Northernmost

Lyra rocked her pink collar on our Sunday walk. Since we needed a new collar we decided to shop for a cause and buy a PINK RIBBON collar in support of breast cancer research. Last month the Malamute world lost a great breed enthusiast to breast cancer, leaving a husband without his wife and four fur kids without their mommy. The sad news reminded us of how fragile and precious life is. Cancer affects everyone in one way or another, and therefore we should all help promote awareness around this disease and do what we can to support research.

Pretty Lyra is a girlie girl so pink is definitely her colour.

This collar is available from The Pink Ribbon Shop. Their mission is to help promote breast cancer awareness and they also make donations in an effort to find a cure for cancer, assist cancer patients, and promote early detection. Another shop that sells products in support of breast cancer research is Think Pink Ribbon. When you shop at Think Pink Ribbon, 5% of every sale goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Check out their cute brown leashes that are perfect for pups!

After a bath on Saturday and a good brushing yesterday she is now ready to enjoy summer!

Lyra will be two years old in August – can’t believe how fast time flies!!

We’ve been away on a wilderness adventure with Lyra, Hilary, Tuisku and Thunder, travelling on the ice of the frozen lakes of Tjaktajaure and Laitaure and making daytrips into the magnificent Sarek National Park in Swedish Lapland. Fantastic weather, amazing views and happy, hardworking dogs – what more could you ask for? The only hiccup on this trip were our sleeping bags that didn’t perform when the temperature dropped down to around -20ºC (-4ºF) at night. But with a warm dog to snuggle up to it wasn’t a huge problem. We learn something from every trip; about ourselves and the gear, and what needs to be improved before we set out on our next adventure. We can’t complain about the dogs though, they went like clockwork from day one, displaying the drive and stamina which we have come to expect from them, even though they always manage to amaze us just a little more on each trip. Without our Alaskan Malamutes, we’d sure miss out on some great adventures in life!

We had fantastic weather during most of our trip…

…but we started the journey in an almost complete whiteout which forced us to rely on the map and compass for navigation as we couldn’t see much of the surrounding landscape, just snow and mist and a myriad of trails to choose from.

The next morning, and during the rest of our trip, we had brilliant sunshine and temperatures around -12ºC (10ºF) – ideal conditions for the dogs who could work at a good pace without getting too warm.

Lyra and Tuisku with the Sarek National Park in the backdrop.

We set up camp in the woods near the mountain of Tjahkkelij where we found a spring with crystal clear water for us and the dogs. Having access to water is a luxury on winter camping trips as melting snow for drinking and cooking can be a time-consuming process.

Our dogs took turns sleeping in the tent and did a good job keeping us warm at night.

After setting up camp we were able to leave our gear behind and go on fun day trips to explore the landscape. In this photo Fredrik is on his way to Nammásj – a holy mountain in the Sámi tradition.  

Hilary and Thunder, with Skierffe’s peak in the background.

We could have stayed on the trail for many more days, continuing the trip further into the Rapa Valley, but unfortunately work and other duties called us back to civilization.

While most people probably prefer to have their holiday during the summer, our ideal would be to have the whole month of April off, to be able to go on longer journeys into the wild. Maybe next year?

To view more photos from our trip, visit our Aktse April 2013 Gallery.

Fredrik’s new skis arrived just in time for Easter so he’s been trying them out on daily trips along the coast this long weekend. After having skijored with a pair of budget combo skis (mix between cross-country and skate) for the last few years, Fredrik decided it was time for an upgrade. His new skis, Breidablikk from Norwegian Åsnes, are especially made for skijoring with a dog in backcountry conditions. They are wider than ordinary skis and lack the metal edges that most other touring skis have, and that could potentially injure a dog in an accident. They are also very cool looking – even though I would of course have preferred a Malamute on the front rather than a blue eyed husky

Maybe we should ask Åsnes to create a Malamute edition of Breidablikk for 2014?

We had a nice picnic by the coast on Easter Eve – wearing sunblock is a must this time of the year!

Titan enjoyed his one-on-one with Grandma. 

Lyra found a mermaid. Who do you think is prettier?

A snow roll before it’s time to go home.

With the goal of keeping my mum company on the trail, Fredrik and I brought only one dog each on this picnic trip. I still had to stand on the brake not to overtake my mum (who was skiing without a dog) but for the most part we were able to keep the same pace. Lyra and Fredrik travelled faster so they did some exploring on the ice while waiting for us to catch up.

Lyra is always eager to go…

It’s been a BEAUTIFUL Easter here on the northern coast of Sweden.

We woke up to fantastic weather today and hurried to change into skijoring gear and hit the trail. I Skijored with Tuisku and Fredrik with Thunder and Lyra. A fast, fun and sunny day with the wind at our backs. I fell over once and dropped the camera in the snow (glad it’s waterproof) but apart from that we had a fab day!

Now and then, and especially when the girls are in season, we take our dogs skijoring one by one. For our younger dogs it’s good training to work independently without having another dog to rely on for decisions and speed. Lyra has no hesitations about working alone, she keeps the line tight and is always eager to go. We don’t take this quality for granted though, as even though a pedigree may show a lot of promise, you never know how a puppy will turn out as an adult. Lyra, however, is turning out to be a great sled and skijoring dog, even though she’s still very much a teenager in body and mind.

Lyra at 19 months of age.

Lyra starts off with plenty of power and speed…

…before settling into a nice, steady trot.

My mum and my aunt were also out skiing on the village trail but we said goodbye to them early on, as Lyra wasn’t very keen on waiting for them to catch up

Our neighbour has created an excellent skiing trail for everyone to enjoy. While the
village is small, the people who live here are very active and outdoorsy.

Heading home – our house is behind the trees at the end of the trail. I’ve been skijoring
a couple of times this winter and so far my back is coping really well. So, fingers crossed,
it looks like the operation was a big success!

It’s been a beautiful week with calm weather and clear blue skies. We’ve been making the most of every day as we’ll soon need to take a brief break from sledding due to our girls coming into season. This week we’ve also been busy thinking hard about what to name our puppy who will be joining us later this spring. After writing down a long list of options, we ended up choosing the name that came first to us. But more about our puppy news later, have a great weekend everyone

 

Fredrik has travelled many miles on the Skidoo this winter, working hard to keep our trail open in between snowfalls. Right now the trail is in great condition so fingers crossed we’ll have no more snow this winter! I think what we have right now is PLENTY!!

A lovely mild day today with huge snowflakes falling from the sky. A perfect day for skijoring! While soft trails are bad for sledding, this type of trail is ideal for sailing behind two eager Malamutes. Powder on the trail means it’s easy to brake (if you have to) and the soft snow means you’ll have a smoother ride. Skijoring is so much fun and the dogs love it!

Fredrik hits the trail in the heavy snowfall.

Lyra is like a younger version of Tuisku – there’s only one direction in her head and that’s forward.

♥ ♥

Breaking trail in the forest is a perfect opportunity to train left and right commands.

Heads down and ears turned back to listen – good dogs!

We had a visit from Fredrik’s mum’s Labrador James who had a good romp in the snow with Hilary and Lyra. James is an extremely good natured dog and a great playmate who can keep up with (and wear out!) even the most exuberant Malamute teenager. If we have a litter in the future we’ll have to borrow him for puppy play sessions as this fun loving boy is a perfect introduction to other breeds.

Are you tired already??

Some pics from today’s outing with two 2-dog teams. What’s nice about Malamutes is that you don’t  really need a big team, as two dogs, and sometimes just one, is enough to get some action on the trail. Today’s run was 18km (11 mi) with a rest break at midway point – a suitable distance for our youngsters Hilary and Lyra who are now 18 months of age. We try to vary their training as much as possible, working them individually and on teams of  2-4 dogs, and exploring new trails as often as we can to make the training more exciting for everyone. As soon as my back is stronger we’ll also be skijoring more, as skijoring is really what we enjoy most.

Tuisku and Hilary in front and Titan and Lyra behind.

Our Sledog Kids work really well together.

And they play well together too

It’s clear that Lyra has inherited her sire’s lead dog ability, we’ll be trying her in lead position soon.

This girl always has full focus ahead.

The goal of today’s excursion was a lean-to by the coast where we stopped for tea and a sandwich.

Tuisku looking dreamy in the snow.

Hilary looks sleepy too – maybe it’s the fresh sea air that is making us all a little drowsy?

Two fuzzy butts getting ready to go home.

Love our winter weekends!

We had a big dump of snow this week and had to spend Friday evening and all day yesterday “rediscovering” our snowed over trails. Maintaining and grooming trails is time consuming, especially when you’d rather spend time with the dogs, but it’s nice to have decent trails to sled on so we try to keep them open the best we can. This morning our hard work was rewarded as we woke up to clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine. I took four of our dogs out on a fun ride while Fredrik went ice fishing. A perfect start to February!

Hilary, Thunder and Lyra wait while I get the sled and the lines ready.

And off we go!

Hilary and Tuisku in lead, Thunder and Lyra in wheel.

Few things are so beautiful as nature on the first sunny day after a storm.

We stopped for a break in a sunny spot to practise “settle down”. We try to include a brief rest stop on every run to make our youngsters, Lyra and Hilary, accustomed to the stakeout. This type of training will come handy when we go on overnight trips and need to secure the dogs at night. Thunder, good boy, already knows how to settle down.

Sledog Dream Leaper, aka Lyra, will be 18 months of age next week.

Flirting with the camera or just sun in her eyes?

Hilary, also 18 months in February, with some sugar on top.

Tuisku looked sleepy in the sun, I think he was still a little tired from Saturday, when he ran off leash alongside the snowmobile while Fredrik was grooming our trails.

Going home in the afternoon, the sun was still visible above the tree tops.

February means longer and brighter days and more time to spend on the trail.
Oh happy days!!

We went for a picnic today with Lyra, Hilary, Tuisku and Thunder. The sun was well hidden behind the clouds but it was still a nice day for an outing. We followed the forest trail to the sea bay and sledded along the shorelines of the islands in the archipelago. It’s a different experience sledding on the flat expanses of the ice. Not as exciting perhaps as a mountain trip but still an adventure. We saw a cliff island that we want to return to later in spring. Bet it’s a nice place to soak up some sun in March or April.

Heading out on the sea bay near our home.

Tuisku and Lyra worked together.

And Hilary & Thunder.

Tuisku had to work hard to keep up with eager Lyra who pulled like a locomotive today.

We stopped for a picnic where the bay opened up to the sea. This is where the trail ended and we didn’t want to be the first to break trail on deep water ice.

While Fredrik and the dogs ate most of our picnic I had fun taking photos.

At eight and seven years of age, Thunder and Tuisku have never been more beautiful.

Sweet like sugar

Hilary too did well today and enjoyed working with her older buddy Thunder.

Thunder has taken a fancy to Hilary and spent every available moment courting her – licking her ears and grooming her coat, and she’s not even in season

We had a nice Saturday in the snow, now it’s time to take the rest of the family for a walk and then end the evening with a good movie. Happy weekend everyone!

Just like last year, winter arrived with a bang during the first week of December. We received one meter snow on December 2nd and it has been snowing every day since. When we moved south from Lapland in 2010, I worried there wouldn’t be enough snow here on the coast. I saw before me a nightmare of green and damp winters and muddy feet on the kitchen floor all year round. As we are now experiencing our third winter in Nedre Bäck it is clear that my worries were unfounded. In fact, we almost have more snow now than we did in Lapland. Here on the coast the autumn lasts well into November and then suddenly winter arrives almost overnight with a big dump of snow. Whereas in Lapland, winter starts in early October and snow builds up gradually during a longer period of time. Can’t say what I like better, but I’m glad that we found the right place for our new home, as winter and snow really get those Malamute tails wagging!

A couple of hours after we have removed all the snow from the porch it looks like this again!

One downside of living in an old house is that the windows can get rather draughty in winter. On the positive side – the windows are often covered with beautiful frostwork

Our lovely Sledog kids, Titan & Lyra, enjoying a snow dance together. Winter weather definitely gets our Mals in play mode!

A couple of days ago our rowanberry trees were still laden with red berries but after a visit from a flock of Bohemian Waxwings they are now all gone. Wish I had caught these pretty birds with my camera. I love this shot by Finnish photographer Juha Soininen.

Gem takes a break in her favourite corner of the couch. She is a strong candidate for the position as our *next permanent house dog*. After our girl Lily passed away in 2009 we decided not to have a house dog, but Gem enjoys indoor life so much, and has such nice house manners, that maybe we’ll make an exception. After all, it’s quite nice to snuggle up with a warm dog on a cold winter night.

Time flies during this beautiful part of winter – only two weeks till Christmas!!