After our day of sledding behind the dogs, we were treated to a find banquet of salmon and mushroom soup. The mushrooms were locally foraged and the soup was to die for. Above you see the salmon staked to boards and cooked over the open fire. It was really delicious.
Bundled up in our multiple layers and the warm outerwear supplied for us, we walked next door to the lodge to meet the sled dogs and get mounted up for a mush through the snow. The kids were all loaded onto one sled that was driven by our guide.
I don't have photos of the ride itself since E was the passenger and I was the driver of our sled. Imagine a vehicle where the only pedal you need is a brake. Take you foot off the brake and it goes. That's a dog sled. These animals are eager to run and pull. The only limit we had on our sled was my ability to stand on the brake and the fact that if I didn't we'd run over the sled in front of us.
When we got back, we got to meet some of the new arrivals in the kennel. While there is no place for these sorts of dogs as pets, they are mighty cute.
Interestingly, these are all Alaskan dogs rather than Siberian. We were told that Siberian dogs are built for much colder climates and don't do well in Lapland. The Alaskan dog are much better suited to the local climate.
After our visit with Santa, we stopped at a nearby kotta to warm up and have a bit of refreshment. Here, another of Santa's elves assisted us.
After our ride through the snow behind the reindeer, we went back to the coral and fed them. Reindeer eat lichen from the trees in the forest. We were given a bin of lichen someone had harvested for us and the kids got to feed the animals through the fence. Everybody was happy.
This forest is enchanting. However, I'm pretty sure that I don't want to be here in the summer. This conifer forest must be filled with mosquitoes when it is warm here. Now, however, it is delightful.
It seems that the Finns build these small huts in the forest. This small one might be a refuge from the cold, I don't know. This small log cabins are called Kotta, huts, in Finnish. The scene sure is pretty though.
The trees here all look like they've been powdered with confectioners sugar. The cold and the frequent light snows contribute to this. As you can see from the snow on the roof of the building, the snow is fairly deep. We also find this out when we step off the beaten path. It looks relatively light out as if the sun were doing its job. But notice the lights on in the background. It is still pretty dark. The exposure of the camera is fooling you.
After breakfast we donned our serious winter clothes (provided) and headed out for a morning of play in the snow. This meant lots of tobogganing off of a small hill constructed for the purpose and a bit of riding a tethered snowmobile.
As you can see, it is still dark. Between the cloud over and the sun never really getting above the horizon this time of year, it was never very bright outside. As you can see below, it does get brighter, but not a lot.
Our destination for this adventure is Muonio, Finland. It is located about 200 km above the arctic circle. Thus, it is not surprising that it is dark and snowing.
