Dog Sledding in Tromsø, Norway
I had arrived in Tromsø (pronounced “Trum-sza”), Norway the evening before from a two week business trip in Michigan and Germany. Needless to say, I really needed the vacation to unwind and allow my brain cells to regenerate. I had traveled internationally by myself before, but this was my first actual vacation in a country I had never been to. As a female, you can’t help but get worried about traveling alone. However, I am happy I picked a city that isn’t too populated and everyone was so helpful. I really love the Norwegian culture and the food. Everything tasted so fresh and organic, although… Norway is expensive. I had planned a few adventures weeks in advance, but some were sold out, so my advice is to book early. In Norway they experience 3 months of complete darkness and 3 months of complete sunlight. Luckily, I came just after the 24 hour darkness so the sun was shining for about 5-6 hours a day. However, during my stay the locals were telling me it has never been so cold. Although the city was about 10 to 20°F, the mountains which were only 40-50 minutes away, were -2 to -13°F. It was cold especially for this So Cal beach girl.
As I said before, I’m a little particular when it comes to hotels and there aren’t a lot to select from in Tromsø, so after doing some research, I decided to stay at the Clarion Hotel the Edge in a room with an upgraded view. It is right in the bay and everything was lovely and within walking distance. The breakfast buffet has a huge selection of almost anything you can imagine and everything is fresh with a gourmet presentation. The bedroom is modern (although I didn’t like the horizontal bathroom sink) and the floorplan is spacious especially after coming from Germany. I would definitely stay in that hotel again. Also the Kitchen Table is a wonderful restaurant on the property with exceptional food and service. It was a 10 minute taxi ride from Tromsø airport and only a couple minutes walking distance to the Radisson Blu hotel which was the meeting point for my guides.
My first adventure was dog sledding through the arctic with Tromsø Husky Safari. Since I knew the sun was a delight during this season, I went ahead and booked it for the morning (although I really don’t like waking up early 😴). I think the dog sledding excursions are probably one of the most popular because we had a big bus load of people. I think in total there were 29 people. I know it was an odd number because I was the only one by myself without a partner! 😂 The bus ride was 40 minutes to the Husky farm and in that area it was -13°F. Upon getting off the bus we were taken to the changing center where we were given arctic suits (thank God!), boots, mittens, neck guards, and beanies to select from. Afterwards we went outside for a lesson in dog sledding. We learned how to brake, when to brake, and how to help the dogs especially going uphill (cardio 😓). I was paired with a guide and then we were broken into smaller groups and driven by a van to the doggies.
Since I was with a guide, we were the first pair to lead the way. We took turns navigating through the snowy wonderland. It seriously felt like I was dog sledding through a snow globe. The majestic white mountains surrounded us and I was in awe. At one point it was so beautiful I had tears in my eyes, but that was short lived after my tear drop had froze my eye lashes shut to my face. Ouch! Not only did my lashes have ice, but so did my hair. However, I don’t know if it was the arctic suit or maybe my heart glowing from how grateful I felt, but I didn’t feel cold. In fact, I was warm. At times we paused for the group and to give our furry friends a break. During those pauses I gave each of my dogs a pep talk and a big hug. Of course, I also had to take some selfies with them! 😂 Luckily, I got in my shots before my phone’s fully charged battery completely died because of the cold. The dogs were definitely not camera shy and they were so loving and adorable. 😍 It really made me want a dog back home, but unfortunately, I don’t think my mean cat would be happy about that.
When we all arrived back I took a little time to sit on the dog sled by myself and watch the sun as it rose completely up from behind the mountains. It was so serene and peaceful. Afterwards, the entire group bundled up in a hut that was warmed by a wood burning stove. They gave us hot chocolate and a customary Norwegian cake called Lefse that was like a crepe sandwich with a very thin layer of fig jam, butter, cinnamon, and brown cheese inside. It was delicious! Ironically, I had that two more times because every guide company gave guests their own version of the cake. I could eat that every day! I got back to my hotel around 2PM. It was just enough time to rest, eat dinner, and get ready for that evening’s next adventure. 😀
