Day 5 - Thursday 16 March 2006

Mollisjok - Joatka - 30 kms

Despite the awful night, I am up at 06.30 to help with the dogs. Apparently last night one of the oil riggers was looking for the loo and went into Jane and Emma’s room first and then Sid, Kirsty and Per Thore’s room next. One subtle word from Per Thore sent him scuttling back down the stairs. And I thought we were in for a night of rape and pillage!

As we have such an easy day today, we are leaving later so don’t have to rush. It feels quite strange to have a lot of time on my hands. We have got into the routine of packing and sorting the dogs out very efficiently. There are a few skidoo riders staying in the village and they pass us a few times. Our journey takes us over the largest lake in Finnmark, Lake Jiesavri. It is enormous! Everyone is very quiet and contemplative as we glide over the flat surface for hours. It is a joy to look behind and the see the line of sledgers unbroken. I feel confident enough now to use my camera whilst on the move. I just have to make sure that my dogs don’t try and overtake Dave as he is doing some pretty nifty filming. He is crouching right down on his runners and filming my dogs up close. On the edge of this huge lake are occasional wooden huts, which are used by fishermen in the summer. Sometimes there are a few caravans and I can imagine this must be a very popular resort for Norwegians when the ice has thawed.


Born to Sledge! 

We stop for lunch by a fishing hole that has a very long net in it. Per Thore drags the net up but no fish are to be seen. We are so lucky with the weather and when the sun comes out, the ice glistens on the nearby hills. The scenery is really spectacular.

By about 2pm, we arrive in Joatka, our next stop. This is a tiny settlement in the hills with quaint wooden buildings and the air of being well looked after. I immediately spy two Icelandic horses in a paddock and after hitching the dogs up, I go and make friends with them. About fifty skidoo riders turn up just after us and I hope that that aren’t staying the night here as well. It is quite a sight though – they look like Nordic Hell’s Angels.


Joatka 

We are staying a large bunkhouse – one big room for the boys and one for the girls with a kitchen in between. There are two long drop loos outside.

When I took the harnesses off my dogs, I suddenly got all upset. My dogs are so friendly and trusting. I have never had a dog as a pet and I know that I am going to miss Alaska, Toffee and the other two very much. The reason why I love adventure trips like this one and my horse riding expeditions, is that you build up a relationship with your animal and it makes the whole experience much richer. Of course it is also hard to leave them behind. Peter sees that I am upset and makes me sit on a wooden reindeer to cheer me up.

I go for a walk back to see the Icelandic ponies and meet Duncan. We hang out and then go for a beer (yes there is a small bar here!), then supper and then back to the bar for another beer. Two beers in one night is quite a lot for me on this trip.

At the briefing, it was mentioned that when we came into Joatka, Peter’s dogs went straight on and he had a hard time trying to get them to come back. Per Thore explained that these dogs had recently been used on in a big sledging race and the contestants usually bypass the village. It was lucky the dogs did stop otherwise Peter could have ended up in Russia.

All in all it was a lovely day today and Joatka is the most picturesque place we have stayed in so far.

I am sleeping on a settee and it is so comfort……a……b……..l……e zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz