The long walk and the journey to self at the Bear’s trail
The plan was to go hiking, with a work colleague, on the most popular trekking trail in Finland, the Karhunkierros, the Bear's trail.
At 82km, the route usually requires 3-7 days of hiking through scenic areas and National parks in Kuusamo, Dallas of Lapland, in Northern Finland.
This is to be my first hike of such length. Unfortunately, my trail companion had to cancel only shortly before the trip, and the whole journey suddenly took on a new meaning. I would be going alone (not sharing equipment and thus carrying weight), making my fears about what could go wrong even more pronounced in my mind. My plan is to do the route in 4 full days of hiking, which would amount to little more than 20km a day.
The hike would also give me the unique opportunity to be alone with my thoughts for several days, an opportunity I would never have planned. What an exciting journey to one's self.
Inspired by these changed circumstances and the time freed from social activities, I decided to start a travel journal.
Where is this 'Karhunkierros' trail?
Salla and Kuusamo are located near the eastern Finnish/Russian border in northern Finland. The whole northern area is Lapland, a territory where the reindeer roam free most of the year.
The Karhunkierros trail, with (A) representing the northern starting point in Hautajärvi, Salla, and (B) representing the southern starting point in Rukatunturi, Kuusamo.
English-Finnish vocabulary relating to the post
| English | Finnish | Notes and what is it? |
|---|---|---|
| Bear's trail | Karhunkierros | An 82km trekking/hiking trail through areas and national parks in Salla, Oulanka a |
| Gravelake | Hautajärvi | Author's liberal translation of the name of the lake at the northern end of the Karhunkierros trail. |
| Ruka-mountain | Rukatunturi | A low mountain, on which the Ruka resort, and downhill skiing slopes have been built |
| Nature center | Luontokeskus | An office, shop providing information about the nature in the area. |
| Lapland | Lappi | An area or northern Finland encompassing perhaps 30% of the whole country. North of the arctic cirlcle, characterized by cooler, northern climate and more sparsely populated with towns and villages. |
Further reading
Next: Arrival at the beginning, the Northern end of the Karhunkierros trail
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