White Horizon - Day 5 & 6

Today is the big day, the start of the Overnight Tour. We woke up at -25 °C, which was unexpected because the previous days it was around -10 to -15 °C. Luckily, it has gotten a bit warmer.

We learned that the ideal temperature for dogs and guests is about -15 °C. -10 °C is still okay, anything warmer poses the risk of overheating the dogs. Below -30 °C, they no longer go out with guests, partly because the risk of frostbite is too high, and partly because the dogs can get pneumonia at these temperatures.

After breakfast, we packed everything necessary (mainly warm pads for feet and hands, as well as a toothbrush) into a dry bag, and layered ourselves with about 7 layers. Marlene also dressed in foot warmers. From this trip, there are a few exclusive sled impressions, after Marlene and Bianca became brave. Since I was sitting right behind Konstantin, I still didn't dare to attract attention. If he had dropped me off in the middle of nowhere, I would now know how to catch a fish, but this time there would have been neither a lake nor a fishing rod nearby.

After about 2 hours and the coolest forest section (a slalom between the dense trees - I felt like I was in Mario Kart, all that was missing were the red shells), we took our first break. Konstantin shoveled us a break station and we lined it with reindeer fur. The dogs were outraged that we were not continuing and it took them a good 15 minutes to stop barking/pulling/running in circles and finally take a well-deserved nap after having their snack fish. Meanwhile, we sipped from our thermos flasks. After we set off again, it took us about 2 more hours. In total, we covered about 60 km at 15 km/h.

When we arrived, we first took care of the dogs. We "pampered" them (stroked, praised, massaged), took off their harnesses, stored them overnight in the cabin, and hung them on the fixed leash with their collars. We filled their nests with wood shavings, put on their coats, and helped with feeding. After all our fingers were numb, we went into the slowly warming cabin with the stove that is "directly connected to hell". I have to say, it took a while, but when we went to sleep shortly before 10 o'clock, the interior temperature was quite pleasant. We ate dry "goulash". It was edible and we were satisfied. I don't want to say more about it. Before going to bed, we visited the outhouse again and rolled ourselves into sleeping bags. Overnight, the temperature in the cabin also dropped below 0 °C, after no one had added more wood. I probably shouldn't have decided to sleep in short sleeves. It was cool, but manageable. However, I hardly slept. The only reason I know that I actually slept is because I had nonsense dreams.

In the morning, the dogs were fed at 7:30, then we had breakfast. Konstantin made us pancakes on his camping stove with Nutella and 'Bob' strawberry jam. It was an experience.

Afterwards, we slowly packed everything up, prepared the sleds, dressed and undressed the dogs, and after about an hour, we set off on the 50 km journey back home across the lake. After about 3 hours, we were back on the farm, where we grilled sandwiches and cuddled with the dogs in the dog enclosure by the fire. I think we would all have preferred to cuddle with the dogs and then quickly jump in the shower. On the one hand, husky sledding surprisingly has a lot to do with braking, but also surprisingly a lot to do with dog feces. A wilderness overnight stay without running water is therefore an experience of a different kind on several levels.

The subsequent shower was a revelation and we felt like new people. For dinner, we had salmon and rice, and the salmon was incredibly good. Then we played Munchkin and went to bed. The next day, Konstantin, together with Matilda, Nele (Arvidsjaur Airport), and Nick (?), took us to Jörn after saying goodbye to a few dogs. There, we waited for another 2 hours for our night train to Sweden and met some Swedes who had never heard of 'Huskies'. Disturbing.