The polar day has arrived, and yet the amount of mosquitoes can still be counted easily on one hand. Being for a short visit in Inari, a walk to the Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church seemed very inviting. Not because of visiting a Christian sanctuary of course, but because the walk there is really nice and can also be managed if you don’t have much time. Continue reading “Walk to One of the Oldest Buildings in Lappi: The Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church”
Research in Lapland – Stordalen Nature Reserve
Lapland is of course not only an appreciated destination for tourists and travelers, but it also attracts a number of researchers from numerous fields. Mainly natural science is carried out in the Abisko Scientific Research Station, which is located in the village of Abisko in Norbotten (Northern Sweden), on the shore of lake Torneträsk. Some studies are carried out in the nearby Stordalen Nature Reserve, where in the end of May Continue reading “Research in Lapland – Stordalen Nature Reserve”
Kuninkaanlaavu: Ounasjoki Valley With High and Low Water Level
This week I joined some friends to the Kuninkaanlaavu (see picture at the bottom) with the goal to end-process some semi-delicious makkara over the open fire. This laavu is located on Santavaara, which from Rovaniemi is just a few kilometers upstream the Ounasjoki river.
The water level of the river was still unusually high, on the way there, the fields and forests next to the road were still flooded. Standing up on Santavaara I got interested in comparing some images from last year’s autumn (first picture), when I have also been up there for some makkara-processing …
Kuninkaanlaavu at night ..
Too Much Water for the Kemijoki River – Rovaniemi in Spring
Last week in Enontekiö I got amazed, on how quickly approximately 30 cm of snow can melt away: It was really an abrupt warming, that let the quicksilver jump up to the 10°C line for days. In combination with some additional rain, the rest of the snow cover was washed away pretty fast, leaving only a few white spots in-between the trees.
A few days later and about 300 km downstream of Ounasjoki, where Continue reading “Too Much Water for the Kemijoki River – Rovaniemi in Spring”
Sioskuru – The Last Skiing Trip This Winter
As I wrote in the last entry, with the beginning of May the poles for marking the skiing tracks were removed, signalling the end of the winter – and the way too short skiing season. This fact however, let my girl friend and me decide to cross the lake Ounasjärvi for the last time this winter and to go on a small skiing trip into Pallas-Ounas national park, to stay over at the autiotupa Sioskuru. Continue reading “Sioskuru – The Last Skiing Trip This Winter”
Rautujärvi Again – The Quick Retreat of the Snow
The day before yesterday – or presterday, as I would call it – the poles marking the skiing tracks unfortunately have been removed; the unmarking of the tracks is marking the end of the skiing season, leaving the (ex-)pistes open for (noisy, smelly and polluting) snowmobiles to ruin the rest of the tracks even quicker than the warm spring sun is doing it. This altogether leaves some icy and rough traces in the snow, that still shows you, where once the tracks have brought comfort to the cross-country skier. Continue reading “Rautujärvi Again – The Quick Retreat of the Snow”
The Night Has Gone – Dinner at Rautujärvi
Recently I was feeling like having a late dinner at the Rautujärvi laavu. Since I usually enjoy it pretty much to ski (only) in the atmospheric night light, I was wondering how much night there still is at this time of the year. In the cities and villages this is always a bit tricky to figure out, since the light pollution even in small places are interfering quite much with the natural light situation. Continue reading “The Night Has Gone – Dinner at Rautujärvi”
