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...

I haven't been writing too much lately. As you might have noticed. First it was the exhaustion from the work, then came all the fuzz with corona, then the slush season and finally the outdoor climbing season was fully on. And I wanted to break from the mental chains from this spring and do all the things I graved to do, but for one reason or an other wasn't able to do.           And now to the actual topic of this writing.       I have always loved climbing. Like most of the children. I just never stopped as I grew older. Last autumn I found climbing in my life at a totally new level. Suddenly I had a whole group of adults around me, for whom climbing was a serious hobby and a way of life. I was thrilled and excited. I started training at indoor climbing wall. And I developed fast as a climber. I felt like, I had found yet an other thing in my life that I love and I'm good at. Then came corona and closed our climbing wall. I kept trainin...

Sodankylä, June 2020 I was waiting for it many days. In the news they promised it would come. I almost lost my hope. But then, the spring flood finally started. It was a time for a flood adventure I have always loved to experience the power of the nature. And the running water is one of the most powerful ones. It will make it's way. Where ever it want's to go. Now it didn't fit anymore in the riverbed. And started to take over the forests and fields around it. And houses of those wanting to live (too) near the river. With our bicycles we went to look for the familiar places around our city, now taken over by the rivers Jeesiö and Kitinen. It was exciting to cycle in the water. Feeling how the strong stream tried to catch our tires. Wanting to takes us with it. At some point the water went so deep That it was hard to cycle fast enough to avoid falling down. And my fatbike tires actually started to float like a pontoons. Finally, but not surprisingly, we end up swimming in th...

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...