It's a miracle when ominous rain clouds pour sunshine
Lapland's sublime mid night sun is slightly less popular than its polar nights, when the spell cast by Lady Aurora across the Arctic skies, captures the observer's imagination. However, having enough light to hike trails along the Lappish fells at ungodly hours like 12 am, crossing brooks and springs that would be frozen white in winters, and relishing a variety of fresh berries like cloudberries and blueberries, picked straight from the rich Taiga forests, is an experience that is one of a kind. To witness white nights, I picked Kilpisjarvi, one of the Northern-most villages in Finland.
MY EXPERIENCE
It took 12 long hours for Megabus to take me from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, where I switched to a local bus to Kilpisjarvi. The 2nd leg commenced quite eventfully, with the sole of one of my shoes giving way. I was confounded, and had no idea, how I was going to survive my weekend hiking trip without proper shoes. Fortunately though, I found a magical tube of super glue in the unlikeliest of places - a super market that buses along the Rovaniemi-Kilpisjarvi route halt at. The superglue was a seemingly good makeshift solution and after 8 hrs, I arrived in the Kilpisjarvi Reytkelakeskus/Kilpisjarvi Nature Center, to spend a weekend under the Lappish sun.
Save for a few local tourists and reindeer, Kilpisjarvi is secluded. Lapland in general, is quite sparsely populated, and public transport and facilities are limited. So one must account for the additional miles to be covered, for fetching any essentials. The nearest mall is about 5 Km away from the Nature Center, where most tourists camp or stay the night. The no-soul-in-sight with magnificent-views-all-around experience was oh so exilerating. But finding no sole in sight, when mine gave way upon starting the hike to Mt. Saana, eventually cracking the heel of the only pair of shoes that I had packed for the arduous hiking trip, was not as glamorous. It would have saved me a lot of stress, if the adhesive had held on even half as firmly as the views that had me transfixed. Alas, that was not to be. Every now and then, I had to stop to squeeze some superglue and mend my shoes. In all my days of travel, I had never imagined being an able cobbler.
The Kilpisjarvi harbour
The gumption to climb further fazed at many points, enroute. At times I even turned around to head back, hobbling with feet impaled by little pebbles that sneaked through my worn shoes. The thought of leaving my name behind on Mt. Saana's guest book, at an altitude of 1029m was invigorating though. For a long time, it felt like the best vistas had already been encountered and didn't change much, until I reached the summit, where two new sides of the fell came into sight. One towards Norway, the other towards Sweden. The side facing Finland that I had been trudging along, spread like a wide smile behind me, but not wider than the one which came on, when I finally scribbled my name in the visitor book, with hands temporarily paralysed from the cold, even in mid-July. :') All the perseverance that it took to complete this hike under unexpected circumstances, was completely justified by the spectacular views and the gentle breeze that greeted me on top of Mt. Saana.
DIY TIPS
There are many beautiful hikes near Kilpisjarvi. I picked the following 3:
a. Mt. Saana, at 1029m. It offers fantastic views of the surrounding Malla fells like Pikku Malla and Iso Malla. You can spot them behind me, in the opening photo of this blog post.
The guest box atop Mt. Saana, where visitors can sign their names
b. Salmivaara, 595m, offers great views of the Saana fell, as seen in the photos below. It's a nice feeling to actually see the mountain that you climbed.
Mending my broken shoes, every now and then
c. Malla Nature Reserve Hike
MS Malla returning to Kilpisjarvi, Finland, after dropping off visitors in Koltaluokta, Sweden
The 3 countries Cairn
This hike
starts in Sweden. M/S Malla ferries visitors across lake Kilpisjarvi to the Koltaluokta harbour in Sweden, where you commence the 3 Km long hike to the 3 countries Cairn. The landmark Cairn, a yellow monument erected on lake Golddajavri in Norway, with fells of the 3 Scandinavian countries, forming its backdrop, was established in 1897. It marks the point where the borders of Norway, Finland, and Sweden intersect, and was initiated by Norway and Finland, when the latter was still under Russian occupation. Further, one may choose to return to Finland on foot, via the protected Malla Nature Reserve, which is known for its unique geology. Many of the rich Arctic flora that grow here, are being studied and used by research programs led by the University of Helsinki at their Biological Station in Kilpisjarvi. Along the 11 Km path back to Kilpisjarvi, one must cross Finland's highest waterfall, Kitsiputous-a priceless experience!
This trail also has a wilderness hut. The Malla Nature Reserve is a part of the 800 Km long, recreational Nordkalott trail, which crosses national borders at many points. Nordic walking and forest bathing are part of the holiday culture in Scandinavia. Nature enthusiasts spend long hours walking in forests to make best use of the sun that never sets here, in summers, but never rises in winters. It was humbling to meet a couple who were hiking about 170 Kms from Kilpisjarvi to Abisko, in Sweden. Wilderness huts equipped with a resting space, a dry toilet, and a spartan kitchen, are therefore, meant for jubilant hikers to catch a respite. Yours truly had to catch a breath after a mere 4 Kms and was finally forced back on her feet, when invited to give generously to the mosquito run blood donation camp! :-@
Kitsiputous - Finland's highest waterfall
All the three trails put together, I hiked a total 43Kms on a pair of broken shoes -that no matter how tatty, made for dependable companions. I had a hard time disposing them off, but I was glad that I had wrenched out every penny's worth from my 10GBP worth Primark shoes ;D
BUMMER: Even Santa's official home ground, Lapland, doesn't have reindeer with red noses!
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