This blog is dedicated to Tiili, our loved husky girl what left us for a more peaceful place couple of weeks after we came home from this road trip.
We had planned this family roadtrip already for long time and it should start in middle of March, we all looked so much forward to it and I had got a couple weeks free from work. . Plan of this trip was to go to Senja in Northern Norway for touring in the mountains cause non of us had been there before and we had heard just good about the area.
The dogs was so excited when we was packing the campervan that it was really hard to get them to stay inside the yard until we had got the car ready. Cause the best thing they know is to travel in the campervan, they know that some fun new adventure is waiting. While packing we also noticed that we have had guests in the van since last trip. Mouses had been building nests few places and collecting all pasta from the closet to their nests..
Just before we came to Lapland we heard that Norway planned to close the boarders and we had to re-plan the trip and do the best of situation. So we decided to stay and explore Finnish Lapland instead, cause thats the the area above arctic circle where i have been less, maybe cause of the size and shape of the Finnish mountains. But now times are different with a small baby and 4 dogs.. In these time there was just a few covid-19 cases in whole Finland. But we still didnt wanted to take any risks with the virus so from beginning plan was to stay away from people as much as possible and find remote parkings, specially now when we have our little Nikita baby and I had a big head surgery waiting in beginning of April.. To stay away from civilisation wasnt any problem when our campervan is equipped with solarpanels, gasheating. over 150l watertank with warmwater and big food storage so we easy can stay weeks out alone in the wild.
So after some discussion along the road we had decided that our first destination was Pallas Nationalpark area. Cause non of us had either been there before and we had heard just good about the area. Getting closer to Pallas we saw from the road we saw a nice mountain called Keimiötunturi and we decided to go and check it out. We found a good parking with nice xc-trails straight out from the parking. This was the third day on our trip, that long it had took to drive a slow camping rig with four dogs and a little baby. Cause this was a family trip and all stops was after Nikitas and the dogs needs.
Dogs went happily wild when they saw us taking out the harnesses, skis and Fjellpulken for Nikita and the weather was amazing -10 and bluebird. So we haeded out for the first xc-tour on this trip. I had Lilly and Tiili pulling me and Nikita back in the pulk, Sanna had Sissi and Arrak pulling her. And ouh man the dogs was happy to run on snow again, also Tiili seemed to enjoy it to the fullest after a winter with water gymnastics once a week for her Artrosis.
We skied around 10km before we went back to the car for lunch and Nikita slept the whole time in the pulk, dont even think she notified that we was out skiing at all..:)
On afternoon we drove to a bigger parking where we was completely alone, straight under the mountain. I changed the gear and went out to explore the mountain on my splitboard. Cause in Lapland at this time it was snowrecord thru all times and it was possible to ride almost everywhere. The forest on Keimiötunturi was a positive surprise, it was worldclass forestriding, steep, deep, lot of space between the trees and even pillowlines here and there.
Next day it was Sannas turn to go splitboarding and i went meanwhile for a walk with Nikita and Tiili. Sanna came back with a big smile on her face so think she enjoyed it:) When Sanna came back Nikita was still sleeping, so we went for a small splitboard pillowline photoshoot next to road, so Nikita could be close to us all the time in the carry. After lunch i went xc-skiing with all four dogs, this day it was 10 degrees warmer and it was clear difference in their energy. But you still could see how they enjoyed to run.
On afternoon we drove to Pallastunturi where we found a big cosy parking only for ourselves about 1km from the hotel.
There we stayed 3 nights, it felt so good when we didnt had any exact plans or deadlines, most important was that we all was together. On evening we did a stunning sunset walk with Nikita and the whole pack.
Following day was windy but sunny, Sanna was hardcore and went for a splitboard tour on the morning, but little over treeline she had to turn back due hard wind and shitty snow. Slowly it looked like the wind calmed down and when Sanna was back i went for a split tour to Palkaskero next to "Sannas mountain" to see if i found some better snow. Wind was still hard, i almost got blown away from the summit but on the way down i could enjoy some nice snow on the SouthWest part of mountain.
Well back and after dinner we went for a evening xc-tour with the whole pack. Dogs was happy pulling and half way Nikita was sinking happily in the pulk before she fell to sleep. Think there is nowhere where Nikita is sleeping as good as in the pulk:)
On the 2nd day in Pallas we had decided it to be a family day out, it was a good decision there was no wind and it was still bluebird. We packed our gear and went with the whole pack to explore the terrain on xc-skis. Same setup again Tiili, Lilli and Nikita with me, Sissi and Arrak with Sanna. The xc trails was in superb condition and about half way we found a nice spot for a break, where we eat a wilderness lunch before we headed back. Again Nikita slept the whole time in the pulk, about 4 hours without waking up. Skiing with kids is easy;)
When the darkness arrived on evening, a crazy show started. Think i never before seen so stunning and clear northern lights (aurora borealis) what continued for hours. Sadly i didnt had enough good camera to capture clear pics of it.
Next morning it was still good weather and we drove to Muonio to get some gas and throw trash, before we went back to Keimiötunturi. The dogs and Sannas feets needed a rest day, so they went for a walk with Nikita, when i went splitboarding to the summit and explored little bit more of the fun terrain. I was surprised to get first tracks in forest even if it was weeks after last snowfall.
On afternoon we continued direction Äkäslompolo, where we either hadnt been before. Few kilometers from center we found a nice calm parking for the night. Next day plan was to go splitboarding on some of the mountains close to parking. But when we on the morning saw how much people there was in the area, we just did a morning hike with the dogs and decided to leave the place and continue to a "calmer" area.
Same time when we was starting to drive, Sanna asks me if i have seen her and Nikitas bag for dirty laundry. I hadnt seen it. After some search and discussion we found out that it had went with the trash in Muonio... And after little more of uncalm conversation we decided to continue our trip and not drive back 140km extra to see if it still was in the trashbin in Muonio...
So next planned stop was the area around Luosto, it was really hard wind while driving there and it even got harder when we arrived. We found an empty parking in the woods and even there the wind was really hard, so hard that the dogs didnt even wanted to go for a evening walk and at night it felt like sleeping on a boat on a open sea, but Nikita seemed to like it really much:)
On the morning Sanna wanted to go splitboarding so we checked the map for some easy tour what shouldnt be sun and wind effected. I went for a walk with Nikita and the dogs when sanna went on a morning mission. The first attempt didnt worked out but the 2nd and 3rd hike she found short runs in dry pow.
After lunch i went for my mission, i had checked out some runs in Januari when we was in the area and wanted to try them out now. First one on Keski Luosto was direction west and that had really variable conditions, steep fun terrain but from windpack on summit to suneffected, to powder in the bottom. Well down i hiked up to summit again and dropped in direction Norht East and there was super dry pow and not wind effected at all from top to bottom. Just little bit too flat for my taste. Last run was from summit direction south to the car and that was rideable but shittiest snow on the whole trip:)
After a nice food break in the car, i went with the dogs on a xc-skitour direction Perhe Luosto. The dogs showed really good leading skills when we met a guy walking with his barking dog on the trail. I just told my pack to go right to de snowmobile track and they did that without no hesitation and we passed the barking dog with proudness, Before we went back to the xc trail. After been going with the dogs around 3km i saw they was already starting to get tired, so we turned back direction the car. Where Sanna and Nikita was waiting with the dinner. This xc-skitour became the last we did with the whole original Larhol adventuredog pack.
Next morning we decided to start driving direction home, cause the weather got worse and we had heard on the news that they recommend people stay home due covid-19 so decision was easily made. It took us 2 days to get home 1000km from Luosto.
We had some nice stops on the way back south. First was little South of Kemi where we went for a hike on the sea ice in Gulf of Bothnia. Before we drove more south and found a nice overnight place on the sand beach in Kalajoki.
Next day we went to Isokyrö, for a short visit to a friend where we bought of him a bunch of worlds best ecological honey at Sugar daddys honey company. He also gave us some tasty cabbage and with honey and cabbage loaded in the car we had the energy to drive the last 400km in once at home.
This trip became to be the last one for our loved Tiili the husky. First she felt really good shape days after the trip, but then her condition suddenly went worse and one morning when she waked up she suddenly was blind. I took her to vet who checked her eyes and they was fine, but she still couldnt see. And no medicin helped her, vet said it almost for sure a brain tumor,
We could see her overall conditions also went down quite fast. Even if she was really good to hide it, she did her best to show us that all is good, thats the typical behavior with polardogs both in good and bad way:)
Even if we saw how she suffered when she couldnt see and had hard time, when she was on little longer hikes. But she was still happy as long she could be really close to us.
Meanwhile i had my head surgery and was on hospital, Sanna had many conversations with the vet but there wasnt anything they or we could do. Last days with Tiili we did so good we could do for her, and two weeks after our holiday trip, we had to let her go to a more peaceful place where she can see and run without pain with Langöre and other gone but never forgotten friends.
She felt to sleep in our arms doing what she liked most, eating tasty treats and getting cuddled.
Rest In Peace Tiili, you went far to early, you will be missed and never forgotten!
Best greetings;
Your brother Arrak
Sissi & Lilly
Nikita, Sanna & Niklas
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