Program

Sunday

Arrival at Kuopio Airport, where we pick you up in the evening and drive about 2 hours to Eräkeskus. Here you get to know your guide, move into your room and then enjoy dinner with the rest of the group. Overnight in the guesthouse. 

Monday

Breakfast-Buffet, then you get your equipment. The following detailled theory and driving instructions show you, how to drive a sled, how to brake, when to help the dogs, etc. 
After that, you help harnessing the dogs and we get ready for our first easy tour through the forests and on the lakes around Eräkeskus, about 12 - 18km, 1 1/2 - 2 hours. When back in the kennels, first the dogs get their recovery soup, before we bring them back to their compartments. Then we eat lunch together in the lodge and talk about the first experiences.  Rest of the afternoon is for free use, possible evening-sauna, then dinner and overnight.

Tuesday

After breakfast-buffet we prepare our teams for the second tour, which leads us on more demanding trails around the area. We cover a distance of 22 - 26 km today, which takes around 2 - 2 1/2 hours. After the tour we give snacks and recovery-soup to our dogs, then we get our own lunch in the restaurant. 
Rest of the day for your own activities or a relaxing sauna. 
Dinner and overnight.

Wednesday

Your day off! Breakfast is served until 10am. Then you can either explore the area with skis or snowshoes, try out icehole-fishing on the lake, just relax in the lodge or join us for our work in the kennels, feeding and cleaning. Lunch is served in the lodge. Before dinner you might enjoy another wooden sauna? Dinner in the lodge.

Thursday

Breakfast-Buffet. Then we pack the sleds with our personal things and get the dogs ready for a 3-day-tour. The distance to the cabin is - depending on chosen trails - 30 - 38 km long. We carry our own, little backbag in the sled. Food for us and the dogs, as well as bedsheets are already in the cabin. Depending on weather and snow-conditions, we count 2 - 4 hours for the tour. After arrival the dogs get first a snack, then we get our late lunch. Later in afternoon we can heat up the sauna, we prepare dinner and have a relaxed evening in the cabin. The dogs sleep outside and get a late dinner, before we go to sleep. 

Friday

Today is our day off. We can sleep a bit longer. Feeding the dogs and preparing our own breakfast are the first tasks in the morning. After breakfast we start out with snowshoes and maybe 2, 3 dogs for our winter-hike. An additional team-member from Eräkeskus joins us today to stay with the dogs, while we are away. Distance and duration of the hike is of course depending on the fitness and wishes of the guests, as well as depending on weather conditions. We enjoy our lunch either out on the fire at the Laavu/windshelter next to the rapids, or after the hike in the cabin. After returning there we can heat up the sauna again, cuddle with the dogs, later in the evening we prepare our dinner and feed the dogs. 

Saturday

We get up a bit earlier than the day before, feed the dogs, have our breakfast, then load the sleds again. Today we drive back to Eräkeskus and will need again 2 - 4 hours, depending on weather. We are back in the lodge around mid-afternoon. After feeding the dogs and unloading our sleds, we have our late lunch in the restaurant. Rest of day is for your free use; dinner is served in the restaurant. 

Sunday

Breakfast-Buffet followed by transfer to the airport according to your booked flight.

Travel-Dates Saturday - Saturday

Saturday: arrival
Sunday: 1st trainingday
Monday: 2nd trainingday
Tuesday: Sled-tour to the cabin
Wednesday: snowshoe-hike & cabin-day
Thursday: Sled-tour back to Eräkeskus
Friday: day off at Eräkeskus
Saturday: departure

... 10 days ago we were already looking forward to winter, our fingers and feet froze while training the dogs, the dog paws were protected from the…

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