(Finnish article published on the 7th of April)
Hello,
It has been a great leg this Vätsäri and Kaldoaivi transit towards Nuorgam. I’ve had the chance to experience loneliness and desolation. These were further emphasized by the fact that I emerged from the spruce forests in the eastern and northeastern parts of Inari and pine forests in the northern parts of Vätsäri to the fell birch bare of Kaldoaivi. It was clear to observe this on a winter hike, when the leaves from the deciduous trees were missing.
The great spotted woodpecker and crossbill were left behind and replaced by a denser population of grouse and further north by ptarmigans. On this leg, I also saw Siberian jays, a golden eagle, a rough-legged buzzard and a Siberian Tit.
The Inari and Vätsäri regions are rather rocky and hilly! Fortunately, it’s now been snowing, so that it was possible to pass these difficult terrains unharmed and with the equipment intact. I’ve been soundly falling down the slopes of hills, so even in that sense I’ve been grateful to slam into a snow-covered quarry. Miraculously, after collecting the remnants of self-worth from the snow, I found that once again I managed to get through this without loss. You don’t even have to look around in fear of someone seeing you.
This has been a bit of a wonderland with its countless ponds, streams and hills.
Someday I’ll have to come and visit when the ground is thawed and find out how to move around here. Hopefully, I was able to capture in my pictures something of the extent that can be experienced here.
It has been great to watch the arrival of spring and the lengthening of the day during the trip. The sun’s radiation intensifies as the northern hemisphere of the Earth’s axis tilts towards the Sun. After a frosty night the frosty needles of the conifers melt and the dark bark at the bases of the tree warms up, exposing the forest floor mat at the foot of the tree. You can feel the radiation on your skin when you sit on a toboggan eating, or on your neck and arms when pulling the toboggan. Snow also scatters the light around so that at 9-10 am you have to have sunglasses already on. The skin on the nose and cheekbones is peeling off, but the beard protects the rest of the face. By the way, the phone hasn’t opened with face ID in a long time.
When I arrived in Näätämö from Vätsäri, I wondered about the small but lively village, and it didn’t take long to guess whether to eat the dish setting in a thermos or choose on your plate a macaroni casserole, chicken legs and garlic cream potatoes baked by Nord1-Market merchant Jari Kekäle. In addition to this, a stuffed chicken baguette (which I forgot to pay, will be taken care of), beer, two mugs of coffee and a donut.
As the conversation with Jari turned from this oasis moment to my journey, him and the sausage master Timo Moilanen brought some meaty reindeer sausages for the rest of the journey to eat! Thank you. It was wise to eat first and then head to the supermarket. The food bag was more compact to fit into the toboggan.
It has been great to experience the snow crust of the trip even during this last 100 kilometres! In the highlands, starting from Surnupää all the way to the outskirts of Nuorgam, the swirling wind has packed the puffy snow into a 3-5 cm thick cover on top of the snow mattress, which has allowed me to fully stretch out the leg to the extent that the hip flexor rings.
A special skiing experience has been provided by the grey cloudy weather here in the fells, when you can’t tell the difference between the sky and the ground or the bump or pit in front of you. All you see in front of you are mountain birches rising towards the sky, which make you realise there is a rising slope waiting for you. On the hilly terrain, on the other hand, you realise when traction resistance eases or increases.
Since Näätämö, I have dared to let hope gradually grow of the possibility of actually getting there. As I have skied about a hundred kilometres of the wilderness of Kaldoaivi, the feeling of joy has occasionally burst to the surface, which for an Ostrobothnian man means that his mouth is turned upwards and the corner of his eyes is wet, from the wind, when I conclude that this is probably going to be completed after all. It’s hard to believe when you’re so heavily oriented towards ”one day at a time” mode to avoid despair from the long 90-day and 1,700-kilometre total distance ahead. Rhythm, routine, nutrition. I’ll write about them as soon as I recover from getting to Nuorgam later on today.
The day before yesterday in a deserted hut and yesterday while skiing on Lake Pulmanki, I was listening to electronic music from my spare phone, such as Darude’s ”Warrior” and Ben Böhmer&Tinlicker’s ”Run Away” feat. Felix Raphael, raising the mood.
Heidi, close ones, friends, relatives, maintenance troops, new acquaintances and supporters: Thank you! Today I arrived.
For dad.
-Jukka
