Most Inspirational Moment
Where do I start? The beauty of the area, the quiet, the clean air, the activities, but I think that the awe of experiencing the Northern Lights would take some beating. We truly were in the wilderness with no light pollution to obscure the views, and we could stand outside the cabins and have a 360 degree vista of the sky in unobscured darkness with the Northern Lights dancing across the sky, backlit by a clear array of moon and stars. Then during the day immersing ourselves in the depths of the snow laden forest, crossing frozen rivers, tracking through Narnia like environs, and coming back to base in the evening to warm cabins, a sauna, good company and faultless food.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Lars had the gift of keeping us entertained, but at the same time sharing with us his great love of this part of the World. During the day he guided us with great friendliness, humour and expertise through the activities, and in the evenings before dinner presented a talk with slides on some of the wildlife of the area. We were kept informed about what was happening all the time, and he provided us with all the equipment that we would need to make the most of our experience for the week. Lars regularly shared with us something of the history, the culture and the life of this region, and this was done in a very informed chatty way, sometimes over the open fire, sometimes while we were walking along a track. I certainly finished the week feeling that not only had I gained a wealth of food memories, I also learnt a lot, and perhaps without realising it.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The trip notes provide all the information that you will need. I took an extra set of base layers because they don't take up much room and provided me with extra flexibility when wrapping up in the evenings. A head torch with a strong beam would be useful as we were with the Huskies as night fell and a directional beam would have been of more benefit that just a glow.
Suggestions
This really for me is the trip to go on to experience the arctic environment. I am a bit of a sponge soaking up culture, and so the time with the Sami family and their reindeer and huskies was so interesting. Experiencing their lifestyle even for a day or two and hearing their story really places things into perspective. This is an environment like no other that I have experienced and have valued every day of the trip.
