Kids and sleddogs.
Children and Family week at Saltoluokta Mountain Station! Every year Saltoluokta offers this arrangement for several weeks. Families can come and enjoy the winter in Lapland and try everything from snow cave digging, sledge races, skiing, ice fishing and dog sledding. Me, Jasmin + 10 dogs and a big sled packed our self up in the car and drove to Saltoluokta already yesterday evening. This morning we met with all the children and parents and drove short rides with the kids that also got to try ice fishing and to bake traditional Sámi bread in a big tipi tent. The kids were happy and crawled around among the huskies for cuddling and got lot of well-meant kisses from their new four legged friends. When everybody was satisfied we head home with well petted dogs that are now snuggling in the straw in their dog houses.
/Stina
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- Glada barn och snödrev på fjället.
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- Working Husky Sanoj, endast 8 månader arbetar som gose-huskie.
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- Working Husky Maja trivs med barn.
Publicerad: 24 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.
Crossing Lapland
On Sunday we met the four guests that should follow us on the tour from Jokkmokk to Saltoluokta. We ate dinner, looked at maps, talk about equipment and had a nice time together. The next day, Monday morning, we all met at the kennel. Guy (France) and Lars (Sweden) has been on tours with us before but got a quick rehearsal when I gave instructions to Marco and Elke from Germany. We review brakes, anchors, lines and of cause the dogs. Not long after this we were on our way in full speed west. This tour gives you everything from the woodland in the east, frozen lakes and the bare mountains in the west. The distance we travel is 220 km. The nights are spent in cosy timber huts in the forest and in the Swedish tourist organisations cabins in the mountains. We also have the luxury to stay one night in Ã…rrenjarka Mountain Village where we stay in a cabin with showers and heated floors. Entrecote in the nice restaurant tasted excellent after this week’s longest distance, 60 km. Tor-Henrik Buljo came with his Alaskan huskies and met us on the trail when we had 12 km remaining to Ã…rrenjarka. Here and there parts of the trail had blown away so our dogs had to struggle with the heavy loaded sleds. Tor-Henrik and Magdalena who both live in Ã…rrenjarka followed us a part of the trail the next day and in Kvikkjokk we ate lunch together before they turned back home. On the 28th February we arrived to Saltoluokta Mountain Station. Here we met a nice crew and was served nice food, showers and sauna. A very nice week with nice people both along the trail and in the group! Thank you!
/Matti
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- Lägereld vid Pärlälven, Jokkmokk.
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- Full fart med släde och nio huskies.
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- Laxholmens Vildmarkscamp.
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- Fem hundspann tar snabb paus på Karatssjön påväg mot Kvikkjokk.
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- Årrenjarkafjällby, moderna stugor efter Kvikkjokksleden.
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- Hundspannen på Kunsleden strax norr om Kvikkjokk.
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- PÃ¥rtestugan efter Kungsleden.
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- Jowix Flippa håller koll på spannets ledarhundar.
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- Tjakkeli och Rapadeltat, Porten till Sareks nationalpark.
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- Vy från Aktsestugan efter Kungsleden, Lappland.
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- Working Husky Masi, en av kennelns hårdast arbetande hanhundar.
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- Flippa och Fugitives Bloom vilar på Saltoluokta fjällstation.
Publicerad: 22 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.
Lapland wilderness and timber huts.
Once again we start out from the kennel. This time we head west along the Karats-trail. The trail that should been called the Kvikkjokk-trail because this is where it’s lead. We are totally 4 dog teams with 23 Siberian Huskies and one Border Collie. We drive up along the Pearl River and further on to the Juoksaure hut. We stay here for the night and go for a day trip the next day before spending a second night here. It’s so nice to spend time with nice guests. It’s a true pleasure to be on tour with you. Thank you!
/Â Matti
Behind eight sled dogs.
Jowix Flippa, min kennel och guide assistent.
Fugitives Freddy Kruger
Hundspann på Sårvatj, Svenska Lappland.
Timmerstugan vid Juoksaures.
Publicerad: 19 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.
Photo safari in Tarravalley
Sunday morning. With a loaded car we drove west to Kvikkjokk. The road was lined by elks and reindeers. The tour is a photo safari with Hillebrand. Read Hillebrands blog from Swedish Lapland or look at his photo website. From Kvikkjokk we drove with the dogs to Tarrakaise cabin where “Tarra”-Ola was host as usual. We stayed there for 2 nights and made day tours in to the Tarravalley and up in to Kurravagge. Fantastic weather with clear sky but cold! We had an easy tour with many long breaks for photographing. Relaxed and nice! We will publish some of Hillebrands pictures in the gallery.
/Â Matti
Hundspannen fick vänta långa stunder under fotostoppen.
Tarrakaise massivet.
Tarrakaise och Hilto.
Tarrakaise massivets toppar.
Kall morgon...
Fotosafari i Kurravagge, Lapplandsfjällen.
Eskipot trails Jana, en rödbrun, trevlig arbetsmaskin!
Publicerad: 15 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.
Overnight tour in the wilderness of Jokkmokk.
On Wednesday morning we harnessed the dogs together with 2 excited guests. They came from Solberget Wilderness retreat in Nattavaara that runs by Dirk and Silke Hagenbuch. After we had packed the sleds and the driving instructions were over we unhooked the snow anchors and head the teams out over the ice of Skabram Lake. After the Winter Market stress it’s nice to head out on tours for more then a couple of hours. Lunch over open fire, fresh tracks from elk, reindeers in the horizon, black ravens in the air and the silence of snow covered forests…What more can you ask for?
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Short pause with dog team.
We are follow the trails with our dog team.
Swedish Lapland have very good winter trails.
Harness are drying in one of the log cabins.
Husky-speed over Pielnejaure in Swedish Lapland!
Working Husky John som ledarhunh.
Working Husky Pelle during coffee break.
Working Husky Qarla med isblå ögon.
Publicerad: 11 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.
Jokkmokks Winter Market…say no more…
Jokkmokk Winter Market is the happening with a big H. During a couple of hectic days Jokkmokk transforms from a silent idyllic village to a meeting place of great dignity. Up to 80’000 visitors has visit this market during one week. This is more than a 20 times the normal populations of Jokkmokk that is approx. 3500 inhabitants. The traffic gets a little bit chaotic, reindeer caravans on the streets, helicopters, snow mobiles, sled dogs… During these days we limit our tours to maximum 3 hour tours so that as many as possible gets the opportunity to ride. That we our selves get the opportunity for lectures or shopping is utopia. We drive dog sleds, feed dog, prepare the tracks, answer in phones and try to have time to eat and sleep etc. This is a week with full speed! Funny with a lot of nice people, lack of sleep and something to talk about in the village. Up here the year is the life before the market and the eventually life that still exists inside of us after the market. ;) If you want to come in 2010 book accommodation in time… Welcome!
/Â Matti
Volkers hundspann i full fart nere på Skabramsjön.Working Husky Holly leder stinas hundspann med mestadels unghundar.Jokkmokksmarknad, en handels och mötesplats sedan 400år.Jokkmokk har altid varit en naturlig mötesplats i Lappland.En vintermarknad utan kola är ingen vintermarknad!Sten och Stina äter köttsoppa ute i skogen tillsammans med Willes gäng.Lapplandsnattens mörker sänker sig runt lägerelden.
Publicerad: 5 February, 2009 i Aktuellt.