Seventeen
Wednesday 23rd September
‘Sara? Are you OK?’ Henrik pulled me out of the snowagain, lifting me up by the arms, like a rag doll.
It was the third time I’d fallen on the way to the husky station, and I was feeling bruised and exhausted. My boots were struggling to cut it on the ice and I was dreading the rest of the walk.
‘Sorry about this,’ I said as we came nose-to-nose.
‘Do you want some help?’ he asked, that flirtatious glint twinkling in his eye.
‘I’m not sure there’s anything more you can—’
In three quick moves he had me off the ground and in a fireman’s lift, dangling over his shoulder.
‘Argh! What the…? How did you do that?’ I squealed into his bum. ‘I’m not sure about this!’ But I got used to it fairly quick. Turns out it was much more fun hanging onto Henrik while he did all the hard work than wading through the snow and falling on my face.
‘Last one here, Kaspar!’ Henrik shouted as he turned me upright and placed me on the floor.
‘Hei.’ An old man in a well-worn sheepskin smiled over as I got my bearings. We were stood next to a wooden sled covered in black furs, with eight, beautiful blue-eyed huskies ready andraring to go. ‘Oh, wow! Hi, doggies!’ I said, rushing over to stroke them.
‘Nei, nei,’ Kaspar said, intercepting me. ‘They are working.’
‘Oh! Of course, sorry. I’m a dog person,’ I said, to explain it.
‘Where are the others?’ Henrik asked as a second sled disappeared over the horizon, its sleigh bells ringing loudly.
‘Gone,’ Kaspar said. ‘They waited, then Tore said to go. He tried to call.’
Henrik checked his knackered old phone with a frown and nodded. ‘Oh.Ja. He did. Must be on silent,’ he muttered, shaking it.
‘Were we that far behind everyone else?’ I said, embarrassed he was having to make a second trip for me. ‘I’m so sorry – it’s my fault for being slow.’
‘It’s good exercise for the dogs,’ Kaspar said, offering up the front seat and helping me in. ‘I take the two of you, OK?’ The sled was like a pram for twins, with one chair in front of the other. Henrik hopped in behind me, and we belted up as Kaspar jumped on the back.
‘Let’s go!’ he shouted, cracking his whip, and the dogs set off, hurtling across the snow at a thousand miles per hour.
‘Hold on, Sara!’ Henrik shouted as we juddered over the snow.
‘I am!’ I yelled back, although I wasn’t sure I needed to. The G-force had pinned me to my seat. Once the huskies made it up the hill, we slowed right down, and I loosened my grip on the sides. I’d imagined a leisurely jaunt through the snow, not Olympic-level bobsledding.
‘You alright up there?’ I felt Henrik’s hand on my shoulder and squeezed it tight.
‘I hadn’t realised it was an extreme sport,’ I shouted as the sled hit a rock and jumped through the air.
Kaspar laughed. ‘Sit back and enjoy the ride,’ he said. ‘The dogs know the way – they’ll get you there safely. Unless you’d rather walk?’
It was a good reminder to live in the moment. Instinctively, I wanted to close my eyes until it was all over, but I had to remember how lucky I was to get to do this. Eight powerful dogs were working hard to give us this unforgettable experience, and I most certainly did not fancy a ten-mile walk through the snow instead. I’d already proven I wasn’t very good at that.
The view from the sled was breathtaking, and it was like flying through a Christmas card as we whizzed along, past frozen lakes lined with Nordic firs while reindeer watched from the sidelines. The snow reached up to the mountains and the fjords, and tiny white boats glimmered in between, sparkling in the sunlight.
‘Hike! Gahhh.’ Kaspar shouted commands over our heads and the huskies galloped in sync. I felt like a Disney princess on a mission. The other sled was no longer visible, so it was just the three of us and nothing else for miles. Racing along the edge of the world.
Henrik’s hand reappeared with a mini bottle of schnapps. ‘For the cold,’ he called.
‘Is this allowed?!’ I replied, secretly delighted as I cracked it open.
‘Don’t worry – it’s alcohol-free.’
