A Dream Realized
When I was in Girl Scouts, they had this fantastic program called Wider Opportunities. They were these over the top summer programs to far off destinations across the United States and even Europe. Everything from White Water rafting in the Grand Canyon to hiking in the Alps. But the one that I wanted to do most was Dog Sledding in Alaska.
These trips cost more money than going to my local Girl Scout camp and the only way I could possibly go was to sell enough Girl Scout cookies to offset the cost through credits. As hard as I tried, I never sold enough to make my Dog Sledding dreams a reality. My consolation prize was a scuba diving/certification trip on Lake Michigan. Pretty awesome, but I still always wished I could have made it to Alaska for dog sledding.
Well, this past week, my dream of dog sledding across a snow covered landscape finally came true (and it was every bit as magical as I thought it would be)!
This adventure wasn’t in Alaska, but in the Swedish Lapland, the northernmost province of Sweden situated along the Arctic Circle. While planning our year, we consulted a travel agency that specializes in planning family sabbaticals and they shared that a trip to the Swedish Lapland consistently ranks among the top rated trips for families. So, we booked 5 days, 4 nights at the Sorbyn Lodge in Gunnarsbyn, Sweden for our New Years.
Side note: we had plans for our incredible neighbors “the Stacks” to join us, but alas, COVID struck and made it impossible for them to join us. Our hope is they will meet up with us somewhere else as the kids are going through friend withdrawal.
While in Sorbyn, we took advantage of all the outdoor activities we could, from Ice Fishing and Kick Sledding to Snowmobiling and visiting a Reindeer Farm and learning about the indigenous Sami people (more on all of these in another blog). These were all awesome experiences, but the hands down favorite was our visit to Yellow Snow Husky Tours. This is where my 11 year old-self’s dream became a reality for me (and for our 11 and 8 year old children).
After getting suited up in our arctic gear, we got to meet many of the 34 huskies they have at Yellow Snow (love the name!). This included some of the older, retired dogs, and their two newest pups - Baileys and Kahlua. We received a quick tutorial on how to drive the slay and hook up the dogs, then we met our teams and set out for nearly a 12KM (nearly 7.5 mile), 1.5 hour tour through gorgeous untouched forests, frozen lakes, and fields.
Paul and I took turns leading our team of 5 dogs, while Ben and Sophia were pulled by 6 dogs led by Matti and Susi, and Ava got to ride and drive with our instructor, Sanne.
The views were mesmerizingly spectacular, pictures really don’t do them justice, gliding through the snow, pulled by the incredible power of 5 relatively small dogs, was thrilling, and the sounds of the dogs breathing, snow and ice crunching below our sled, and not much else was soothing to the point of meditative.
Ava and her dogs were in the lead with Paul and I right behind and Ben and Sophia pulling up the rear. The two front sleds tested a deep snow bank, which resulted in our sleds tipping over (no one hurt in the process, but lots of laughter). Everyone had a blast and agreed that driving the sled was the most fun.
The kids were fascinated by the business and wanted to know how old they had to be to intern and how much money they made doing this work. Sanne shared that you had to be 18 to join them and that the business was their passion and a way of life, not something you do to make a lot of money. A great lesson that the kids seemed to understand and appreciate.
