PRESS RELEASE

For further information contact: Ted Young -218-388-4487/bct@boundarycountry.com

Gunflint Trail Winter Tracks Festival to welcome Beargrease Mushers

Mark Your Calendar for Winter Tracks 2005. February 23 - March 1, 2005
The Gunflint Trail is having a festival to celebrate winter and the Bearsgrease mushers as they arrive and turn back to Duluth at the Gunflint Trail's Trail Center.

Winter activities and events for the whole family are scheduled throughout the week at area resorts including Cross Country Skiing, Guided Snowshoe Hikes, Sled Dog Rides, Snowmobile Poker Run, Winter Carnival on Gunflint Lake, Ice Fishing Seminar and Contest, Mongolian Firepot Dinners at a Yurt, Indoor Activities and more!

The event's finale is the arrival of the John Beargrease dog sled race mushers and dogs at Trail Center, on the Gunflint Trail, sometime between February 28 and March 1. After a layover at Trail Center, the dog teams turn around and race back to the finish line in Duluth.  The annual Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, an exciting race from Duluth to the Gunflint Trail, honors the historic North Shore mail route of John Beargrease. The race origin of the Beargrease Marathon was the Gunflint Mailrun Dog Sled Race, which was organized and took place on the Gunflint Trail from 1977 to1980.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the Winter Tracks web site. (http://www.wintertracks.com/)