Dog Sledding and Winter Bushcraft
Bushcraft and survival skills have become extremely popular in recent years, in large part thanks to the television programmes of Ray Mears.
Winter bushcraft is about learning to make and cook over camp fires, identify the tracks of wildlife in the snow, navigate with map and compass, build shelters and use basic tools such as knives and axes.
The study of bushcraft is enjoyable, hugely rewarding, and a valuable skill for comfortable and safe enjoyment of the outdoors.
Duration: 6 days
Dates/Period: Private experiences for groups of minimum 4 persons by arrangement between January and March.
Price: £982/adult
Groups of maximum 8 can be catered for.
Accommodation: 1 night at bushcraft lodge, 2 nights in traditional teepee, 2 nights in log cabin.
Required: general good health and level of fitness, recommended minimum age 13.
Combine the excitement and adventure of expedition dog sledding with an opportunity to learn and practise bushcraft skills, including cooking over open fire and identifying tracks of wildlife in the snow.
This is a private dog sledding tour with an experienced bushcraft guide available on custom dates by arrangement between January and March. It is an ideal tour for small groups of friends, outdoor clubs or active families with older children who love the outdoors.
Your experience begins with an evening at the bushcraft camp in Gällö, relaxing with a wood-fired sauna and lakeside hot-tub and looking ahead to your days in the mountains of Jämtland. The following morning you will meet your dog team and be instructed in how to harness the dogs and handle the sled, before heading off into the hills. Each participant will drive their own sled with a dog team of 4-5 Alaskan Huskies.
Over the next few days you will become a confident and skilled musher, as you learn the ways of your dogs and become more adept at handling the dogsled. Accommodation for the first two nights on the trail will be in traditional teepee-style tents with wood-burning stove. You will have the chance to learn the art of cooking over open fire using a "Dutch oven" (a heavy metal pot) and spend the nights under canvas. In the evenings you will explore the winter landscape around your camp on home-made snowshoes and learn a little about the thousands of stars in the sky above you.
The next two nights of your dog sledding experience will be spent in a traditional log cabin in the mountains. On day four you will have a chance to leave your baggage behind at the cabin and travel fast and light on a half-day dog sledding tour in the local area, before spending the afternoon searching for animal tracks in the snow and learning to identify the signs left by some of the animals which inhabit the area. Tracks you may see include elk, ptarmigan, pine marten and capercaillie.
By the end of your dog sledding and bushcraft tour in the mountains of Jämtland, you will have learnt to handle your own dogsled, forged a strong bond of friendship with your dog team, and acquired some essential skills for making travelling in the winter mountains safe, comfortable and enjoyable.