The howling is deafening, echoing back from the few low trees. But Trine keeps track. Walks past begging dog eyes that only signal one thing: Take me with you! The experienced dog sled driver does not give in to the pleading howl. "The animals have to go together" she explains and snaps gates by the collar, runs with the black four-legged friend to one of the waiting sledges, ties him to the harness with nimble fingers.
Trine lives with her 50 huskies on a farm in the Pasvik Valley in the far north of Norway. The border with Russia is just a stone’s throw away. Kirkenes, the closest and only town in the region, is an hour away by car. We don’t want to go there, but to Myrbekkoya, a small hut in the middle of a moor, around 20 kilometers away. However, the dogs must be harnessed beforehand. This happens to the loud, expectant howling of the animals. Running is their life, and they always long to go on a trail.
Trine pushes a pulling harness into my hand, explains which paw goes into which loop. So I clamp the wriggling ball of fur between my legs, slip the ribbons and cords over his head – and start all over again. "Hold on to the brakes and release it very slowly" says Trine and unties the knot that holds my vehicle to the tree. A sharp jolt. With an effort I hold the sledge, stand with both legs on the metal hooks that claw into the snow, gradually release the brake. Then the sledge glides forward, always following Trine, who is already a few meters ahead.
The track was previously driven in by snowmobile. "There are dogs who like deep snow, but it is very difficult to get ahead" says the experienced sledge operator. Our teams rush over wide plains, which are water-soaked moors in summer, curve around small pine trees or wind through densely packed trees in forest areas.
A short rest. Hardly a sound can be heard. Just the chuckle of a brook, which the sun has freed from its icy shell in some places. Even the dogs don’t bark, they just puff. Steam rises from their mouths. But after just a few minutes they get restless again and want to move on. And so we dig the anchors out of the snow, take our foot off the brake, and we go on at breakneck speed until the dogs gradually get tired too.
After a bend in the path, the Myrbekkoya Hut can finally be seen between the trees. But only a hint, because the snow is meters high on the roof. Trine looks a little worried. "When it gets warmer, the snow gets heavier, and then …" So division of labor: in the hut we light a warm fire, the path is cleared https://topadultreview.com. Then Trine climbs onto the roof with a shovel. The work is sweaty upstairs and downstairs, the coffee afterwards is just as well deserved as the dinner by the fireplace – of course, sliced reindeer.
In the late evening the northern lights let off steam in the clear night sky above the hut, making the snow shine with its greenish veils. It’s quiet, very quiet. Only a faint breeze can be felt as the silhouettes of the branches move in front of the green light curtains. Not even the dogs can be heard: they are probably satisfied for today.
Further information: Innovation Norway / Norwegian Tourist Office, www.visitnorway.de Dog sledding: The tours in the Pasvik Valley are organized by Birk Safari, Melkefoss, N-9925 Svanvik, tel. 0047/90/97 82 48. Email: post@birkhusky.no
Before the fun starts, things get serious. The form for the salmon fishing permit is a challenge: you need information on height, weight, hair color, eye color, passport number … The license for one day costs $ 20. After all, fishing is an essential part of the Alaska freestyle program. This country not only has the most, but also the largest king salmon in the world. For enthusiastic anglers, Alaska is the dream destination par excellence – as for all animal and nature lovers. See breathtaking images of Alaska on our photo show.
The largest and northernmost US state is five times the size of Germany and is blessed with a lavishly beautiful landscape: tundra, three million lakes, 100,000 glaciers, endless national parks, winding fjords and the highest mountains in North America. And with 700,000 people, Alaska is sparsely populated like no other country.
Not only do 280,000 people live in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, but a surprising variety of other creatures as well. More than a thousand moose are native to the city area, and even more in winter. When the snow in the surrounding forests denies access to food, many elks choose the city as their winter quarters, roam the cleared park paths and sometimes turn up downtown. And the bears, Alaska’s rulers, regularly inspect the front gardens and garbage cans of the residents – especially at the time before the salmon come into the rivers and the table for black and brown bears is well set.
But people also tick differently here. In which other city do business people go salmon fishing during their lunch break, like at Ship Creek, just a few minutes’ walk from the modern business buildings and elegant hotels? But mass fishing in a city river does not coincide with what it should be – a lot of solitude and wild nature.
On the Seward Highway it goes in a southeast direction directly along the Turnagain estuary into the wilderness. The mountains that rise into the sky on the opposite bank are reflected on the surface of the water. Suddenly a cow elk crosses the highway with her calf, unimpressed by the enthusiastic drivers, who of course let the two of them go first. Soon the Kenai Peninsula and the port town of Seward are reached.
We check into Windsong Lodge, one of the best of its kind, with award-winning cuisine and an award-winning range of wines. The next day, on a Kenai Fjords Tours excursion boat, you will travel through Resurrection Bay into the middle of the world of glaciers, whose tongues extend into the sea. Again and again, huge chunks of ice break into the water with a roar. A group of kayakers are happy to see the sea otters floating on their backs next to them. Dolphins escort the ship and a colony of sea lions sunbathe on a bare rock while two bald eagles soar through the air.
When a humpback whale lets its huge back roll over the surface of the water with its fin, they become awesome "Wow’s" sharp cries. Shortly afterwards, two of the giants screw themselves into the air and land with a splash in the water. Whale watching? It is more of a whale show that is offered to the ship’s occupants here and in which a group of at least six whales is involved. Captain Tim also tirelessly takes photos. Even a professional like him doesn’t see something like this every day.
The XXL country of Alaska can be explored by rental car, motorhome, coach, ship and plane. One of the most fascinating experiences is the ride on the Alaska Railroad, whose 752 km long rail network runs from Seward north to Fairbanks and opens up some of the most breathtaking areas of land. On the drive through spruce forests and fertile farmland, past glaciers and lakes, you get the feeling of sliding past a never-ending photo wallpaper with a 3-D effect. The chances of seeing bears and moose along the railway line are good, especially if you enjoy the view from the glass-coupled panorama car.
Many passengers interrupt their train journey in Talkeetna, a friendly place with a hippie flair that wakes up from deep sleep in early summer: Talkeetna is the starting point for expeditions to Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 6,194 meters. The flower-filled streets are teeming with tourists, mountaineers and bush pilots who fly the climbers to McKinley base camp. On a sightseeing flight you can get very close to the white giant without an ice ax and crampons: the ten-seater "otter" purrs across a green forest, swamp, river and lake landscape. A black bear throws its head back and is amazed at this strange bird up there, while the two elks standing knee-high in a river are not impressed by the plane. From one minute to the next we are in the middle of the eternal ice. As if out of nowhere, a huge, glaciated mountain range rises from the plain with Mount McKinley towering over everything. Pilot Jeff does a few laps over Denali, as Mount McKinley is called in the native language. What a giant, majestic and mysterious. This time the passengers even have that "Wow" stuck in the throat. Further information:
Arrival: From May to October Condor flies up to four times a week from Frankfurt to Anchorage and once a week to Fairbanks. Many other destinations within Alaska can be booked with the Alaska Air Group.
Entry: German citizens require a valid passport and an ESTA travel authorization that has been approved before the start of the journey for visa-free entry. Travel Alaska, 2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA, www.alaska-travel.de
The Lapland region in northern Scandinavia is Europe’s last great wilderness – and a paradise for fishing holidays. In addition to grayling, trout and whitefish, pike, perch, lake trout, char and – of course – salmon cavort in the fish-rich lakes and rivers. Our author Kurt de Swaaf took a look around Finland for trax.de and examined the fishing opportunities. See more in our photo show: Fishing in Lapland.
The water is the color of thin tea. It is still extremely clear, in the depth you can see the contours of stone blocks and rock edges. The skipper has switched off the engine, calm is spreading. A light breeze brushes through the pine trees. The island is usually uninhabited, only a pretty hunting lodge is hidden in the forest. The owners come here to fish mostly over the weekend. No wonder. From the outer north-west bank, your gaze wanders over the vast expanse of Inarijärvi, Finland’s third largest lake, a body of water over a hundred kilometers long with more than 3000 large and small islets. A few weeks ago, the surface of the lake was covered with ice as Tapani Lappalainen, owner of the holiday home, reported.
