My Northern Home

 The plan was to go for a hike. And maybe spot some new rocks to climb. And have a picnic on top of the hill, of course. As it is the harvest time in forest and berries and mushrooms are ready to pick, I packed a fabric bag and my mushroom knife, just in case we would find some. Little did we know. The warm rains had made it. The forest was full of mushrooms. And I'm not exaggerating. Like really Full Of Them. First we picked what we found, but the amount of mushrooms was so overwhelming, that in a while we grew more selective. It was hard to decide which to pick and to what direction to go for them. Eventually, the mushroom mania hit us. We end up wondering around the hill sides for five hours. This of course included long and nice picnic on the top, including, among others, carrot cake muffins and home made pizza slices. In that moment life felt just perfect. We have saying in Finland "tulee kuin sieniä sateella" Meaning, that something will "come as mushrooms in t...

In these times of isolation and uncertainty, the social contacts we can have, come more valuable. I feel, that one can't survive without any. Sure you can phone your sister the other end of the country, or Whatsapp your friends around the globe. But it can't give the same, as a shared cup of tea. As many other, I have minimized my social contacts. And I have come more grateful for them. And for, that it is still possible for us to go outside to share that cup of tea. And laugh away all the agony of the world situation. This time me and my most dear French friend went to explore Hirviäkuru canyon at Pittiövaara hill. I have been here many times (here is the link to my previous adventure in this place) , as the place is literally on my backyard, but still this was my first time down in the canyon at winter time. The snow cover made everything look totally different. We wondered everything around us. T...

Okey okey, the title is exaggerating. I didn't post here a thousand pictures. I posted twelve. So no worries, this is not that long post. These pictures are from our first adventure with the sun, after the long polar night had ended. So obviously, unconsciously, all my pictures from this adventure are about the sun and the light. Meeting the sun again. After so many sunless (and in this winter case, grey cloudy days) Feels amazing. It's like seeing your dear friend after a long time.  You realize how much you have mist it. So you are just standing in the cold winter air and felling the sun rays dancing warmly on your skin. You start to smile. Feeling a moment of extreme happiness. Many people ask me, how can I live here in the north, where there is no sun in winter time. And I always tell them, that the polar night is my favorite time of the year. This might have something to do with my grim northern heritage ...

Pyhä-Nattanen or Nattaset is a place that has been on my to-do list for a long time. Now, finally, with a little push from my friend, we went to explore the fells. It is impossible to not have heard about the place, as in Some looks like everybody has been there. This was obviously for me a reason to go there at off-season, as I don't want to be there with everybody else. First time I came across with the place in Samuli Paulaharju's book about Sompio wilderness area history (Sompio, 1939) . He is writing that Sompio is an area between two Pyhä. I knew the southern Pyhä as I had lived there for four years, but I was curious about this other Pyhä. What is it? Where is it? So we hopped in my car and started to drive north from Sodankylä. We knew that the place should be some kilometers away, but still in Sodankylä commune. As we drive more and more north and 100 km and a bit more than one ...

Here is some of discoveries from Kiimalaki, Kaarestunturi. Same as with Sattasvaara, I wanted to separate them in to their own blog writing. As I have been trying not to make these writings too long! I manage again find some Palleroporonjäkälä ( Cladonia stellaris ), which like wikipedia says is an important lichen for reindeers to eat in wintertime. Now days though when there is too many reindeers, you can't find this lichen anywhere else, but the places which are so rocky and deep, that reindeers can't go there. I'm always so happy to see this little guy. Back in Eastern-Finland we had this a lot everywhere, but there is no reindeers so no wander why. I found also from the top of the hill a place where a lightning had struck. And then this guy. For me it little bit looks like a dragon's head with big mustaches, like with the Chinese dragon. The most interesting thing I found though, was this weird piece of bone. It was super light, s...