I had come to the tippy-top of Swedish Lapland to get a taste of that experience: a shorter, condensed three-day glimpse into what the full Polar expedition is like. Surrounded by yipping, jumping Alaskan huskies at the Fjellborg Arctic Journeys kennels—which has partnered with Fjällräven for 25 years and whose founder Kenth Fjellborg, a renowned musher, first inspired Nordin to come up with Polar—our team leader Melanie gave us a crash course in sled handling—how to brake, how to steer. I nervously climbed aboard my footboards.
Then we were off, down a hill and across the frozen Torne River, bound for Lake Väkkärä. Racing across the water, nerves quickly gave way to smiles as I watched my dogs settle into their paces, tongues lolling from grinning mouths. At the shores of the lake, my tentmate Samantha and I pitched our neon-orange Fjäll tent for the night of winter camping, snuggled inside down sleeping bags and, like kids on Christmas, almost too excited to sleep for fear of missing a Northern Lights sighting (they never made an appearance, sigh).
Rising early, our guides put us through the motions of preparing for a day out in the Arctic. Dress, pack up the tents, melt hot water, make breakfast, pack the sleds, assemble the dog teams; preparation is survival. Antsy and raring to go just like the dogs, we finally departed into a clear and beautiful Arctic morning.
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