Day 2, Vieriharju - Rakitsanoja

This is written three days after the actual date. The weather and how exhausting the tour actually was made it pretty much impossible to write down day to day events.

In the morning two members of the Border Guards visited us with snowmobiles. They were just casually asking where we are going and if we've seen other people. They just try to have an idea of who and how many people are in the area if there's a possible emergency.

For us it took about three hours of non-stop doing from the moment your eyes opened to get ready to get going and ski again. It's just insane how much time and energy it takes during the winter to boil water, make breakfast, make lunch ready, boil more water, wash dishes, pack your stuff. Add to that everything is so much slower, requires more concentration and effort in heavy winter clothes that I was already tired by the time we started skiing! And Vieriharju wilderness cabin was an easy place when it comes to water! There's a stream which stays pretty much open no matter the temperature. But when you need to melt water from snow it takes even more time. It's a constant hours long effort for three to four people!

We started around 9:30 am in around -15 degrees Celsius which was surprising as the weather forecast was saying that it's -25! Oh well, we were not complaining!

The distance to Rakitsanoja was only 6 km but it was enough for me. Constantly performing from 6 am onwards with the water circus, then skiing with heavy pulkka and finally starting camp setup and again hours long water boiling this time from snow made me welcome a shorter day.

I was tired. I was really tired when we arrived in Rakitsanoja. I had difficulties even setting up my tent that I have set up hundreds of times.

It was a humbling realization standing in waist deep snow unable to get the tent up in perfect weather conditions, that I would have been in serious trouble if I would have been there alone in bad weather.Read more