The taxi returned at 8:45am so we were ready by 8:15. Watched a bit of Finnish kid’s telly. Not only am I a little…who am I kidding…a lot hungover, but I’m going to have to wait till we get back to the centre to have a coffee. Not pleasant! There is nothing in the cabin. I was tempted to start gnawing on a piece of pine furniture. The temperature outside is -30.

Harriniva very busy with lots of departures. The Irish postman seems quite spritely for someone who seemed drunker than me last night. Mind you, if you were staying at the centre you could come down and get a coffee AS SOON AS YOU WOKE UP!! Anyway we had breakfast (I had a few gallons of coffee with milk…first milk since last Monday morning), swapped email addresses then it was the long bus trip back to Kittila airport.

Last glimpse of Harriniva

Checked in smoothly. Because it’s all Finnair, I even got my seat on the Helsinki – London leg allocated. Plane delayed 15 minutes. It is a lovely clear day and the flight is lovely and uneventful. I just write my journal and have a snooze.

Sitting in Helsinki airport with nothing to read. The shops, stupidly, are before the passport control so, unless you know, you miss them. The guy at passport control was a bit obnoxious. I handed him my passport, all smiles and he barked “Boarding Pass” as if it was checkpoint Charlie and I had a sign round my neck proclaiming me an escapee. Typical Finnish manners I guess. I smiled pleasantly at him and exaggerated my “thank you“, stretching it out to sugary proportions. There! I guess I showed him.

I did find an internet connection (2 Euros – this keyboard hasn’t got the Euro symbol on it!!! For 20 minutes) so I wasted some time deleting all the junk email we had. Weather in Helsinki is gross. Wet, slushy and 1°. D&D are staying in Helsinki tonight, flying back tomorrow (cheap flight) poor bastards. Missed saying goodbye to Helle because we all got separated after leaving the Kittila plane.

I had a moron next to me on my plane. Obviously never been on a plane before! The aisle seat was free. I had the window and he was in the middle. And he didn’t move over. He also had nothing to read so just sat staring at things. I’d been smart enough to grab one of the free papers they always have at the door of the plane but Mr Novice Dumbo missed out. He tried to sleep but the baby woke him up. He then tried to get my paper when I was briefly watching something on the screen. This was NOT successful for him.

Had to circle Heathrow because of traffic problems. Quite amazing. I’ve never seen so many planes all up in the air at the same time. Not when I’m up there as well, anyway. Quite scary. We got in 15 minutes late. I cleared everything without any problems and was on a coach to Woking by 6.25pm. And, surprise, surprise, the coach driver was ok. Even had the football on Radio 5 rather than the usual. Listened to Arsenal & Newcastle battle out a 1 all draw.

Met Mirinda in Woking at 7:15. It was SO good to see her. Home for a well earned bath and the first real bed for what felt like a hundred years.

How do I feel about it now? Do I want to go on another adventure holiday? Damn right I do! I had a great time. I miss it already.

Our last day. We have another long trek today, back to Harriniva.

A few minutes after we started this morning, one of the dogs had a problem with one of his ears – not one of mine, one of Helle’s. So Sanna switched dogs around. The one with the ear got to ride on the lead sled and David got to drive five dogs driving Sanna’s sled. Sanna had switched sleds as well because Helle’s was so damaged it was very difficult to drive. Helle had David’s. All of this took a while and my dogs were NOT happy just stopped in the track. It was difficult from where I was (at the back) to have any idea what was going on and I had to wait till we got back to find this out.

Had a stop along the way for reindeer soup. When we set off again, Rudi decided she wanted to check out the remains of soup in the fire so she started pulling the team into the snow drift. This was fine as I had some control over them by now. However, because I was applying the brake between drags of the sled, and the snow drift was about a metre deep, the brake got caught up underneath the sled. Then the dogs started back in the right direction. Great, I think, now I have no brake! I start thinking what is going to happen next time we hit a big hill or when the others stop. Sure, I can drag my boot but will this actually stop me?

On the move again

But no great problem after all. The next time we all stopped I moved right up to Helle’s sled and yelled at her to hold the lead dogs. When she’d grabbed them I quickly jumped off, lifted the sled and pulled the brake free, then back on. Took about a second. The timing was immaculate as the next thing we did was cross a highway.

We had to go one at a time and (obviously) watch for traffic. Helle went across with her brake on and there were sparks flying from the back of her sled! I had to wait for a car to pass then went skidding across. Having been on hard snow and grooved ice for the last few days, suddenly hitting icy bitumen was pretty wild. The sled was suddenly not happy following the dogs and decided to go swinging out. The dogs pulled valiantly and managed to get us back to rights. On the other side of the road the track split into two and I had no idea where the others had gone. Domino decided we were going right so I let her choose. It was a good choice.

The rest of the run was along River Muonio with Sweden on our right. All was going peacefully until just outside the town when two huskies came bounding out across the snow, intent on mischief. Kilka started carrying on but I managed to keep her going forward. Then as the stray dog drew level with my skids I kicked out at it, sending it bowling over. This turned out to be the right thing to do. If the dog had managed to catch my dogs there would have been an almighty fight. Anyway the owners turned up on a snowmobile and caught them and took them home. Sanna said later that it’s actually against the law to have huskies running free. She almost praised me for doing the right thing.

After that it was pretty much plain sailing back to where we started. We unhitched the dogs, unpacked the sleds and made our way back to the centre, a little world weary but feeling contented. I headed for the bar. Deb & Dave went to reception and were told by Eva Braun’s sister that we were to be installed in a cabin 3 kilometres away. Dave thought this was a joke. Silly boy. We had a couple of drinks (well, 4) then a taxi transported us and all our stuff to a couple of cabins on the edge of the river. They were attached, cabins 5 & 6 and we thought, great a bit of room, at last. D&D took 5 while Helle and I took 6.

We were sitting watching a Danish film. Well I was watching and Helle was explaining what was happening. We had showered and changed and felt terrific. There is a big farewell dinner tonight for everyone from all the teams and the taxi is due back at 6.30pm. Then the Germans arrived.

Alas, we were all supposed to be in one cabin and the Germans (6 of them) in the other. A quick tidy up of all our stuff and we invaded D&D’s cabin. We had to laugh. At least we all knew each other. It would have been a bit weird if it was our first night.

The taxi picked us up and we sat at the bar and drank a lot more. Sanna turned up at 8 all dressed up. This means she wore jeans and a bright red western style shirt.

Dinner was very nice and proved that there are millions of ways to serve reindeer. Sanna left at 10, after dessert as she has an early start in the morning (5 am) to take fresh dogs to her husband about 50k away on another trek. We drifted into the pub by the river and were entertained by a bunch of French people disco dancing to appalling music and a drunk Irish guy in a frightful yellow hat. It seemed the only two things he could say were “Fook” and “as me auld gran mudda always said!” usually both together. Dave called him the Irish postman – I have no idea why.

Eventually I collapsed drunk onto the lounge in the cabin at about 1am. I started watching a bit (about 1 minute) of a another Danish movie then slept. David snored most of the night. Unfortunately Debs DIDN’T have another nightmare.

It was WAY too hot last night. Took me ages to fall asleep then I only slept in fits and starts. Every time I turned onto my arm I’d automatically wake up. Then Debs had a nightmare and yelled something out that woke me up. The cabin was pitch black. I can’t see how it didn’t wake anyone else but no-one has mentioned it.

This morning I feel like a weather beaten old man. Although it’s been fantastic (still have a day and a half to go) I can’t see me doing anything like this again. I ache so much I can hardly move. The others are all younger than me. Helle is the closest at 39. I guess Mirinda was right, if I didn’t do this now, I’d never do it. Found out that Sanna is only 27 which explains a lot! Anyway, roll on Friday afternoon!

The saunas are pretty wild. Each hut sees a degradation in facilities. That doesn’t mean they don’t work. On the contrary, they work exceedingly well but there is always less space. For instance the first hut had three separate rooms for changing, then washing, then ‘sauna-ing’. The Pancake House had just the sauna. You undressed outside! It’s not so bad once you’ve had the sauna but it’s a bit scary when you strip off before going in!

My job each morning is to shovel the dog shit into a big plastic bag. This has to be done, otherwise the dogs eat it…again. I’ve never known a dog do this. It’s not like they’re hungry. Even on the run, as the dogs ahead shit, the dogs coming behind will try and snatch it in their teeth. This also leads to an almost permanent smell of dog shit along the trail, around the sleds, on my gloves, etc.

My aches and pains seem to be subsiding today so that by our lunch stop I felt almost human again. We had a lovely lunch of reindeer sausages on sticks, cooked over a fire in a pit. We stopped just outside the reindeer fence. Don’t know what the reindeer think about it. Didn’t see any to ask.

Helle fell off a couple of times today, also David twice. All in all a lovely run. A couple of hills but, because I’m getting used to it, my muscles have stopped complaining.

Sanna just told us a very odd Finnish custom. On New Years eve they get some tin, smelt it, then drop the molten metal into a bucket of cold water. The shape of the resultant slag is supposed to tell you of your year ahead. Sort of like tea leaf reading but without the pleasure of drinking it first. David thinks it’s a bit of concern that all these drunk Finns sit around smelting tin for a joke every New Years eve.

Tonight’s hut belongs to an elk hunting group and, although very nice and pine, is decorated with reindeer skulls and an odd board called a “Cartridge & Bullet Board”. This is a piece of wood with lots of different bullets stuck to it. Next to each one is it’s name, type and calibre. Also in the hut is a photograph of a bunch of guys in the woods barbecuing reindeer on a spit over an open fire. Looks very Deliverance. Sanna reckons they come here to get away from their wives.

Helle broke her sled today. It got away from her and tried to bring down a tree. The sled is a bit on the shattered side – the tree got off Scott free.

The waterhole is quite a distance from the hut so there’s a ski-mobile. Sanna and David drove off so Debs, Helle and I decided to try lighting a fire. We had no dry kindling and there is never any newspaper. So we pooled together our dirty tissues and packed them between bits of wood of varying sizes. Then it caught. Eureka! Then Sanna and Dave get back to Debs shrieks of “We made a fire!!!” Now, of course, we’re all bathed in smoke. Sanna says it’s because the fire is too big.

The others think Sanna is scary and bossy but I just think she’s a youth worker who treats us like recalcitrant youths. As Helle said the other day “It’s hard to know what to do when you don’t know where anything is or how it should be done.” Of course, we’re all adults, we can all survive in our own worlds but we need a little guidance in someone else’s. But we have not been given it here. If we’d been involved in the packing of everything and seen a map where we were going, etc, it would have been better.

I still can’t lie on my arm but it was a lot better today.

I’ve FINALLY learnt the names of my dogs. There’s Domina (front left), Rudi (front right), Hoppy (back left) and Kilka (back right) named after the famous Finnish pop singer. I chat and sing to them as we swish along. They are lovely, very friendly dogs and so easy to get on with. Mind you, I don’t have Kenny on my team. Debs reckons Kenny is Finnish for dog from hell. Rudi, by the way, is Finnish for gunpowder. The name has NOTHING to do with a wind problem…

My team - Domina, Rudi, Kilka & Hoppy

We are to have smoked salmon tonight, smoked in our own fire. Sanna is busy pounding it onto a piece of board. It is then sat facing the fire. After about an hour you eat it and by God it’s delicious!!!

Being in such close proximity to strangers is really weird. Debs, it seems, says things most nights. Last night it was a pathetic “Someone, please help me!” followed by a gruff, no nonsense, Linda Blair type voice “Aw, for fuck’s sake!!” Very odd. She has little idea what she dreams about, but, apparently last night involved spreadsheets.

I didn’t sleep too well. My arm is killing me! Whenever I moved in bed it refused to do anything so it needs a lot of help from my right hand. I cannot lie on my left side – it is impossible!

I have to admit I don’t have a lot of faith in Sanna. She’s very nice and very good with the dogs but she’s not that good with us. Actually she tends to treat us like the dogs: all nice when we do something right then all nasty if we stuff up. She didn’t seem very concerned about my arm yesterday and didn’t ask about it this morning.

Actually all of us are pretty sore from exercise we’re not used to but she seems totally unaware of it. Also yesterday she said it was a problem stopping in the road but only after we’d done it. Then last night she told us that the insides of the boots should be taken out each night and dried. She couldn’t tell us this on the first night? I suspect that deep down (or maybe NOT so deep down) she despises us soft, weak office working tourist types and loves to put us through as much hell as possible, and, hey, who can blame her.

The temperature today is -19 and it’s snowing lightly. We set off for our longest trek so far (about 20k). A lot of lakes to cross. Countryside as beautiful as everywhere else.

Stopped for lunch in a hut by a lake. Sanna made us reindeer burgers which were very, very nice. Macdonald’s should look at this as an alternative. The hut had a hole in the centre of the roof and a fire on a stone slab. On the slab was an excellent contraption that had four legs with four moveable arms attached at varying heights. This means you can swing the pots and pans over the flames. Very effective if you’re boiling two kettles and frying your slices of reindeer in a pan, all at the same time. The smoke rose very well. Mind you, I’m getting pretty used to breathing wood smoke.

Arctic Macdonalds

After a long break, we started again. Sanna was waiting for another team who are staying at the naked woman hut tonight. To avoid meeting them on the track. There’s NOT a lot of passing places. All of the tracks are just the width of the runners on the sled and the sides are piled up snow. But we couldn’t wait too long. And, naturally, we spotted them ahead of us, so Sanna headed off the track into the thick snow. Each of us had to bunch up so we could hold the harnesses of the dogs behind us so they didn’t go mad. Then, after about ten minutes, Sanna realised the others were doing the same thing about 300 metres ahead. So we set off again! Interestingly when we passed them, the guide didn’t wave but the other ‘trippers’ returned our cheerful greetings.

More lakes, not many hills, all nice and easy. We finally pulled up at our next cabin. We rounded a bend from a lake to a river, swung tightly round to the left and there it was. It looked fantastic as we approached it. All the other huts tend to be pretty sheltered but this one is just sitting on the edge of the river. It’s shaped a bit like the pentagon except a lot smaller and lower. Debs christened it the Pancake House. It being (sort of) round and (sort of) flat. There is a chimney in the centre and beds all round the walls. It’s called Suvasjangan.

From the front door we are looking at a range of hills that look pretty impressive. Our water supply is from a hole in the ice above the flowing river. It’s a bit different scooping moving water and being careful of the reeds rather than dipping into a very deep lake.

The cabin is very cosy. My arm is very sore. I’ll take some more painkillers. Jeez I could go a beer!

Shit! I’ve lost the left lens from my glasses!! It happened between walking into the hut and feeding the dogs. Because of the extremes in temperature they keep fogging up so I hang from my straps. We all searched but with so much glinting it’s like looking for keys on a beach! Good job I’ve got my sunglasses, mind you it’s very dim in this hut. There’s obviously some reason for the almost total lack of windows (I don’t dare ask because Dave would sally forth with a smug and long answer). I assume it’s something to do with keeping the heat in.

It’s very hot. Dinner was something with reindeer in it. Everyone’s a bit quiet tonight. A Dalwhinnie and bed.

Early start…well, 8am for breakfast – for us. Then more slop for the huskies. I’m a bit sore in the upper arms but otherwise not bad. Slept ok in the roof. Usual breakfast of cold meats and black coffee and egg – this time fried though. After feeding the dogs we cleaned up the cabin and packed our chattels and started hitching the dogs.

A bit of a shakey start with David & Hella stopping on the road and Sanna going off at them – they were out of earshot but Debs & I heard it pretty clear! “YOU MUST NOT STOP IN DA ROAD!” was the command. There was a problem with the dogs being caught up in the ropes but this does not alter the fact that YOU MUST NOT STOP IN DA ROAD!

Eventually we got going ok. Up big hills, down big hills. Down infinitely better than up except Debs rides her brakes so I try and let her get a little way ahead before gliding down. We stopped for a break after a couple of hours. I have discovered why the dogs roll around in the snow when we stop – I am also VERY hot in all my gear and it feels fantastic to just lie back in a nice deep snow bank. The temperature today is about -10 and the air is very still.

We crossed a frozen lake which was pretty fantastic. Everything looked so perfect. A whole lake and just the five of us and our dog teams. All you could hear was the swish of the skis across the ice.

Stopped for lunch at a lovely cabin full of pictures (and a rather bizarre female fireplace) of naked women. The guy that owns the place did it all – obviously during some long, lonely winter night!! Harriniva rents the place from him.

Our second wilderness hut

After a lovely lunch of something Swedish, it was back onto the track for a run up the hill, down the hill and across the lake. It was about this time that I learnt a very valuable life lesson – trees are not soft. We were racing down a very steep slope and I took a right bend a little too high. Then I hit a tree. I then hit the snow. Fortunately (for me) David & Helle fell off just behind me so I wasn’t alone!

At the bottom of the hill, Debs & Sanna saw first one set of dogs, then another, then a third, all appear without drivers. Debs said it was very funny but didn’t think Sanna got the joke!

Meanwhile Helle and David were trying to pick me up, without success. At first I thought I’d broken my arm but it wasn’t that bad, still, I couldn’t move it. I managed to twist round so my feet were on the path then with Helle to lend me balance I managed to get to my knees. David had gone down the hill to let the others know what had happened. When I was on my feet I realised I’d popped the joint at the top of my arm & shoulder. Not a lot, just enough to prevent me actually moving my arm. I slowly massaged it then gave it a little pull and voila! It popped back in – Helle said it sounded terrible. Once it popped back in it was fine, just very, very sore. I think it’s going to be very bruised (it wasn’t). Boy, I’m glad it wasn’t my head.

Anyway, back on the sleds and a long tour of the lake. We went across and around and across a bit more. So beautiful.

Back at the hut we had to get wood for the sauna (David & Helle) and water from the lake (me & Debs). There’s a marker where the ice hole is and you have to pick at it with a long spike thing to break the ice. Then you scoop out water into a big bucket which we sledded up to the sauna and hut.

The lake is wonderful as the sun is setting. Coffee and tea then feed the dogs. Again the mad scramble for food. The sauna is very hot and ready for us. The girls are going first and we men wait.

Sanna was telling us today about the rivalry between the husky people and the reindeer people. Apparently it gets pretty heated. A neighbour of hers (who she ‘quite likes’) runs a reindeer farm which is quite close to the back of her place. A whole lot of them were sitting round a table drinking, when this neighbour said if one of her dogs come too close to the fence he would just shoot it. She said if he shot one of her dogs she would shoot him! When we asked what she’d do if one of his reindeer came too close to her dogs, she smiled and said “Nothing. The dogs would do enough.” She had an evil glint in her eye, I might add. A tough lot out here in the wilderness.

This hut has an outside dunny which is a bit low – I can’t stand up in it. The hut also has no electricity but is centrally heated by a fire in the centre which heats water in pipes around the house. Of course, it all gets very cold if the fire goes out, but otherwise it works extremely well.

We have a long trek tomorrow as we will be crossing into the National Park – I thought we were in it but apparently we’ve just been circling Harriniva! – and crossing lots of lakes.

This country is so beautiful it’s hard to put into words, but it’s tough and unforgiving at the same time. You realise this as you chop wood or drag water. And all the time you have to put SO many clothes on every time you leave the warmth of the hut. Quite remarkable and so different from anything I have ever experienced. I know in Oz there’s lots of places where you have to slog away for every skerrick of life (I’ve seen a few) but at least it isn’t freezing at the same time! I’ve often said give me cold because there’s no relief from the sun but now I’m not so certain. Except in the hut, you have to wear an awful lot of clothing to stay warm here.

My arm/shoulder is starting to get very sore and I’m very glad I packed pain killers, primarily for other people.

We had a very funny night. Here in Finland there is a chocolate custard, moussey dessert thing. It comes in a Tretra Pak. It’s ok, not too sweet, just right sort of thing. What had us in absolute fits is that it’s called ‘Fanny’. This gave rise to such comments as “There’s nothing I like more after a hearty meal than a bit of Fanny!” and “A bit of Fanny before bedtime does wonders!” etc etc. You can imagine. Of course all of this had Debs declaring that Dave & I had mental ages of 10 year old boys. Eventually we calmed down, had another Dalwhinnie and it was off to bed.

Went down for breakfast about 8:30. The others already there. D&D are concerned about the cold. It’s started snowing and apparently (according to David) the forecast is for snow for the next four days. It’s very light, and if you ask me, it means it will be warmer. I’ve got a lot of layers on and I’m boiling – that is inside the centre, of course. I popped out and it felt ok.

Set off at 11am to meet the dogs. Sanna (& hubby – Tympani??) gave us a quick lesson in harnessing and driving the dogs. Important lesson #1, NEVER let go of the sled, is drummed into us. We all have four dogs and Sanna has six but then she has to bring all the supplies on her sled.

We finally set off about 12. What a buzz!! Downhill for the first bit then after about 5 minutes I lost my hat! So I stopped. I was at the back so I had to yell for the others to stop. I tried to get close to a tree to tie my sled off. Then I broke lesson #1. I DID have hold of the anchor rope though and was dragged about 6 metres before I managed to gain control of the sled again. I suddenly realised that the dogs had been pulling both the sled and me anyway so if I wasn’t standing up, it made no difference to them!

Eventually Sanna anchored her dogs and sent Debs back to hold my brake while I ran back for the hat. Stupid furry thing! I didn’t wear it after that.

We stopped for lunch after about an hour and 9kms. Minor collision between my sled and David’s legs. I didn’t see him stop and I was too close. He was ok, or just being tough. There was another husky group having lunch when we got there.

This place is a cabin, of sorts, near a river. All logs and woodsy. There is a cooking spot (outside) and firewood in a shed nearby. All mod cons. Poor Helle went to the toilet behind the woodshed when the toilet was in the opposite direction. I didn’t tell her since she’d already gone when I discovered it. Sanna should have known where it was, but she told Helle it was behind the woodshed!

We had fried salmon in a pita bread and coffee (tea for the others) for lunch.

The dogs from the other group were having a major argument, which kept setting our dogs off. Eventually (a LONG eventually) the other group left and we were left alone – our dogs suddenly became quiet.

Sanna swapped some of the dogs around and we set off again.

I might mention at this point that a lot of this trip involves running when the going’s uphill. This is bloody exhausting for someone like me who won’t even run for a bus. God knows how the dogs manage it. Also, your arms get really tired holding on to the sled all the time. And your legs ache because you’re always standing up! Sanna reckons it works out to 2km a day…

The countryside we’re passing through is indescribably beautiful and so quiet. That is when the ski mobiles aren’t travelling close behind, which they have done on occasion today.

The last section of today’s run was on a road (of sorts). There was a very tight right hand turn onto it, which also included a quick drop. I saw Debs hit it and vanish from view, then David so I slowed and took the corner with the ease and grace of someone born to drive huskies. Hella, bringing up the rear, did not fare so well. I suddenly realised her dogs were beside me and reached out and grabbed their ropes. I looked back and she was in the snow. She’d come off on the bend and let go. She got back on and we continued.

Helle seems to have the slowest dogs so I keep stopping when I can’t see her, to make sure she’s ok and to let her catch up a bit. Sanna, at the front, stops every now and then as well, but I think this is also to give the dogs a rest. Needless to say, Helle’s dogs get less of a rest than the others!

We got to the cabin at about 4.30pm after another hour and a half. This is our first wilderness cabin and the luxurious one in that it has electricity and flush toilet. It also has separate bedrooms. It’s very nice. It’s also very warm. We had a tea/coffee then fed the dogs which was an amazing experience.

Our very first wilderness hut

They get fed in pairs and go crazy for a soupy slop (made up of hot water, dry dog biscuit and a slab of frozen fish guts) that you wouldn’t feed to a dog!

The temperature is now -15. Sanna is getting the sauna ready while David lights the fire in the cabin – because he used to be a scout. The cabin is now full of smoke. Note: Don’t get lost in the wilderness with David! It seems to have calmed down a bit now as I can see the other side of the room. The cabin is pretty dim anyway but with the smoke it’s like being in a cave. I noticed this in my room at the centre as well. The lack of light. There’s usually a light above the table at shoulder height but nowhere else. That’s where I’m writing. This light is dim but rather nice and yellow.

Sanna is now helping David but the smoke just seems to get thicker – I feel like a kipper.

The girls have gone for a sauna, David is playing Patience (by Braille I assume as I’ve got the light) and I’m scribbling. David has a GPS which he keeps using to tell us where we are, what we’ve done and what the barometric pressure is. Unfortunately the cold saps the batteries so now I’m concerned about the camera which is having problems reading the light in the cold!! I hope the pics I’ve already taken come out because I never want to forget any of this. It’s all so brilliant…except for the smoke bit.

I was too hot today so maybe I’ll lose a layer tomorrow. My Telewest fleece might become a bit of cabin attire rather than something for the trail.

This cabin has a good toilet – actually the warmest room. Sanna says the main part of this cabin was built in about 1948 after the war. Apparently the Germans burnt most of Finland in WWII and then everything had to be rebuilt. The centre owns most of the cabins and rents a couple.

It’s hard to believe this place is ever green but apparently all the snow goes around summer. It would all look very different.

I fell up to my waist in the snow near the dogs, so I guess that’s a ditch. The dogs sleep outside, but they don’t seem to mind. They are Siberian huskies so I guess this weather is luxury to them.

I can’t believe how quiet it is outside – magic. Must be what space is like – without the vacuum, of course.

I think we’re in a hut called Nivunki. Either that of Nivunki is the Finnish word for Guestbook. I’d ask Sanna but I like the idea that it might just mean guestbook.

Had a lovely sauna. David, however, is unsure why Scandinavians do it for pleasure. It’s his first one and he’s not impressed.

Dinner was turkey and cheesy sauce. Very nice – no veg. Lovely pudding and a glass of malt whisky courtesy D&D. Feeling very tired and a bit achy. Will sleep well tonight but not sure if I’ll be able to move in the morning.

Slept for 10 hours! The morning is lovely and white – no sun due to light cloud cover. Popped outside then back in – it’s very cold.

Had breakfast; my typical European 3 cups of coffee followed by a ham, cheese and egg roll.

There’s three English guys staying here, around my age, who appear to have a large teddy with them. It’s about the size of a five year old child and sits with them. I noticed it last night but thought it was a decoration. It looks more like a grizzly than a teddy. Maybe it’s one of the family.

Last night an Italian woman (also on her own) asked me if I was part of her cross country ski group and also to open her door. Had to disappoint her on both counts. She had the wrong key. She spotted me this morning and I said hi in Italian. She still hasn’t found her group.

The showers here in the centre are brilliant! Power shower to the max. I know it’s sad to get excited by showers, however, once you live with the pathetic pressure they have in the UK, a shower with a bit of oomph is just heaven!

I rugged up and went to see what the day would bring. I walked into Muonio (3k) wearing many layers and nice and warm, except my toes. Two pairs of woollen socks and my walking boots do NOT keep my toes warm. Keep moving them as I walk to make sure they’re still attached.

The footpath beside the road is about the size of a country lane and very noisy underfoot. Scenery all very beautiful. Muonio appears to be a town full of supermarkets. It even has the ubiquitous Spar. There is a restaurant but it was closed. As were the three petrol stations. I walked to the church looking lovely in the weak sunshine. There’s a sort of mist everywhere – not sure what it is – like the English haze but white. It rolls in then out again.

There’s a thermometer in Muonio that proclaims it’s -22 but it doesn’t feel so cold.

On the whole the people do not seem very friendly. I passed a few pedestrians but no-one smiled or said hello. Except for a couple of guys in a car who waved and smiled. I assume they thought I was someone they knew.

This place is so beautiful. When trucks drive past there is a flurry of snow behind them where in Australia it would be clouds of dust. Saw a guy with lots of snow on his eyelashes and beard. It’s not snowing so I assume he’s been on a snow mobile or something. The lack of pollution is very evident; the air is so sweet.

Back at Harriniva, the huskies are howling in the compound. I’m sitting down drinking a beer after my 2 hour walk. This is the life!

Met a very friendly puppy outside (not a husky). Evidence of dogs is everywhere. Lots of yellow snow, for a start!

The day has turned very clear now (1:15) and the sun is very bright on the snow. Everything looks like Christmas.

A few facts: Harriniva Centre is situated on the banks of River Muonio with the National Park Pallas-Ounastunturi close by. It is 70k from Kittila airport. There is an ice hole by the river for (the brave) swimmers. The riverside sauna is a few metres away…if you survive I assume. On the opposite bank of the river is Sweden. Although the river looks frozen, it is quite thin in the middle so it is forbidden to cross. If you really need to go to Sweden, there is a bridge not far away.

Is that Sweden I see before me?

Harriniva has over 220 dogs in it’s Arctic Sledge Dog Centre.

Muonio has a population of 2500 people – not sure why they need so many supermarkets. The area has been inhabited since the Stone Age but only by Finns since 1575. Prior to this there were only Lapps. In Muonio there are approximately 7000 reindeer. Herding them is done by snow mobile and special reindeer dogs. No idea what kind of dog this is. Perhaps it has antlers. Muonio depends largely on tourism and 75% of the population is employed in service related industries (interesting they’re not more friendly then).

Well, I have met the guide and the other three people going on our safari. An English couple (Debs & Dave) and a Dane (Helle). Here was I worried that the group would include a big contingent of foreign friends and it’s just a bunch of ordinary strangers like me! Our guide is called Sanna and she uses her own dogs, which we will meet tomorrow. She loves all 48 of her dogs, and her job. She took us to the clothing store where we were fitted for thermal gear. The boots are massive! The overall is very warm and thick. I’ll be leaving a lot of stuff behind at the centre. We leave tomorrow at 11 to meet and learn how to hitch the dogs.

Afterwards, went for a walk ON the river as far as the bridge that is the border crossing. The sun was just going down and I was alone. It was so tranquil and perfect. I’d like to have just sat and contemplated but I’d have frozen solid in about 5 minutes so I retraced my steps.

Around the ice hole someone has been sculpting ice statues out of big pillars of ice. It all looks quite pagan. The cold is wonderful and there’s no wind tonight so there’s no real harshness. Being hauled by huskies may be a bit different.

It’s getting quite dark outside (6pm) and everything is turning a deep azure blue against the snow.

I went down for a beer before dinner. The centre is very warm after being outside. I was joined by Helle and D&D. D&D seem to have travelled everywhere in the known universe – Dave knows everything. Literally. Helle has a job like Farelli’s. Well in as much as she flies around the world training people.

Rang Mirinda for the last time. Won’t be able to call now until Friday when I get back.

Awake at 4.40am, left at 5.40. Distant sound of gunfire accompanied me down the hill to Farnham station. I assume it came from Aldershot. Gotta feel sorry for soldiers shooting at each other at 5.30 in the morning. I think war was more civilised when only fought during the daylight hours!

As usual, problems with the coach driver to Heathrow from Woking. Thankfully, not me this time. A woman didn’t have a ticket and the driver told her “you’ve got to go to the station and get one”. The guy at the station told her “as long as you have the right money you’ll be able to get a ticket on the bus”. The driver was adamant! I am not going to miss this stuff…even a week is something.

Something occurs to me: why does the bus always play Radio 2? Is it the RailAir official station?

Check-in at Heathrow very smooth – about 2 minutes. Through security without a blip. Businessman in front of me not so lucky. He had to virtually strip before they’d let him through. That’ll teach him to keep his clothes on!

Sat in departure lounge for two hours. Read Redmond O’Hanlon’s In Trouble Again. It’s all about South America and the Amazon, so the heat and insects and strange violent natives giving me a taste of nothing like where I’m going. Makes me feel less intrepid.

After a lifetime of waiting and wandering and waiting some more, I FINALLY get a call to go to gate 48 where I settle down to wait some more.

1848km to Helsinki, 2:35 hours. Window seat 24F. Set my watch to local time and off we go. Is this where a holiday really starts? Or is it when I get somewhere new? Helsinki? Anyway, the captain speaks some Finnish and it sounds like so much nonsense. It is supposed to be a very hard language to learn. I can see why. How do you tell the difference between “Ingle bingle dingle” and “Gingle dingle bingle” when it’s spoken so fast?

Actually the plane is a BA jet that Finnair is using. It has a camera mounted underneath so you can watch the take off and the ground for a while. Never seen this before and it’s really cute. Be a bit awful if you could see a truck coming straight for the plane, I guess, or a rocket. No-one sitting next to me, which is excellent. It is a magnificently clear day as we bank and I can almost see home in the distance. It is so clear I can make out a group of kids playing football. A brilliant day for flying.

We flew out over Watford which looked surprisingly green from up here. A lovely lunch of chicken in basil sauce, new potatoes, carrots and beans. Had a Lapin Kulta, the Golden Beer of Lapland. Not bad, a weak pale yellow lager. I assume it’s Lapland’s version of Fosters. Lapin Kulta = Cult of the Rabbit?

The baby stopped screaming as soon as it was fed…finally.

Clouds over the water then a dramatic change in scenery. Large swathes of snow, river like between clumps of trees, woods. It is -1 in Helsinki but it looks way colder from up here. Tractor tracks in white ploughed fields look very odd.

Wow! What a hike! I had to transfer at Helsinki for my plane to Kittila. From the plane I had to board a bus, then walk all the way through customs and out into the main Arrivals area of the International Terminal. Then it’s a 50 mile walk along a connecting corridor – not moving. Then you have to find the gate, which is miles away again. Anyway, as usual, I got there with heaps of time to spare. Hopefully my luggage will fare as well.

My first taste of the Finnish is that they are quite rude and have no idea how to queue. They just seem to drift into spaces beside or in front of you. And without making any eye contact, as if you don’t exist. Incredible. Mind you, domestic flights do not have allocated seating so maybe it’s a rush for the best seats. All the staff are nice enough.

So I’m on the plane to Kittila and the first major hurdle passed. Connecting flights!

20 minutes to go and the captain announces that it is -14 at Kittila. That’s more like it!

Arrived 5:45. One runway. The plane lands, slows, does a u-ey, then drives back to the terminal. Snow everywhere except the runway. Everyone gets off the plane and takes a picture of it. I think odd until I climb down. It is beautiful. The sun is going down and everything is white. The plane is very simply painted and combined with the golden glow coming from the terminal lights, it’s just magical. I took a picture too.

Kittila

I have always wanted to be the person whose name is on the cards that are held up by drivers at airports. And now, my wish has come true! A little guy (with little, if any, English) was holding up a little piece of paper with ‘Cook – Harriniva’ on it.

There were 6 of us in the mini-bus and we took a huge detour to drop 4 of them off in the middle of nowhere. We all ooh’d and ahh’d at the night skiing runs dotted along the way. Mostly, however, it was just snow and trees as the sun set.

We arrived a little after 7:30pm and I dumped my stuff in my room and joined everyone else for dinner – a strange fish thing with a buffet of salads. Had a couple of beers.

The centre is 3km outside a place called Muonio on Santa’s Road. It is all pine and multiple beds, like a ski lodge.

It’s now 9pm and I’m totally whacked so I’m going to bed. Tomorrow is my own until 4pm when I meet the rest of my group. Who knows what tomorrow will bring…