Bonito Living

An homage to Mau

The full moon bathes the landscape in its milky light. The snow has covered everything the day before and it’s silence can be felt across the forest. Only the sound of the dogs -those ancient wolves- fill the landscape, the steps and calming words of the female musher -sledge drivers and snow guides- reveal the presence of life in this otherworldly place.

I’ve read about “Women running with wolves” the groundbreaking book by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, analysing the way in which folk tales and fairy tales can teach us about keeping the wild woman alive. It has been my favorite book for many years. But the women in our excursion are alive and instead of running with the wolves, they command the pack of brave huskies, a type of dog used for pulling the slides and run for days at time through the snow.

This was one of the excursions that defined our trip. In fact, it inspired us! My mother in law, a trailblazer woman, who lived her life in her own terms had a zest for life and traveling! Some few years ago, when she was 82 y/o, she came to a polar expedition. Her health was in decline but she remained defiant: her white hair dyed in bright pink and blue. It is difficult to imagine how she endured the low temperatures and the experience of the sledge. It is after all only a seat on metal pulled by dogs! Nothing luxurious or comforting, apart of the experience of the musher, the excitement of the dogs and your own courage or stupidity.

She passed away few years ago on precisely the time of our own adventure and we decided to honour her by taking the sledge trip. The weather was not very promising and getting to the husky camp looked a bit spooky, the howls of dogs in the distance and the coldness of the landscape. Once we got here we were greeted by a young woman, her smile beyond her mask, whose passion for her dogs and her integration to the pack was contagious. She told us about the composition of the team: two very intelligent dogs leading the pack, a more experience dog keeping the youngsters in line and the soldiers at the back: strong hard working dogs who pulled the weight of the sledge.

After a hot coffee and the images of dogs in all their sizes, ages, abilities and colors, we got into the sledge. With little more protection than a reindeer skin we are instructed to seat one behind the other and keep our feet on the rails. The driver, another female musher -a young woman from the Netherlands- expertly leading the dogs through the path. Once seated it was a matter of becoming part of the Team, our own weight distributed between the sledge and the pull. The sensation of sliding through the snow, sparks of ice slicing the ground, the clear instructions of the musher and the feeling of being one with nature. One with the dogs, one with the landscape, one with the musher. Truly exhilarating!

It was a surprise to learn how many women are “mushers” and how they train for long distance races, starting with 120 kilometers and aspiring to 1200 kilometers of snow and immensity. The protection given by the dogs, their intimate knowledge of each of the animals, their passion for this unconventional way of life is inspiring.

As we slide through the snow, I felt so connected with something more powerful than myself, a feminine primeval force of those women who sledge with the wolves; and I swear I could see a flash of pink and blue sledging away and laughing!

For more information about Dog sledging and other Arctic Adventures, check Holmen Huskies Lodge.