To do a summer weekend the Finn way, means fixing a hammock by a forest lake. So a friend and I picked a spot by the lake Saarilampi, and spent one midsummer's night in the Nuuksio National Park. Eventually it turned into a F-INN-DIAN picnic, when we had to plot a little jugaad (makeshift) to cook our dinner. Due to the forest fire warning in place, we were unable to start a bon fire and had to leave out maggi noodle cakes in a pot of water, under the sun instead.
While our dinner was underway, we braved a dip in the lake, without really knowing the depth. Fortunately it was a blissful 45 minutes in there, until we had to step out with chattering teeth, that only got worse as the night wore on. Fellow camper Finns stayed in the water, long past midnight still. Don't know how, but we retired to our hammocks after gobbling a few marshmallows for dessert. We had meant to BBQ them and ourselves by a cozy campfire, we had planned earlier, but the only choice now was to squeeze out what little warmth our thin bedsheets had to offer. Much of the polar night was therefore spent in a long conversation. But owing to the silent lullaby crooned by the forest atmosphere, we snoozed for a while under the ironically rosy buck moon setting, until we were robbed of that little luxury by the call of the red-throated loons. At 6 am we started back home, quite content with the way the Juhannusta (mid-summers) outing had turned out, but were all set to crash in our own beds for the remaining part of Sunday!
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE NUUKSIO NATIONAL PARK IN SUMMERS!
1. Go foraging for forest berries, that make for the best organic snack! Mid June-Mid July is the best time to find all kinds: wild strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
2. Edible mushrooms like chanterelles are also available to pick from mid August, but beware of poisonous and attractive ones like the Muscaria.
3. Go canoeing! I joined a group tour with 'Feel the Nature (https://feelthenature.fi/en/)'. Our guide Ollie had a planned itinerary for beginners. Fellow newbie-to-canoeing, Ann, and I had a great time navigating lake Pitkajaarvi.
4. Keep an eye out for the extravagant inhabitants of the national park. Being free to observe wild life that poses no threat, is one of the most liberating experiences ever! Irridiscent and vibrant butterflies like the Purple Emperor and Peacock butterfly, the plain wood butterfly, the very innocent-looking, but notorious red squirrels, big European hares, timid bunnies and white tailed deer, exotic birds, and even a flying squirrel (if you're lucky).
5. See how many hiking trails you can conquer and how many lakes you can count. Nuuksio itself has over 200 lakes. It's no wonder that Finland is called the land of a 1000 lakes! It also helps My personal favourite is the Haukkankierros trail, that offers mesmerising views of the valley and the lake, Haukkalamppi.
Amazingly penned. ❤️