Part II:  Lulea

Though the world is not as accessible now as it was when we took this trip, we can still reflect fondly on places we have been and dream about places we hope to see one day.

While living in Stockholm in 2019, we enjoyed a few visits from family and friends. One visitor was my college-age son, who brought his roommate with him. Two days later, they flew with my youngest son and me to northern Sweden for an arctic adventure.

The terrain was like the moon - so different from Stockholm! The temperatures were frigid, so we had to pack plenty of layers. Thankfully, my son brought a suitcase full of our snow gear from Richmond for all of us to share. Combined with the winter clothes we already had in Stockholm and some hand- and toe-warmers, we were reasonably well prepared. We were mistaken.

We arrived in the lovely town of Lulea (pronounced “loo leo”) and ate a yummy lunch at the poorly-named Bastard Burgers. Our U.S. visitors were still adjusting to the new time zone, so they rested while my youngest and I checked out the mile-long ice track on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia, where Dutch speed skaters practice for the Olympics.

During the day, the ice track was packed with people out for some much-needed exercise during the long, dark winter. In addition to kick-sledding, one may ice skate, walk (carefully!), or cross-country ski on the track. Parents pulled babies and toddlers on sleds.

After an early dinner, we made our way to Bothnia Sled Dog Adventures for nighttime dog-sledding. Driving down a dark lane, we found the address, a nondescript rancher, where we were greeted by the friendly owner and the sound of dogs barking excitedly behind the house.

We were taken inside, shown to a room full of boots and snowsuits, and instructed to put on multiple extra layers. By the time we put on the final “snowsuit,” we all looked like giant Pillsbury Dough Boys and could barely walk. But when we headed outside, where the temperature was around -17 F, we were very thankful for the layers, and the hand and toe warmers tucked into our pockets and boots. Even with all of that, our faces and hands were cold. I wore a t-shirt, thermal shirt, wool sweater, winter parka, scarf, neck turtle, hat, long johns, jeans, snow pants, gloves, and hat (with a hood pulled over it), all covered by the snowsuit. Each of us attached a toe warmer to our phones so the batteries wouldn’t die.

Although we were hoping to see the Northern Lights, and the weather was good for it (frigid but clear), we knew the chance of seeing them was slim. Unfortunately, the spectacular lights aren’t visible as frequently in Lulea as in points farther north, like Abisko National Park, and we didn’t see them. 

We were not at all disappointed, however. Honestly, we were so focused on the wild ride the sky could have lit up with the famous green Aurora Borealis, and I don’t think we would have noticed.

Despite the temperature, the dogs were excited to get out and run. The owner, Keijo, had 65 Alaskan Huskies and knew them all by personality and name. They were well-cared for and had houses nicer than many humans. Keijo told us that some of the dogs prefer to sleep outside, even when it’s 30 below zero!!

After being given brief instructions, we took to the sleds. We took turns “mushing,” or driving the sleds, and riding in them. I shared one with my youngest, while my middle son and his friend shared the other. Both teams had eight dogs. The two company owners led us via snowmobile, into the darkness of the woods, leaving us with just small headlamps and the dogs’ instincts to guide us.

The dog-sledding was AWESOME. But even with all of our layers of clothing and the warming packs, our fingers, toes, and the exposed skin on our faces still felt very cold, so we were glad it was just a two-hour ride. At times, I wondered if my eyes would freeze shut.

The musher stood on very narrow runners shooting off the back of the sled and was given the primary instruction not to let go. This fit in well with our family motto, “Never let go,” but it definitely didn’t sound safe or wise in this case! There was a rough foot brake - a metal plate with spikes you could step on to slow the dogs down when necessary - but you couldn’t stop on a dime. 

For the passenger, the only instruction was NOT to try to get out if the sledge tipped over. That was comforting. 

The ride was absolutely exhilarating, and slightly terrifying. It turned out we were running over a frozen river part of the time. I became suspicious when we went under a bridge. 

The sledge bumped and slammed over “moguls” and bumps in the trail, leading me to wonder if my back would ever recover. Thankfully, my muscles must have been so contracted by the cold that they didn’t really react at all. We were all fine after the experience.

The video doesn’t fully capture how fast we were moving!

In our sled, we did experience a bit of a dilemma when we traded spots, and I went into mushing position. The guide put the light on my hat and I then raised the hood of my coat. Unbeknownst to me, my hood must have dislodged my light. As we took off in the rear of the group, the lamp slipped and I couldn’t see where we were going. 

I tried to hold on with one hand and adjust the lamp with the other, but that didn’t work too well.  Finally, I pulled it off and gave it to my helpless passenger, mid-ride, and he tried to hold it up for me to see. In the process, he lost his hat somewhere, but in the midst of the chaos, we didn’t even notice it was missing until it was too late.

After a couple of minutes, the light suddenly went out. As we barreled through the narrow, wooded trail in complete darkness, my brave son managed to get the light back on briefly. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t stay on and then it went out altogether.

Having absolutely no idea where we were going, and seeing the rest of the group moving further away from us, I ground us to a stop. We sat in the pitch black darkness while our team of dogs started barking wildly, ready to move again. Alone in the freezing night, I consoled myself with the hope that the barking dogs would frighten off any predators.

We were exceedingly grateful when Keijo eventually returned and replaced our light. Thankfully, frostbite hadn’t set in yet and we weren’t attacked by any moose or other large arctic creatures. We were soon back in action and had an incredible ride.

The dogs rest after a good run.

Afterwards, the dogs enjoyed a well-deserved rest while we stripped off our many layers and sat in the kitchen with the wonderful folks from Bothnia Sled Dog Adventures and enjoyed hot cocoa and fresh, homemade pastries. We learned a little more about each other while we petted the sweet dogs who had retired to “inside living.”

Finally, we headed back to the hotel for a night of good rest before the second part of our arctic adventure the next day:  snowmobiling. 

After a night of deep sleep, we had the best breakfast we have had since moving to Sweden:  a buffet at the Clarion Hotel Sense’s wonderful penthouse restaurant, Kitchen & Table. The reason it was the best is because they had delicious, homemade waffles - our favorite breakfast - a treat we hadn’t enjoyed since we moved to Sweden (until we discovered Mr. Cake in Stockholm, weeks later).

After loading up the rental car, we took off for Brandon Lodge, where we would ride snowmobiles for four hours and eat lunch on the trail.

Riding out over the frozen sea was exhilarating and bizarre. I tried not to think about how thick the ice was and how deep and frigid the water underneath.

We had a wonderful Swedish guide, Patrick, who used to ski competitively in the United States. He took us across the sea and a frozen lake, down an icy river and through the woods.

Halfway through the ride, we stopped, and Patrick made a delicious lunch over an open fire. The meal consisted of a traditional Swedish potato dumpling called Kroppkaka and something that looked like ham and refreshing lingonberry juice to drink. Lingonberries are very popular throughout Sweden, like cranberries but not bitter or tart.

We were only in Lulea for just over 24 hours. But riding across the frozen wilderness at 30-60 kilometers per hour, seeing this new part of the world, spotting moose tracks (but no moose), and enjoying this wild and crazy adventure with the boys is something I will never forget. I hope to one day go back with the rest of my family.