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I feel absolutely exhausted lol! It's caught up with me now that I'm not on the go and rushing round or making sure my friend got up on time. But, I would do it all again!! I would like to spend more time with the horses and reindeer as the 2/3 hours we had with them was just not enough! I have a huge soft spot for horses and 'cattle' so any time spent with them was amazing.
But, the dogs!! Oh my God! Dog sledding is by far THE best thing I have ever done. I was surprised at how quickly I picked it up and how comfortable and natural it felt. I did fall off, on the last bloody day!! I think a snow mobile had made a ditch just after a 90o turn and I took the corner too quickly, my dogs ran in to the ditch, tipping my sled, and throwing my star fish style face first in to a snow drift LOL! It was actually really funny and I'd wondered how people could laugh after falling off, but it was hilarious! I had to stand (when I could get out of the snow!) and watch my dogs race off after the rest of the team. I was last any way that day and had a 10min walk to catch up with everyone. When I got there my guide just stood grinning at me and asked if I was ok. How he loved it when one of us fell off
When we'd asked him how he picks the trails to use (other than weather conditions) his reply was "So you'll fall off" :8855: I loved my dogs though and I will dog sled again, and again, and again
Had a good couple of days rushing round Kiruna city doing touristy stuff and shopping.
Then we transferred to the reindeer lodge which we had to ourselves most of the time. Only one night we had a couple staying with us. So we were totally alone. And by that I mean it was just us, no guests, no staff, just 200+ reindeer, and about 3km between us and the nearest people!!! It was a bit of a shock when we were told that, but actually it was really nice. And you didn't have to check there was anyone in the (outside) toilet or the sauna! Only used the sauna to get a 'bath'. I don't see how they're fun?! I don't do heat. But I did enjoy my sauna baths and felt super clean! We did have our very own chef come in and cook for us each night and he was a proper restaurant trained chef and his food was amazing! Even as a veggie I tried reindeer quite a few times and it is such a nice meat! Might have to get some Rudolph for next Christmas dinner
The thing with reindeer (and moose and fish) over there is that you know they've had a good life. My issue with meat over here is the welfare standards. But you know that all the meat from Sweden is wild and has had a bloody good life being free and leading a natural life. And the animals over their are loved and respected so much. I was worried about the animals, you always do with animals used for tourism, but it was fantastic to have really good conversations about the animals and hear how much the people think of them.
I totally fell in love with Sweden, it's people, it's animals, and it's snow. Yeah, it was cold (we got to minus 40oC) but it's a very dry cold. Even the snow is dry!! Not once did I get my clothes wet, even standing waist deep in the snow, and you didn't get that horrible damp cold. I had a couple of very bad Raynauds flare ups, and I think I may have even permanently damaged my toes a bit, but other than my hands and feet I didn't really feel the cold. Well, except that minus 40, you couldn't do anything about THAT level of cold!!
Anyway, as a quick what we did.....
Sunday we arrived at the dog kennels, met our group (one we became very good friends with), our very very lovely guide and his friend he was teaching, and had dinner together.
Monday we met our dogs, had a very quick lesson of how to drive.....hold on and use the break
And set off for the wilderness. Two of my dogs were borrowed from another kennels and my lead was a very dominant dog who had a major issue with the joint, borrowed lead. They had a fight going up hill leaving camp and got very tangled lol! So I didn't even make it out very well!! But they eventually settled and only had minor scraps when Pinta felt like telling him off
I named my borrowed dogs Geoff and Thor. Thor was my support who was very easy going and very keen to just run and run. They were all a pleasure to look after and they generally looked after me. A few close calls with trees and that one fall aside hehe.
We had lunch in a Sami tipi and arrived at our wilderness camp around 4pm. We all had to look after our own dogs and also collect water for the camp from the frozen lake! Even though our guides cooked for us, we all chipped in and tidied or did dishes and stuff. We were a very good group actually and we all generally helped each other and our guides looked after us very well. Lots of good conversations and laughs!
Tuesday was the COLD day! It was minus 25 at the camp and the run for the day took us through forests, over vast frozen lakes, and a very long frozen river. It's very cold out in the open and it was pretty windy. Add in travelling at around 20km per hour and the wind chill, took us to around minus 40. Dear Lord that is COLD!!!!!! We were all suffering by the time we stopped for lunch outside the Ice Hotel, like you do, and we very quickly drank our warm blueberry soup and our now frozen sandwiches. At this point Arun, our guide, said we HAVE to get back to camp, it's just too cold. His beard was just ice! So off we went, back along the river, across the lake (took 40mins by dog!), and back to camp. My dogs took a slight detour and took a different path in to camp lol!! And as I arrived I saw Margie (the friend we made) being rushed off. She went in to hypothermic shock
She was fine btw and even gave me an Indian head massage later that night! My hands and feet were so painful I was scared to take off my boots. My toes had swollen and were incredibly painful. No physical damage other than tender skin from the swelling, but bloody hell it were painful!!!d
We all sat in the main house that night to chill out and keep warm. Was really lovely actually. No electric or water there btw, just candles/head torches, and wood burning stoves and heaters
Wed we left camp for the last time and head back to the kennels. A very very cold day again and a lot of the trails were more ice than snow so the sleds were all over the place. We drove along an ice road that run along camp and poor Margie fell again on a 90o turn. If I hadn't of seen her fall I wouldn't have realised there was a turn. By then I was in so much pain and my head was so fuzzy from the cold I really wasn't paying attention! We recovered and made our way along a twisty path back to the kennels.... then we had the most epic fail I have ever witnessed!!! My dogs took the corner too closely and my sled tipped again, I jumped off, but kept one hand on and ran with my sled till it righted itself and I could jump back on and break. Didn't realise Margie lost her sled, fell face first, and her dogs took off. Mine ran after them and I lost my sled. I was racing thru the camp after mine shouting the other to "look out". But didn't realise my friend's dogs had also took off and she lost her break, but she ran with her sled like a shopping trolley. The dogs stopped in a big tangle and the staff just stood shaking their heads with open mouths. Then everyone just burst out laughing!!! We unharnessed our dogs and got them back to their houses. Had a group photo done. And then again I realised how bad my feet were. I shuffled in to the house couldn't find somewhere to sit except the shoe rack and just sat trying not to be sick. My friend bundled me in to a bedroom and I just stood sobbing. It didn't last long and I could get my boots off and everything was fine. But it just overwhelmed me! I was ok within 10 minutes tho and got a nice warm cup of coffee and plenty of hugs. Felt like a right t*t
We packed our stuff and trundled out to the van and got another group photo. Our guides came with us to our various drop off's and we all got leaving hugs
We stayed at Hotel Samegarden our first night in Kiruna and it was really nice! Reviews online made it sound like a step up from a hostel. It really wasn't!! It was a lovely place. Had a lovely HOT shower, then a wander round the town, did some shopping, and met our friend for tea at the Artic Thai and Grill.
Thursday: Morning at the hotel and visited the museum in the basement (tried not to think of Hostel!) and got picked up to be taken to our next hotel: a beautiful cabin at Camp Ripan. Spent the afternoon exploring and visiting some tourist places. Had tea at Pizzeria Palladium and then a cocktail each at Landstroms. The best cocktail I've had in years!!
Friday: Picked up to go horse riding. Got to the horse ranch and were told it was just the two of us riding! So it was us two, our guide, and her dog. We were on Icelandic ponies, who were very handsome, our guide was lovely, and the dog was so much fun. They take the dogs with them to track wildlife, so they pick which trails to use depending on tracks/droppings/and what the dog's doing. The dog did chase away two reindeer, but was amazing at tracking moose. Saw about 8 moose! They're HUGE!!!!! We were only out for 2 hours, which was disappointing, but I did enjoy it. My legs were dead by the time we got back, didn't realise till I took them out of the stirrups! So getting down was fun
We had a nice lunch with the group who'd been out snowmobiling and then got taken to the reindeer lodge, where we stayed for the rest of the holiday. It was beautiful there and I loved being surrounded by reindeer!
Saturday we had our reindeer sledding. Our guide was a Sami guy who owned the lodge and the whole herd of reindeer! We went in to the enclosure while they lassoed us a male each and we got to lead them out. We helped set them up with their harnesses and stuff and off we went. They were much more controlled than the dogs and we spent most of the time trying to get them to speed up, whereas with the dogs you really had to control their speed. It was lovely though and we stopped at the edge of the lake to feed them tree bark and lichen, and to play about in the snow with the guides dog Beno. Had a good chat with the guide, Neills, and he told us about the Sami people and how they herd their reindeer and stuff. We drove the sleds back to camp and had lunch in a Sami Tipi. Oddly enough the couple we were with were a couple from the Wirral, just across the river from us! And one was a veggie and loved coffee (like me) and the other what wheat and gluten intolerant and didn't drink hot drinks (like my friend!). That afternoon we got dropped off at the Ice Hotel
I was such an idiot though and had managed to leave my camera in my snow suit in the rush to get out :cry: I did take some rubbish pics on my phone and my friend took some ok ones on her iPad. It was amazing to look round and absolutely stunning. I wouldn't stay in an ice room though!! People we'd met who'd stayed in a cold room said it was definitely an experience, but they wouldn't do it again. I'd just be happy to visit I think! After the ice hotel we walked the kilometer to the end of the village, stopping at the shop on the way, and visited the church and the Sami cultural centre (part of the reindeer lodge we stayed at) and waited for our lift.
Sunday we got picked up for another go at dog sledding. Oddly enough we ended up at the same kennels and even stopped at the same Wilderness Camp for lunch. Different guide tho
This time we had to share a sled! I went first at driving as we knew there would be a big, long, steep, bumpy hill and as much as I like my friend I didn't trust her to get us both safely down it
I was really nervous about sitting on the sled and giving over control, but it was actually quite nice and I got some good videos. I'd much rather drive though
That afternoon we spent at the reindeer lodge p*ssing about in the snow and basically just enjoying our last day. A tour arrived and Niells invited us to come in and feed the female and young reindeer, which was fantastic!!! We went in with the males with them too while they got their reindeers for their sled tour. One was really friendly and kept coming over for a cuddle.
Monday we got picked up at 11 to go to the airport. But still managed to fit in some wandering about and watching a sledding tour leave
Neither of us wanted to leave!!
Each night we were at the reindeer lodge I set my alarm for various times to check for the aurora. When we stayed at places with staff/guides they would have woken us up if they'd been out. But we didn't get to see them!! One night they'd been seen for a short time at the Ice Hotel (3km away from us) at 1am and I'd been out at 1am too, but didn't see anything!! Disappointing, but it's just another excuse to go back
I haven't been on plan, which I think is obvious lol. Honestly though, I felt like I couldn't eat or drink enough! Even now I'm still feeling very very thirsty. The hunger is easing, but I feel pretty dehydrated. I guess even with all my gear my body had to work hard to keep me going.
I also had virtually no control over what I ate and I just enjoyed myself. Everything was fairly healthy, but I did eat a lot of bread and muesli. I'm not too bothered really and I can't imagine how I'd have felt if I'd limited my food or drink!!
But yeah, I've rambled on enough and I really have only skimmed what we did. Photo's are on the way!!! Thank you for reading this if you have.xxx
