Advertisement
Published: March 8th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Husky safari Finland March 2009
Day 1. On the 27th of Februari my Dad and I flew from Amsterdam via Helsinky to Kuusamo. From Kuusamo we had a drive from 1 hour (80km) We arrived in Saija around 22.00 where food stood ready and we saw our house that includes sauna, 2 beds, and all that we need.
Day 2. Around 8.00 breakfast was ready, this time we meet Helena Karppinen who runs the Saija hostel. The first two days we have no programm. this day we went for a walk around the Saija location (a 4 km walk) when we came back around 12.00 and lunch stood ready. All food was so good arranged, a warm soup, bread and salad. After lunch we went for langlaufen, this was a new experience and we found out that the 6 km track was 6km single way so we did 10km langlaufe (what was realy long) and the last two km we walked. The surrounding was so nice and we came near a small river that was still open. When we came back we where just in time for dinner and meet most of the people that stayed at Saija and
where introduced into the area. Helena told us about the area, wildlife and history. 22.00 we went back to our place and after some reading i went to sleep.
Day 3. After breakfast we went for a walk with huskys that are too old for running in front of a sledge. These dogs are so well focused on their job and less on play. My dad en I enjoyed our walk and made some nice photo's. After this walk we had lunch and later went for a long walk across the lake. Later we went into our own sauna, for cooling down we went outside with a temprature of -17 degrees. It was so nice to walk there in only a towel to cool down and than wass ourself in the snow. After dinner we enjoyed a beer with the new people that arrived. Slowly we see the group that would join on our husky adventure.
Day 4. in the morning we had first an introduction to the huskys and a short husky trip. This day I also meet Yvonne who later became a verry good friend. Infront of my sledge are 5 dogs, each team excisits of
two leaders, mine where Bebbe (the withe dog) and Pirta (looks like a wolf) in the middle is a young dog that needs to learn. His name is Laska, and sometimes pretend that he is a show dog that runs with his tail straigth up. The two weeler dogs are called Frank (brown) and Nome (white, Yellow). First we learn how to connect them to the sledge and in what order. later we went after our guide Youri on a snowmobile. The power in the huskys is so great it was so much fun. When we came back we learn how to un-span our sledge and in what cage the doge belong. After lunch my dad went for some relaxing and Yvonne and I went for a walk (12 km). After we had dinner and enjoyed a sauna.
Day 5. This day we had our first full day with the dogs, it was so nice. After prepairing my team and put them infront of the sledge I heard that I was the leading team for our group. Around noon we had lunch in the forest wih a campfire and some nice warm breads and soup. After we returned to
Saija and enjoyed the sauna and our dinner and after some beers we went to sleep.
Day 6. a full day of dogsledging across lakes, forests and verry small tracks.....like in ice age slalom baby slalom....so nice. Later the day we came in hills and had to go up and down hill. this was realy nice. sharp bends (sometimes to sharp) made it possible to use your balance to keep the sledge straigth. In the evening we visited a lodge where allot places where for the dogs. Here everybody took care for his own team and prepaired our own sleeping places. Youri prepaired the sauna and dinner and we helped him. After two Hours we fed the dogs. Nome was close to Laska and stole Laska his empty foodpan. So nice how these dogs have their own place in the pack. After the dogs where fed we went into the sauna and enjoyed the dinner. around 22.00 we went to sleep.
Day 7. In the morning after starting the fire I went allone for a walk, after one hour I came back and saw that the rest was waking up. We had a coffe or thee and fed
the dogs. After feeding the dogs we took our own breakfast. after cleaning we prepaired the dogs and cleaned the doghouses. Again we went started on our trip, when we crossed a morene (small track) I over speeded and lost controll of my sledge. I fall off and roled over and over.....fast i jumped on my dad his sledge and Youri stoped my team. It was so nice like we drove in a cristmass card. We stopped for lunch near a lake, Laska went playing in the snow and iI joined him....this dog is a sweatheart. Lunch was sauce and bread. Later we went across some large hills and back to Saija. Here we said good bay to our teams and discussed the trip wit a hot chocolate. In the afternoon we enjoyed a smoke sauna, this was realy nice but to bussy. after the sauna we went in to a hole into the ice in the lake.....we went head and all down under the cold water and walked in the snow. After Dinner we spoke trough our experiences with the other groups and went to bed early.
Day 8. The last day we have a large trip with
snow mobiles, this was realy nice. my dad and I ended our group and slowed down so we could go full spead....hehehe realy toys for boys. we stoped several times and had a good lunch. Here we discussed with Timmo (our guide) how fast these snow mobils can go. he said 60km an hour. I said he leied becouse I onmost reached already the 80km hehehe and hi smiled and admit that the top speed was arround the 100km. Later we where on a lake and my dad and i had to come to the front, here we where allowed to go full speed. My dad, Yvonne and I went around the 90 to 100 km. It was so much fun.
This was the last day of an unforgetible holliday, it was so much fun and intresting. the next morning we left early around 7.00 for the airport.
Thanks Saija Team for all the care,
Hope to se you soon,
Advertisement
Tot: 0.288s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 62; dbt: 0.0743s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb