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POWSERS MOUNTAINEERING CLUB GLOSSOP ENGLAND |
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Member’s Expeditions |
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Dog Sledging in North Norway –January 2006 Ray Withnall |
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This was a trip I had wanted to do for years. I am not a dog lover by nature, but I couldn’t help being captivated by the Alaskan Husky on a previous trip to Finland. My friend Jane, who loves all animals, has a great spirit of adventure and together we decided to venture to Dividalen National Park about 40 kilometres south of Tromso in Arctic Norway on the 69th northern parallel. Our guide was Odd-Knut and, together with his wife Trina, they showed their hospitality was endless. Odd-Knut was tireless in his efforts to give us a memorable Arctic experience on their farmstead of traditional Norwegian houses and out buildings. Odd-Knut has kept Huskies since 1974 and they now look after 37 of them right next door to the house.
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We were quickly introduced to our teams of dogs and learnt how to harness them onto the sledge. The dogs are keen to go out and work, and although it’s noisy and chaotic the are very co-operative and we are soon driving away on the forest tracks. The skill is in keeping upright and learning which side of the sledge to stand on when going round corners. Amazingly we covered 12 kilometres on our first outing and managed to fall off only twice each, and neither of us let go of the sledge avoiding a long walk home. The weather was surprisingly mild with a relative lack of snow, and, sadly, there was little in the way of Northern Lights activity. However the second day dawned at 8.30 am with a steady snowfall, just what the mushers had been waiting for! |
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The second day was memorable. We travelled high into the valley and the dogs worked hard pulling the sledges through powder snow, sometimes glancing behind asking the musher for help with the uphill bits. Gradually I realised one of my dogs was becoming sick as he struggled to keep up with the others in the team, and Odd-Knut swapped him for one of his. But soon another dog became seriously sick as he fell to ground and was dragged along by the others, almost being run over by the sledge. The poor dog had had an epileptic fit and was rigid. Fortunately mobile phones do work in this remote area and Trina met us in the car to take it home. Mercifully he fully recovered later in the day. We travelled on through forests, over lakes and across rivers. Jane was unlucky as she unavoidably tipped the sledge over as her team decided to sidetrack the slushy parts of the river crossing. Her special arctic suit kept out the freezing water, but she needed to change gloves to avoid frost bite. We covered 30 kilometres in superb conditions and the score was a full 10 on the smile factor scale. Later that evening we saw the northern lights and, although they weren’t spectacular, they were very special.
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On the third day Odd-Knut offered to drive over to the dramatic coast line at Skaland. It was an opportunity to see this wild unspoilt area in harsh winter conditions, and we were not disappointed. Steep granite mountains plastered in snow and ice rise abruptly from the Arctic Ocean. The dark, cold, wind swept sea danced with relentless storm laden weather fronts, which were heavy with grey showers of snow. Raw beauty and wild nature were mixed together in a spirit that made the moment in this isolated corner of the world very special indeed. The next day the snow had turned to rain and froze on impact with the icy ground making any activity a right off. On our final day we headed into the heart of the Dividalen National Park. The dogs and their mushers were eager to start again after two days of inactivity. |
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It was fast drive up the gradual incline on the forest tracks, and the snow wasn’t as forgiving as the dream like powder earlier in the week. Being over confident I fell off twice, being dragged several metres over the ice much to the amusement of the others. But the smiles were soon dispersed as we made a wide turn to face the downhill stretch and a white knuckle ride brushing pass trees, taking air as the sledge jumped over the bumps and hoping not to fall off as the dogs raced away. Even with full body weight on the brakes the dogs could still move at a pace. At the end Jane didn’t know whether she was exhilarated or annihilated, but her smile registered a full 10 on the smile scale! Odd-Knut later confessed he was too busy keeping upright himself to watch out for anything else. The trip ended with lunch in old wooden cabin talking about plans for next year. |
