Sled dog adventure through Sjaunja and Kebnekaise
On Thursday the 25th March started five dog teams, 28 Siberian Huskies, one Border Collie and five persons out from Stora Sjöfallet.
The first day offered us quite many tracks from wolverine but they where all probably from one single animal. We did also see willow grouse, fox tracks and the small dipper in the open water between Sattisjaure and Teusa. After a long day we reached the Teusajaure cabin.
The next day started out demanding because the guide (Matti) wanted to try a new approach up to the mountain… If you are going north from Teusa you can choose to follow the lake west and follow the snowmobile trail up to the mountain where the rising altitude splits up on a longer distance. Or, you choose to go straight up behind the cabin hosts house… which we did… Most of the skiers come down this way. The whole difference in altitude presents in a very short distance. Now afterwards with the key in my hand I can tell you that it’s possible, but it would have been easier if we didn’t do it in the beginning of the tour with fully loaded sleds. We advanced up the hill in short 5 meters stages. In the steepest parts my sled was going back downwards if I didn’t stand on the break in the pauses for breath.
When we finally reached the top the plan was to go to the Hukejaure cabins. After some hours struggling in the powder snow we modified our plans and headed for the cabins in Singi instead. 24 hours later we reached Hukejaure. From there we drove to the Kaitumjaure huts and followed the Kaitum lakes down to Tjuonajokk. This was my first time to Tjuonajokk with a group. It’s a very nice place with nice staff that I think I have to visit an autumn in the future.
Our last day became the longest with a distance of 48 km back to Saltoluokta.
Summery: A great tour that we will continue to have in our program for many years, but maybe we will start the tour in Ritsem instead.
Tove (Sweden) was back with us for the 5 time. Very nice! She as well as David (Wales), Angie and Thibault (France) are more than welcome back again in the future!
/Matti
Publicerad: 31 March, 2010 i Aktuellt.
Explore Sarek National Park 2010
The 15th of March was the start date for one of our most extreme dog sled tours in our program. Eight days through Sarek National Park, where conveniences like cabins and marked trails don’t exist.
This year we had Olle, Jens and Henrik as guests on the tour.
Just before start we got green light from the reindeer keepers that we could start the tour from Saltoluokta which was our original plan. We (Jokkmokkguiderna) always try to have a good communication with the reindeer keeping Sami’s in the area where we travel so we don’t disturb the reindeers. This winter we were lucky to get a gap between two bigger reindeer groups so we could go through without making any problems.
We went south from Saltoluokta to Sitojaure lake and from there west to Rinim towards Pierikjaure and down into Rapadalen (Rapavalley). The second and third nights offered us marvellous northern lights (latin name: aurora borealis) dancing over the mountains. We continued west through Alkavagge and out to Padjelanta National Park. The snow condition changed from hard and easy travelled in the east from Sarek to soft, deep and heavy…snow up to our knees in central Sarek and towards west. The dogs and we had to work hard to reach Tarralouppal and the upper part of Tarradalen (Tarravalley). The trail in Tarradalen down to Kvikkjokk went like clockwork! The longest day we went 55 km.
We spent one night in SĂĄmmarlappa cabin together with the cabin host Ola and stopped for coffee and a chat with Marianne and Roger at Tarrakaise. We continued along the trail to Kvikkjokk and followed the Kings trail to the hostess Berta in PĂĄrte cabin. The next day we reached Aktse where we met Lena, Ă–rjan and their 12 huskies. We had a nice evening with lots of stories about the life out in the mountains, dog sledding and huskies.
At day 8, our last day on the trail we crossed over the mountain towards Sitojaure cabin and had a coffee break with the cabin hostess Anna-Lena. The last 20 km over the mountain to Saltoluokta gave us some hard wind and bad visibility. The hot sauna and delicious dinner in the restaurant was waiting.
Summery of the tour: It’s a very various tour and as usual in Sarek, no trails, heavy sleds but a magnificent landscape. I can really recommend this tour for you who are mentally prepared to work hard and stay out without facilities as cabins and toilets etc.
/ Matti
Publicerad: 23 March, 2010 i Aktuellt.
Overnight tour with dog sled
Lisa and Matthias from Germany followed me for two days on a tour in the forests of Jokkmokk.
Matthias drove his own team of dogs on a short 3 hour tour with us last winter and found out that this was fun and he wanted more. This is a very common phenomenon with people who try dog sledding. You just have to do it again and again and …
Now he came back with his girlfriend Lisa and we got two very nice days together.
After instructions in how to handle the dog team we drove 31 km to a very cosy timber hut called Fallkojan. I think this is one of my favourite huts.
Along the way we made lunch over open fire by Pärlälven (that means Pearl River).
On the tour we had most of the young dogs that was borne in June last summer. They made a terrific job and are very friendly and calm.
After a good sleep in the cabin we headed back the next day over a layer of new fallen snow.
Maybe Lisa and Matthias will come back for an even longer tour next year…?
/Stina
Publicerad: 15 March, 2010 i Aktuellt.
The gate to Sarek National Park
After a few days of rest for the dogs at home at the kennel we loaded sleds and dogs again for a new week tour (6 days) from Saltoluokta.
On this tour followed Marianne and Roland from the southernmost parts of Sweden and Paola and Franco from Italy.
On the first day we had hard wind and a lot of snow was in the air. After checking the weather forecasts we decided not to go up on the bare mountain and instead go on a day tour down along the Lulea River. You should always have respect for bad weather in the mountains. We got a windy but nice tour down in the protecting forest and ate lunch with the Öberg family in Björkudden.
The next day we headed up to the mountains and defied the decreasing wind. Sitojaure, Sitoälven, Aktse, Tjaktjajaure, Rittak, Aktsenjunjes, Sitojaure and finally back to Saltoluokta Mountain Station. The tour was enlightening by very nice guests and sometimes interesting weather.
If I should make a summery of this tour I would say that even if it was very windy the first day we could have taken us to Sitojaure the first day, but the margins was smaller than I wished and it would have been a very hard day.
You should always be open for modifications of your plans when you travel in the mountains.
/Matti
Publicerad: 14 March, 2010 i Aktuellt.