Weigh Out Way-In

CHAPTER 65

28 DECEMBER

On Dec 28 it's time for another outing. This time they ride e-snowmobiles from Santa's Hideaway to the ski resort Pyhätunturi, which is not very far away from Korvatunturi, Santa's Hideaway.

The guests see two bandvagens, snowcats, and ask what they are. Motoralph explains to them that when there is an emergency, they use these vehicles to reach the injured and take them back to safety inside a warm compartment where there is enough room, warmth and cover to treat the patient more easily along the way. Luckily this kind of emergencies are very rare.

Motoralph resumes,

'But now I have the honour to introduce new, more environmentally-friendly snowmobiles, e-snowmobiles. They have designed and made the first e-snowmobiles, globally the first of their kind, here in Lapland, to be more precise, in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland.'

and takes a deep breath and continues with a tone of proudness in his voice,

'They have put them to a numerous stress tests and done it very meticulously. That's why we can be certain they are ready to endure all the weather and terrain conditions on our trip to mountain fell Pyhätunturi. I'm truly and deeply touched the manufacturer wants us to be the first customers to ride them.'

He starts the engine and asks the others to do the same.

There is no smell of fuel in the air, no exhaust fumes to be detected nor any sound be heard. These very recent changes in snowmobiling make it possible for the guests to feel closer to nature than if they rode snowmobiles that run on petrol. That's why they can hear sounds of the natural environment around them so much better.

They ride some time and enjoy peace and quiet. However, to observe their surroundings more closely, they stop riding and turn off the engines.

One of the guests sees some marks on the snow and asks,

'What's that?'

The tour guide answers,

'There has been a grouse here. It has cleaned its wings on the snow.'

'It's a bit cold here. How can they survive in the cold?'

'Have a look around. The snow cover is quite thick, isn't it.'

'Yes, and?'

'Well they take a deep dive in the snow, so there is a lot of snow on top of them.

These winter birds spend most of their time buried under thick snow cover during the cold season. It is so much warmer in there.'

'Interesting.'

Wang Xudong, 9, says, ' Can we do that too?'

'You mean be buried in snow and sleep there.'

'Yes.' responds Xudong, gazing at the guide intently.

'That is a good idea, my little fellow. A splendid idea.

Sure we can. Maybe one of these days, one of these days. If the weather stays cold and we have enough fluffy snow to give us insulation. If the snow becomes more pressed, it'll lose some of its insulating capacity. So we need to keep our fingers crossed and hope the weather will stay cold.'

Mr Li, military man, has been listening attentively and gets all this imprinted on his memory, for the future use if there is a crisis ahead. So far there has been no crisis of any sort at hand during their stay in Lapland but better be safe than sorry because you never know what lies ahead.

Soon enough they mount their snowmobiles again, start their engines and keep on riding. The caravan climbs uphill and disappears behind the top of the hill.

Some time later they emerge from the forest to a clearing buzzing with activity. They can hear clicks and squeaking metallic sounds. There are lots of people lining up there too. They seem to have a sort of long blanks underfoot and two poles in either of their hands. They sit down on a bench and pull down a plastic cover as a protection against the wind. Then bench after bench rises up from the ground and flies higher and higher above the ground and carries them to the top of the mountain fell and then each bench comes down empty having left the passengers somewhere high up there. It seems they have come to a ski resort.

Later that day they start out back for Santa's Hideaway. After riding for an hour or so the guests realise dusk is setting in and the twilight starts colouring the landscape with ever-darkening shades of blue.

Some of the guests start feeling a bit anxious. The tour guide stops the caravan and claps his hands. The guests can see some lights turning on within a stone throw's distance just behind them. They turn around and see some igloos.

"Some igloos here too!? How come? They are in the middle of nowhere."

"These are mobile emergency igloos. They can be moved from place to place."

"Emergency!?"

"Not to worry, not to worry. But since it's dark now and there is still some distance to the Hideaway, let's stay overnight here and ride back there early in the morning."

"Now send a message to your loved ones in China and pass me your mobile phones."

"What?! Why should we give you our phones? We cannot register any Northern Lights "

"Well, people these days are too hooked by their phones. Now we have a great opportunity to learn to feel more relaxed and less stressed thanks to the silence that surrounds us and that cannot be experienced in any big city, just like yours back home, with all the hustle and bustle to dampen the calming, mesmerizing sounds of silence. Here we don't have any city noise nor any city lights to destroy the chances to hear and see the Northern Lights tonight. So let's focus on that and relax and forget all about everything else. Just take it easy, be truly present and enjoy every moment while we are here. Let nature take her course and take your stress away."

"To let her do that, first just lie on your back in the snow and watch the beautiful star-lit sky for next 5 minutes."

And shows how to do it, letting himself fall backwards on his back in the snow. In no time at all, there he is, lying in the snow and gazing at the sky, looking relaxed. The kids are quick to follow the suit.

However, the parents are still stuck with the idea of not having any phones with them. And there is a good reason for that so they protest,

'We have a Northern Lights alert app on our phones and now we can't register any alarm because you took away our phones!'

The guide responds, 'Not to worry, not to worry. We, I mean I and my fellow-lodger in my igloo, have the alert app and will be on our guard while you sleep and will definitely wake you up if there are any Northern Lights to be seen. How's that?'

The hesitant parents glance at their group leader Mr Qiangdong, who beckons them to come to him. After a brief negotiation an agreement is reached. Then in no time at all one parent after another send a flurry of snow in the air when their backs hit the soft snow. It's time for them too to admire the star-lit sky, lying on their backs in the snow.

When five minutes have passed they already start feeling the calming effects of the tranquil surroundings. Their pulse is now considerably lower than on any day in the big city and they can clearly feel so much more relaxed than ever before.

Some of them lie in the snow a bit longer than only for five minutes but finally even they get up. After being reassured they will be woken up by the vigilant tour guide, all the Chinese turn in for a good night's sleep. It remains to be seen whether the Northern Lights will make their appearance among the twinkling stars in the night sky tonight.