Guides note
In the end of February we have sunlight from 09.00
to 17.00 and the snow starting to get firm and settled.
We will also start to feel that the sun is warming
up our day a little bit and we can enjoy longer days.
The nights are full of stars and Northern Light. We
still have the mountains for ourselves and the nature
is showing one of its best faces.
During the tour you can choose to be involved as much
as you like to help with everything, take care of
our teams together, bring water, cleaning after the
dogs, and feed them and so on. The guide cooks all
the meals during the tour.
On this tour we follow our tracks in the biggest Naturereserve
in Europe – Vindelmountain Naturereserve and
on our home mountain Gardfjället.
In February the temperature is around -5 to -30 C.
Daylight from around 09.00 to 17.00. It’s always
something special when the sun go down and we turn
on our head torches, it is a lot of fun and an amazing
feeling to mush in the stream of light and see all
the millions of snow crystals blinking in different
colours to you. If the Northern Light is playing in
the same time it doesn’t get much better.
7-days tour program:
Arrival day
When you arrive in Lapland, Hemavan airport, you will
go by car the last 80 km to Umnäs. The first
thing we will do in Umnäs is to go and say hello
to the dogs. After that we have dinner at host home
or something lighter like sandwich/lunch depending
on what time you arrive. We also take a look on what
gear and clothes you need to borrow from us. We talk
about the tour and how to handle the sled and dogs.
We also have a practice time with the sled and the
pulling lines. Your first day and night you will stay
in a nice, cosy and warm Swedish lodge with electricity,
water, shower and internet connection. The lodge is
warmed up with wood.
Day 1
The first day out with the dogs. You eat breakfast
in your house around 8.00. Around 9.30 we meet in
the dog yard and pack the last stuff in our sleds.
You learn how to harness the dogs and you also get
to know the names of the dogs in your team. After
that it is time to pull the anchor, stand on the brake
and GO FOR IT!
Överstjuktan is our first destination; the distance
this day is 50 km. We go up and over a forest plateau,
crossing three lakes and climb up over a mountain
and down to our lodge for the night. The lodge in
Överstjuktan is a cosy mountain lodge and have
10 beds. We even have electricity from a nearby church.
We bring fresh water from the lake. When we arrive
we feed the dogs and give them straw to lie on, we
also feed them in the evening after we had our dinner.
If it is cold in the evening we also put a jacket
on the dogs for the night.
Day 2
Your guide wakes you up around 06.30 with breakfast
ready. After that we pack our bags and go out to the
dogs to feed them. After feeding we pack our sleds,
help out to clean after the dogs and harness them
up. Tärnasjön is our destination today;
the distance is 65 km. We go out on the big lake Juktan
for 16 km before we start going up and into a beautiful
mountain valley down to Biellojaure Lake. We go over
a big plateau to Tärna Lake before we reach the
lodge.
When we arrive to Tärna lodge we help each other
to take care of the dogs and feed them. We bring water
from a nearby stream and make ourselves comfortable
in the lodge before we have a nice dinner. After dinner
we go out to the dogs. Tärna lodge is a Swedish
tourist organisation lodge and have 22 beds, a big
kitchen and drying room. It lies at the beautiful
Tärna Lake surrounded by mountains.
Day 3
Your guide wakes you up around 07.30 with breakfast
ready.
This day we mush to Ammarnäs, 40 km, it is a
Sami village that lies in the end of a road. We start
this day by mushing out on Tärna Lake, than we
go up to a big mountain plateau before we go down
to Ammarnäs valley and the two big lakes for
the day. The last 8 km down to Ammarnäs we probably
do with our head torches on, amazing fun. Here we
stay at the guesthouse in Ammarnäs; we eat dinner
and breakfast in the restaurant. The guesthouse has
shower and sauna and that’s really nice.
Day 4
Today we feed the dogs 8.00 before we go and eat a
nice breakfast in the restaurant. This day we go to
Överstjuktan, 35 km from Ammarnäs. We start
to climb uphill, mush over Guvertmountian and then
we get a very nice and funny downhill to the lake
Överstjuktan. We go on the lake for 10 km and
then the Victoria church appears. When we arrive to
the lodge at Överstjuktan we help each other
like the days before.
Day 5
Last day out with the dogs. Your guide makes breakfast
before he wakes you up around 07.30. After that we
pack the sledges for the last time and are on our
way to Umnäs, 52 km. The last mushing day goes
over mountains, lakes and in to a fairytale landscape
of forest.
We mush directly in to the dog yard; we take of the
harnesses and let the dog lose in the dog yard so
we can give them really nice thanks for the tour.
We eat dinner at hosts home and celebrate the tour
and remember all things that happened during your
Dogsledding adventure.
Last overnight for this time in your cosy lodge in
Umnäs.
Departure day
Breakfast in your lodge before we go out to say goodbye
to the dogs. We eat lunch, write the guest book and
mark the maps over your days in the wilderness (if
you like).