It's in the Details

My last post I felt wasn’t detailed enough to give you a good idea of what exactly it is that I am doing up here in Hetta so I am taking the time to give you a more in depth look into my daily routine.

Each morning I try to wake up at 6.  I never make it.  So around 6:30 I roll out of bed, grab some grub and a strong cup of coffee, put on as many layers as necessary for the day’s temp, and trudge out the door.  I then walk for 30min until I arrive at Anna and Pasi’s house.  To begin I prep the food for all of the dogs down on the farm and then drag the food and water on sleighs down to the cages and kennels where all of the dogs sleep and play until training time.  I then go around and feed all of the amazing huskies and poop their general area not only for their sake but also to make the farm presentable for incoming clients.  This is the best time to really get to know the dogs because for the remainder of the day I am too busy to stop and play with them.

After breakfast, we typically train two sets of huskies, averaging about 56 dogs in the morning with the rest doing 10K runs in the afternoon.  This is both the most challenging and the most rewarding part of the day.  It is challenging for several reasons beginning with the actual preparation of each dog team.  A team can range any where from 4 dogs/sleigh to 10 or 12 dogs/sleigh.  Larger teams require a more experienced driver as the dogs are quite strong and it is easy to lose control of a sleigh if you don’t know how to handle it correctly.  We are currently putting 6 or 8 dog teams together.  This is difficult because you really have to know each dog’s character, what their strength and weaknesses are and who they get along with in order to make a cohesive team.  As I have only been here a week, I obviously don’t know the dogs well enough to make teams on my own, but I do help collect the dogs, harness them and get them in line in the correct order.  This is hard work because, as I said, the dogs are very strong and some really don’t get along so you have to be conscientious about which path you are taking through the kennels in order to avoid any unneeded fights.

Once all of the teams are made, the guides pair up for each team and head out for a 8-10K run, switching out driving every 2-3 loops.  There is nothing more exhilarating than driving a dog sleigh.  You have to be in tune with your entire body and you really have to understand the maneuver of the sleigh to do a good job at driving, but once you get these basics down, wow!  And the scenery in this part of Finland is unbelievable.  Everything is covered in snow, the trees are dripping with pure white sparkles and the air is clean and crisp.  It is a “Disney candy land” as one guide described it and I have to agree.  Riding in the sleigh is also great because you have more of an opportunity to really take in your surroundings.

When we are done with training in the afternoon it is time for the evening feeding and pooping, then we prep for the following day and if we are really lucky we are home by 7.  Somebody comes up with a plan for a quick-fix dinner and then it’s typically off to bed unless someone was nice enough to buy a bottle of wine.

And that’s my day!  Any questions?  Hahaha…it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am trying to soak it up as much as possible.  So far the sunrise and sunset are my favorite part of the day.  There are always just a few clouds in the sky to glow brilliant shades of soft pink, orange and gold.  The sun never gets very high so these colors last for nearly the entire day, only changing with different degrees of saturation.  The morning is always more spectacular because it usually snows a little during the night so everything has a fresh layer of pure white perfection.  Breathtaking doesn’t quite describe it.  I think magical is a better word…