Mushing 14 days expedition across Northern Norway

Embark on a majestic northern expedition with professionnal musher Espen Prestbakmo

After last year's success realising 7 different week trips between January and April, the idea was born to go on a longer expedition, traveling on seldom used trails through the unique landscapes of the North.

This trip is planned and led by Espen Prestbakmo, long-distance musher and 5 times finisher of the Finnmark race, who has crossed Norway on skis - South to North and from the Russian border to the polar circle - on several month long winter expeditions. He designs the itinerary to include meaningful opportunities to connect with local culture, a mix of easy and challenging travel days, with a variety of alpine mountains, boreal forests and tundra sceneries.

This trip is an adventure!

We start with heavy sleds packed with equipment for travelling autonomous in the mountains, and resupply at a depot halfway through. We sleep in tents, reindeer herder huts or remote mountain cabins : nice to dry clothes and equipment! This is almost the equinox, so we enjoy both lots of daylight and a good chance of Northern Lights. We travel following the rhythm of the nature. The weather can sometimes be challenging, and range from mild to blizzards : trip candidates need an open mind, an adventurous spirit, a good sense of humour and better than average fitness. Skiing skills are not required, but solid camping experience is.

On this tour the close cooperation between humans and dogs is very important! You will have your own dog team of 5 to 6 dogs, for which you are responsible. It includes harnessing, feeding and handling the dogs.

Travel through Indre-Troms - Nordkalotten

We chose this route because it's going trough the biggest wilderness area of Europe, and several National Parks ; including Dividal and Rohkunborri. On our journey we will visit the northernmost tip of Sweden 'three nations border', where Norway, Sweden and Finland meet. We adjust our schedule on a daily basis, according to the weather, snow conditions and daylight. We pack the camp each morning and travel between 25 to 60 km (4 - 6 hours) per day.

The area is experienced as untouched wilderness, but it is the home of the native Sami reindeer herders through centuries. We will meet reindeers on our trail, and partly follow the old migration routes used between grassing areas. This is the land of the arctic fox, ptarmigan, hare, lynx, wolverine, lemming, moose and brown bear - but usually we only see tracks. It feels more like traveling trough a snow-covered desert!‍

Program

Day 1: Arrival at Bardufoss airport, pick-up and 30 minutes drive to our husky farm. Night at our log house.‍

Day 2: Travel day. After breakfast we meet and feed the dogs together, before loading dogs and equipment in the car, and start travelling south. At the starting point we pack the sleds with all the food and equipment needed for spending the next days camping in the mountains - expedition style.‍

Day 3-16: Traveling north, crossing the mountain plateaus, valleys and birch forests. On the way we pass trough mountain plateaus with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal movement of livestock. We cross the national parks of Dividalen and Rohkunborri. We head North East towards the mountains and forests along the border of Norway, Sweden and Finland towards Treriksrøysa where Norway, Sweden and Finland meet.The last leg goes West past alpine mountains and trough high valleys. In the afternoon of day 9 we return to civilisation to our lodge at the husky farm, for a good shower, a warm sauna and a farewell dinner.‍

Day 17: Return home after breakfast.