Snowmobiles

Headed down into town about 9:30 for our half day tour. Got fitted out in enormous boots and gore-tex overalls, were handed gloves and balaclavas, and climbed awkwardly into the truck, where we were taken about 20 minutes out of town to a frozen lake for a spot of snowmobiling. Twas the end of the season, and some of the lake is now thawed, so we may well be the last group for the year. I was given a crash course - brake, throttle, kill switch, and off we went.

Had to skirt the lake edge for much of the time, and stop occasionally to let the engines cool down, but we had a great time. Mandy clung on to the back, looking a little larger than normal, and after a little while even tried to take some video as we went.

It seems that all of the ice and snow will be gone in about 4 weeks. After going about as far as we could without getting wet, we turned around and followed our tracks back home. When we got back we were taken to a pine hut in the snow, much like a wood igloo, where we were given a lunch of brewed coffee and pita bread with cheese and smoked reindeer. Rather yummy. The tour operator has a number of self contained huts in the forest - for skiers in Winter, and bushwalkers and fishermen in Summer.

We were taken back to Kiruna where we de-robed, returned to the hostel to pack and check out, then down to the information centre for some internet time, and finally to the station to catch our overnight train to Stockholm. (15 hrs, 1300 km)