Sled Ride into the Wilderness
Across the barren expanse of marshlands, into the lacy birch forests, through stately stands of fir, the wooden sled groans and creaks to the rocking gait of the reindeer. Deeper and deeper into the wilderness we traveled with no other sound but the clump, clump, clump of the reindeer hooves upon the snow.
For a few brief hours the reindeer share their secrets of Lapland's forests with human passengers.
The reindeers follow the sometimes narrow trail with little guidance. They brush aside low lying
limbs with their antlers, leaving unalert passengers behind them with a face full of snow and a hit
on the head.
Unlike the carefully groomed ski and snowmobile trails around the area, the reindeer trail is a rustic path into the virgin wilderness. To see the magnificent undisturbed beauty of this arctic land means seeing it on the reindeers' terms. Reindeer do not mind snow in the face so humans must adapt too. Arms can fend off tree branches as well as antlers, too.
After about six kilometers we arrive at a beautiful log kota. It is truly in the middle of nowhere. There we tether the reindeer to trees. Inside we warm up and prepare sausages and sooty coffee over a fire.
The reindeers, too, have a snack during the break. Upon going outside, I see holes in the deep, soft snow where my reindeer had dug down to the lichen and moss. His nose and antlers are covered in snow. This year there has been no melt and refreezing to create a hard icy layer under the snow. Finding food in the woods is easy.
The return trip to Lapinkyla takes us through the varied terrain again for a final look at the last true wilderness area in Europe.
In previous years I had taken a short reindeer sled ride. I had "driven" a reindeer sled. Yet only by going deep into the wilderness on a 12 km ride could I begin to fully appreciate the true, natural and wondrous environment of Lapland.
Gallery of the sled ride
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The barren marshlands near the Ounasjoki river. Levi fell is on the distant horizon.
