Dogsledding (Kvinen Part 1)

         On Monday, NLC and Global woke up early to drive around three hours to Sirdal, where we had booked a cabin stay for the week. On our last trip with Global, which I wrote about here, we had a lot of unexpected incidents, and a rather crazy time. This trip was just as eventful, but a whole lot more fun! 

        When we arrived in Sirdal we met a man named Odd Kvinen, who owns a bunch of sled dogs, and we were all excited for the chance to go dogsledding! It's an 11 kilometer (about 7 mile) trek through the mountains from the parking lot to the cabin, so we split into groups that would either cross country ski or sled there. The skiers set off, and the ten of us remaining got a quick lesson on how to dogsled. I was partnered up with Eric from Mozambique, and we--being the excited daredevils that we are--insisted on leading the pack. 

        The dogs were really friendly, and knew exactly what they were doing. Eric and I had to stand on the back of the sled and steer with our weight, using a footbrake if we got too close to the dogs. We were shown the way by Odd on a snowmobile, and he and two of his employees took all of our food and heavy baggage with them. (We learned our lesson after running out of bread last time, and brought more bread than I've ever seen!).  

        Riding the dogsled was hard work, and a bit scary. When we went uphill, Eric and I each had to get to a side and help push it up, which sometimes threw off the sled's balance. Balancing was the most difficult part, especially on the downhills. It was very icy, so we didn't have much control over the turns, and had to go slowly and carefully down. 

        About halfway through, there started to be a lot of downhills, so we had to wait for the snowmobiles to scope out the terrain before we got the okay to go on. It was dangerous for them as well, and more than once the carts they were carrying flipped over. 

        In the lead, Eric and I should have been setting the example, but we tipped over three times, sent sprawling across the ice while the dogs ran ahead. After our first fall, we got up and started towards Odd and the dogs, and Odd--an old and weathered Norwegian--said "Run you two!" so we hobbled on over. 

        The falling couldn't stop us from having an amazing time! There were two iced over lakes that we got to cross, and with our incredible surroundings, it was unforgettable! When we had about a kilometer left however, we hit a spot where three groups in a row fell over. Odd made the decision then that we should get off of the sleds for our own safety. It was a little disappointing getting kicked off, but dogsledding isn't easy, and we were going on rough ground with no experience. 

        We walked the rest of the way to the cabin, Kvinen, and got to work lighting the stoves, collecting water, and preparing for dinner. When people say cabin, I think of a little Lincoln-log type thing, that's not always the case with Norwegians. (Can it really be a cabin if it sleeps 30 people??). This 'cabin' was gorgeous and modern, and it felt like staying in a hotel. The river running next to Kvinen was fresh and clean, so we didn't have to worry about boiling all of our water like last time. 

        We'd been very lucky to take the sleds there, because it only took us two and a half hours to reach our destination. The skiers came much later, with the last group arriving after a five hour trip. A few had been rescued by the snowmobiles, but some people were determined to finish what they'd started. When we'd all settled in, we sat down to a dinner of chicken and pasta with spaghetti sauce and pesto. After a long day, it was one of the best meals I've ever had!