Dogsledding pictures!
Mar. 9th, 2011 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaAs promised, here are some pictures from my dogsledding trip! (If you're new to my flist and want to know more about dogsledding, I wrote up an essay on it for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ds_workshop a couple of years ago.)
We went from Jokkmokk to Saltoluokta by way of Årrenjarka, and it took six days. There was one other participant, a middle-aged man from Germany who was a total fanboy for Sweden. *g* And of course there was the guide, who was the same as the other two times I've gone.
The longest day was 50 kilometers (31 miles), but the actual driving on that day was only 3-4 hours--the land was fairly flat and we were following some snowmobile tracks, so the trail was easy. But it's not like we had nothing to do the rest of the day--there were always lots of tasks. The lowest temperature during the days was -38 degrees Celsius (-36 degrees Fahrenheit), but we had good clothes and kept moving, so I was almost never cold.
Driving over a big lake (Karats, I think). This was pretty much the only time I could take a photo while driving, if I didn't want to fall off. Note the mountains above the treeline in the distance--that's where we're heading. The guide's sled is up ahead.
My lead dogs, Maja and Wendy. I'm very fond of Maja (the one in front)--she was on my team on my first trip, and she's both assertive and cuddly and likes to have her belly petted. Wendy is her daughter, and is very similar in both looks and personality. It was impossible to just pet one of them--if you did, the other one would come to claim her share of the attention, and you ended up with one hand for each dog.
The first cabin we slept in. Dog harnesses in the foreground. Also note the blue socks for the dogs, stuck together like a Christmas garland and hung up to dry.
This is Kicki, who has thin fur and so gets to sleep indoors every night. She's also cuddly, but not assertive at all.
Frying "palt" for lunch. This is a dish from northern Sweden, made with a dough of shredded raw potatoes and barley flour, which is formed into balls with bits of pork at the center. Bitter controversies arise over whether you should instead use wheat flour, and whether you should add blood to the dough (these are regional variations). You boil the balls in water, and then later if you want to you can cut them up and fry them in butter, which improves them tremendously IMO. You eat them with lingonberry jam on the side (that is, berries of Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
Cuddling in progress (with Maja, who was inside for the night because she was coughing). My red eyes and her gleaming green ones kind of make us look like a vampire and a werewolf. *g* This is the third night, where there was a modern cabin to stay in.
Unna (to the right) and Ushi, who were on my team. They are young dogs and siblings, and a pair of little rascals--Unna chewed off her neck line twice and they would happily have munched on their harnesses as well if I hadn't taken them off at every break. Their brother Ulleiman was one of my wheel dogs.
Near the treeline. The nearby deciduous trees are birches (Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa) and the darker ones near the treeline are Norway spruce (Picea abies). Usually the birches are the ones who grow nearest the treeline, but in some valleys this can become inverted because the cold air sinks to the bottom of the valley.
Alpine tundra.
My wheel dogs, Totte (looking up) and Ulleiman.
One of those dreamy days where you can hardly see the difference between sky and land. We've just climbed 500 meters (1640 feet) or so of altitude, and I'm pretty out of breath. You have to lighten the load for the dogs by either kicking with one foot, or (on the steep parts) running uphill behind the sled while holding on--and you don't set the pace, they do. Let's just say that it's fast, but will make your heart pound like it's going to burst out of your chest. Of course, you can take breaks, so you don't have to do the whole thing in one go.
Trying out snowshoes! I'd never used them before, actually--skis are so much more common in Sweden. I can see the appeal while going upwards or in deep loose snow, but I think I prefer skis otherwise. Sometimes you need snowshoes while dogsledding--if the snow is too deep and loose you have to walk in front of them to trample down the snow.
The remains of Juncus trifidus (in English apparently Highland Rush or Three-leaved Rush) sticking out of the snow in a patch that's blown thin.
The tracks of a hare in the birch forest, with shadows falling. This is one of the few pictures I took which I am happy with as a photo (I'm not much of a photographer).
ds_workshop a couple of years ago.) We went from Jokkmokk to Saltoluokta by way of Årrenjarka, and it took six days. There was one other participant, a middle-aged man from Germany who was a total fanboy for Sweden. *g* And of course there was the guide, who was the same as the other two times I've gone.
The longest day was 50 kilometers (31 miles), but the actual driving on that day was only 3-4 hours--the land was fairly flat and we were following some snowmobile tracks, so the trail was easy. But it's not like we had nothing to do the rest of the day--there were always lots of tasks. The lowest temperature during the days was -38 degrees Celsius (-36 degrees Fahrenheit), but we had good clothes and kept moving, so I was almost never cold.
Driving over a big lake (Karats, I think). This was pretty much the only time I could take a photo while driving, if I didn't want to fall off. Note the mountains above the treeline in the distance--that's where we're heading. The guide's sled is up ahead.
My lead dogs, Maja and Wendy. I'm very fond of Maja (the one in front)--she was on my team on my first trip, and she's both assertive and cuddly and likes to have her belly petted. Wendy is her daughter, and is very similar in both looks and personality. It was impossible to just pet one of them--if you did, the other one would come to claim her share of the attention, and you ended up with one hand for each dog.
The first cabin we slept in. Dog harnesses in the foreground. Also note the blue socks for the dogs, stuck together like a Christmas garland and hung up to dry.
This is Kicki, who has thin fur and so gets to sleep indoors every night. She's also cuddly, but not assertive at all.
Frying "palt" for lunch. This is a dish from northern Sweden, made with a dough of shredded raw potatoes and barley flour, which is formed into balls with bits of pork at the center. Bitter controversies arise over whether you should instead use wheat flour, and whether you should add blood to the dough (these are regional variations). You boil the balls in water, and then later if you want to you can cut them up and fry them in butter, which improves them tremendously IMO. You eat them with lingonberry jam on the side (that is, berries of Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
Cuddling in progress (with Maja, who was inside for the night because she was coughing). My red eyes and her gleaming green ones kind of make us look like a vampire and a werewolf. *g* This is the third night, where there was a modern cabin to stay in.
Unna (to the right) and Ushi, who were on my team. They are young dogs and siblings, and a pair of little rascals--Unna chewed off her neck line twice and they would happily have munched on their harnesses as well if I hadn't taken them off at every break. Their brother Ulleiman was one of my wheel dogs.
Near the treeline. The nearby deciduous trees are birches (Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa) and the darker ones near the treeline are Norway spruce (Picea abies). Usually the birches are the ones who grow nearest the treeline, but in some valleys this can become inverted because the cold air sinks to the bottom of the valley.
Alpine tundra.
My wheel dogs, Totte (looking up) and Ulleiman.
One of those dreamy days where you can hardly see the difference between sky and land. We've just climbed 500 meters (1640 feet) or so of altitude, and I'm pretty out of breath. You have to lighten the load for the dogs by either kicking with one foot, or (on the steep parts) running uphill behind the sled while holding on--and you don't set the pace, they do. Let's just say that it's fast, but will make your heart pound like it's going to burst out of your chest. Of course, you can take breaks, so you don't have to do the whole thing in one go.
Trying out snowshoes! I'd never used them before, actually--skis are so much more common in Sweden. I can see the appeal while going upwards or in deep loose snow, but I think I prefer skis otherwise. Sometimes you need snowshoes while dogsledding--if the snow is too deep and loose you have to walk in front of them to trample down the snow.
The remains of Juncus trifidus (in English apparently Highland Rush or Three-leaved Rush) sticking out of the snow in a patch that's blown thin.
The tracks of a hare in the birch forest, with shadows falling. This is one of the few pictures I took which I am happy with as a photo (I'm not much of a photographer).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 08:36 pm (UTC)(Also, hi, your beta is on my list of things to do once the present headache subsides. I haven't forgotten!)
<3
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 09:16 pm (UTC)Also, hi, your beta is on my list of things to do once the present headache subsides. I haven't forgotten!
No problem--I'm not in a hurry with it. And I hope your headache gets better soon!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 09:50 pm (UTC)The palt sounds like the more jam the better. (Ever had whale blubber? Unfortunately no jam for that one.)
I simply cannot imagine running in those snowshoes — falling, though, that comes immediately to mind.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventure. Did you have any problems with your camera battery running down at that temperature?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 07:53 am (UTC)Palt is actually quite okay. Although it's very filling, and if you eat too much you fall into what's called a "paltkoma" = palt coma. *g* And no, I've never tried whale blubber.
I didn't actually run in the snowshoes--I only tried them out at the end of the trip and tramped around in the forest with them.
And no, I had no problems with my camera battery. I kept the camera in an inner pocket so it wouldn't get cold. OTOH, then I had some problems with vapor condensing in it when I took it out--at least I think that's what happened. If you look at the top picture, it's a little bit blurred in the lower left part.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 10:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 07:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 10:46 pm (UTC)Thanks for sharing your adventure with us! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 07:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 04:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 10:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 11:57 pm (UTC)My favourite photo, funnily enough, is the last one. I love the way the tracks make me think of a ghost!bunny (maybe one of your own plot bunnies? *g*) and the falling shadows just gives it an edge, imho as a non-photographer person.
So, now that you've gone dogsledding twice, what would you say is the one thing that's really hard about it and what is the thing that surprises you because it might look tough, but is very simple?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 10:11 pm (UTC)So, now that you've gone dogsledding twice, what would you say is the one thing that's really hard about it and what is the thing that surprises you because it might look tough, but is very simple?
It's hard when you're traversing a slope and going upwards at the same time (or downwards, for that matter), because you can't help the dogs by pushing when you have to try to keep the sled on an even keel at the same time. As for the second question, hmm. I don't know?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 12:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 10:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-10 04:34 am (UTC)I've been meaning to thank you for my postcard. I squeed with delight when I saw the sled dogs on the front and, being such a geek as I am, was just as excited by the cheese stamp! I was lucky enough to find a Swedish postal site that would translate the page into English for me. Now I am on a mission to see if I can find the Vasterbotten cheese here in the cities.
You and Maja look very happy cuddling together!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 07:28 am (UTC)I'm glad you got the postcard! And hee, I didn't even notice what kind of stamp I put on it. I do love Västerbotten cheese, though--it's made in the region where I live. Maybe I could send you a piece in the mail if you don't find any? Although I don't know if one is allowed to send food into the US that way. Hmm.
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