HARNESS THAT WINTER ENERGY: HUSKY SLEDDING ON WHALE ISLAND

I’ve been here before in my dreams. I push off with the simplest of intentions and lightest of steps, then take flight — weightless, euphoric, free. Except that now the sensation is as real as the chill on my face, thanks to a six-strong team of yelping, panting, run-hungry huskies. In the blue dusk of the polar night on Kvaløya (‘whale island’), just west of Tromsø, peaks rise up like great fins above me, glowing pearl-white as if lit from within. I fancy I see a flash of green, a sudden shift on the horizon. The Northern Lights? Quite possibly. They regularly come out to play during these dark, winter months.

“Lean into the bends,” my guide shouts, his voice echoing into the frozen night. “Relax and go with the curves. Don’t resist it. Use the foot break to slow down and, if you need to stop, shout ‘whoa’ in a deep voice. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t let go. These guys stop for nobody. Just trust them.”

And I do. It takes a while to get the knack, but dog sledding, or ‘mushing’, is ultimately not about taking control but being able to relinquish it; to intuitively put your trust in another creature. There’s something almost primevally beautiful about this — the rediscovery of a deeper instinct that we’ve lost over time.

Now, as I mush with greater success, finding confidence to pick up speed, we glide on, dipping and rising through bowl-shaped valleys, cresting ridges. The bitter, sub-zero cold numbs my face and feet until there’s no sensation left — an alien feeling that’s more invigorating than unpleasant.

The valley opens up before me, unexpected, the gleaming white Narnia of the north. Ahead, another sled takes a topple into a huge drift of snow, the musher, passenger and dogs mercifully uninjured. We plough on. The marathon runners of the dog world, huskies are born to train, born to race. A fully trained animal can easily run up to 100 miles a day or more. It’s clear they’re in their element.

And so am I. Silence rings in the Arctic twilight. Everything is reaction and sensation; moving in sync with the huskies, concentrating on the snowy path ahead. An object flickers in the distance. A reindeer, perhaps.

The moon slowly rises over the brow of a mountain. I’ve been sledding for just a couple of hours, but this feels like a small eternity in the Arctic. I’m frozen to the bone and full of wonder. Give me a break and some hot grog by the campfire and I’m sure that, like the huskies, I’ll be raring to go again. I look into ice-blue eyes of the dogs that have become my faithful companions, sink my fingers into their thick fur, and wordlessly thank them for allowing me to finally fulfil my dream of flying.

HOW TO DO IT: Kvaloya Husky, Active Tromso and Tromso Villmarkssenter all offer dog-sledding adventures out of Tromsø, ranging from a couple of hours (around £160 per person) to twoday trips sleeping overnight in tents (around £450 per person). kvaloyahusky.com activetromso.no villmarkssenter.no