We returned to the civilized world walking the same path we arrived to the landscapes of Halti. Nothing special happened during our return except that we decided to take one extra day for walking. That was more than needed. Every kilometre seemed and felt longer and longer...


( the end... )

We slept well in the base camp. It was the summit day. 25 kilometres path leads 600 metres up to the top of Halti. We took our small backpacks and started climbing.



( the summit... )

It was time to move on. We had walked 20 km and there was still 90 to go. At this point, the task sounded "a mission impossible". But we were not the guys who abort the mission only because it felt physically challenging.



( trekking... )

Our adventure started after a 14-hours car drive from southern Finland to the northern most part of the country. We put our backpacks on and walked about five kilometres. Days in Lapland are still full of light, the sun sets under the horizon only for a short moment and it's full daylight all the time. Fjeld Saana's figure on the landscape.



( the start... )

Some close shots from the Halti trek...


( flowers... )

110 km rocky paths are behind. Tired adventurers arrived to Kilpisjärvi and rented a luxury cabin with sauna and try to recover. Tomorrow, we'll drive back to southern Finland.

Ivan insisted to come along, so there are three of us :)

Today I'm going to pack all the gears for the Halti climb. We - my friend and I - will start the adventure on Saturday morning. Now it's time to check that everything is in backpack. The plan is to make the trek in five days but we have some extra food if something goes wrong. Wolverines may bite us, mosquitoes may suck out all the blood (they will!), we may break bones - anything can happen. I'm afraid we can't call help, no mobile service available!

At the moment, I'm somewhat worried because the backpack will be heavy. I try to minimize the weight under 20 kg...

On Wednesday I drove 900 kilometres to Finnish Lapland. I spent two days there with two friends doing different kind of outdoor (and indoor) activities and then back to the south. We had a small holiday flat in the middle of the Levi centre. To the closest slope 300 metres, restaurants 150 metres... The stuffed reindeer's head was on the wall of the flat :)

 

( Levi... )

( towards Kilpisjärvi... )

I spent 3 days in Levi and Ylläs ski centres in Lapland. No broken bones but sore muscles. I almost enjoyed. The weather was great (most of the time), I butt landed only twice and what was the most important I found the courage inside me to do something I had sworn I never would do.

 

 

Today I returned from Lapland. 1100 kilometres by car - alone. I think someone should give me the iron butt award. Doing this journey in the summertime is nothing. Today somebody had ordered the weather of my life. For the first 200 kilometres, the snowstorm had covered the ground with soft new white snow. I couldn't see the road but just the flying snowflakes in the storm wind. Sometimes there was so much snow on the road that it came over the hood and covered the windshield. That was exciting! 
 

I think you have exhausted enough because of my Borneo photos. I'll keep the rest 900 pics in my archives...

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Lapland. I'll spend the rest of the week cross-country skiing, probably some down hill skiing included and if the weather is nice I may visit northern Norway.

Gentlemen, start your engines, 2500 kilometres ahead...

Fearless (stupid?) reindeer on the slippery road in Norway.

( The winter adventure )