Dog-sledding was the last of the tours that we booked and the three of us were going. We all bundled up warmly and walked down to the Tourist Info centre for our pick up. They took us quite far outside of Tromsø, past lakes and little red houses to a camp area. We went in and picked up our snow suits – a very bright blue for me, as well as a silly furry hat. Then we went to meet the dogs.
They were VERY excited, they were already hitched up to the sleds and were barking their heads off! I’ve never really met working dogs before and these were really interesting – they weren’t super friendly, willing to accept a few pats but so keen to get on the move! The guide showed us the basics of what to do then we set off. I was paired up with this Aussie guy (you can’t escape Aussies, we’re everywhere!) who was in Europe on a holiday, and he was driving first.
The first section was really easy, since he was driving, and I sat in the sled taking photos and giggling a lot – it was so surreal. Yesterday reindeer sledding, today dogs! But the landscape took my breath away, it was so beautiful. It got to the halfway point and we had to stop to give the dogs a breather so we all pulled over and got out into the snow.
Next, it was my turn to drive. I thought it would be pretty easy but actually it was really hard. You had to stand on a strut at the back that was used as the brake, and no matter how hard I stood on it, the dogs wouldn’t slow down. We kept getting really close to the people in front and I was not balanced particularly well. We then went up a little hill and back down again and the dogs took off. They got really close to the edges of the run and then it happened…. I got smacked in the face with a branch, tried to duck out of the way, lost my balance and we fell into the snow. Lucky the guide was on it, because the dogs just bolted. He managed to grab them before they ran away.
Meanwhile I’d landed up to my thighs in snow and was trying to get out. Uninjured, my new friend helped me out, then he chivalrously offered to drive, an offer that I took. Not long after that Krysty and Emma, who were in the sled in front of us, also took a tumble. It was so funny, one minute they were upright then they had a very slow sideways crash. One of the other pairs also crashed as well – lucky snow is soft!
After finishing sledding, we helped the guide to take the dogs off the sleds and put them back in their kennels. It was quite different from handling pet dogs, these ones were feisty and stubborn! But we got them all off and then went to the laavu for some lunch and tea, which was much needed after all the cold air and snow!
Our bus took us back to Tromsø city, and we went to the pub for a drink to celebrate a very good few days in the Arctic Circle. The next day, I hopped on my plane to Oslo, then to London (the whole travel and flight took all day), while Krysty and Emma were off to Poland for a bit. It was such a good adventure in Tromsø, and it will stick with me for a long time!