Tuntsa Wilderness area

Tuntsa - Naruska

When I was invited to the big adventure like this,

I didn't hesitate.

I said yes, on the middle of the invitation.

6 days

In the middle of the real wilderness

Hiking and hunting

The plan was to hike about 20 km per day.

Sleep at the wilderness and rental huts.

At the day time travel independently 

and meet my adventure companion in the evening at the next hut.

Perfect!

The first day brought me back to the ground quite nicely.

I read the map wrongly and got lost on the first kilometres.

After finding to the correct meeting point,

where my mentor had waited for me for one and half hours,

he suggested, that rest of the day I could walk on the market hiking trail.

I was so ashamed,

but I felt I totally deserved it.

So rest of the 13 km I walked to the trail,

which turned out to be quite good choice.

Walking 20 km, with a heavy back bag and heavy shotgun, wasn't easy.

I realized that I had been on this kind of hike last time

few years ago on my Camino.

When I had still about 5 km to the hut,

I started to be really tired and my legs where hurting.

The day light started to fade away.

Last kilometres I walked in total darkness,

humming to myself all the Behm songs from her new album that I could remember.

When I finally arrived to the hut,

I was so tired, that I would had wanted to just lay down.

But as I arrived before my mentor,

I knew I needed to squeeze little bit more out of me

and start putting fire to the fire place.

Maybe (most likely) I left a bit "takki auki"* to this journey.

So this was a good lesson for me

and probably saved my ass

when continuing deeper to the wilderness.

*I didn't find any comparable English saying for 'takki auki',

which mean something like 

"going for something with as easygoing and fresh attitude, that it is already reckless".

 

On the next morning it was heavy rain.

So heavy, that the roof of the hut started to leak.

As it was supposed to be an easy day hike,

as we would spend another night here at Härkätunturi hut,

we decided to take lazy morning and wait for rain to pause.

It was super relaxed just lay on the bed

and listen to the silence and the raindrops on the sealing (and floor).

I wondered,

at home,

in this kind of moments,

you would already pick up your phone and start rolling Instagram feed to pass time.

As my phone didn't work here

and so I didn't even have that possibility,

I felt truly free and balanced.

This was definitely the kind of break

I needed from all this covid-19 hustle and other society nonsense.

The rain didn't stop,

so we decided to start going.

Felt good to hike without the heavy back bag.

Today we would spend the whole day together.

My mentor would navigate and I could concentrate completely to the hunting.

After all this was my first big hunting trip

and I was eager to learn everything.

At least one million times he said to me

"Okey, now the terrain looks good, take a better hold of the shotgun".

And I did.

And nothing happened.

There was no grouses around.

We saw a lot of other cool things though,

like a huge bear poop,

which made me a bit nervous with my little shotgun.

I also found pieces of reindeer skull,

which I placed on the rock with a rune symbol

and asked the forest to help me with my hunt.

When we had walked about 15 km

and the dusk came,

he advised me again to take better hold of the gun.

I turned to him and asked if we could already call it a day.

He said that not yet.

I rolled my eyes and took few steps.

And stopped.

There, I could see it.

Down the hill from me.

A Wood grouse female.

It was just standing there.

I lifted my gun and aimed to the bird.

It didn't move.

I was abashed, why it didn't fly away?

I took a better hold of the gun and fired.

The bird fall down and vanished from my sight.

I run to the bird.

It was lying on the ground.

I felt confused and mixed.

My mentor was happy for me,

but I couldn't join him.

This was first time I had intentionally killed an animal.

I sat there with the bird and waited when it's spirit left the body.

After this we practiced the gutting.

On the walk back to the hut,

I tried to put my mind and feeling to some kind of order.

As it felt like I would have all the possible feelings

from happiness to sadness to fear,

all of them active at the same time in me.

I also felt,

that the Wood grouse had been an offering to me from the forest.

I had asked by the bones

and the forest had answered.

Next day was hiking day again.

We would go on our own ways until lunch,

which we would eat together by the river bank,

which was our meeting point.

I was really eager to show now,

to myself and to my mentor,

that I can actually navigate and that I know how to use a map and a compass.

I was on the meeting place before him,

which made me check twice, that I am actually in the right place.

After lunch, it was time to cross the river.

It was surprisingly large and I was already ready to take of my hiking boots,

when my mentor said that he will carry me across as he had a pair of waders.

It was exited and a bit nervous, 

as I remember in the midway,

that I had still my phone in my pocket.

During the adventure it would happen a lot,

that we would cross rivers and he would carry me across them,

and call me a princess.

Which made me feel little bit less of myself,

but I also really didn't want to walk in the ice cold water on bare feet.

Again we went to our own ways.

It started to come a habit to us,

 to hug and I would say "see you at darkness",

as it was always already nightfall when we would meet again.

Later this saying earned me a nickname Pimeyden Piika (Maid of the Darkness).

Which I thought was super cool.

This evening the dusk came with a heavy fog.

I wasn't too far away from the wilderness hut of Murhahaara,

where we were supposed to spent the night,

but I was till quite far away from the marked hiking trail,

that would lead to the hut.

I rushed my steps a bit and gave up hunting for that day,

as I really wanted to be on the marked trail,

when the fog  and the darkness would take over.

At this point we hadn't seen anybody else in the wilderness,

but when we arrived to the wilderness hut,

it was full of travelers.

Eventually we all would fit in for the night.

Even though the cultural collision was huge.

There was three big city vegan girl-scouts,

two drunk hunter men from Savo with their dog

and us.

I was really distressed about the amount of strangers,

especially the drunken ones,

but I managed quite okey.

I even took a part to the conversation,

when it concerned the history of the hut.

The place name Murhahaara (eng. Murder Fork)

is because of the triple murder that took place there back in 1600s.

The story has it,

that two Lappish men had gone in to a fight

and the one killed the other and his reindeer.

The two sons of the homicide man started to wonder where their father had gone.

They visited the neighbor and had a hunch that the man was guilty.

So they made a plot.

They lured the man on a hunting trip with them

and when the man went to sleep,

they killed him.

On the trip was also the man's 12-year old son.

The two brothers wondered what to do with him.

They drowned the boy to the ice hole on the near by lake,

as they thought, that a son of a murderer will grow to be a murderer.

On the next morning we took an early start,

as we had a long hike a head of us.

The morning was beautiful

and we saw the sun first time on the trip.

On top of a big hill ridge was a small boulder,

with a piece of a snow quartz on it.

It looked like some one had placed it there.

I remembered the two small piece of a snow quartz,

I had found previous day from a swamp and took with me.

I placed one of them on the boulder,

next to the other piece. 

I didn't know why, but I felt meaning there.

On the way we also visited a place called Pirunkirkko (eng. The Devil Chuch).

In Finland we have a lot of big rock formations named as Pirunkirkko.

They are always super fascinating and this wasn't an exception.

Usually I'm super happy to climb on rocks and squeeze myself in to the tiniest caves and cracks.

After a while hanging between the huge boulders,

they made me feel bit uneasy.

The atmosphere was oppressive and gloomy.

The huge boulders where just tossed over to each other

and there were shadowed corners and deep shafts.

The rocks were also super slippery.

I was brave until I saw the grave candle by the biggest shaft.

This gave me shivers and I decided it was time to go.

Rest of the day we went our own ways again.

I was super tired and didn't feel like hunting.

Three times I tried to navigate off from the hiking trail

and three time I found myself standing back on the trail.

Fucked.

I would pack my gun to my back bag and walk on the trail to the next hut.

I had most likely reached the second period of my Northern Camino.

The pain in the feet wasn't bothering me too much anymore,

but now I was mentally exhausted.

Sure the last night in the crowded hut had done it's part,

but I also found myself feeling inadequacy.

But I wasn't sure to whom.

I felt freedom to walk on the trail without the gun in my hands.

I was free to love all the nature around me.

And this gave me a lot of energy to continue.

I felt I needed to balance my soul with love.

And you just can't love or receive love with a gun in your hand.

I walked down the hill.

My water bottle was empty,

but I knew there should be small stream on the bottom of the hill.

The dusk started to fall

and I admired the pink sunset on the horizon.

Then I saw it.

Snow white Willow grouse standing 20 metres from me.

I stopped and stared it.

I cursed the shotgun, that was in my back bag unloaded.

Could I have time

to drop down my bag,

take the gun,

load the gun

and shoot the bird?

I took couple steps backwards to the cover of a big spruce tree.

I kneel down and carefully dropped my back bag to the ground.

The grouse walked between three big spruces.

I took the gun and tried to load it.

It jammed and didn't close.

I cursed and tried again.

Now the gun closed and I lift the gun.

I started to go around the trees,

so I would meet to grouse on the other side of them.

I went all around and back to the trail.

The bird was no where to be seen.

I was puzzled.

I didn't heard it take wing.

And it couldn't just vanish into thin air.

I compared the position of where I had left my back bag and 

placed myself where I had seen the grouse last time.

I walked between the big spruces and stand there.

And then I saw it.

At  the last and the darkest corner,

under the biggest tree,

was standing a white Willow grouse.

I aimed my gun and fired.

The bird fall down.

I dived quickly under the tree and grabbed the bird.

I hold it in my hands and wait with it until it's spirit had left the body.

I gutted the grouse and packed it with the gun to my back bag.

I was thrilled.

I was so proud of myself.

This was my first own kill.

And I couldn't wait to be able to tell this to my mentor.

Takkaselkä hut would be on the other side of Takkaselkä fell.

On the way I needed to pass the lower ridge between the two high peaks.

As I reached the top of the ridge,

the sun was already setting behind the right side peak

and the whole wilderness spread out below me as far as I could see,

on the blue moment just before the darkness.

I stood there.

Admiring the view.

All the adrenaline still in my body.

I felt invincible.

Now I also knew the purpose of the snow quartz.

Our last full day in the wilderness,

was dedicated for the conquer of the highest point of the area.

The mighty Sorsatunturi fell.

We would meet on the foot of the fell

and climb up together.

During my morning hike, I could time to time see my destination

between the trees, as the high peak of Sorsatunturi is easy to distinguish.

On the map, was a small lake.

It was in the middle of a hilly terrain

and I was eager to see it.

My surprise was huge, when I reached the lake.

As there was no lake anymore.

Just a huge empty dirt pit with little bit water on the bottom.

How it is possible for the water to vanish?

I knew smaller ponds, where the water would dry out

at the more try season,

but for a lake of this size... wow.

Walking on the bottom of the lake was spooky.

Among the drift wood and rocks I found a skeleton of a moose.

It wasn't until I saw the skull with the antlers cut away,

that I realized, it had been most likely killed at poaching

and the evidence had been hidden by tossing the bones into the lake.

Climbing on top of Sorsatunturi was amazing.

Well, the climbing was rough and the wind was freezing,

but the views were amazing.

It was so cold though,

that we didn't spend more time there than it was necessary.

For the rest of the day,

my plan was to cross to other side of the swamp

and climb on top of Jäkälätunturi fell

on my way back to the hut.

Time to time there had been clouds moving upon of us really low

and they had brought misty rain showers with them.

As I was climbing the hill of Jäkälätunturi,

I could see one of those misty rains approaching me again.

On top of the fell was again a strong wind and cold.

Then I realized that my shotgun felt super slippery on my hands

as it was totally frozen.

My clothes were frozen too and the misty rain had turned into a tiny snow flakes.

But not those kind of fluffy snow flakes,

but into these small and fast flying icy drops that will sting in your eyes.

I managed to follow the red trail marks along the fell top

to the other end of the long fell.

It wasn't easy though, as the snow fall made the visibility really poor.

But as I reached the last peak,

the snow fall was gone and the sun came out of the clouds.

Everything was frozen and glimmering in the sun light.

The view was amazing,

but the wind was bitter cold.

I set my compass to the peak of Takkaselkä fell

and start to go down to the valley.

I would still have a rocky canyon to pass,

before I could reach the hut.

And the sun was setting again.

On the last morning everything was frozen.

The sun was shining from a clear sky

and the air was crispy cold.

I have to admit,

that I didn't took too much time with the views.

As it was minus degrees,

and I hadn't yet get used to it.

But also as I realize that today,

I would get back to my love.

At this moment I allowed to myself to feel how much I had missed him.

This was an adventure big as life.

I learned a lot of new skills.

I feel more confident as a hunter and a hiker.

After the unfortunate first day,

I could get my confidence back on my navigation skills.

But also would remember now,

how small navigation mistake can lead you so far into wrong direction.

And here is a lot of wilderness to get lost.

Super thanks to my mentor and my dear friend.

I already looking forward to our next adventure!

And thank you for reading this story.

I know it was a much longer, than what I usually post.

But adventure this big, just couldn't fit in a couple sentences.