Juhannuspäivä - Midsummer in Lapland

Up here in the far north, Midsummer day isn't so different from the 30 or so days before or after; well, at least in terms of the length of the day.  

No "Longest day" concept for us as we are right in the middle of the "White Nights" period, where we have weeks and weeks when the sun doesn't set at all. 

This leaves us with views like this at midnight and potential confusion with concepts like "At the end of the day".

Holiday Time!

In Finland, Juhannuspäivä, Midsummer, is a special day, celebrated with a holiday, Midnight bonfires and sometimes a drink or two.  Everyone that can gets out of the towns and cities and makes for the villages and lakes.

Here in Äkäslompolo, the locals and holidaymakers gather at the side of the lake in time for the midnight lighting of the bonfire. 

Grilled sausages, beer and some local musicians make a great accompaniment to what is a really nice feature of summer in the Arctic.

It's nice to get a good view of the bonfire, and the guys in this picture surely have the right idea, while the rest of us are trying to get just the right photo, while still retaining some eyebrows! 

Midsummer Relaxation

When I was a lad in Scotland, I remember people talking about being able to just about read a newspaper outside in Shetland at Midsummer. 

Here in Lapland, that would be considered practically dark.  At Midnight, you can cycle without lights, read the small print on documents, and practically see the plants and trees growing as they take advantage of the short Arctic summer. 

Strangely perhaps, it's also a very relaxing time.  

With no urgency to finish things before it gets dark, and endless daylight hours, it's almost necessary to have an alarm to issue bedtime reminders.

Otherwise, it's easy to find that it's reached 2am while you weren't looking.  

It doesn't make it any easier to head off to bed when there are all sorts of birds and animals around to be interested in, taking advantage of the daylight, like these reindeer taking a time-out in our garden. 

Not just for Christmas

Like many foreigners, before we first visited Lapland, we only really thought of it as being the home of Santa Claus and a place for winter fun and sports.  

Living in Lapland through summer you realise that it's just as appealing and just as fascinating throughout the year, with incredibly different seasons. 

And, if you really can't stop thinking of Lapland as a skiing destination, well they even do that here in summer too!

   

Snow Caves

During late winter each year, the Lapland scouts head up to Aakenus fell, between Äkäslompolo and Kittilä, for a few nights, to practice their outdoor skills. 

With temperatures often dropping to -20C and lower, it's important to have good shelter and to keep out of the wind.

In Southern Europe scouts would rig up tents and camp fires, but up here in the north, they have a slightly different approach, digging a series of caves in the deep snow on the side of the mountain.

Let's go Caving!

As the snow melts in springtime, the caves disappear, but in the few weeks before the thaw properly sets in, the caves remain usable. That was when our friends, the Karinen's, who make sure that we don't miss any exciting experiences in Lapland, suggested that we all head up there for the weekend...

So, with thoughts of frostbite, claustrophobia and hungry bears emerging from hibernation, we set about practising our snow shoeing technique and loading as many warm clothes as we could find on to our little sledge.

Get the gear up the mountain

Forty five minutes driving and we were at the start of the path, a quiet ski trail that formed the first 2 km of our route.

Once we got started, the snow shoeing was fairly easy and pulling a sledge behind is easier than we thought, even when it sniffs around your ankles like a small dog wanting to play every time you head slightly downhill.

With Timo leading, pulling what seemed more like a small boat in comparison with our tiny sledge, we were soon off the track and heading up the steeper section to the small gully where the caves had been dug.

House Inspection

The first surprise was that the entrances to the caves were about 5 metres above ground level. It would have been so easy to walk past them if we'd not known they were there.

Then the second was that they appeared to have bars over the entrances, caused by the slow defrosting of the snow forming icicles as it dripped down over the doors.

At night, the temperatures are still well below Zero, but the daytime sun, and by mid-April in Lapland there are around 18 hours of daylight, causes the top layer of snow to begin to defrost.

The icicles were easily swept away, and the next surprise was that immediately behind each entrance was a steep climb through a narrow gap to get into the actual cave. The daytime defrosting had made these sections pretty icy and the combination of enclosed space and slipperiness, with a steep drop outside, made for quite an exciting experience.

Once inside the actual caves, each had been built so you arrived up into an area that two people could stand not quite upright in, with a wider, but significantly lower sleeping area at the side.  The sleeping area was easily wide enough for two sleeping bags, but lower, a lot lower!

Actually, it was probably about three feet high, but while you are trying to convince yourself that you don't suffer from claustrophobia, and working out if the entrance is small enough to discourage a hungry bear, you don't take in all the detail.

Once we'd all selected our caves, we set about digging steps up to the entrances, then lugging our gear up to them.  

Squatters in Residence

While we were preparing sleeping gear, and getting our caves organised, Jonna climbed high above the cave entrances to raise the camp flag.

Apart from looking pretty good, the flag would warn any returning scouts or other potential new residents that there were other people around.

That seemed a pretty good idea, since a surprise encounter 15 feet or so above ground level could be dangerous for all involved. 

Ready for Bed?

Despite the caves being a bit small and a little chilly, setting the gear out in them did make them feel a bit like wilderness hotel rooms.  

That said, we were quite glad to set out again for a while to climb the slope in front of the caves and take in the evening view.  

By mid-April the days in Lapland are long and bright, and the short night is preceded by a long slow sunset, which gave us the perfect opportunity to have some dinner and take in the view while reflecting on how much our lives have changed since we moved away from London 18 months ago. 

While we were taking in the spectacular view, eating, and thanking Jonna profusely for the rum that she'd brought along, and which spiced up the outdoor coffee perfectly, the younger members of the expedition team were off taking full advantage of the still-perfect winter conditions on the hillside.

In my younger days in Scotland, sledging meant pointing yourself and your sledge downhill, then running like the clappers and jumping on, hoping that you didn't hit anything too solid before the bottom of the slope.
   
For the younger Finns it's a much more sophisticated event with capabilities to steer around obstacles that would have seen me and my childhood friends spending the night in casualty.  

Retiring for the Night

As we sat on the hillside, the temperature slowly dropped to around -10C.  With no wind, it didn't feel that cold, but we finally decided it was time for bed.

We took one final precaution before heading for bed, setting up a couple of outdoor candles, left over from the winter season, at the entrance to the cave.   

They might not have been enough to discourage a seriously hungry bear, but they might give us time to beat a hasty retreat while it was blowing out its flaming tootsies. 

Though we were a bit apprehensive about getting any sleep at all, the reindeer skins that the Karinen's had brought to go under the sleeping bags actually made quite comfortable on top of the icy base layer.

The combination of fresh air, exercise and good food soon overcame the fear and we were sound asleep.

Morning has broken

Bright and early on Sunday morning, we found that we hadn't been buried alive or been attacked by the bears rumoured to live in the fell, but instead woke up feeling quite refreshed on a glorious morning.

Though we were all starving, we decided to take a walk up towards the top of the mountain, to take a look at the views first.  

When we got there we found that we could see Ylläs fell, the mountain which our village, Äkäslompolo, sits at the base of. It's just visible in the background here.

On a Sunday morning out in the wilderness, you sort of assume that there is no-one for miles around, but, just as we were approaching the top of the mountain, a couple of fit and enthusiastic cross-country skiers appeared over the mountain-top and stopped for a quick chat.   

As we turned to head back down to the caves, we saw something moving around some rocks, it was a bit far off to see clearly, but we finally guessed that it must be a snow grouse.  

It wasn't keen on us approaching, but we managed to get a quick picture just before it fluttered off to a quieter part of the fell. 

In northern Lapland, nature is never far away.  It's always interesting to see how the wildlife evolves to cope in the rugged terrain and often tough weather conditions. 

Relaxing at camp

When we arrived back at the cave site, the younger contingent were finally taking it easy.  

There also seemed to be significantly fewer biscuits than we remembered, but we couldn't be quite sure.  

Certainly it seems that the combination of late night sledging, fighting to escape from sleeping bags and living out in the freshest air in Europe builds a healthy appetite!

Talking of which, we (mostly Jonna) were soon busy in the cave kitchen making some fantastic outdoor pasta.

There really is something special about food that is prepared and eaten outdoors away from home and we took a leisurely lunch before emptying the caves, and packing up ready for the trip home. 

Time to go home

Once we had all the gear packed and ready to leave the caves for the last time and head for home, we stepped back into our trusty snow shoes and started off following our tracks back to the main path.  

We made the mistake of thinking that it would be easier heading back, since we had eaten and drunk most of our supplies.  

In fact the reverse is true. With all the food eaten there was not enough weight to keep the sledges stable, and, especially in the cross-hill sections, they insisted on rolling over at every possible opportunity, attempting to drag us downhill the quick way.

That did make the first half of the return trip a bit harder, but it was quite funny watching the gear spill out of the sledge every few steps until we managed to lash it better into place.

After an hour or so we were back in the car and heading home, just in time, for Timo had prepared a champagne reception for the brave explorers!  The perfect welcome home!

As with so many new experiences in Lapland, we're now planning to do it all  again next year. 

Maybe it's the cold that makes us crazy. 

Eagles of Lapland

Wildlife of the Arctic

Finnish Lapland is full of incredible contrasts.  Small villages with picture perfect cabins are dotted around forests where nature does its own thing, mostly untouched and unseen by people. 

Today, we had the opportunity to see some of this nature in action. 

Getting us out of bed at 5:30 on a Sunday morning takes something pretty special, but thanks to the team at Ylläs Wildlife, we had the chance to visit the bird-hide that has been the talk of the village here in Äkäslompolo in Finnish Lapland.

Given that we are not really birdwatchers, you might wonder what the excitement was about, and perhaps more so if I mentioned that we regularly have a range of feathered friends visiting our patio.  

Today, however, we were hoping to see the king of birds, the Golden Eagle.

Out into the Forest

After meeting up in the centre of the village, we were quickly tied and hooded, chloroformed and hustled into the boot of a waiting car.  Ok, perhaps a slight exaggeration, but we were asked to keep the hide location secret.  

A half hour drive had us parking in a cleverly camouflaged car-port out in the forest, then grabbing our rucksacks (bird spotting books, cameras, sandwiches and coffee) and walking through the snowy and still dark* forest to the edge of the clearing where the bird-hide was built earlier this year. 

* Dark is different above the Arctic Circle.  As we get nearer to December, the days do get shorter to the point where the sun doesn't rise at all for about six weeks, and there is only a short period of "Twilight" in the middle of the day.  

This period of polar night is known as "Kaamos" in Finnish.  

However, at the same time, everywhere is covered in a thick blanket of pure white snow that reflects the minimal light, even from the moon and stars, and so it is never completely dark, but has an ethereal, magical feel. 

The Bird-Hide

It's only about a 500 metre walk from the car port to the bird-hide, and in no time we were firing up the gas heaters, setting cameras into position and getting comfortable to wait, and hope...

As winter arrives and days shorten, the chances of seeing eagles from the hide increases.  With fewer daylight hours the birds have less time to eat, and so are more likely to be seen.   

To help things along, the Ylläs Wildlife team provides some very tasty meals, at least from the Eagle perspective, including raw reindeer, moose and occasionally, pork. 

This week, pork was on the menu.

Feeding the birds like this is important as it helps increase their chances of surviving the bitter Arctic winter, especially since Eagle numbers are still recovering. 

Forest Clearing

As the sun gradually rose and the sky, still heavy with snow cloud, brightened, we began to see the clearing much better.  The snowy trees providing a perfect backdrop and a series of kelo-logs in the foreground providing perfect feeding perches.   

Almost as soon as daylight started to arrive we had company.  First a few magpies then, as if heading for a pre-arranged secret meeting in the forest clearing, ravens began to appear from all directions until there were nearly 30 of them. 

At first a bit nervous, then settling down to feed, snow-bathe, get a bit grumpy with the magpies when they got too close, and generally entertain us. 

All the while, it was noticeable that there was some shift work going on, with four or five ravens always taking lookout positions round the edges of the clearing.  

Vesa, our guide and expert for the day explained that twitchy ravens are a fairly reliable signal that Eagles are moving around in the vicinity.  

Eagles are quite nervous and will watch and wait until they see ravens feeding comfortably before they decide it is safe for them to eat too. 

This is an odd sort of relationship, since seeing Eagles in the area is one thing that makes the ravens very uncomfortable.

Sure enough, as we watched, it was clear that the ravens were a bit up-tight, and every so often would jump up and scatter before settling down to feed again. 

Was that an Eagle?

It was then that we (or at least Vesa) spotted an Eagle in a tree about 300 metres away to the right of the clearing.  I tried to take a picture of it, but struggled to hold the camera still at that level of zoom. 

We think it was a Sea Eagle, as one had been seen there recently, but it didn't come close enough for us to identify with certainty. 

Only a few minutes later, another Eagle was spotted, this time to the left. This time, I managed to get a photo, but not great quality, since it was still quite dark, but it was enough to prove that we had at least seen one! 

We settled back down to hope that this second bird would be hungry enough to venture into the clearing. 

Movement in the undergrowth

Just as we were getting over seeing our first Eagles, we spotted something moving through the frosty forest undergrowth.  It was difficult to tell what it was at first, but as it moved towards the clearing, it turned out to be a fox. 

This fine fellow was nothing like the scraggy urban foxes we'd got used to seeing on the outskirts of London, but a healthy fit animal with thick luxurious fur.

As he moved into the clearing, the ravens and magpies didn't seem to be too concerned, and soon he too was enjoying a pork breakfast.  

Just as he was getting comfortable, the ravens suddenly scattered again, and the fox and magpies immediately retreated to a safe distance. 

Looking round, like us, they were just in time to see two Eagles settling in a tree at the back of the clearing.  

Then the oddest thing happened.  As the magpies and ravens shuffled nervously around the food, one Eagle took flight and disappeared into the distance. but the other gracefully swooped down and settled in the snow near to the fox.

By this time, we were all holding our breath in expectation of what might happen next.

After a moment or two, the Eagle walked through the trees, to within a few feet of the fox, almost out of our sight, and the two seemed to acknowledge each other in respectful silence.

Seeming happy with events, the fox headed off about his daily business and the Eagle decided that it was safe to return to the pork. 

The Eagle has landed 

For almost two hours, we watched, transfixed as this majestic bird ripped and tore at the pork, occasionally batting enormous powerful wings to warn off magpies that got a little too close.

The ravens on the other hand seem to have a lot of respect for the Eagle, and mostly stood back watching while he was eating, unlike the cheeky magpies. 

I don't think I've ever felt two hours pass so quickly.  It's an enormous privilege to be so close to raw nature and see such magnificent creatures at close quarters.  

With the eagle so comfortable feeding there for so long, I managed to catch a short video him.  Though there isn't any outdoor sound, you can almost hear us holding our breath as the camera shutters fire.  

If only I'd known we were going to have such an incredible view, I'd have invited a film camera crew and sound unit to join us! 

Ylläs Wildlife

If you are interested in Eagles or are visiting Finnish Lapland and would like to try to see them, the team at Ylläs Wildlife would be very happy to see you or hear from you.  

Their web-site www.wildlifeyllas.com has details of the hide and the Eagle Safari trips that they arrange.

Our sincere thanks to Vesa and Reino for setting up such a fantastic facility and giving us such an unforgettable day.  Special thanks to Vesa for sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge and making sure we didn't miss anything.  

I don't think that will be our last visit!

There were these tree fellers...

Oh Christmas tree...

It’s funny how switching location can change your perspective. 

Last week during a short return visit to London, we were happy to join in with the usual grumbling about “Christmas” being too early in the shops, with Christmas displays, music, decorations and advertising music even preceding the Guy Fawkes celebrations in some cases.

This week, back in Lapland, we’re spending the morning acquiring our Christmas tree.  In mid-November!

Really, it’s all down to logistics.

  

While our little corner of Lapland already looks like a winter wonder-land with snow everywhere and trees heavy with frost, it’s still “early-winter” which means that the deep snow has yet to arrive.  

It’s a lot of fun heading off into the forest in snow shoes to find a tree in mid-December, but it’s never much lighter than twilight and it’s really quite hard to move felled trees around in deep snow.

Anyway, since the trees in the far north don’t take much water on-board at this time of year, it’s not a problem to bring one home and leave it outside, effectively  in “cold-storage” until a more socially-acceptable time to take it indoors decorate it and give it pride of place in the cabin.

 

Anyway, after a coffee and chat to discuss tactics, we headed off into the countryside with two of our Finnish friends, with a car and trailer, and were soon marching off into the forest.   

In the north of Finland, it's possible to select and retrieve your own tree, and pay for it with an automated call to 

Metsähallitus the Finnish forestry people.

Though it can be tricky making the call in finger-chilling -20C! 

The principle is that, in the government-owned forestry areas, outside the National Parks, taking these small trees from near the roadsides provides an essential "Thinning" service, and so is encouraged. 

Not surprisingly, in a Finnish forest, there are a lot (a heck of a lot) of trees to choose from, so then started a process of selection, which, in our case generally meant... lots of discussion, almost choosing a specific tree, then deciding that the next one was a better colour, or shape or height.  

Finally, the ideal candidate was found and preparations were made. 

Preparations, in this case, being to stand back and take photos of the man with the saw. 

Fir trees are quite easy to cut down (says me who wasn't actually doing any sawing) and in no time, once the perfect height at which to cut had been decided, the sawing was underway. 

In Finnish forests, especially in winter, silence is a major attraction, so we managed to resist the natural desire to shout "Timber" as we gradually lowered the tree to the ground, and prepared to carry it back to the trailer. 

In celebration of the successful operation, and to warm frozen extremities after carrying the tree back to the car, we were tempted on to the forest trail that heads for Äkässaivo around a 3km loop. 

Äkässaivo is a deep forest lake that has no obvious means of filling and was a sacred place for ancient Sami people. 

After hearing some fascinating stories of the ancient peoples that lived, worshipped at the ancient lake, and sharing some hot tea and delicious home-made sandwiches, provided by our tree-felling friends, we took advantage of the frozen lake to make some celebratory snow-angels.

Job done for the day, time to head back to the car and take the tree back to its new temporary home in the back garden, ready for the decoration stages to happen a little nearer to Christmas.  

Another day, another new experience in Lapland.  

If you are visiting Finnish Lapland over or around the festive season, it's fun and quite satisfying "hunting and gathering" your own tree, before preparing it for the Christmas celebration.  

Hullun Polkasu 2014 (The Mad Cycle)

Äkäslompolo, Finland: Thursday 3^rd July 2014

It’s been light all night as it always is at this time of year in Lapland.  This far north, we have around two months of midnight sun with what they call “nightless nights” when the sun never sets.

Fortunately, this morning sees it a bit cooler and overcast, as we are up early, drinking strong coffee, repacking and trying not to think too much about the fact that we are about head off, with a group of fit Finns, on the longest cycle we’ve ever attempted – The Hullan Polkasu or, in English, the Mad Cycle.

Hullan Polkasu  

Sampo Kaulanen (left) owns and runs Jounin Kauppa, the supermarket and shopping centre here in Äkäslompolo. 

One day, in the heat of summer (yes, as well as being light for 24 hours it often tops 30C in Lapland) he was looking at a map of the area while trying to think of some ideas for a summer fun event.

He thought about the short distance to Norway, and came up with the idea of going for a cool refreshing swim in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Norway.  

With typical Finnish consideration for the environment, he decided it would be best to cycle there,  all 350 km, and the idea for the first Hullun Polkasu was born.

The one proviso was that he put details of the event on Facebook, and would only go ahead with the cycle if it got 50 000 “Likes”. 

Within a few days, the number of “Likes” sailed past the 50 000 mark, and Sampo had started training!

Of course, it's no fun to cycle such a long route on your own, so Sampo sent out a general invite for people to join him on the trek.

Lapland Finns are typically fit and very keen on the outdoors, so soon people were signing up from all around Finland to join in. 

As part of the small contingent of Brits in the village, and badly in need of some exercise, we decided to sign up too.  Now, on the morning of the first day, it seems a bit rash to have made that decision only three weeks ago!

Äkäslompolo –> Hetta (Enontekio) – Day 1

As we gathered outside the supermarket at 7:30am we found, somewhat to our relief, that not only were there indeed quite a few other people ready to take part, some very well prepared with racing bikes.

Age no Barrier

Fortunately, there were some people that looked like they might go at a more reasonable pace, including a couple of fellas on a tandem, quite a few bikes with cuddly animal passengers and a lady on a traditional Tunturi bike with no gears!

The youngest participant was 11 and the oldest 63, excellent examples of the characteristic Finnish “Sisu”. 

After a quick pep-talk from Sampo and a brief group stretching and warm-up session, we all dropped our bags with Nils-Samuli in the Jounin Kauppa “Support van”, which was to follow us for the full route.


This was to prove a valuable lifeline as, along with carrying luggage, it was stacked with goodies!

Just time then for a group photo of a bunch of enthusiastic cyclists before setting off on the first part of the trek.

140 km to the lovely Sami village of Hetta (or Enontekio as it’s shown on the map). 

The road out of Äkäslompolo has one steep climb, perfect for warming up the cycling muscles.  

Once we had puffed our way up that, we were off at a good speed, and in no time, we had passed the road to Akäsmylly at 20 km, marking the furthest we’d previously cycled in that direction. 

The first Pit-Stop

Several Jounin Kauppa suppliers had contributed food, fitness drinks and energy bars to the cause, so after about 30 km, there was a pit-stop set up at the roadside for a quick refuel.  

This was the first time we really understood the benefits of having a support team, as they handed out much appreciated food and drink.

After a couple of minutes relaxing and watching a few other participants coming and going, we pressed on for the next 40 km to the lunch stop at the Loimu restaurant in Raatama, where there was lots of gorgeous Lappish salmon soup to get everyone raring to go again.

By this point, it was clear that we had spread out quite a bit, with the “Elite” riders well ahead, and the rest spread over quite a distance, in small groups, making new friends as people of similar speeds cycled together (some closer than others) or regularly passed each other.

By the time we hit the 110 km mark, it seemed that most people were feeling the effort taking a toll on their legs, and it was perfect to have another pit-stop to top up energy levels which helped the last 30 km fly by.

Welcome to Hetta

On arrival in Hetta, most of us were staying in the Hetan Majalta hotel.  Anticipating the arrival of a lot of weary Finnish cyclists, the hotel knew exactly how to prepare; getting the beers chilled as the sauna heated, providing the perfect welcome for the end of day 1.

The Hetta locals had arranged a welcome festival for the cyclists in the market square in the evening, with stalls selling coffee, cakes, sausages and

other post-cycling delights as well as laying on some locally flavoured entertainment, the highlight of which was a young singer performing a song that she had written especially for the Hullun Polkasu event.
  

Then back to the hotel, to bed.  

Day 2 – Hetta -> Kautokeino - Let’s go North of the Border

Day two dawned and it was apparent that the promise of lovely weather had been a little optimistic.  

Heavy clouds covered the village, and it didn’t look like the light rain was planning to stop anytime soon.

Gathering to start from Hetta market square, the villagers gave us a fantastic send off, with a quick Zumba session to warm up weary legs and a great sing-a-long of the Hullan Polkasu song, which even the Finns couldn’t understand as it was in the Sami language; not that that stopped everyone joining in with the chorus.

So many options!

Everyone started off in cheery spirits and was soon clocking up the miles to the first café stop after about 30km.  That bit wasn’t too bad, especially with the thought of lunch on the horizon.

The second half of day two was promising to be a bit tougher, with everyone setting off still damp after lunch, and with full stomachs and some steeper uphill sections, it was all getting to be a bit of a slog.  Then two things happened that really boosted us. 

First, we came to the border crossing between Finland and Norway.  It was an easy border to pass, with no stops and checks, but it was nice to get a cheery wave from Norwegian customs as we pedaled past.

Then the Jaunin Kauppa support van drove past with the team handing out energy drinks and chocolate to all the cyclists, on the move! 

No one could fail to be lifted by that kind of surprise, and with it being a shorter day, covering only 80 odd km, we soon had Kautokeino in view through the low clouds and a lovely downhill section to the Arctic Motel and Camping site to finish.

This time, some of the participants were staying in cabins at the Kautokeino camp site and some were up the hill at the Thon hotel.

After checking in, we headed off to relax in the outdoor hot-tub under the watchful eye of some of the local reindeer.   

As we sat chatting with some of the other cyclists, the weather started to clear, with the magnificent Norwegian mountains and scenery gradually appearing through the clearing clouds.

It’s at times like that, you realise what a special place Lapland is.

Gallery Visit 

With an earlier end to the cycling at 3pm, we had time to visit Juhls’ Silver gallery in Kautokeino.

The building and all the exhibits (most of which are for sale) were designed, build and collected by Frank and Regine Juhls since settling here in the 1950s.

It's a welcoming and fascinating place with an amazing history and a free guided tour.  It's no surprise that people travel from all over the Nordic countries to visit.  Highly recommended. 

Day  3 - Kautokeino -> Onward to the Arctic Ocean

After the wet weather of day 2, it was something of a relief to see that the more typical Lapland summer weather had returned.  

As everyone gathered outside the hotel, we started off in good spirits, though with dire warnings of mountains between us and our final destination, Alta, to be tackled later that day, ringing in our ears. 

  

The only en-route stop on day 3 was after 70 km at the top of the one steep uphill section, the first tough section that we had encountered that day.  

Photographer Stepi enjoys lunch

The support team had somehow managed to get hold of a vat of sausage soup, which, accompanied with cheese sandwiches and a fantastic view of Norway was the perfect pick-me-up for the second half; and what a second half it was!

As we descended from the stopping point, we seemed to hit one downhill after another, and were keeping up a much higher speed with far less effort than before.   Even the few uphill stretches seemed easier. Then we started to see the mountains in the distance, looming closer with every km.

Each km seemed to expose more and more impressive Norwegian scenery, with high cliffs, still topped with snow, gushing waterfalls and majestic lakes around every corner.

As we arrived at the mountains, to our surprise, the road seemed to go downhill more and more steeply, with the bending road snaking down through the mountains, where only the bravest of cyclists stayed off the brakes completely.

   

Keeping the UK end up

Past the mountains, it was easy to keep up the momentum, and keep the UK flags flying, as the last few km flew by and we were soon arriving at Alta River Camping, the end of the cycling route.

It was great to catch up with everyone there, enjoying the camaraderie, a relaxing beer, a sauna (of course) and some dinner in the sunshine.

A Refreshing dip

In the excitement of finishing the cycling, we almost forgot that the objective of the event was to swim in the Arctic Ocean.  

Fortunately, one of the Ylläs coaches had been laid on, and by 9pm we were all boarding to start our unusual trip to the seaside.

A couple of km outside Alta, we stopped at a lovely little beach with Norwegian mountains and sky perfectly framing the Arctic Ocean.

The end of the challenge and time for quick photo, just giving a few moments to think about the prospect of the final swim in the Arctic Ocean. 

Then into bathing gear to charge, run or paddle into the sea.

The water was quite cold, but wonderfully clear and refreshing after days of cycling.

It’s hard to imagine how the last day could have been better.  The gorgeous weather the Norwegian scenery and the fun of swimming in the Arctic Ocean really made it a special experience.

Big Thanks

Special thanks to Teemu Haavisto & Ylläs Sportia for support and technical services and to the Jounin Kauppa support team for helping us all to make it to the end, and of course to Sampo Kaulanen for the original idea and for making the event a reality.





Thanks also to Stepi Sundberg for taking so many great photographs of the event during all three days, and especially for allowing me to use some of these here.  You can see more of his work on his web site by clicking on his name.

Not forgetting Ylläs Express for picking us up and taking our bikes back to Äkäslompolo, especially since I’m not sure any of us could have cycled back up the long climb back out of Alta!

Video Footage

To get an idea of the spirit of the event and see some of the magnificent wild scenery, Veli-Matti Näränen took some excellent video footage during the event…

And the team from JVPS did a fantastic video blog!

Roll on Hullun Polkasu 2015!

Join Us?

If you fancy taking part in Hullun Polkasu 2015 and experiencing some of the summer magic of Lapland, please feel free to contact me or visit the Hullun Polkasu Facebook page.