2015 Trip – Day 5

DistanceAverage SpeedMaximum Speed
41.4 km10.8 km/h23.0 km/h

Morning spent visiting nearby Reindeer Farm.  Quite interesting, but doesn’t mean that I will now be happy to meet reindeer in the forest as they will still cause problems controlling the dogs.

For afternoon trip, six dog team provided for me and the same four dog team as before for Sophia.  Headed for Kylkeinen via swamp south of farm and then (after briefly turning round) downhill to power lines.  Sophia coped with tricky sharp corner at bottom of hill with no problems.  Drove across Koivujarvi and thence to hut.

After snack, re-traced route to power lines and then south along them and left into forest.  Unfortunately, took wrong turning in forest and ended up on trail running south near Hämeenvaara.  Pressed on hoping to go up Tilsa road, but it was closed and only option was to cross road and go across swamps toward snow mobile trail.

It was getting late and Sophia was getting tired so phoned Timo for help.  We met him just as we reached the snow mobile trail.  He took Marina back on snow mobile, I carried Sophia on my sled and Hannah (Finnish guide) drove Sophia’s sled.