I've finally returned to the Arctic, to a folk high school that teaches dogsledding, sailing and outdoor life, near Tromso, at 69 degrees. The sun won't rise for another few weeks, but there's a surprising amount of light midday for 2 or 3 hrs. They call it "polar night," meaning the sun doesn't rise, but until you go really far north, it still gets lightish midday. Yesterday I drove my first ever dogsled- 4 hrs in blustery wind by headlamp! It's a fun and FAST way to travel. I clipped a few trees by mistake. Yup, Norway's Arctic has lots of trees, thanks to the Gulf Stream. It also has farms (sheep, cows, strawberries!) and lots of people; Norway is VERY rich and has chosen to maintain a rural population throughout the country. It's only about freezing, so not too cold at all! (It was -30 C the day I left Krasnoyarsk). When I arrived to Norway Dec. 14 I spent a few days visiting friends in Oslo and the holidays with a family near Trondheim . I'd like to return to Russia, so I will hop across the border to northern Finland to speak with researchers about contacts in reindeer herding communities in the Russian north! But first I may watch a sled dog race in Finnmark county, Norway.
I've posted some photos of my time in Tuva, which was 1 week with other researchers making contacts in the Tozhu region and 2 weeks on a hunting and fishing trip (bracketed by a stay with a wonderful family).
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