy Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Wilderness First Responder (WFR), CPR, LNT Master Trainer, Whitewater Rescue Technician (RQ3), PADI
Favorite thing about being a guide: Sharing how to drive a sled or paddle a river I feel that each person takes home more than they came with. If while doing that we also get to have fun and make friends even better.
Ask me about this on your tour: Rafting the Grand Canyon, Costa Rica, NOLS
If Jess were a breed of dog, she would be: A medium size mixed breed of who knows what, they make the best pets and he/she would be a rescue!
Most amazing place I’ve ever been: Rafting the Grand Canyon for 21 days. It was amazing. Makes you feel very small in a grand way!
Snapshot: Jess graduated in 2008 and was not yet ready for her “real job.” Having been a raft guide for 10 years she brings lots of fun stories and a personal interest towards every client. Jess has also found a passion working for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) the past 2 years. She has always lived in warm sunny California but is excited to head out to Michigan for the cold winter ahead. When not on the river or in the snow you can find Jess planning her next adventure or writing in her blog about the last one.

Age: 25

Hometown: Kernville, CA

Matt Ryan

Degree/Certifications: BA in Political Science from Iowa State University, Wilderness First Responder, CPR, and Lifeguard
Ask me about this on your tour: My backpacking trips and swimming. I have been in the pool since I was 8.
If Matt were a breed of dog, he would be:
A Newfoundland, because of their love of water and calm, docile nature.
Favorite thing about being in the outdoors: There are no doors and there is always something new and inspiring behind every turn of the trail, that teaches you something new about yourself.
Snapshot: Matt has been an Iowa resident for the past 18 years, most of which was spend swimming or riding across the state on a bicycle. His college days he spent as a street vendor selling Super Dogs and Gyros for the late night crowds of Iowa State University. After graduating college, working at Nature’s Kennel is as close to a big kid job as Matt wants to get for now.

Age: 23

Hometown: Des Moines, IA

Hilary Bulger

Degree/Certifications: BA in Outdoor Education, Adventure Education Concentration, Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Water Safety
Ask me about this on your tour: Wilderness Inquiry, hockey, books and Nate!
If Hilary were a breed of dog, she would be: A Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever
Favorite thing about being in the outdoors: Quiet bits of light early and late in the day; all forms of water-rivers, lakes, ice, snow, dew, fog, and rain; and the view from the groover.
Snapshot: After playing college hockey, Hilary did a semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Alaska and found a new passion for outdoor education. This new road led her to Northland College, where she graduated in 2009 and has spent the last two seasons leading outdoor trips for Wilderness Inquiry. Hilary is a cold weather critter who feels most at home in the woods or curled up with a good book, but she does have a large social streak through her hermit heart. Her energetic, firecracker personality and passion probably come from being a forth of July baby!

Age: 28

Hometown: White Bear Lake, MN

James Riedel

Certifications: Wilderness First Responder
Ask me about this on your tour: Classic Mini Coopers
If James were a breed of dog, he would be: Black English Lab
Forget the outdoors, James’ favorite foods are: Bacon, Pizza, and Dunkin Donuts coffee
Snapshot: James has been working in the telecommunications industry for the past 7 years and has taken dogsled camping trip vacations every winter since 2009. He decided to leave the corporate world and show others the same joy and passion it brought to him year after year of standing on the runners and heading off into the woods with nothing but a sleeping bag and wagging tails. Beyond computers James is an avid classic Mini cooper owner and enthusiast, performing a lot of his own mechanical work which has helped him better understand, fix, and maintain a lot of the Natures Kennel power equipment. No stranger to the kitchen, he has been known to piece together a complete meal out of random ingredients for the entire house, but don’t let his size fool you as he can eat the equivalent of a family of 4 without blinking an eye.

Age: 33

Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD

Lyndsie Lacock

Degree/Certifications: Degree in progress, CPR/First Aid certified A rescued mix breed with tons of energy who loves people.
Favorite thing about the outdoors: Being able to get away from everything and just being one with nature and with my dogs.
Ask me about this on your tour: Urban Mushing, Photography, Dog Rescue
If Lyndise were a dog, she would be:
Snapshot: Lyndsie has been involved in dog and cat rescue since she was 10. She volunteered with many animal organizations and started her own business as a dog walker by the age of 13. Also interested in film and photography, Lyndsie attended Orange County High School of the Arts where she studied film and television production. Realizing she was not a "classroom" type of student, Lyndsie has attended college part time while seeking bigger adventures exploring the outdoor. She loves camping, hiking, surfing and urban mushing with her 2 year old husky, Delanee. She spent this past summer on the Denver Glacier in Alaska as a photographer and dog handler for AIE's sled camp. She enjoyed it so much she decided to look for similar opportunities which led her to Nature's Kennel.

Age: 22

Hometown: Anaheim, CA

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