Reader\'s Digest Australia & New Zealand - June 2018

112 | June• 2018

FROZEN

Wetiedupthesledsandwentinside

to find a popping open fire, and a

veteran dogsled racer and master

chef named Stefan Lundgren, who

served us reindeer stew and lingon-

berrycider.IglancedatKim.“Mag-

ical,” she said.

At dusk, which fell at 2.50pm, we

ranthesledsuptoaclusteroflow,

pine-cladbuildingsattheedgeof

another lake. his was Fjellborg Arc-

ticLodge,ouraccommodationfor

thenight.hestormhadspentitself,

andcandlesflickeredincarvedice

sconces outside the half-dozen cab-

ins. Under its covering of fresh snow,

the world looked like a scene from a

Christmas card.

Wesatonreindeerskinsaround

theireasthelightfadedbehindthe

treetops, and the temperature plum-

meted.Theonlysoundswerethe

crack of flames, the creak of snow-

laden trees, the murmur of quiet

conversation.

Ourcabinhadasauna,andwe

bakedinit.henwesatoutsideina

hottubandpeeredintothelidded

sky, hoping it would clear for the

northernlights.Itdidn’t.IadmitI

wasn’t too bothered: for dinner Ste-

fan had made us cured-reindeer bri-

oche, arctic char and a dessert with

three kinds of chocolate, served with

rich black cofee.

NEXT MORNING,theskyhadcleared.

Kenth Fjellborg, the proprietor of

Fjellborg Arctic Lodge, showed up

the handlebar as hard as I could.
The trail was narrow, and twisting
through trees with limbs bent with
snow. There were sudden swoops
and dips, branches to duck under.
Thedogscareenedaroundthecor-
ners and we almost capsized; they
chargeddownhills.EverytimeI
steppedonthebraketoslowdown,
one of the lead dogs threw a look back
over her shoulder, and I could read

her thought like a cartoon balloon:
Let me run!
We sw ished out of t he t rees and
ontoafrozenlake.Itwas10.05am
and the light was muted, like the
onsetofdusk.hewindwasdriving
thesnowsideways,andIlostthelead
sled in the squall. Then there was
onlywhite–above,below.Onlythe
smoothslipandjostleofthewood
runners underfoot, the biting frost
oncheeks,thepantingofthedogs.
WefollowedEspenasheturned
histeamintothewoods.Inthetrees
therewasasmallconicalhut.Pale
smoke wreathed from the stovepipe.

WE THROTTLED OUT
OF THE WOODS
ONTO THE WHITE
EXPANSE OF THE LAKE,
WHERE TWO REINDEER
WERE SUNBATHING