You can feel the love between the dogs
and Svein Åge in the autumn air. He uses
calm movements and short commands to
communicate with them. Anja, Ceasar,
Lotta, Helge, Kåre, Leif and their friends
in the kennel are all Alaskan Huskies. They
are surprisingly small and flexible dogs
considering the strength they possess, and
also friendly, intelligent and alert.
– I couldn’t live without dogs. This is my
life, says Svein Åge with a big smile on his
face. That’s why it’s so amazing to be able
to take my guests out here and give them an
experience that they didn’t even know was
possible.
At the moment, he has 27 dogs.
– I grew up in northern Norway and sled
dogs have always been my main interest, he
continues. But I had a longer break during
the years when our children were young. In
2007 I decided to take it up again and since
then I’ve built up the business that I have
today.
Talking with Svein Åge
, the business idea
seems obvious and is summed up by the
company name – Finnskogen Opplevelser
(Finnskogen Adventures).
– A large part of Finnskogen here in the
borderland between Norway and Sweden is
unspoiled wilderness, he explains. The area
is marked off by River Glomma in the west
and River Klarälven in the east; in between
there are only forests, lakes and mountains.
For those who want to be active, there are
plenty of opportunities to go canoeing,
hiking, climbing and sleeping under the
stars. But Finnskogen is also a place for
those who are just looking to relax and
enjoy the peace and quiet.
He tells us all this whilst preparing for
the afternoon run with the dogs. Twelve
dogs get to come for a ride in the woods. In
the autumn when there is no snow on the
ground, he uses special carts. They are stable
with big wheels and a seat where a passenger
gets to sit comfortably on a sack of hay.
One after another, the dogs jump out
of their cages and are placed in a row with
a chain which has been fixed between to
large pines. They know what is coming and
move impatiently.
Simply
love
I come from a small place in northern Norway, Skattvold,
and I’ve almost used up all the names of the people who live
there to name my dogs. There’s Kåre, Klara, Kalle, Helge,
Lotta, Laila, Lisa and Leif.
Finnskogen Opplevelser
22 | NATURALLY
