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30 Jan - Musher without a sled
Saturday training with two other mushers in the trail of the Bergeby race. Well, that was the plan, but the trail wasn't yet marked, so we could have been anywhere! From Bergeby to the Red Cross cabin on the tops above Seida, then back again. Some odd, white, flaky stuff fell from the sky. People here have forgotten what it's called, but the dogs reckoned it to be snow. Joy of joys! At last, at end to sledding across the heather!
After a coffee break at the Red Cross cabin, I managed to get the snow anchor hooked up in the rubber brake-mat, from underneath. The only way to get it loose was to deliberately tip the sled, hold the forward momentum of the dogs by armpower alone, and free the anchor. Unfortunately, the whole process of trying to brake with the anchor still stuck fast resulted in one of the brake-mat arms breaking. I still had the brake-mat, but it was only now attached on the one side. I signalled to the others that I had a problem, but most things sort themselves out, so I was left to deal with it.
Driving a sled with just the metal claw brake is usually fine, but when most of what you're driving over is frozen, bare ground, there's nothing to brake against. Apart from, that is, stones, tree roots and every little hump or dump, as well as the occasional troll that just wants to cast you over the front of the sled. The rubber brake-mat is therefore a bit of an essential during these testing times - something you can rest your heels on for miles on end - enough to regulate the progress of the dogs. I tried for a while with just the metal brake, but it was going to make for a hair-raising trip home, so I flipped down the brake-mat and crossed my fingers.
The rest of the trip was hassle-free, at least in terms of the brake, but just a mile after deciding to take an extra round, the other brake arm decided to give up the ghost. That was that, then. Back to base!
Training this week will just have to wait, either until I receive a new brake-mat in the post (hastily ordered by all means available, and on its way, Monday) or finish repairing the other sled (front bumper and loose runners). It's all time and expense at the moment. NEVER A TRAINING TRIP FROM BERGEBY WITHOUT SOMETHING HAPPENING!!!
26 Jan - Rollercoaster sledding
An 80 km (50 mile) sled tour from Vestre Jakobselv to Nyborgmoen and back. At the moment, I'm challenging both the dogs and myself, putting us in situations that we just have to deal with. There has been a marked increase in the number of 90-degree turns (round trees) and difficult trails, but nothing meets with the crossing of Flintelva on Monday! When you've never been somewhere before, you're not sure what to expect. I can only describe the experience around Flintelva as being on a rollercoaster ride! Nice long stretches of woodland trail, then suddenly a bobsleigh zig-zag bend down a hill, with an ice bridge thrown in for good measure. With every ice bridge comes open water at the side, just waiting to catch an unaware musher or a sled. (We made it through unscathed.) The high point must have been arriving at a suspension bridge! The dogs just looked at it, and I half-wondered whether we should take the bridge option, but decided to go round on the ice.
Apart from the hair-raising sections, it was great to be out after the sun had gone down. Clear, starry skies and a decent display of Northern Lights - long green streaks right across the sky.
The dogs gave a satisfied chorus of howling after they'd had their evening feed!
Meanwhile, yet another article in a local paper: Oldham Chronicle
20 Jan - Tales from the festive season
A summary of what we got up to during Christmas and the New Year...
The Saturday after Christmas was our toughest training tour so far. There was a couple of feet of new snow to plough through, combined with blowing snow and strong winds. At one point, there was so much snow ahead of the dogs that I had to swim upwards throught it! When we eventually turned towards home (in order for me to go to work!), we met three other dog teams on their way out. By that time, it was full blizzard conditions up on the tops, so the safest thing was to tag along with them.
Visiblity was next to nothing. Easy enough to see the reflective tape on the jacket of the musher in front, but with snow blowing across the beam of light from the headtorch, there wasn't much else to see. What with wrong turnings and constantly having to stop to check our location, we were out on the trail for over 8 hours. Amazing how little one recognises of familiar places when the weather closes in. It was my dogs' longest trip, both in terms of distance and time, but they were all in good spirits when they got home.
I spent the period after Christmas and into the New Year at home with the folks in Manchester. It was actually more like winter at home than in Norway, with minus temperatures and snow on the ground. I did a fair bit of family history research, but the main result was being interviewed by the local and regional newspapers about Finnmarksløpet (see below). Even before I returned to Norway, sponsor money had begun to drop through the letterbox. 
Meanwhile, a small gang of dependables were tasked with looking after the dogs in Vadsø. And boy, did they have a time of it! Some of the worst winter storms to hit East Finnmark, and all while I was away.... There was so much constant blizzard that people just had to stay at home. Those that did venture out used hours to complete journeys that usually take minutes. All credit to my friends for managing daily visits to feed the dogs, regardless.
6 Jan - In the news!
Thanks to the Manchester Evening News for the following story:
M.E.N.
... and to the Middleton Guardian for their story.
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