sledding dog
Analysis Paralysis
Welcome to my first ever blog post!
A little dog-related soundtrack to accompany your reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5epBoiBaA
First of all, this blog has nothing to do with Jerry Garcia or the 60s American rock group featured in the YouTube link above – but rather a young Irish guy who decided to go on a little adventure involving snow, huskies and sleds. So, as I prepare for departure in two days’ time, I’ve laid all my stuff out on the bed and now the agonising decisions begin… what to bring, how many pairs of this or that, etc. Very few concrete decisions made so far!
Luckily, I’ve been checking the weather and reading about the climate in Alta, Finnmark (a county in the extreme northeast of Norway) and so I know that the temperatures may reach as low as minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius and I hope to be prepared accordingly. Normally, Irish people do their best to spend winter in a warmer climate than here but instead I am opting for something a little harsher than the Irish winter, although not quite as miserable I hope.
I’ve determined the best types of fabrics/materials for this type of climate and am now well informed on the principles of layering! I’ve purchased all the essentials but still no packing is being done. However, one fantastic packing tip for when I do get around to packing eventually (to get around those pesky baggage allowances) is to utilise a vacuum storage bag which compresses your stuff to a fraction of its original size. Hopefully, this packing paralysis will end soon or maybe it will be a last-minute throw-everything-in-the-bag job like it is for most people!
Anyway, enough about packing. How am I feeling in advance of this little jaunt you might ask…
Mildly apprehensive but also terribly excited. As a dog lover and hobbyist dog trainer, husky mushing (sledding) will be a dream come true for me. Hanging around with 70 Alaskan Huskies all day will be just awesome! Husky sledding is an industry that also combines another one of my skills in that I have worked as a tour guide. Needless to say, I am very thankful for this opportunity (hence the blog name) and I realise how lucky I am to be setting off on a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this. Yes, there will be challenges when spending so much time outdoors (extreme temperatures, not many hours of daylight, etc,) but I am not too bothered by the thought – my only hope is that I come back with all of my extremities intact, i.e. nothing freezes and falls off!
One thing is for sure, with such a lack of Vitamin D due to extremely short days in Alta, I will definitely be whiter than before on my return, if that is even possible!
Will be posting photos and videos of the dogs once I get there.
Mush love,
Ronan
P.S. Thanks to Michael of http://www.capelcamping.com/ for all his advice and great prices on all my cosy outdoor gear.
The Grateful Sled 