Day 2 - Monday 13 March 2006

Gargia -Souluvombi - 30 kms

I am up at 0630. The room is a complete mess of disgarded clothes. Jane keeps losing things which is making me nervous and I now have my rucksac and a huge carrier bag full of clothes that I won't be taking with me including the ski pants I bought from TK Maxx and my polar bear pyjamas. I put on my long johns and thermal top which Sid has said we will all be walking around in for the duration of the trip and go to find the dogs. The dogs...........what can I say? This is possibly the most beautiful sight I have seen in a long time. There they all are, seventy two dogs chained in long lines. Are they friendly or will they bite? I walk cautiously along the line. They are wagging their tails and straining at their chains for a stroke.

Sledge dogs waiting in line 

One in particular catches my eye. She is small with black and speckly grey fur and the most brilliant ice blue eyes.

The shy dog wth blue eyes 

Some dogs are very friendly and others are cautious or stay curled up in their straw lined hollows. After breakfast I stow my excess clothing away in a store room and take my now downsized bag of equipment back down to where the dogs and sledges are waiting. Per Thore shows us all how to harness the dogs and attach them to the traces on the sledge. It all looks really easy. I won't have a problem.


The Dog Master with all the harnesses 


Eager sledgers! 

He rigs one of the sledges up and asks Peter if he wants to have a go. Peter shoots off across the snow like a real pro and we don't see him again for a while. Per Thore then sorts a four dog team out for each of us. I am given two very friendly lead dogs - Alaska and Toffee and then two back dogs known as the wheels. One of them is the black and grey bitch I saw earlier so I am really pleased. The other back dog is a black and tan husky who is very shy. I never find out their names as they belong to another breeder.

The wooden sledges look very flimsy. They have a blue zipped waterproof bag on the front of them which is for our bags. Per Thore gives a quick instruction on how to use the brake and ice anchor, tells me to stick behind him (do I really look that nervous?)and off we go.

It is a fantastic sensation being pulled along by the dogs in the snow and balancing on the runners at the back of the sledge. I keep up with Per Thore as we climb through woods, sometimes having to push the sledge to help the dogs. I watch how he stands on the runners with such ease holding on with one hand. I am grasping with both but I seem to get the hang of it quite quickly. People behind are falling off and we have to wait for them to catch the dogs and get back into line. We leave the treeline and climb up into the hills. It is very bleak and the wind is blowing hard and cold. Every so often we pass a cairn with a wooden cross stuck in it. Former dog sledgers I assume! Everytime we stop, my hands get colder and colder even though I am wearing thermal inner gloves and thick ski mitts on top. The heavier men are finding it harder and harder to push the sledges and Dave the BBC cameraman is feeling faint.
Per Thore makes him come up to the front and Kirsty the doctor checks him out. He doesn't look well at all. He is carrying much more equipment than anyone else so Jane takes some of his camera equipment to lesson the weight. We don't stop for lunch as we have to make up the time for all the stops we have made. Funny thing is I don't feel hungry at all.

We arrive at Soulivombi which is a small settlement of huts and caravans, a small cafe and a wooden bunkhouse. There is an entrance for the men and one for the women, no running water and three long drop toilets near the cafe.

Per Thore puts out long lines with chains attached for the dogs. I stop my sledge, remove each dog in turn and clip them to the chains. I remove their harnesses and try to remember which one goes on which dog. I then push my sledge down the hill to the bunkhouse and park it.


Bunkhouse at Souvulombi 

I am on dog feeding duty this evening so I just have time to put my bags in one of the rooms. The dogs are fed a mixture of reindeer meat, biscuits and hot water which is kept in insulated containers. There are six of these containers and twenty four stainless steel bowls. We carry the whole lot up to where the dogs are and Per Thore hands me a pair of thick rubber gloves and tells me to stir the mixture until it is like a thick soup. It is truly foul especially for a vegetarian like me. I am nearly sick. It is dark so I have to wear my head torch. With a scoop I fill twelve bowls from each box. The other members of the team, take the bowls to the dogs. The dogs wolf the food down and the bowls are empty in no time at all. The team collects the empty bowls and I start stirring another box of the vile stew until all seventy one dogs have been fed.

About ten minutes after all the dogs have eaten, they lift up their heads and howl in unison like a huge pack of wolves. It is the most amazing primal sound.


One little dog howling his heart out 

While my team is on dog duty, another team is making supper which we can eat in the cafe. Our food is mainly pasta and dry packets of sauce mixes, bread, tea and coffee. Everynight we will have a briefing from the team leaders. Tonight the men aren't very happy with all the pushing they had to do up the hills today. Some want more dogs but this is not possible. The lighter members of the group suffered from the cold waiting for the men to catch up. Sid says that we have to do another day to see if these problems still exist.

I am sharing a room with Judy and Rie, the Japanese lady tonight. I feel sorry for them because I have a really bad snoring habit. I also have an annoying night cough not helped by the very dry conditions here.

I am in the top bunk clutching a packet of Lockets.

Goodnight!