Stage 13 - In Northern Finland

Hour after hour we zoom over good roads through tall and blushing tree landscapes. Now it is Ruska. What we admired in Sweden before is even more pronounced here. We never thought it was possible, but much, much stronger colors shine around us as we glide through forests and lake landscapes. And reindeer. Reindeer everywhere. We quickly realize that they are really nothing special here anymore, but they belong here. They are at home here. Humans are more like rare inhabitants.

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It gets evening and it gets dark. This time even an hour earlier, because there is a different time zone here. Somehow we are already used to driving in the dark. Nevertheless, it feels weird when we end up in the black nothingness right in front of the destination shown to us by Google Maps. After a small driveway, the black forest opens up. It's 10:30 p.m. and we are tired and a little hungry, and at a fork in the road we think. Left or right? The indication on the mobile phone is not clear. Finally, we decide on the left. The car rumbles and creaks, the road is narrow and only the headlights give us a weak light. There's nothing here. Oh man..

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Eventually, we turn around. It was the wrong way. Now we also see it on our mobile phone. We should have gone right. How can we turn around in this darkness? First of all, drive backwards. Very slowly. Ten minutes and a few gray hairs later, we are once again at the fork in the road and this time we go right. Now it seems to fit. How on earth do the residents get here when it snows? Then everything is closed!?

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Our arrival at the farm, which is barely visible in the dark, is accompanied by loud and wild howling of dogs. We laugh and are very happy! That's exactly why we are here. A female voice quickly calms the animals and then it is quiet again. Silence. We have parked in the clearly designated parking space and step out onto the self-built terrace and look out into the forest in front of us, where the stars, the moon, and even some northern lights shimmer. Yesterday we were so far away. Completely elsewhere, trapped in a completely different magical world. Now here. Finland. Green light is no longer so important, now it's all about trees. And huskies. We are excited and curious about the next day.

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That day comes quickly, because we are awakened by the chickens next to us. They cackle and the rooster crows and obviously the owners are now also on their feet, as well as two other visitors. Yesterday in the dark, we were able to explore the self-built outhouse next to our parking space. Now, in daylight, so much more is revealed. A tipi tent is in front of us and it has windows and looks very cozy. The view goes directly to the lake in front of us, which is crystal clear and blue. While I am still a little shy, Chris is already exploring the surroundings and chatting with our hosts. Today, if we want, we can take a husky tour. Or go to the sauna by the lake? Unfortunately, we have to move on in the evening because new guests are coming and they need all the space. We roam the property and right on the jetty on the way to the lake, there is a sauna and a cooking cabin covered with fur. Above it is a small log cabin that seems to be for guests, as well as a large cozy wooden house. And the most important thing - there is an obviously huge, expansive enclosure around it, from which many curious eyes look at us. There are so many huskies here, each with their own area where they can feel at home. Sleeping places, climbing routes, and wooden treehouses, little huts, and bathing spots. Lovingly and creatively built, that is immediately clear. And something else becomes clear to us when we get to know Josephin and Markus shortly afterwards. The two of them have created a little paradise here in Finnish Lapland. For themselves and a total of 36 dear happy lively huskies. What an experience.

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Markus explains to us in Swiss German how the dogs work and shows us the feeding place where each dog has its own spot marked by their name. He tells us how they take in the dogs when they seem unhappy elsewhere and then integrate them into the pack with a lot of effort and love. It quickly becomes clear that the two of them and their dogs are a family and it is easy to imagine that they would also sleep outside with the animals if necessary. In any case, each animal has a name and of course its own character. In general, huskies are very familiar, affectionate animals, but they also have their own minds and a high need for exercise. We can hardly wait and soon Markus opens the gate to the smaller enclosure where the newcomers, together with the pack leader and a few particularly social animals, are getting used to the environment and their new family in the first weeks. Immediately, we have five or six muzzles on our hands, which is a completely normal greeting. The dogs are excited and happy and bustling around our legs and hands. I am in bliss. So much energy and love and curiosity. We laugh and listen attentively to Markus and ask many questions and want to understand everything.

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Finally, we go out again and now it is time to prepare the dogs for a ride. For this, we will use the summer wagon, a sled on which one person sits and the other stands behind and steers the dogs. Without runners, but with wheels instead. The dogs are very excited now and are bustling around the yard. Josephine, who has now joined us, along with another couple who is doing an internship here for a few weeks, helps out. The names of the dogs are given to us, which we then find on their collars, put harnesses on them, and then click them into the designated place on the leash. Always two side by side. The dogs are eager to participate, but they worry that they won't be allowed to and therefore become very restless if they are among the last ones. The sled is securely attached to a pole so that the animals don't just take off in their excitement as soon as they are harnessed. As Josi announced, the animals start howling very loudly as soon as they are hooked to the sled. They are so happy and can't wait, and you can hardly hear your own words. That's why everything is going very quickly now, I jump on the wagon and as soon as the last husky, the lead dog, is harnessed in, Josi releases the band from the sled and it races off the yard. It all happens so fast, like on a roller coaster, and I hold on tight.

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Markus, who is standing behind me at the handlebars, calls the animals "Left" and "right" with two imagined commands that sound very different. The animals run and run, but he keeps slowing them down. They shouldn't strain themselves too much. That's how I learn from him during the ride that they are gradually trained for endurance in the summer so that they are fit in the winter. And even then, they should never give too much power at the beginning, because the distances can be long. It is important to pay attention to their pace and individual running ability, as well as their condition, skill, and obedience. Each member of the pack has a different role, including in front of the sled/wagon. They run along small forest paths, over rocks and stones. I feel a little strange, sitting in the wagon like an old box and being pulled through the tundra with nothing to do. Carriage rides always have a touch of being served. But before I know it, Markus asks if I want to steer myself. What a question? And of course, instinctively, I give it some gas. So I release the brakes and the vehicle takes off. Markus, who is now sitting in the front, asks me to drive a little slower. Oh yes, the dogs. Embarrassed, I have to admit to myself that for a short time I just had "Speed!" in my head, just like you would in a car. That it is about deliberate training and necessary attentiveness for the sake of the living beings here, really escaped me for a moment. Oh man..

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As we roll back into the yard, Chris and Josi meet us and help us immediately with unharnessing the dogs. Then they are given plenty of water and can recover. At the same time, we start harnessing "Chris' pack". Here too, the dogs participate magnificently and it is such a joy to gently put on their harnesses and feel their anticipation. So much energy and happiness! Shortly afterwards, the sled races off the yard with Chris behind the wheel, and Josi and I go into the dog enclosure, sit down on a fur-covered seating set, and drink glögg, Finnish mulled wine. Delicious! She tells me how she and Markus met a few years ago during an internship at a husky farm and then started with 4 huskies in Switzerland. How they planned everything and built it up from there - including self-built exhibition stands for a lot of marketing. Then, at some point, they went to Finland, but the bureaucratic stuff was quite complicated. And then came Corona. Their vision of sustainable, loving husky tourism, also for parents and siblings of seriously ill children, had to wait for a while. They experienced a cold, long, and worrisome winter in Lapland, but didn't give up. More and more dogs joined them because they said that on other local husky farms, the dogs are often subjected to unpleasant conditions, locked up in too small cages, or the owners are overwhelmed. Then they took them in and took care of their integration. Finally, last spring, Markus went to Switzerland for a few months to earn money. Josi stayed alone on the farm and took care of the animals. It's amazing how much you sometimes have to fight for your dreams and what you can achieve. In between, the dogs come back to us again and again, cuddle up next to us or clearly want to be petted and involved.

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My Chris also comes with a wide grin on his face, now behind the wheel himself, driving into the yard. Unhooking again and providing water, chatting and exchanging experiences, hopes, and beautiful perspectives. Then we say goodbye. Josi and Markus are expecting new guests today and we don't want to keep them occupied for too long. Clearly, they have a lot to do. We are grateful for the time and that our visit was so spontaneous, exactly in our style.

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As we continue driving, we know that we will come back. It was too wonderful to work with the animals and be in nature and get involved and participate for a tiny moment in a difficult but life filled with love and energy.

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Now the time has come. We were able to put it off for a long time. We even extended it by another week. But there is no more postponing. In two days we have to be in Tampere. That's 1000 kilometers of Finnish Ruska. Hours and hours past a landscape that once again unexpectedly takes our breath away with its uniqueness. The colors of the trees, the shrubs, the flowers, the nature are unique and we lose ourselves in it. We dive in and drink the autumn with our eyes. We swim in the sea passing countless lakes, white herds of reindeer, and through endless forests. We only make one stop at a rather uncomfortable but clean campsite to take a shower (we still smell like dogs) and wash dishes (they smell like food). Then, smelling fresh, we continue and turn off. Suddenly we find ourselves on the bumpiest road since Jokkmokk and after 10 minutes, we realize that our intended sleeping spot by the lake requires another 20 minutes on this road, which doesn't deserve to be called a road. But it's somehow too late to turn back, so we decide to cross our fingers and sweat. No more flat tires, especially not here in the Finnish forest!?

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We make it, but unfortunately, we are not rewarded. The lonely spot by the lake has already been visited by several other campers, so we quickly retreat - it's almost dark again - into our cozy mobile home.

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The next morning, we treat ourselves to breakfast by the lake before rushing on. We have to cover kilometers. But first, we drive back the bumpy road and this time we meet hunters by the roadside who don't look very friendly. Who knows what moose or bear we just saved by doing that?

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Bears. Yes, we would have liked to see them. But for that, we would have to go all the way to the east, to the Russian border. Bear tours are offered there. Unfortunately, we are already too far by now and the planning is too advanced. Even if we took the crazy detour, we would now be too late for the start of the tour. Okay. You still need goals in life. We have seen and experienced so much already. "Be satisfied for once!"

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A pitiful substitute for the bear tour is the stop at the Arctic Circle, where a Santa Claus village with all sorts of gimmicks for the whole family has been built. Since Santa Claus has almost all of his products manufactured in China, we immediately leave his village again. But not without - I admit it - having bought a pair of long-awaited slippers for the camper.

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The second stop we make at a cute little rest area, also located by a lake. A very kind lady stands in a wooden shack and sells ice cream, sweets, and.. pictures. I buy the former immediately, and she shows me the latter in the barn next door, which is apparently very old and therefore suitable for exhibiting the self-painted animal pictures. I like everything very much and I ask Chris to take a look as well. He gets out of the car and does me the favor. In high spirits from the warm conversation with the woman, who also spoke a little German, we continue driving. Finally, we stop at a campsite right by the highway. I look at Chris incredulously. Once again grateful that he is so patient, he suggests that we at least take a look at the place and then decide, of course, whether we want to continue. So said, so done. And indeed, the campsite is right by the sea. And that's what Chris wished for. "To be by the sea once more."

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The spot we are allowed to choose is far away from the other campers and promises wild romance. Right on the beach, surrounded by trees, with the sound of the highway like the sound of the waves. Okay.

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I get a big shock when, after I have paid, a huge tour bus pulls into the campsite. Packed full of people. Oh no! Is the idyll over? They pour out of the bus like ants and immediately spread out to the small cabins at the edge of the forest, located at a safe distance from us, which are apparently made for such "coffee trips".

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The mosquitoes are back and we can't sit for long in the cozy glow of our lantern, so we soon snuggle up in our bus. Tomorrow we will reach Tampere... we have come so far, seen so much... and yet there is still so much to dream about..!