Mush St. Paul is a thrilling project that brings dogsledding to the Twin Cities Metro Area for BIPOC folks to explore and enjoy. White audiences primarily visit Twin Cities regional trails, and Jenessa dreamed of a program involving her favorite winter sport, mushing, to increase access and representation on the trails for folks of color.  

The primary goal of this project is to squash the negative stereotypes of people of color in the outdoors, especially for winter recreation. A secondary goal is to create more dogsledding opportunities for diverse communities to participate in. Mushing is famously a very expensive, inaccessible activity, and Jenessa is set on shifting the narrative of what a musher “looks like.” 

The first six months of Mush St. Paul were an intense planning period. Everything was set up, from the exact park locations to the partnerships involved, the participant audiences, marketing, searching for the right musher (a huge challenge), and facilitating dozens of planning meetings (or dream and scheme meetings, as Jenessa calls them) with various partners.  

Mush St. Paul occurred in three park districts, partnering with three Twin Cities Metro Area park agencies. Events were going to be held through Ramsey County Parks & Recreation (St. Paul), Dakota County Parks & Recreation, and Washington County Parks & Recreation. A huge reason for expanding reach across the Metro area was to increase access and awareness of our Regional Parks and Trails, which spread wide through and around the major cities here.  

Each park agency event would focus on a different audience and partner. For example, Washington County was going to host a mushing event through their BIPOC Connect program – a program that aims to host events for black and brown community members to offer a safe, supportive space and foster an environment of connection through shared cultural experiences. Dakota County Parks & Recreation was going to host an event with South High School – a Minneapolis high school with a large Indigenous population. Jenessa worked closely with Dakota County’s Indigenous Coordinator to plan a mushing event that honored the cultural connection of mushing as a historically Indigenous activity and provide a space for students to mush for the first time, learn about their local parks, and experience the magic of dogsledding with their peers.  

Wilderness Inquiry, a local organization that aims to increase access to the outdoors, is an external partner of Mush St. Paul. Jenessa reached out to them early in the planning phase to help remove existing barriers, such as transportation for school groups.  

After touring two sled dog kennels, Jenessa found Silent Run Adventures. They have almost 40 ginormous, spunky Siberian huskies and an infectious passion for dogsledding. 

Jenessa has had an incredible time spreading education, awareness, and joy about her experiences as a Black musher, especially as someone with a larger body frame. She has led many informal conversations about what winter gear looks like for people who identify as plus-size.

Sizing and access to affordable gear is incredibly tough and is amplified when searching for plus sizes. This is a huge part of Mush St. Paul, because appropriate gear is important to your personal safety and makes or breaks your outdoor experience in the winter cold.

 Mush St. Paul’s impact was meant to be highlighted at events; however, the lack of snow has halted any further progress. Jenessa transformed this obstacle into a huge spark of motivation. She dreams of ways to reinvent her project to incorporate multigenerational perspectives on climate change and how it is collectively altering our lives and wellbeing.  

So far, some of Jenessa’s biggest highlights have been dreaming with like-minded creatives on how to shift when the realities of climate change hit. To Jenessa, visiting sled dog kennels is one of life’s greatest joys. She has gotten the chance to see how other musher’s run their kennels and has learned a lot about dogsledding techniques. 

Another highlight is seeing people’s eyes light up when I talk about mushing being a possibility in Twin Cities. Many people are shocked and excited to hear that such a rare activity will be so close to home.

Climate change has impacted everyone globally but has been an incredibly large challenge with Mush St. Paul. Dogsledding is heavily reliant on snow and cold weather. Minnesota typically has robust, snowy, cold winters with abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Last winter was incredibly mild, and outdoor recreation took a huge hit. Many community members, including Jenessa, have struggled with the overall climate, but especially climate doom. Just last week, Jenessa received disappointing news that mushing programming will be postponed to next winter due to warm weather and lack of snow, which is not normal for Minnesotan winters. She was faced with a shared grieving for the health of our planet and the loss of winter wonderland programming.  

Jenessa is still working on overcoming this challenge. She has been diligently brainstorming alternative winter programming plans. Options could include community engagement events to highlight the effects of climate change, a zine that includes multigenerational perspectives and stories of global warming, or postponing mushing until next winter.  

Due to the recent pivot in Jenessa’s project, she will spend the next few months doing a complete makeover of her project. Stay tuned! 

About Jenessa Carlisle

As a musher, parks professional, and BIPOC camping retreat organizer, Jenessa Carlisle is a proud Black, queertrailblazer in the outdoors. Jenessa’s passion for her entire life is reconnecting with the land, water, and her body. She believes in the power of playing outdoors to heal communities and is committed to bringing her fellow BIPOC relatives along for the ride. As a new Minnesotan, Jenessa’s heart is set on fire by creating representation, colorful spaces, and bringing multicultural voices to traditionally white-dominated winter activities. 

Follow Jenessa @jcarlislee_ #MushStPaul