Lapland

Lapland. Most northerly part of Scandinavian mainland that's situated above the arctic circle. The last stop before reaching the arctic. This would only be a husky safari, but eventually I did so much more! I always wanted to do this safari, since I saw movies like Snow Dogs and Eight Below. In December 2012, my flight left for Kittilä.

The safari was organized by Harriniva, a Finish travel agency in the city of Muonio. It was a 5-day safari where I would cover a distance of 170 km in the oldest and also biggest national park of Finland.
Via Helsinki and Kittilä I flew there. With 6 companions and a guide, I started this safari. Raikka, the guide, was a real bushman! For years he did this kind of work and was realy born for it! The group was not so varied; half came from Ireland, a couple from Singapore and a woman from England. We got a short introduction about riding the sled. Each of us got his own 4 dogs in front of their sled, and so it began!

             

It was the last day of December. Around this time, the sun doesn't rise and there's only some light between 10 am and 3 pm. It surprised me how enthusiastic and driven these dogs were to pull the sled  They were all Siberian huskies who accepted us from the start. Raikka explained that the dog teams weren't chosen randomly. Not only do they have to get along, but you also have to look at the function of each husky. The wheel dogs are the strongest. They provided the strength to pull the sled up hill. The 2 huskies in front are the front dogs. These huskies got great speed and good stamina. This should motivate the wheel dogs to keep a high pace. On flat parts, the team ran 15 km/h on average!

We drove trough forests and over frozen lakes. Arriving around 17h 15 in the wilderness hut, we had to ride during the night. This wasn't any problem with our headlights.
It wasn't all riding the sled during the safari, dog sledding is also taking care of the dogs. On arrival, everybody chained their own team took off the harnesses. And so the chores began.
Wood had to be chopped to maker fire. This was necessary for the fireplace, the food ans the sauna. We chopped and mad the dog food. We also divided straw, so the dogs didn't have to sleep on the cold snow. After our chores, we could hit the sauna and enjoy a delicious meal that Raikka had prepared.



In the first few days of the safari, the weather wasn't so great. It was only -5°C, which was very warm

in this time of the year. So there was limited visibility and zero chance to see the northern lights. During the last days of the safari, the temperature dropped considerably to -26°C. This made the safari quite tough. We frequently stopped, checking for frost bite. Despite the harsh weather conditions, we came to see a whole different Lapland. You could see for miles and the snowy trees got this warm, red glow. Every night, thumbs up for the northern lights, but without any success.


After 5 days, we arrived back at the husky farm and said goodbye to our dog-teams. We made a short visit to the puppy's which will happily pull the sleds in a few years. After a delicious diner,  I said goodbye to most of my companions who's plane would leave the next day. But not me! I had an extra day in Harriniva. Suddenly we heard some terrific news. The Aurora Borealis was visible! Everyone stormed out to view this spectacle. The green glow between a sky of stars was magnificent! Realizing that I was very lucky to witness this, gave me a satisfied feeling and a big smile on my face.

Before returning to Helsinki, I had one final day in Lapland. In the morning I booked a snowmobile excursion which should give me another chance to see the northern lights. During breakfast, the Irish couple (they were the only ones that were still here) asked me to go boarding. Of course, i happily said yes! (See Snowboarding)

The snowmobile excursion was a whole new experience than the husky safari! With the huge torque of the snowmobile, it can reach high speeds in seconds. But this didn't make the experience better. I felt every bump in the snow, which wasn't the case with the sled where my knees absorbed the shocks. Though huskies are animals with their own behavior, I had a bigger feeling of control on the sled than on the snowmobile. It was a pleasant experience, but I wouldn't recommend a 3 day trip. In comparison to the night before, there was no sign of the northern lights. I didn't mind. I'm very grateful to have seen them once!

I had something special planned for my last night above the arctic circle. Something I wanted to do my whole life; spend a night in an igloo! It was a large igloo with several sleeping area's. The bed was a block of ice with reindeer skin on it. The reception gave me a sleeping bag and a thermos of hot water. After a drink in the bar, I said goodbye to my last two travel companions. Before falling asleep, I looked at the thermometer for the last time; -24°C. Ouch, that's gonna be one rough night! The cold woke me up constantly. The sleeping bag protected me well against the freezing temperatures, but my head was to much exposed to the cold. I tried to cover it with my jacket, but this was only a temporary solution. After a while, breathing became harder. Pfff, the life of an Eskimo is hard! Luckily I had an early transfer to the airport.
Before arriving back in Brussels, I enjoyed the Finnish capital Helsinki. You can read all about this visit in Citytripz.