Husky Special - Weekplan 2011
 Dogsledding in the Swedish Wilderness 
Sled training behind the snowmobile  Winter sunset 
Happy musher and her team
Catching dinner?
Pluto- special husky with a special sound
Sleeping in tent among the stars and Aurora Borelis
Coffe-time! 
Silent travel
Dinner time
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Sunday
Arrival any time afternoon or evening. We will organize a transfer from Östersund.
You are then welcome to settle in and get to know the farm and its inhabitants.
The first meeting with our huskies is for the novice a mind blowing experience.
Husky dogs are very friendly, excitable and will wish welcome with their lovely howls.
Sled dogs are normally smaller than most newcomers expect them to be.
We breed our own Alaskan Huskies as well as buy some every year.
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Monday
Following breakfast we will equip you with what you need
in terms of boots and additional clothing.
You will then meet the dogs, observe the feeding of the dogs,
(we feed a large amount of meat/water mix in the mornings)
change straw in the dogs huts and simply participate in the daily dog yard service.
We will teach you about harnesses, lines, sleds and
other relevant equipment in this first session. We have the possibility to give you
the easiest and safest possible introduction to the art of dog sledding by pulling your sled
behind a snow machine (snowmobile) while you are getting the feel of how to steer,
break and hook up a sled before you actually start mushing your own husky team.
This practice run will assist in minimizing trouble while en-route.
Time for our first barbecue-we have a grill-tipi on the farm.
The Grill Masters creations with sausages, bacon, hamburgers and fish finger meals
from the grill are well known and much appreciated.
Now for what you came for: 20 to 30 kilometers mushing tour in the afternoon.
The husky holiday guests are mostly astonished with the huskies power and eagerness to pull. A husky can run almost endlessly if they are well trained and fed. Our huskies are!
Energy left to spend?
Snowshoe-walk with some puppies?
Or a Nordic-walking try-out?
Feeding time, dogs first. And they will give you the most beautiful thank you for the food.
Relax with a book or as we often do; see a mushing film.
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Tuesday
You need a good breakfast to keep you going, so do the dogs.
Our high standard of dog care is best maintained by giving the dogs a good and nourishing fish and meat soup in the mornings. A well-hydrated dog is an essential. It is nice if you would like to involve yourself in the dog care, maybe also join us on a puppy walk.
We get ourselves ready for a new tour when the dogs are "watered"..
You drive your own husky team on a 30-40 km tour, and get to practice on some curvy forest tracks, taking us into a vast open landscape. A lovely tour where you start to really get the hang of the wonders of mushing. We give the dogs a snack of meat/fish before we have our lunch.
Ice-fishing. We make our way to a nearby lake on cross country skis (or you might have had enough exercise for one day, and prefer snowmobile transport). Our super fishing guide, Sten, drills holes in the ice and helps us put out some pike-traps, which are to be visited again next day.
Feeding of dogs round 17.00 hours. We leave you to it… almost.
Do not leave any of them unfed!!
Some enthusiasts cannot get enough and have now started
making ice sculptures – which is creative, fun and rewarding.
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Wednesday.
Morning routine (watering and yard cleaning).
If it suits and you feel ready for it, we can add a dog or two to your
team to give you more power. 40 km ride – hold on.
Skis, Nordic Walking, Snowshoes, Snowmobile down to the lake. We take up the pike-traps, which should secure our dinner. Only once were we totally out of luck. You might want to try regular fishing through a hole in the ice?
Tobogganing – having fun racing down a hill on plastic sleds. Take this opportunity - it is a thrilling experience.
Dinner time. Pike of course; filleted, smoked and grilled, served as the delicacy it is.
Our little survival expedition starting tomorrow will require planning and packing.
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Thursday.
Rigging for our winter camping dog sledding adventure.
We bring with us all gear and food for the dogs and people. Expeditions, short or long,
it takes time to get it all together, and we recon on being off at noon.
Camp spot some 30 k away. We park the dogs on stake out lines when we arrive at our camp. First of all one takes care of the dogs. Tasks are being shared out.
We drill a hole in the ice for taking up water. The water is fresh and clean.
Rig the mobile fodder cooker, and we get going on preparing the evening meal for the dogs. Tents and tipi get raised. Evening meal in the tipi.
To make the adventure complete, there is nothing like sleeping out
in the open – increases your chances of seeing Aurora Borealis.
It is all rather basic when we are on tours like this. You learn a lot and experience a closeness to the environment you couldn’t otherwise imagine being possible. Eating out at night get a new dimension.
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Friday
Last day on the sled. Many thoughts and feelings coming to you as we cruise along over marshes, hills and through forests.
Husky tours are special in the sense that it is such a silent way of gliding through
the nature, but it is also a challenge to make sure one interferes with the wild life
as little as possible.
Sustainable tourism put into practice. The tours take place in areas
where reindeer husbandry is common.
We take special care not to disturb the reindeers.
We don’t see moose (elk) on every tour, hope you are lucky.
Some forest birds like ptarmigan and black grouse are common, some deer’s,
some lynx tracks, all there, soak it all in.
Wolverine are often seen around the reindeer herds. The bears are hibernating, just as well.
Your team of dedicated huskies have become your friends.
A new world has opened to you.
Well back home sauna and shower will do us good now.
We offer to copy everyone’s photos on a DVD or to your memory stick, then you probably have some 1000 lovely memories.
Grand evening meal with local specialties to complete an unforgettable week.
Last look out for Northern Lights?
You have travelled well, you have eaten well, but you did not find time
to try out all available activities? Ok then, come back next year. |
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Saturday.
Breakfast and good bye to all the dogs.
Transfer to Östersund in the morning.
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