5th of August, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Finland.
This visitor centre is way smaller than the others I have been and I wonder why. There are no toilets or a cafe. I take a look around and check the boards with huge photographs of the park, and I notice that one good view of a gorge is by climbing a small hill, down some 15 Km from here. I was planning to do a hiking trail starting from here, called Rumakuru, but now it seems more interesting taking that other one and going up the hill. Talking with the man at the visitor centre, I discover that going hiking there it takes about 4 hours, which is a bit too much. Plus, they close around 4 p.m., so I would have to rush back. I make a quick decision of trying to catch a lift to the entrance of that hiking trail and that’s what I do.
I first have my muesli for breakfast, this time cold, and then I start from the parking lot, asking this couple who is leaving from the hotel, if they could give me a short lift, only 15 Km, to the next parking lot. At the beginning, I think they are a bit doubtful, but then they just say it is OK.
They are from Switzerland, on holidays here in Finland. They are nice and the lady gets very surprised about my journey. I know it is more 6 Km from the road to the parking lot and beginning of the trail, but I just ask them to pull over by the road and I will be fine.
I start walking and after two cars passing, the third one stops. It is a Finish couple and they are going a bit further then my spot, some 10 Km, so they take me in. The lady even moves to the back seat, so I have more space in front, because they have plenty of stuff on the back seats. That’s nice of her!
For my surprise, there is a big complex down here. A big restaurant and another visitor centre, with toilets and a mini-market. There are also renting cabins and a sauna!
I first wash my face and my socks and then I ask the lady at the cashier, and responsible for the visitor centre, if I could drop off The Hulk for some hours while I go hiking the hill. She says yes and take me to the luggage room, on the back of the building. It is full! Huge backpacks and small packs, all together. I have prepared a small bag with my computer, my zoom lenses and other things I don’t need from my small pack, so it is lighter, and I simply put on the top of a shelf, without kind of hiding behind my backpack, which I could have done. When I start my hiking later, I keep thinking about that: what if somebody just take it and leave, pretending it is theirs? Would the lady know?
The weather is really bad! Super foggy and grey, a bit cold too. The trail to the top of Kiilopää Hill is less than 2 Km, but this weather makes it difficult to breath. And I can’t see shit! What is the purpose of going up a hill for the view when you cannot see shit? Once in the top, and no visibility what so ever, I decide to go down and take another route back to the beginning.
When I am about 20 minutes away from the top, the sky starts to clean. Well, at least down here, I have no idea how it is up there. I do get some views of the park, though, which is nice.
Urhu Kekkonen is different of the other national parks for two reasons: it has almost no vegetation, and what is left are mostly bushes and short plants (which are very cute, looking like big bonsais); and there are plenty of wilderness areas, much more than marked trails. Which I think is awesome and I would love to be able to hike there. There are way less tourists (almost none), and you just need a paper map, and perhaps a compass to help you out if you need. And there are many wilderness huts on those areas too so you don’t even need a tent.
The weather is looking good now but as if it would turn bad soon. And that is also the prediction for the afternoon. That is one great thing about the visitor centres here in Finland: all of them have the weather prediction for the day printed and attached to a wall somewhere. That is great! Because of that, I decide to make my hiking shorter, only about 4 Km, come back to the restaurant, watch another film and rest. I do some exploring out the marked trails, for some better views and then I start walking back.
The trails are well marked but, they should warn people about wet areas. Well, it is true I didn’t ask any information to the lady, otherwise perhaps she would have told me. Anyway, the trail I take, called Kiirunapolku, it is partially flooded. In a particular area, near to the entrance, you have to fight your way out of the mud. Unless you are wearing rubber boots, which I doubt anyone would wear in a hiking trail. I felt like a rabbit, jumping from here to there, trying to find a way of going around the trail, always coming back to it. It actually would have been fun if the sky was not getting more and more grey.
Back to the buildings, the restaurant is always full but I manage to find a place near a plug. When I take my backpack back, my other small bag with the computer is still there. Yay!
When I was coming back here, outside the main building I saw places marked for camping. What? Yeah! I have noticed before that there are some campervans parked down in one of the parking lots, and I thought something about camping here, but now that I saw the signs, it is decided! At least tonight I don’t need to look for a place.
With that in mind I am more relaxed. Also because of the weather. I watch a film and do some stuff. Then I talk with the lady at the cashier about the possibility of getting some left-over food by the time they close. She says she will talk to the kitchen.
It has been raining the whole day. Not a very strong rain but a constant thin one. A bit before 8 o’clock I leave all my things at the table and set up my tent, leaving it completely open, because it is a bit wet in the corners. There is a strong wind and even a bit of sun now, so I am sure that it will dry soon.
The visitor centre closes at 10 p.m., but the kitchen at 9 p.m. Not knowing that earlier, I haven’t asked about the food yet. But the lady with whom I talked, come and brings me a take away box. When I open, it is full of mash potatoes, broccoli and some reindeer meat. I have half of my mash potatoes and broccoli, and I try a bit of the reindeer. I keep the rest for lunch tomorrow and I finish my last two pieces of cheesecake. Yummy!
The sunset is beautiful! Shining all through my tent! The camping area is completely flat which is a big treat for me. Laugh. Everything is fine during the night, and there is just a bit of rain.
10 Years Around the World 