Micheal McGrail took part in the Concern Dog Sled challenge in February 2008 and describes the experience of his ARCTIC ADVENTURE.....

Day 1 London - Oslo - Alta

Left the Travel Lodge in Heathrow Terminal at an unearthly 4.30am and travelled via taxi to meet the other people (whom I’d never met) that were taking part in the trek.  As I was taking part in the trek alone I was understandable apprehensive about everything including the moment when I was introducing myself and meeting all these new people with whom I was about to spend the next week doing something that I’d never forget for the rest of my life.  To be honest those fears and apprehensions I had quickly began to disappear and within a very short time I felt completely relaxed with everyone and at this point the excitement really started to build inside me. 

The travelling really wasn’t that bad at all and before I knew it we had arrived in Alta and were on route via mini-bus to Gargia (the starting point for the trek). It was around -5 when we arrived so it was more than bearable. After a briefing from Keri from ATD on the general layout for the week we were kitted out (with great due care and attention) in our suits, gloves, and sleeping bags for our trip that was to start the next day. 

Day 2 Gargia - Saravopia

After a really enjoyable evening the night before we were instructed to meet at 7.20am for a short briefing which would then be followed by an introduction to the dogs with demonstrations on feeding the dogs.  It really was fantastic to watch the dogs so early that morning in a state of frenzied excitement because they were about to run 40km in temperatures that would keep bread fresh for 6 months.  We were instructed on how to harness the dogs which was very noisy but really added to the anticipation and excitement.  After all the dogs were harnessed and assigned to their positions we set off one by one (well that’s what was supposed to happen!) on our 1st day sledding.  It was not long before we were into the physical uphill sledding which lasted for around 30 minutes or till we reached the top of our 1st incline.  At this point words really lost me when it came to describing the views and scenery, breathtaking does not nearly do it justice.  As we moved through the day and also became better at sledding the temperature really started to drop and hats were pulled down and scarf’s pulled up to shield you from the cutting wind that was coming right in our face.  Around the halfway point we had lunch which really consisted of a frozen sandwich and a lukewarm cup of water on the back to your sled but again it all seemed to add to the sense of adventure and realised of what we aware actually doing.  We arrived at our next camp around 4mp as the sun was setting and got our dogs settled and fed and then were allocated beds in various comfortable warm cabins.  Dinner (and a beer or two) were served around 7pm and we again spent some time getting to know one another a bit.   After dinner we chatted for a while about the events (good and bad) of the day before retiring to bed tired but also really excited about the following day.

Day 3 Saravopia - Mollisjokk

This began with my first experience of feeding the dogs, again the excitement and eagerness of the dogs really took me back.  After feeding (with a generous bit more for my dogs) we returned to our lodge for breakfast which again was really good.  We prepared lunch, filled our flasks and when fully kitted up we made our way back up to the dogs to begin our days trekking.  The first 20 minutes or so was very stop start which was partly caused by the eagerness of the dogs mixed with the return of our beginner’s rustiness resulting in quite a few crashes and tangles of gang lines (dog lines on the sleds).  We were quickly into our stride and to be honest I really felt a strong realisation of where I actually was.  I began to really take in the truly spectacular scenery as we progressed up the hill, it gave us the opportunity to turn and really admire how far we had already come.  At points during this stage especially leading up to lunch it became really physically challenging and that training leading up to the trip really started to come in handy.  After lunch we followed a really tight pathway winding from left to right before crossing a road and beginning a pretty straight forward slightly downhill section to the side of a frozen lake.  This really impressed me when I was informed by Per-Thore (our guide and owner of the dogs) that in around 12-15 weeks time the exact point we were on would be full of native Norwegians and foreigners on fishing trips.  We arrived at our camp on the far side of the lake and again (slightly quicker) removed our dog’s harnesses and shackled them in position for the night.  The accommodation that evening was a really cosy cabin with no electricity! (We couldn’t keep getting it easy)  After settling in we were assigned jobs.  Mine was to drill through the frozen lake for water to drink and cook which I have to say was really really difficult but very rewarding to complete.  There were two hours before dinner which I filled in by having a sauna (yes you did read it correctly a SAUNA) which was so enjoyable especially jumping in the extremely cold snow.  Before dinner we had our nightly group gathering where we were again briefed on our next days trekking details, we were told to expect probably the most physical day so far which drew a few groans from one or two group members.  Dinner which I thought was going to be very basic and not too tasty due to our very limited resources turned out to be so very tasty and again there was plenty to go around (twice).  After dinner we volunteered to do individual jobs such as cleaning up, washing up and collecting water.  Just before we settled for the night our guide informed us that the Northern Lights were really at it outside which had everyone diving for camera’s and boots before we made our way outside for what really was the most spectacularly breathtaking spectacle I have ever seen and truly was a fantastic end to a perfect day.

Day 4 Mollisjokk - Soluvombi

The day started with the trip back down to the lake to collect more water for cooking breakfast and for filling flasks for our days trekking which we had been informed the night before was going to be really difficult.  Breakfast consisted of porridge basically with warm water and jam.  To be honest it wasn’t that bad but was definitely the worst so far.  The days trekking started really well as we were all really quite good at it at this stage.  We were no more than 10 minutes into the trip when the promises from the previous night about how difficult it would be started to come true.  We basically had an uphill struggle for around 5km where most of the time we were off the sled pushing it with the dogs and I’m not lying when I say this it’s difficult.  Today was by far and away the coldest day so far with temperatures reaching as low as -20 which is really though both physically and mentally.  After our long uphill section it levelled out for around 20km but the wind and snow were just driving into our faces and it became very difficult to see anything at all.  As today was our longest day trekking we got just 5 minutes lunch on a frozen lake before heading off again into the unknown.  It got really really horrible weatherise through this section as the wind and snow were even more intense than they had been before.  Again we pulled through and before long we were on the last stretch into our camp for the night which really pleased me.  After settling the dogs we were treated to tea and coffee with home made waffles with jam which went down really well with the group who were very tired at this stage.  As I was on dog feeding duty that evening I got back into my arctic suit and boots and headed down with some other team members to feed the dogs before we had our dinner.  Dinner that night was really really good and well worth mentioning.   Everyone was praising the preparation and quality of the food.  After dinner we settled in and had a few beers and a couple of glasses of wine before retiring very tired but also really content after another great day.

Day 5 Soluvombi - Jotka

Unfortunately the bad weather had continued through the night and had probably got worse as the sun rose.  After we had breakfast and said our goodbye’s to the really nice family whom we had stayed with we again shackled up our dogs and without any incident we made our way onto a frozen river for what we had been promised would be a really straightforward enjoyable day.  To be honest I had a bit of an idea after around 10 minutes that this was not going to be quite as easy as we’d been told it would be.  The wind really started to pick up along with the freezing snow which was driving into our faces and the dogs too which they clearly didn’t like.  It was the first time on the trip where it was clear that the dogs were struggling and it really did make me feel sorry for them but you just can’t afford to be feeling that as these are animals who do this day in and day out and to be honest I had enough to worry about looking after myself!  We eventually reached the frozen lake which we were told was a really enjoyable stage.  It was around 12km from one side to the other and on a normal occasion we were told you would travel at speeds of around 15km per hour but due to the weather which had taken a turn for the worse (I didn’t think that was possible) we were down as slow as 2-3km per hour and we were being pushed physically and mentally harder then we had been yesterday.  By the time we reached our lodged the whole team were very weary but also pleased after completing such a difficult day.  After settling the dogs and getting ourselves sorted we met for dinner in the lodge.  Dinner that evening was once again fantastic but to be honest after a day like that anything served warm in a dry cosy lodge would have put a smile on my face.  After dinner we had our nightly discussion about our day’s events and plans for tomorrow.  Our local guide Per-Thore explained that what we had experienced today was as difficult a day as he’d seen in 7 years on that route which really heightened the sense of achievement in the camp.  We all enjoyed a few well earned drinks that evening and swapped stories about our personal struggles that day.  We all made our way to our beds around 9pm as we had a very early start tomorrow because the amount of ground we had to cover.  As I lay on my bed I began to reflect on some of the events from the week so far and I was happy as I drifted off to sleep that evening.

Day 6 Jotka - Gargia

Our final days trekking.  The day began very early for me and 3 other members of the team.  As we had a 5 hour days trekking ahead of us we had to get up at 6.15am to feed the dogs and breakfast had been planned for 7.30pm a view to be leaving at 8.30am.  Again we got going without any issues and thankfully the weather had really improved (well apart form the temperature part which dropped to -18).  We were only sledding about 10 minutes when it became clear to me that my dog team were not working anywhere near as powerfully as they ha been all week which was probably because of the two previous days which as I’ve already explained were really difficult. I spent most of the 1st 2 hours either running with the sled or pushing the sled to try and lighten the load for the dogs and pickup some sort of speed but it didn’t seem to make much difference as I just couldn’t manage to stay with the rest of the team and I was really tired myself at this stage.  We reached a downhill section after around 3 hours which I really was pleased about as I needed a break and so did the dogs.  We travelled along a fairly flat patch for about 7km before descending into a forest which really was amazing and the scenery was breathtaking.  Per-Thore our guide stopped our sleds and we were instructed to get really tight behind each other and not to let any gaps develop as we were just about to descend down an area or valley in the forest which was called death seeker (I now know why it was called that).  It really was a good thing that we tackled this section on the last day as I really needed every last piece of skill I had picked up through the week to keep myself on my sled (this was not a place to fall off) While trying to control the speed of the dogs which in this section was really fast and we neared the bottom of the valley, word was passed back that a really difficult left turn was coming up and we had to make sure we stayed on the sleds.  It became clear to me why we had been pre-warned of this turn as it really was difficult but again I managed to use all my recently learned skills to stay on the sled and before long I was through the fast downhill and round the tricky left turn which led us into a very enjoyably and quite easy track through the trees.   I really did start to take in all that had gone on through the week as we winded through the trees and I had an overwhelming sense of pride and satisfaction about what I’d achieved.  I had planned to do this trip almost 2 years ago, managed to raise around €7000, trained so hard to be physically able for it and here I was just approaching the spot where the trek had started to shackle up the dogs for the very last time and finish my amazing journey.  As I removed my dogs from the gang line and onto the chains I said good bye and thank you to all of them individually as you really do develop a bond with your team and to be honest saying goodbye to the dog was al lot harder than I had anticipated.  The final night in our hotel was so enjoyable, we were finished all our trekking and all the physical activities were done, it was time now to relax and enjoy ourselves.   After a well needed and really enjoyable shower (not forgetting my first shave all week) I headed to the bar and treated myself to a well earned couple of beers before making my way downstairs with some other members of the team for a truly delightful and exceptional outdoor hot-tub.   As we sat there under the stars in perfectly heated water the outside temperature was –15, no more than 20 minutes after sitting into the hot tub the skies above decided to treat us to an amazing Northern Lights show which could not really have happened at a better time.  We cleaned ourselves up one more time before meeting for dinner.  We shared some very funny and memorable stories from our week over dinner and drinks.  As the final evening drew to a close I was filled with a sense of excitement and pride that what I had just completed.  It was the most memorable and amazing experience of my whole like and I know I will never as long as I am still alive forget my Arctic Adventure.  All I can say to anyone who is interested in this trip is to just sign up, get your money raised and prepare yourself for an experience that will completely blow you away.  It realty is that amazing and it’s a must for anyone who enjoys a challenge.