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Kungsleden Expedition 2016

How it all started

In April 2015 Bert Poffé visited Raphael Fiegen in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourgh for the Wild And Adventurous BENELUX Expedition 2015. After a day of mushing (quad) together in the green woods of Luxembourg, both adventurers went home with a new project: THE Kungsleden Dogsled Expedition 2016.

Kungsleden In the extreme north of Sweden, a hundred miles (160 kilometers) inside the Arctic circle, hides the last remote wilderness in Western Europe.

This is Lapland, andthrough it runs Kungsleden.

The “King of Trails” is a 275-mile (443-kilometer) route an expansive landscape of birch forests, hidden glaciers, powerful rivers, and the highest mountains in Sweden. Kungsleden runs through four national parks and a nature reserve.

The Expedition

In the midst of the Swedish Arctic winter, Raphael, Bert and the dogs will travel the 450 kilometers on the famous Kungsleden between Hermavan and Abisko Raphael’s 10 dogs have been part of a well-trained team for over 10 years. While still standing strong, for some of them it will be their last big adventure before retiring while for others it will only be the beginning of a long career  as expedition-dogs.

The King of Trails Dogsled Expedition 2016

The Team

The 10 Dogs

Faruk, Chill, Alfa, Kila, Iki, Yuma, Magic, Ikuma, Kenai and Nayeli

Raphael Fiegen (26)

Raphael Fiegen is one of the very few mushers from Luxemburg. He started mushing in 2006 under the patronage of French dogsledder Nicolas Vanier and has personally witnessed the effects of climate change in the Lapland region. His passion lies not only in dog- sledding, but also in the wildness of these magical Arctic regions.

Bert Poffé (46)

Belgian explorer Bert Poffé has a special interest in the First Nations of the North, and indigenous people and nomads in general. Travelling through wild places and learning from nature is what he loves most. He has met many inspiring people of different Canadian First Nations such as the Anishnabe, Atikamekw, Huron and Mic Mac, and has lived with several nomadic Mongolian families. Bert is also a re- wilding coach, inspiring people to reconnect with nature and with their wilder self in order to gain optimal physical and mental health.