| Dear All,
Marsi was a very nice and cozy place to stay. Those cabins are quite bare but comfortable as there is a lot of wood and each room has a fireplace. So we can dry our gloves and boot liners and keep warm.
There was even a sauna, but as it was down by the lake and we were so warm inside, nobody had the courage to go outside again, and roll in the snow!! Just going to the outside loo when it is -18 is enough. We had a very nice and quiet evening and started to get to know each other better. The great thing was that everybody just did whatever there was to do without waiting to be told or asked to do so. We each naturally helped each other with the dogs if we were finished first or carrying stuff and this made for a very relaxed atmosphere. Even the dogs seemed to have sensed it. They were so well behaved and very trusting.
The next morning we each had our tasks. The boys fed the dogs and got water and Emma (did I tell you that she was the expedition's doctor?) and myself prepared breakfast and cleaned up. Then we packed and off we went to prepare the sleds and harness the dogs to the pull lines.
Miko seemed to have fully recovered and could not stop to bark, jump, or howl as he was so excited to be out again and so eager to prove what a big boy he is (he is only 2) that he would even have tried to pull the sled on his own!!!
Did I tell you how each start feels like? Well, your dogs are harnessed, your bags are in the sled, your gloves are on, your heart is pumping, the adrenaline is racing, all this because as soon as the dogs see that Per Thore is making a move towards his red jacket which until then lies in the snow next to his sled, all hell breaks loose!!
The dogs go crazy as they know the start is seconds away and they all want to be in front of each other, but... wait a minute, aren't we supposed to be top dog and control them??? Don't we have a foot brake and a snow anchor???? Very funny! Each start went like this: both feet on the brakes, teeth gritted as however hard I tried to put all my weight on the brake (remember that the snow anchor is also in
place!!) the sled was still inching forward as 6 fit and beautiful huskies could not wait to go sledding!! Trying to stop them is like trying to stop a car accelerating by holding on to its rear bumper!!
So, balancing precariously on the foot brake, you get the snow anchor free without falling, all this to a deafening sound of dogs going crazy and off you go. Almost inevitably we stop to the howling despair and frustration of the dogs, as one team or another manages to leave without its driver and 6 smiling and very proud huskies pass all the sleds to get as close as possible to Per Thore!! But again, very calmly he stops the runaway sled, and when things are back to relative normality we are on the move. The column is then stretched with PT in the lead, our 5 sleds following and Emma closing the line as being in radio contact with Per Thore, she could warn him if any of us was in difficulty and we needed to stop.
The day was passing without too much drama, we saw some reindeers in the distance, and had some entertainment. The weather being warm, Matthew undid the top of his arctic suit and tied the sleeves around his waist. But with the constant shaking and movement of the sled, the arms would untie, and the bottom half of the suit would slide down, unveiling a nice pair of white longjohns. The inevitable happened as about the twentieth time that Matthew had to let go of the handlebars to pull his suit up, he fell and was dragged in the snow behing his sled! Poor him! He was between Per Thore's sled and mine and instead of feeling sorry, we were both in stitches, but he is such a good sport that he got up, laughed, put his suit back on properly this time, and off we all went again. The trip was going on really well, until, Miko had another fit. This time I knew what to do: I put my hand up to stop everybody, slammed the anchor in the snow, put my sled on its side and raced to him to free his collar from the line and comfort him. He was much quicker to recover as it went all much faster, but when we started again he was still like in a daze and not pulling very much. Lovely Miko! He looks like a fox, has the heart of a lion but the brains of a blonde!!
We reached the beautiful Sumi lodge of Mollisjokk (pronounce Mollisiok) by early afternoon and again worked quickly to have our camp ready for the night with our dogs happy and fed. Then it was time for us to have a warm shower, a glass of wine and rest before a delicious dinner of salmon. I spent a very enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen talking to Emma, Per Thore and the Sami owner of the lodge and something magical happened. Two of my dreams started to move into tangible territory! The crossing of Greenland on skis and saving cheetahs in Namibia. Isn't life wonderful and full of surprises in the most unexpected moments?
After dinner, a pack of cards was discovered and Adam, Matthew, Sean and myself started to play cards. We played the very intellectual game known as "president" in France and "a..hole" in English. What fun!
Beer and wine were flowing, Sean was a very determined "a..hole" (we must have played 20 games and he was never promoted to vice-a..hole!!
Then even Per Thore joined in and we went on late through the night.
At one point Mike, Matthew and I went to bed, but Sean, Adam and PT went on playing poker with.. green peas as currency, which would have been fine if PT would have stopped eating all his money!!
Nevertheless, everybody was up bright and early, breakfast was ready and off we went in the direction of Jotka. This is a very spectacular part of the trip as go up the river Lesjoka until the Tesjavri lake which is the biggest lake in Finnmark and we cross the lake. It is quite eerie as there is a feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere and for me it was just a little bit stressing knowing that we were over water. We drove through a road, and more toundra and reached the campement of Jotka. We had to stop there for the night as the place where we wanted to stop and which was an hour away was full.
There was a lot of activity as the next day was the start of the biggest dogsledding race of Finnmark, the Finnmarksloppe. In fact there are 2 races, a 500 kilometers one and a 1000 kilometers one. Per Thore's wife is doing the 500, and he was really busy with taking care of our group and helping his wife as much as he could over the phone.
But he is a cool tough cookie and if he was just slightly stressed, we could not tell!
Another good dinner but a quieter evening as we had to leave early the next morning. We were going to take the same route as the race but were driving towards Alta with the racers driving towards us on a very narrow track, so we had to clear the course on time. No problem except that we were going to drive through "Death seeker", (I know it is not written like that, but probalbly more like Detsikker), but believe me, it is the right name for that stretch of track!! We were doing so well up to then, not falling off our sleds, managing our sleds, that I believe that Per Thore was a bit frustrated as he was missing his fun.
Never one to disappoint, I fell trough death seeker (I even have it on video). It is a very sharp left turn, plunging down towards the outline of another bend, this time a sharp right turn. I must admit that I panicked slightly as I had heard of many "carnages" on this bend and ended up on my knees behind dragged into PT's sled. Total shame!!! We left the track and waited by the side to see the first competitors come through. Our dogs waited so patiently and well, it was a pleasure to watch!
And soon after, sadly, it was the end of this beautiful trip and for the last time we untied the dogs, emptied the sleds and tidied them.
Time for a shower, a hot tub, a visit to the ice hotel and then it was dinner time. Again we had some delicious salmon and .... a dessert!!
And although the ambiance was good, it was a bit sad as it was our last evening. There was a lot of excitement though as PT was a lot on the phone with his very brave wife who was racing and we could follow her good progress online.
The next morning, after a last long cuddle with my dogs, and a farewell to Emma and Per Thore, we left for London via Alta and Oslo.
This time, the trip went as planned and here I am, in London, happy to see my family and dogs again, but at the same time missing Norway, my team of huskies and the crisp cold snow. |