Favourite photos

This picture always makes me smile; Jeti playing the flute and Tuisku diggin' the music. ;-) Jeti was a truly remarkable dog, sadly she's no longer with us but is always in our thoughts.


Jeti, we miss you clever girl!



To Mum

This Sunday posting is dedicated to my mother Kaisa, who has always been a wonderful "Grandma" to all the dogs, a special friend of Tuisku, and a wonderful mother to my sister and me. We all hope you get well soon!

My interest in skiing and spending time in the outdoors come from both my parents.
As a teenager my mother was a Lapland junior cross-country skiing champion!

Journey across the mountains

We've been on a skijoring trip in Swedish Lapland with Gem, Titan and Tuisku. A strenuous trail with lots of steep uphills that really tested our dogs' stamina and determination, not to mention our own! I bought a new pair of backcountry skiing boots just prior to the trip and ended up with awful blisters on both feet. But spending a few days in the magnificent mountains is definitely worth the pain...

The journey began in Katterjåkk near Riksgränsen, 300km north of the Arctic Circle. Our trail took us far above the lift system, up on the "roof" of Lapland. This is a barren alpine area, home to eagles, reindeer, lynx and wolverine. We were lucky to see four eagles circling above us at close range - wow! 

The winds were strong during our first day but luckily we left the worst weather behind us as we travelled south on the trail.



As always, Tuisku was a huge asset to our expedition. When negotiating steep descents, Tuisku's ability to follow left and right commands meant I could avoid crashing down the mountain and instead enjoy an (almost) smooth ride, zig-zagging down the hills. 

   



We transported our gear in two pulks. The new Polaris pulka sled worked really well in the terrain, sliding easily on snow and providing ample space for tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, food etc. 



On top of the sled bag is a built-in map holder which is really useful on a trip like this. In some places the trail markings were missing and we did manage to take a wrong turn that set us back about 2 hours. Lesson learned: check the map more frequently! 

Spot the dog team! I could have stayed all day in this beautiful place.

A break to admire the view. Somewhere in the distance is Sweden's highest mountain, Kebnekaise.

On the ice of the river in the Abisko Valley towards the end of our trip.  

We met some friends on the trail. Happy huskies heading north!

Titan and Gem had lots of fun on the trail - check out their smiles and tails. :-)

Well done Titan who completed the requirements for his WTD-title - including some extra bonus miles! 

This was Titan's first major trip and he absolutely loved it!

Tuisku and Gem are now one step closer to their WTDX-titles. Well done all!

So long mountains, miss you already and hope to see you soon!

Quick trip to Greenland

Nooo, we didn't go to Greenland...but we did make another beautiful trip along the coast today, skijoring in the  Bjuröklubb Nature Reserve with Tuisku and Titan.

In winter, this coastal landscape looks a bit like a slice of Greenland. Directly behind the hills the land
drops steeply into the ocean. We made sure we didn't get too close to the edge.

The stunning miniature peaks are shaped by the ocean wind. But today was calm with hardly any wind at all.

While skijoring we were on the outlook for the seal colony which can sometimes be seen on this part of the coast.
We didn't have any luck today, but hopefully later this spring we'll catch them sunbathing on the drifting ice.

It's fun to navigate without a trail and it's also a good way to find out if a dog knows his left from right. 

Titan is beginning to know his commands fairly well by now.

Malamutes look truly at home in this landscape.

A visit to Bjuröklubb Nature Reserve is warmly recommended if you're in the area.
It's a beautiful stretch of coast in every season. Dogs are allowed when kept on a lead.

Sledog Mountainous Peak

Practice makes perfect.

Cruisin' the ice

The weather gods listened and we're back in business - the temperature has dropped well below zero and we had a fantastic time today, skijoring on the windswept ice of an ocean bay.

     Tuisku, Gem and Thunder out on a new adventure. 

Gemmy and Thunder

 The dashing Mr Thunder

Check out the smile on this guy! :)

Words can't describe a day like this - it's almost a divine experience...

Pure bliss - and smiles on everyone's faces. :-)

Drip drop...

Drip drop, drip drop...the sound of melting snow and ice is NOT sweet music to my ears...where did the beautiful winter go?!! Let's hope it's just temporary as we still have so many things planned for the weeks ahead.

  +6C, melting snow and sunny skies....NOT what we ordered! 

Gemma got into the spring mood today and enjoyed a refreshing back rub in the snow...

Even Tuisku decided it was too hot for working....

I give up, it's too hot!

Calling friends in Alaska, Canada and Siberia - please send some cold weather over here!

Old photos

I search through the various digital archives of Alaska from time to time and found this photo in the Ward Well Collection of the Anchorage Museum. It shows the last dog team carrying mail between Gambell and Savoonga on Saint Lawrence Island in 1963. Photographer: Ward W. Wells.

The black & white lead dog to the left (with big coat and huge feet) reminds me of a certain Malamute.

 Found another old photo in my own archives - Leia and Tuisku out in wet spring weather back in 2006. 

For some reason this photo really makes me miss Lapland....I must make a trip up there soon!