My Northern Home

The waterfowl season started on Tuesday at twelve a'clock. In the fowl hunting community this is called "the start". All the village hunters gather to the common hunting lake. They all have their own spot, where they come every season. They set up their camouflage and sit to wait. At twelve a'clock everybody is exited. Who will shoot the first shot and start the season. This year I had the privilege to come with and experience this tradition. I have never  before been on a hunt. I come from academic family, so there has been no hunters around me, when I was young. Here in Lapland it seems that every other person hunt. And hunting is pacing the seasons. I'm kinda jealous to the northern children, who's grandfather has been taking them to hunt or past his knowledge to them. Although I was so scared of everything as a child, that I would had probably said "no" and cryed if someone would had tried to hand me a gun. T...

For a good while I have been looking up this place from the map. It is just a stone's throw away from my home and in the map it show's a deep canyon in middle of the hill. The canyon name Hirviäkuru translates to ´Terrible Canyon´ So one more reason to go check the place!  The view on top of Pittiövaara hill were amazing. And again I was surprised how far I could actually see from there, as it doesn't look so high hill or stand out from surroundings.  The colors of the nature were amazing. <3  The view from the other side of the hill top, before arriving to the canyon.  Hirviäkuru canyon was impressive sight. It truly was deep and long and there was cool cliffs to peak down to the bottom. There is also a rock climbing place with fixed metal rings in the rock. There was this time also a family climbing, but as I usually try to avoid human contact in the wilderness, I sneaked around them and continued my way. I found also a coo...

It took me a while to decide what I want to write about my summer trip to Åland. The whole experience was just amazing and it is really hard to pin point something out there above the others. I will keep posting to instagram about the places I visited during my stay, but the one thing I can't put in couple pictures, is the one experience I have no pictures at all. On the first evening in the Saltvik viking village we had an opportunity to take a part in Bolt-ritual. It is a viking ritual, where we gathered on the old burial mound with the old gods. We stand in the stone circle with statues of Odin, Thor and Freya. There in the darkness of southern evening, in the light of the burning torches, we had an opportunity to ask something from the gods or thank them and give offer to them. One  by one people stand out to the middle of the circle and spoke out to the gods and us. As I stood there, I could feel something open up inside me somethin...