Personally I am not a
huge believer in spirituality, for example I have never experienced people or
places having auras or special meanings however when I met Sven Engholm the
owner and head Musher at Engholm in Karasjok I was completely blown away by the
sheer presence of this incredible man.
Upon arrival at the
husky farm I (as usual) headed straight out to greet the dogs and look for any
unsuspecting puppies for a cuddle. It was here in the middle of around 50
howling huskies that a sudden quiet ensued (absolutely unheard of in a husky
yard – especially with visitors) and I saw a man coming out from the main cabin
and walk towards us across the dog yard. Completely unassuming Sven
introduced himself and instantly I was in awe of this gentleman. If I
wasn't already aware of his incredible accomplishments I would have had no idea
I was in the presence of Norwegian Mushing royalty (winning the hardest husky
race in Norway 11 times will give an individual that kind of reputation).
 |
| Sven Engholm |
We were invited to
tour the log cabins that surround the husky yard and which were all built and
furnished by Sven himself from wood found in the forests in the Karasjok area.
Sitting in the communal cabin there was simply so much to look at and take in!
From the reindeer antlers being used as cup holders to the carved wooden table
and stools fashioned from tree trunks.
As Sven spoke about
his life with the dogs you could so clearly see the passion and the enthusiasm
he has for this way of life and it was completely infectious! After around an
hour sitting inside and chatting about the dogs and the types of tours he runs
for musher enthusiasts we went back to meet some of the best behaved huskies I
have ever laid eyes on.
It is one of my
biggest regrets that, on this occasion, we didn't have to go out and explore
the Arctic wilderness around Karasjok as so many of our happy clients have done
in the past. One day I will go back to Karasjok – my boss just hopes it
won’t be for the whole winter season as one of Sven’s assistants!
No comments:
Post a Comment