Into the Wild

The sister and I made a trip up to the wilds of Lapland through Norway, Sweden and Finland. Although we saw reindeer on a few occasions, mostly we saw mountains and fog, psychedelic lichen, rocks, rivers, tundra, and blueberry bushes turning red.  It is a rugged and sparse landscape, but in some way it is beautiful and touches those parts of the soul that long for wildness and nature without humans.  Although we saw those, too.  And they were curious and wonderful humans, the adventuring kind, obviously.

One of the most beautiful areas was the Lyngen Alps, where we spent one night nestled in a river-filled valley, surrounded by the highest peaks of the area, and watched over by perched glaciers and slopes of golden trees.  The river was amazingly light blue, the unbelievable color you see in storybook pictures, only it was real.

Real also the pain in our feet.  Or the grumps if you don't eat.  But real also the peace and the delight at nature's details.  Below a few snapshots of our time:

Leaving Kilpisjärvi

Sonja and Saana in morning light

I <3 norway="" td="">

let me drink and drink and never thirst again!

Lyngen Alps

Our last campsite

Hell's Lake

Pauli, Nina, Tomppa, Adam and Yours truly

Five intrepid adventurers decided to go camping and hiking in Finland's abundant forests.  Destination: Hell's Lake.  In spite of the misnomer, the national park we went to was charming.  And the adventure gave me a chance to inaugurate my new tent and sleeping bag! We left on Tuesday, spent two nights in the park, and returned via our summer cottage on Friday.

I originally intended to write a long blog about our adventure, but my words sounded stinted and so instead, I will direct you to the picasa album and save this space for a few favorite moments that have stuck in my head.

*The first morning.  We woke up to sunshine creeping into our tents and a still lake beckoning us to come wash off the smokey smells of the previous evening's campfire.  Then we made blueberry pancakes that stuck to the pan, but were delicious for the berries we'd picked the day before when we became like little kids in the woods.  One berry for me, one for the collective cup, two for me, one for the cup...

*Adam played his flute during a stretch of trail that meandered through an old pine forest with a green moss-covered floor spotted with mushrooms. I was in a fairy tale.

*The sky dumped on us on the second day, but we happened to be warmly covered in a trekking hut on the shores of a lake.  We had lunch and enjoyed the abrupt weather changes on the surface of the water.

*The final hour of hiking on the second day took us through beautiful scenery.  By then the sun was out casting long shadows through the trees onto the forest floor, which was a carpet of light and dark lichen and short shrubbery. The best moment was the arrival to our campsite that evening.  It was sunny, the lake was placid.  A pair of swans floated along the opposite shore and only our conversation and steps broke the stillness.  It seemed that Nature was trying to outdo herself in showing off for us, and it worked!  A double rainbow and a beautiful moon won our appreciation and enjoyment.

*And just when we thought nothing could make the trip better, we ended up at the summer cottage where we just rested.  Some sauna, some music and good food in front of the crackling fireplace lulled us to the land of happiness.  I think good friends were the key factor though, as well as a sense of bodily well being and inner peace after seeing the beautiful things our Creator makes.


What a way to end the summer season!