Sanjay Austa

I missed the spectacle of the Northern Lights but even in the bleak, cloudy weather there were eerie hues towards the evening.

(Click on photos to go to gallery)

( In March 2010 I had an opportunity to fly to Lapland and photograph the life in the Arctic.  While the rest of the world was preparing for a  fine summer the Arctic had not fully woken from its long winter slumber. Following is one of the travelogues i wrote for newspapers . )

Arctic circle is not an imaginary line. At least not in the  Santa Clause village in Lapland where elaborate lamp-posts tell you exactly what side of the latitude you shiver. This is just as well. Crossing the 66 degree latitude is indeed a big deal not just for equatorial inhabitants like us but even for the Northerners who come here to make this big ritual crossing.  And as if to emphasize its significance, once you cross over they  give you a certificate (all for a few Euros of course).

But did I fly across the globe for this hot-selling touristy kitsch?  The psychological value of the high latitude apart, the thrill value of the Arctic circle is not even an Indian equivalent of crossing an Himalayan pass. I had come here for some serious Arctic adventure.  And Lapland the Northern Province of Finland offered it in truckloads.

So it was quite a relief when Jari our guide and trip organizer backed out his Wagon from the Santa Clause village and drove us on the long straight highway further north.  Lapland has four seasons and from canoeing in summers to  snowmobiling in winters it has enough activities to have your adrenalin pumping all year around.  But this was already April. It was almost the advent of spring. But this year the winter showed no signs of retreat. It was  longer, colder and more unpredictable than normal.  Usually by April  the snow begins to  melt off the grounds. Finland’s over one thousand frozen lakes thaw and crack. The birch and pine forests sprout new leaves and the ground awash with freshly melted snow  begins to  breath life into fauna lying dormant for over six months under several feet of snow.

Marek perhaps made the mistake of tying a female Alaskan Malamite along with two males of the species to the sledge. He tied her behind them but it was not long before they caught her scent. This distracted them and they would sniff the air , the path, and turn around intermittently bringing the ride to a halt.

But this extended winter was perfect for the winter activities Jari had in mind for us. We had already experienced one in Rovaniemi,  Lapland capital , within one hour of our flights landing!.  A reindeer sledge ride was a perfect way to throw us headlong into what Lapland represented..  I had barely checked into the hotel called (What else?)  Clarion Santa Clause when I was helped into thick  overalls that made me look 30 kilo heavier. I would have to wear them for all outdoor activities in Lapland and I realized the sooner I learnt to lumber in it the better.   But this gear was perfect protection from the biting cold. And by the time we reached the Reindeer farm it was already six in the evening and several degrees below zero.

It can be pretty cheesy doing the usual exotic activities a country is famous for.   Riding a reindeer sledge in the Arctic a la Santa is certainly one such. Its almost like jumping onto a  bullock cart or a rickshaw ride in India.  But Reindeer Sledging is something much more. No matter how old you are you cannot help but think of partaking in a Christmas legend you grew up reading through school. The Reindeers are strong reliable and mild  arctic animals who wait for a tug from you on the reign before they move anywhere. But  my reindeer seemed to have a mind of his own or perhaps he could sniff out nervous tourists. He choose to ignore any tugging on the reign and dragged my sledge of his own volition and speed.   From the sledge all you can see is the narrow hump of the Reindeer and his flat hoofs as they spring back and forth. I wondered how anyone riding the sledge could possibly  see where they were going.   But my reindeer had gone down this path a lot many times before and after cutting a large swathe in the  pine woods we were soon  back at the reindeer farm.

Reindeer Ride is mostly a tourist activity now in Lapland but long time ago along with the Husky sledging it was the only means of transport in these parts.  It is not only high on adventure but also seeped in the culture and history of the place. The original inhabitants of Finland the Sami have lived lives inseparable from the Reindeers and the Huskies.  The Sami are to this day reindeer farmers. From the once hard life  dependent mainly on hunting they have come a long way  and some of them are so rich that during the herding -season – late September- they employ helicopters to herd in their large Reindeer flocks.

But it’s the Husky ride I was looking forward to the most and as  Jari drove I hoped  we reach before the sunset so I am able to take some good pictures in the evening light.  You don’t have to be a dog lover to love the Huskies. In fact these Arctic dogs are not really dogs in the true sense. They have a wolf ancestry and similar domination fights, some of which are so vicious that they end in a bloody death. However they are surprisingly benign to humans. For that reason they make very poor guard dogs for they will fawn and wag their bushy tails at any stranger.

It was over two hours drive up to Suomu – the small tourist village- our stop for a Husky safari and I couldn’t wait to photograph the Huskies on the sledge. But  Marek the Husky keeper would not take us anywhere near the  dogs unless we had heard the last detail about the dogs including their names.   A  Husky Keeper is  called a  Musher in Finland. It’s a  French word meaning `go’. “When we set off on a  Husky safari we say `go’ to the dogs when we start. That’s how we got the name,’’ explained  Marek.

Marek kept two breeds of Huskies. The  Alaskan Malamites and the Greenland Dogs. The former is a much larger and stronger dog but the latter is more Wolfish in style and demeanor.  This was put to good display the moment we entered their kennel when half a dozen one year old Greeland puppies began fighting apropos of nothing.  Marek explained they were having domination fights and will continue fighting from time to time until status is  established.  I suspected the dogs were fighting to  compete for our attention.  Marek however did not  attempt to separate them even when one of the pups bled in the battle.  Nature was supreme and was respected.

From the once hard life dependent mainly on hunting the Sami people have come a long way and some of them are so rich that during the herding -season - late September- they employ helicopters to herd in their large Reindeer flocks.

But our sledge dogs today were thankfully the less bad-tempered  Alaskan Malamites. They were overfriendly and clearly raring to take us on a ride.  Marek said the dogs loved long excursions but were put off if they knew the ride was short. That made me feel less guilty having these lovely dogs put on a leash for me and have them drag me across the Arctic forest.  They looked huge but weighed only 35 kilos.  When I attempted to pet one of them my hand sank in the furry coat.  The dogs were all hair and  fur and that’s what kept them going in the sub zero Arctic winter.

Marek perhaps made the mistake of tying a female Alaskan Malamite  along with two males of the  species to the sledge. He tied her behind them but it was not long before  they caught her scent.  This distracted them and they would sniff the air , the path, and turn around intermittently breaking the ride from time to time. Marek  had to shout `go’ more than once.  But the scent of the female was clearly too overpowering. In the  pine and birch forest  Mareks `go’ echoed  back along with the excited yelps of the dogs.  But despite the frequent interruptions in which the dogs performed their mating rituals in front of me , I was at least happy that unlike on a Reindeer sledge, I could at least see where the dogs were dragging me.

Early next morning it was snowing. It was  bleak and it was  cloudy. But was that a problem? Snow is never a problem in Lapland. It just adds to the fun.  So the snowmobile safari scheduled for today would  go on as planned. And as I sat astride a sleek snowmobile it occurred  to me that I was raring to go even though I had never ridden a bike in my life. That’s the level of comfort and confidence you get from helpful snowmobile instructors. But the snowmobile is also an incredibly easy machine to operate. After you turn the ignition all you need to know is when to accelerate and when to press the brake button.

The Reindeers are strong reliable and mild arctic animals who wait for a tug from you on the reign before they move anywhere. But my reindeer seemed to have a mind of his own.

It’s was snowing but in the minus eight and below temperatures the snow just collects as crystals on your overalls until you decide to give them a shake.  The snow reduced visibility but its good enough to see the snowmobile of the leader in the front. We follow him through the winding roads in forests to over frozen lakes and rivers. We maintain a steady speed but others wiz past us at almost 70 kilometers an hour.  In the winters snowmobiling makes for a great outdoor activity and if one is adventurous enough one can do the entire length of Lapland in a snowmobile.

Skiing is another popular activity but Finland does not have the great Alpine slopes of central Europe.  It is a relatively flat land but the few slopes it has are great for skiing.  The flat pieces of land particularly those bereft of any trees are usually one of Finland’s frozen lakes that number in thousands.  They are perfect for testing your patience at ice fishing. But I gave up after standing over a drilled hole with a small fishing rod in  less than a minute. After riding with the reindeers and huskies,  fishing was an activity that was last in my mind.

How to get there.

There are a plethora of flights to choose from everyday from both Mumbai and New Delhi. Finnair has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai  and cuts the shortest route to Helsinki from India.

Rovenami Lapland’s capital, is the gateway to Lapland. You can either fly here from Helsinki or take the train or  railroad car at night.