Picture Galleries & Stories from my Hiking Trips and Journeys
The snow lasted a bit longer this year than in previous years, and so did the ice. While last week I still experienced frequent snowfall, the thermometer suddenly climbed above 20°C. This led to the rare combination of half open lakes while having perfect swimming weather. So that’s what had to be done …
After a number of stressful weeks, I decided to take it easier for a few days, and to finally get some fresh air away from my desktop and computer. With Heidi we went to Ounasjärvi for a nice evening, with some grilling action, fishing and swimming… Continue reading “Swimming and Fishing in Ounasjärvi – A Relaxing Evening at the End of Summer”
As I already reported, this year the summer arrived pretty early. Since the mosquitoes on the other hand did not arrive yet, it is the perfect time to be outdoors and go for a relaxing swim in the evening. This time we went to Leppäjärvi, close to the Norwegian border. Continue reading “Polar Day, Early Summer, 28° C and Sunshine: Swimming in Leppäjärvi Area”
A sudden temperature change finally melted down the snow and ice, making the waters easily accessible for swimming – without the need for an ice driller or an ice saw. That is – not yet everywhere in Lapland: While this was true for Inari, at the higher elevated Abisko for example, the lake Torneträsk was still frozen last week. Nevertheless, this year the spring – or actually rather summer arrived pretty early. I experienced this surprisingly warm weather in several places in Lapland … Continue reading “Last Ice Disappearing – Swimming Season Opened! Some Impressions from Inari and Abisko”
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When I joined some friends for the hike from Pallas to Hetta, ruska (the Finnish word for autumn) just started in Lapland, and the first trees changed their colors. I took note of that fact with lots of satisfaction, as in the first half of September a long planned hiking trip through the Pöyrisjärvi wilderness area was laying just ahead of me. Or actually of us, as we were a group of 4 people all together, who jointly wanted to walk from Kalmakaltio (via Pöyrisjärvi) to Hetta. Approximately 150 km on foot, Continue reading “Between Arctic Sand Dunes and Colorful Autumn Vegetation – Ruska in Pöyrisjärvi Wilderness Area”
Great news from the makkara-extinguishing-front! A new laavu grew over night. Or over summer, or so .. I’ve been using the trail from Hetta to Närpistö laavu quite some times this summer, but something new appeared recently: A sign with the name of Pahtajärvi written on it and additionally containing the symbol of a fire place.
Continue reading “Breaking News at Pahtajärvi: A New Fire Place Grew Over Night!”
In Winter it’s easy and comfortable to get to Rautujärvi from Hetta, by just crossing the lake Ounasjärvi and having a short distance skiing trip up to the lake. In summer however, reaching the very same destination becomes a bit more tricky: The trails that can be found in various hiking maps are all winter tracks (that cross different lakes and mires). In order to avoid getting wet feet, the idea was Continue reading “Rautujärvi in Summer – Without Getting Wet Feet!”
