Linda Newman and her Hedlund Huskies are best of friends. The huskies are a rare breed that originated in Alaska in the 1930s. They were raised to run trap lines and pull sleds of mail over great distances. They aren’t meant to run real fast and Newman doesn’t race her dogs. Hedlund Huskies have a sweet nature and are great with people. Newman uses the dogs to give sled dog rides to her Points Unknown guests. Photo courtesy of Linda Newman
While most sled dog owners love to train and compete in sled dog races, Linda Newman has never raced her team of Hedlund Huskies. Nor does she have any intention of ever bringing them to a starting line.
Newman is the owner of Points Unknown, an off the grid solar powered Bed & Sled hostel located on 40 pristine acres of wilderness that are surrounded by state and federal lands.
The business, which takes guests on dog-based adventures, is 26 miles northeast of Grand Marais and seven miles up from the shore of Lake Superior. Linda also makes and sells handcrafted beeswax candles through a second business she owns called Scent from Nature.
She is also the owner of some rare and unique dogs.
“We have a traditional line of Alaskan Village dog called a Hedlund Husky,” said Newman. “They were bred for trap line teams and subsistence lifestyles and not for racing. I have never raced. We’re part of a preservation project for this rare line. There are fewer than 100 left, and we have the biggest kennel in the world right here in Hovland with 30 sled pets.”
When asked how long she had been mushing and what got her interested in sled dogs, Linda replied, “I’ve been mushing for 19 years. The love of dogs and adventure got me initially interested in sled dogs.”
Her background is as interesting as her business is.
“I grew up in a military and USDA Forest Service family, living in 13 places by the time I was 12. My favorite place was Wisconsin where we spent my junior high and high school years.
“I’ve owned the land here in Hovland since 2000 and finally was able to devise a plan to move up the Irish Creek Road full time in 2013,” she said.
As far as her business, Linda answered “I am very happy with the growth of Points Unknown, an educational dog sledding adventure trip business that began officially in 2005.
“Since relocating here full time in 2013, we have added a Bed & Sled (Guest Suite) to the business in the past couple of years. We are enjoying a fully booked holiday dog sledding season at the moment.”
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