** A day in the snowbush **
a Swedisch sledding-adventure by Bert-Jan Elfrink (Holland)

It's still freezing eight degrees Celsius when I, close before ten o'clock in the morning, leave with my five Alaskan Malamute dogteam for a tour through out Swedisch winterwonderland. Far away from stress and civilisation. Up into nature, seeking for rest and peace for me and my dogs. Behind me the sound of hauling and barking dogs slowly disappears, while we sled under the bridge over the frozen and with snow covered river. We left, just before the start of the second day of the sleddograce organised by the Swedisch Malamuteclub. Yesterday, on Friday, I participated in the first day of the race, a 30 km run. But I dicided to withdraw because of leaddog problems and stress on my youngsters. Two 20 month old dogs that this week for the first time in there short lifes had to work seriously in front of a dogsled. It has been freezing pretty tough last night and the sun is pushing the haze that covers the river into the woods.

In Holland we don't have much snow and we are pretty happy when we have some snow that lasts all day. It has been two years since I sled my dogs in Holland. The last seven years we drove up to Germany to have a sledding vacation there. Before that we went a couple of years to France. But this time I was in Sweden, in Särna. Our Danish friends invited me to join them to the Malamuteveckan. They told me there where lots of trails, good food and so on. They didn't need much time to convince me.

The organisation had prepared three different length of trails ten, twenty and thirty km. Perfect to train the dogs for the race, the Swedisch Clubchampionship. The trails were very good marked and daily checked and prepared with skidoos. All week long we were aible to train our dogs by sledding those trails. 

Some of my dogs had serious problems with their feed that week. All kinds of injuries bubbled up into the surface. Even a couple I never saw before. What about blisters !! The day we arrived (Sunday) the temparture was above zero and the meltingwater that was on the snow froze that night into a harsh surface with lots off small balls and needles of ice. We also had different snowconditions that week. In Holland we are only aible to train our dogs on dirt roads which make the pawpads to soft. But we were not the only ones. The Danisch mushers had some serious problems with the dogfeeds too. On Tuesday I gave the injured dogs a couple of days off, to treat them and to give the paws enough time to heal. I made a right discission, because on Thursday the paws looked pretty good and where almost healed. On Friday everthing was healed and the dogs were eager to go again.

We sled under the steal spanbridge and cross diagonal the hundred metres wide Särnsjön-river. My dogs know the trail. Last week we had been sledding this part a few times. I want to ride the twenty kilometres trail today the other way around. Almost everybody is running the second day of the race which goes on the other side of the hills in Särna. So I will not give them any trouble. We hit the riverbank and move up into the forest. Slowly we climb towards the 1019 metre high Vedungfjället, our goal for today. Regarding to Frasse, one of the Swedisch mushers, a 40 kilometres run. The main trails in Sweden are marked with red Andreas-crosses. When fresh snow falls this is the only way to find your way back to civilisation. In this part of Sweden the skidoo is the only way of transportation, except for sleddogs of course. With a steady pace we roam across a forest with larch. The trees with a maximum height of five metres have, because of the free movements in and of the wind, all kinds off different beautiful shapes. The trees are not close togther, which gives us a splendid wide view. I wonder were the wildlife is. They must be somewhere, the moose, reindeer, elk or reddeer ? But unfortunately today they hide themselves for me and my gang. We notice their droppings and pawprints in the snow and the trampled down slopes. But these are the only signs that point on their presence. During the day I change the dogs in my team from time to time. Especially the dogs that run on lead. I don't want to stress and run them out to much. I want a relaxing tour today. The race left some clear markes with the youngsters. Nearly every dog runs in lead for a while. 

In Holland I train our dogs in front off a cart. I go out with them three times a week for a 20-25 kilometres run. We normally start our race season in oktober. But this year I started early september, because a friend and I planned a trip to Switzerland in November to participate in a weekend tour. The dogs did very good up there and were in a pretty good shape this winter.

Slowly the Larch-forest becomes less dence and we enter the frozen Tallåstjarnen-lake and cross it. The first few days the dogs learned to run over frozen rivers and lakes. One of the things we cannot train in Holland. Normally the dogs run over dirt roads and when they approach a plain like this they search for a beacon. We leave the lake and continue our way through a Spruce-forest. In structure equal to the Larch-forest. At the end there is a small slope, a riverbank again. We enter the frozen river, this time the Fjätan. The silence and extensive is enormous. The snow on the river has only been touched by, I guess, the local youth pleasing themselves on their skidoos.

We have been running for almost 25 kilometres. Time to snack the dogs and to water them. We left on empty stumachs. So the dogs need some energy. On trips like this I normally feed them dried fish. It gives them a small energy boost and besides that they love it. While the dogs join their fish I make myself a cup of instant coffee out of the thermos which I filled this morning with boiling water. Mainwhile I eat my lunch, a peace of bread filled with a hamburger and a fried egg. What a lunch ! Delicious !!

After 30 minutes we hit the trail. After a couple of kilometres the scenery changes again. We end up in a birch forest. The bare trees recall memories of Yellowstone national park which we visit two years after a destroying forest fire in the late 1980's. The scenery is pretty spooky and every moment I expect a moose beside me tapping my shoulder and asking for a ride.

When we come out of the birch-forest we enter a plain area. Problably a frozen lake or something familiar. After a few kilometres we ride into a small village: Lisselåvallen. There is nobody here, no living soul, nothing. I guess I'm in an area with small holiday cottages. We hit the trail again and take the trail upwards Nya Vasselvallen. The open plain makes place for a more densed forest than we've seen before. The trail meanders the mountain and the little stream on the left. The snow lies like a quilt over the water with no ice underneath. Again we are alone and nothing else, except for the dogs breathing and the crisping noice of the sledrunners hitting and gliding the snow. A thought crosses my mind, maybe we'll meet Santa Claus, while he is training his dogs for next Cristmas.

Nya Vasselvallen, a conglomerate of holiday-cottages. Out of one of the chimney's smoke of a woodstove curls up into the cold blue winter sky. Finally a sign of life. At one of the trees a roadsign has been nailed saying Särna 26 km. I read it again. And then I realise that the 40 "Frasse" km are a single route and not return. Besides these 26 kilometres we've been sledding a little more. Because we took the 20 km trail the other way around and that is at minimum 15 km. So I will be sledding over 67 km today. We've never done that before. The dogs still look good and the weather is perfect, I dicide to continue. The 787 metres high Örekölen is not that far anymore. After a few kilometres we reach this area and I stop to snack the dogs. It is half past three and the temperature drops again. The Vedungfjället is still eight kilometres away. I'm calculating and think it is wise to turn and go back to Särna. Sledding up to the mountain will cost me at least 45 minutes. And the other way around Örekölen to Särna will take four or five hours. It's not that I don't want to, but this bright guy left his headlamp at the hat-rack in the cottage. Not very clever, but thats the way it is.

We turn around and heading back for Särna. On the way three skidoos catch up with me. The tempature drops quickly. I have to dress me up with gloves and fur-hat. The total sunset takes more than two hours. First the blue sky turns into purple, than pink and finally into the beautiful red evening glow. 

Full of satisfaction we ride towards the sunset. The dogs know that we're going home and speed up. The steady pace changes into a strong gait. With an average speed of 13-14 kilometres a hour we're closing in. It is dark and I hear the sound of a skidoo catching me up. I'm a little scared. I don't have anything to make them see me. The sound is getting stronger and stronger and I see the lights coming up. We're on a narrow trail and I cannot stop and make place because of the embankments on both sides of the trail. I start to wave my arm, hopefully he will see my red jacket before he hits me. The skidoo is getting closer and closer and ten metres behind me he throttles down. That was pretty close ! He follows me and when the trail gets wider I give him trail. The skidoo passes me and we continue our way. It is plain dark when we hit the Särnsjön river. The last few kilometres I haven't seen much and trusted the dogs. On the far side we see hundreds of small lights twinkling and calling out our names. Särna, after a ride of 75 kilometres we're back home. I've learned a lot today. I learned more about our breed than a book can tell or anyone could ever teach me. I now know that in these Malamutes the spirit still houses that made this species so special and what made them survive throughout the centuries.

Thanks again for your hospitality.
Bert-Jan Elfrink