Nomadic dani

The Final Stretch: Lessons in Resilience, Friendship, and Arctic Magic:
Days 4-6

The final days of Fjällräven Polar were, without question, the most challenging and the most meaningful.

After days of sledding through frozen tundra, across lakes, through treelined forests and sleeping in tents you begin to live in the rhythm of nature. Something shifts inside you. You’re no longer thinking like a tourist or an adventurer, you’re part of the wild. You stop fighting the cold and start flowing with it. You start listening more. You move slower, but with purpose. The Arctic begins to feel like home.

On paper, the final stretch of the journey wasn’t the longest or the coldest but it felt like the culmination of everything we’d been through. The terrain was varied: open tundra that left us exposed to the wind, icy lakes that groaned beneath the sled, and tight trails where the dogs had to weave like pros. The fatigue had set in, and so had the mental fog.

But we all kept going – one paw print at a time.

The dogs were my teammates too, tireless, wild, beautiful creatures who pulled with joy, no matter how tired they were. Their energy kept me going, even when my own legs felt like jelly.

What carried us through wasn’t adrenaline. It was teamwork.

We were no longer strangers bundled up in Arctic gear, we were a unit. People who barely knew each other a week ago were now watching each other’s backs, tightening one another’s sled lines, checking for frostbite, sharing snacks, and finishing each other’s sentences with a grin. There were no ego trips. Just a shared goal, and deep, wordless respect.

By this point, I wasn’t just driving the sled, I was dancing with the dogs. I could sense when they needed encouragement or when they were about to veer off trail. I knew them by name, by gait, by attitude. One of my lead dogs would always look back at me before starting, just a quick glance, like: “You ready?”

I always was.

My favourite day was the day we danced through the tree line. It was much warmer so need for the big jacket. I was looking at every twist and turn and every gap through the trees to any wild animals that might be hiding in plain sight. It felt like a breeze handling the sled and then came the drop!

Out of nowhere the beautiful tree line ended and we were welcome to an open area. We flew down a hill, the dogs never stopping. I bent a little, braced my legs, and allowed myself to move with every bump and turn the ground, mastering the terrain. Luckily for me I handled it well, my guide very impressed. For my teammates, so not so much! Carola has to run after her sled! All with the media team filming us because they knew this was coming. It was a great laugh and a good adrenaline kick, making you realise that in the wild you have to be prepared for anything.

After this eventful day we setup our final camp. After a night of laughter, talking next to the fire and dancing under the stars the sky had been dark for hours, then someone gasped. Above us, the northern lights ignited, green and purple waves rippling and swirling across the Arctic sky. The strongest Northern lights I had ever seen in my life. Everyone was in awe of the magic that mother nature gives us.

As we tucked up as a 4 for our final sleep under the stars (the tents were gone by then) I remember lying back in the snow, my breath catching in my throat, thinking: this is why we came. Not just for the challenge, or the cold, or the thrill but for this: the feeling of being so small, and yet so full. As we said goodnight my eyes closed the final greens and purples fading into my dreams.

It was magic. Real magic.

Bonds built for life

You can’t go through something like this without forming bonds. Deep, weird, hilarious, unshakable bonds. We had shared every part of this experience – from frozen fingers and spilled food to inside jokes, tears, and moments of total wonder.

The final day was the shortest and I felt calm and happy. You could feel the energy all around you. As the final KM came into view I could see the finishing flags in the distance. As we got closer we were greeted by the whole Fjallraven Polar team. Everyone brought out their countries flags and as I passed the finish line and the sled stopped for the final time, I got off and greeted the dogs. “Thanks my friends for an amazing adventure, now you deserve some rest”.

I see my team and run over and we have the biggest of hugs. More and more people filter in and we finally get to celebrate together. It was a mix of emotions. Some taking a moment to reflect, some people crying to joy and sadness due to it being the end, lots of hugs and laughter. There’s something about enduring the cold together – learning how to laugh in it, fall in it, live in it – that forges friendships stronger than steel.

After such am amazing journey and with no shower it was time for all of us to get clean, enjoy a beer and some great food for one more night under the stars. This night was to celebrate our achievements, connect with everyone and ofcourse enjoy our final display of the Northern Lights as they greeted us one last time. Its almost as if mother was saying goodbye for now.

This experience for me was 8 years ago and still to this day it is one of the best and most transformative experiences in my life. We all still talk, even now. Photos are shared, reunion plans are made, even with some of the Polar Fanily from other years, and memories are re-lived constantly. Because what we experienced up there wasn’t just a trip it was transformation.

So here is the best of luck to this years participants. Embrace it and most of all enjoy it. Welcome to the Fjallraven Polar Family.

For future information on the Fjällräven Polar please visit the Fjällräven Website