Hei Sweet Friends!

Thanks for coming back to hear more of mine and Tam’s Arctic North Adventure! We survived Hurricane Ole (yup, they actually gave the storm a name) and its gale-force winds, and now we are heading to our last port-of-call Finneses where the clouds hung low in the sky and tons of snow had been dumped on the city. We signed up for the dog/reindeer excursion, so we are getting off just before Tromso where our transfer van will take us to Camp Tomak for dog and reindeer sledding. We meet the ship in Tromso were we can grab our luggage and head for the hotel in Tromso for an overnight provided by Hurtigruten as part of the 6-day cruise.

That morning, we packed up our luggage and ate breakfast. We bid farewell to our server, Hendrick, who had been so informative and helpful with our special meal requests, as well as some ladies we met on the cruise. We stored our luggage in reception and deboarded with our boxed lunches and Go Pro camera ready for the doggies! There were about 8 people going on the excursion, so we all boarded the van, signed the release and we began the hour and half ride to Camp Tomak.

The camp is a wilderness overnight camp where you can stay in a Lavvu, a traditional reindeer-skin Sami tent, for the night or in the dorm-style room, or in their B&B. The Sami are the native, indigenous people of Norway and they continue to live and dress in a very traditional way. In addition to accommodations, they also provide dog sledding, reindeer sledding, snowmobiling and snow shoeing excursions. Tam and I signed up for dog and reindeer sledding and we were not disappointed!

Upon arrival, we were ushered into the main house and changing area. The camp provides a thermal suit, hat, mittens, socks and boots for your excursion, so no need to bring your own. We changed into our thermal gear and boarded another van with our Sami guides to the reindeer camp. Our guides were a Sami couple who operate the reindeer camp. There were dressed in traditional Sami clothing that glowed in the white snow. The bright blues and reds in their garments stood out against the snow and ice. The reindeer were corralled together in a pen and looked on as we walked closer. Our male guide walked in and began dropping chunks of moss from a bag so the reindeer would gather round. As they moved in, our Sami guides gently took hold of their lead reins and began to move several of the bigger ones out of the pen. Our female guide gave me one of the reins and asked me to take the animal outside towards the sleds. Yes ma’am!!

The reindeer were not exactly friendly but seemed used to people and the sleds. As our male guide tied the reindeer onto their sled, he gave each one a small kiss on the neck. It went largely unobserved, which made it even sweeter. Someone asked how many reindeer were in the camp and he responded there were many more across the mountain, with a herd of about 250 (give or take on how hungry he gets). In Norway, reindeer are basically cattle and they are slaughtered for their meat. Reindeer stew is hugely popular in the north and served everywhere. Another reason to be vegan!

The “sledding” was really a slow walk around the snowy area. It was more like a pontoon boat than a speed boat – it was a slow float over the snow. The reindeer train was lead by our guides and we simply sat and watched. It was relaxed and leisurely and the landscape was beautiful.  The whole thing lasted about 20-30 minutes and then we bid our Sami guides goodbye and headed back to the main camp where the doggies were waiting.

Dog sledding was way more exciting than the reindeer sledding!! Tam and I were placed in the sled at the end of the long line of sleds that sat waiting. Our six dogs were excited and rearing to go! Tam sat in the sled and I was “driving” for the first half. I was given instructions that consisted of, here’s the brake, stand on it when going down a hill to slow the dogs, keep the lines tight by using the brake, and try not to overrun the person/sled in front of you. Our dogs were lean and fast, so we used the brake a lot. The couple in front of us seemed to keep getting stuck and so it was difficult to keep our dogs from overrunning their sled. I would stop long enough for them to get far ahead and then let them puppies RUN! WOOHOO!!!! It was awesome, until we caught up with them and had to stop again.

At the half way point, Tam and I switched and she got to drive. We both managed quite well without overturning or getting into a bind. There is no, go right or go left, the dogs are just following a path cut into the snow, so you are just starting and stopping. Sometimes, the musher has to jump off and give the sled a little kick start to get the dogs going again; and then they are off. Every time we stopped, our dogs would turn around and give us the evil-one-blue-eye like they were saying WTH, let’s GO!!!! It was great fun though and we got some great video with the Go Pro. Of course, the funniest bits are our comments along the way!!

After dog sledding, we all went into the Lavvu where a fireplace in the center of the room was glowing warm and a reindeer stew was waiting. We were offered coffee, tea and hot chocolate and for me and Tam, we had rice porridge instead of the deer stew. It was a beautiful way to end our adventure! We talked with another couple who had been in Tromso the night before (Saturday night) and had actually seen the Northern Lights!!! We were once again hopeful that we would see the lights!!

We boarded the van and headed to Tromso to meet the ship. We were taken to the dock where we grabbed our luggage and walked to our hotel nearby. The last night of the cruise is actually in a hotel in Tromso but is considered part of the cruise, so dinner and breakfast were both included. The room was nice and comfy and we enjoyed the space after the tiny cruise ship room. What we didn’t enjoy was the amoebae photo above the bed in the room! Weird and a little disturbing, but I guess that’s the Norwegian way!

Next morning, after breakfast, we walked around the city. Due to the bad storm, the cable car was not operating and since we didn’t have much time before our transfer to the Acrtic Panorama Lodge at 1:00, we just stayed close and explored the city of Tromso. It’s a lovely, quaint and charming city with tons of shops and restaurants. It also boasts the Arctic Cathedral with its huge stained glass front. Tam Tam is the shopping queen  and she was on a mission to find a Norwegian treasure. We stopped in a little “jooray” store on the main drag and she found a gorgeous hand-made ring that looked sort of like a mini collage. It contained a reindeer with a large W! next to it. “OMG, it’s a reindeer and a W for Weezie!!!!” It was the perfect reminder of our trip. She had to have it. Mission accomplished!!

Well, enough for today sweet friends. I hope you accomplish your mission today, whatever it is, and enjoy what life may dump on you occasionally! Check back tomorrow to read about our adventures at the Arctic Panorama Lodge. Have a wonderful night with sweet adventurous dreams!