Lehmisaari to Palvanemi

Another cold start, although at least it was bright. A breakfast of hot porridge laced with honey makes for a good start to the day. On the water, and as we paddle out of the cove the white horses out on the lake become visible. As we make our way round the headland the bite of the easterly wind hits us, carrying with it a siberian chill. Glad for all our layers of clothes, it's head down and plough on, hugging the coastline to keep out of the worst of the chop. Once we made it past the bridge the wind dropped off and the chop went with it. We thought about stopping for lunch, but decided to make the most of the conditions since our bellies were still full, so it was follow the buoy's around the headlands and hook in behind the island to Palvanemi where we had a late lunch before setting up camp for the night. It almost feels strange to be setting up camp so early in the day, having become accustomed to paddling for most of the day. Spells of snow punctuated by glorious sunshine kept things interesting, and eventually the wind died down enough that i hung my hammock in the woodshed and stretched out there for the night.

Laajalahti to Kankariluoto then Lehmisaari

It was a cold, cold start to the day, as we headed north-east to meet up with Tomas and Lorcan who had spent the night on Soisalo.


It was a fair slog almost directly into the wind, so it was head down and plough on through the biting wind. It was all worth it in the end, as we finally got to try a Finnish sauna.

 A wonderful way to get the circulation going again. It's funny how much warmer the lake seems afterwards. 8 degree's in the water, air temp, 5 degrees C, inside the sauna was too hot for the thermometer. After gettin changed, it was into Timo's cabin for lunch, all 14 of us. Grateful for the warmth while we ate for a a change, before heading on to Kankariluoto.

When we arrived we realised that due to the high water levels in the lake we could camp on one island and have a campfire, but any visit to the toilet would have meant getting into a canoe to paddle the 40 meters to the toilet, or braving a walk across a narrow causeway in frigid water. The general consensus was no bloody way, since it was early in the day & we were still fresh from the sauna, we opted to venture onwards to Lehmisaari.

It didn't take long to get tents up, once we found enough space between the trees! The group was in high spirits for the evening, and after dinner we helped John celebrate his 21st birthday by throwing him a surprise party.
 There were balloons, cake and candles, so all the essential ingredients were there. Oh, and we had a few drinks as well.

Definately the latest night we've had, even though almost everyone was in their tents by around midnight.
 
As usual, pics and maybe even videos to follow once i get home.

On to lake Puula

Woke up toasty and warm mummified in the bag after my second night in the lean-to. Really glad for it too, as the weather has gotten MUCH colder. There are no shorts or sleeveless tees today. Plenty of thermals and fleece jackets and raingear instead. Set off around 11, giving ourselves plenty of time for todays short section of the trip, as we'll be paddleing into the wind for a good portion of the day.
We made good time even though it was a long slog south to Papusaari where we had the option of setting up camp. But given the sparsity of good pitch sites for our tents, we opted instead for a long lunch and brewed soup or tea to offset the chill which was sinking through our layers of clothes, and even numbing my hands through 5mm of neoprene! After about an hour the stoves were packed away & we were back on the water again. About an hour of constant fighting to (a) keep on course and (b) prevent the swell from coming in over the side of our boats and we made landfall on the beach at Laajalahti. With tents up and a roaring fire going in the covered fireplace, Jamie, Eoin, Dennis and myself decided to brave the cold water to wash the weariness from our bones, not to mention get rid of the smell of campfire which has built up over the last couple of days. To describe it as bracing wouldn't quite cover it, but it's pretty close. We timed it well, as by the time we were out & dried, and had the stoves fired up for dinner it was starting to snow. And not the mush we get at home, but nice clean powder snow.
It only stayed for a short while unfortunately, as it would have made a nice scene in the morning. Anyway that's about as much as i can type on a phone in one sitting, more tomorrow...

A day off

The weather gods were against us today, as the abundance of whitecaps on the the lake made our notions of crossing up to Kangasnieni seem foolish. This could have been a problem, but fortunately we had the option of an 18Km walk to get there. This was definately a good thing, as while Ciara, Pat, Dennis & myself had enough food for another day, most of the others were starting to feel the restrictions in their diet. Some of us had a slightly longer walk than others, thanks to the quick arm on Dennis who flagged down a cab after a few Km. This meant we had a while to hang out waiting for the others to get here, so we had a good lunch then checked out the few shops, before heading to the local smarket to restock. Then back over to Pikku Paka and the very friendly Peter, where we spent a few hours relaxing, and a few euros on food and drink. Still there now. Some pics once i get back home to upload them.

What a crackin day! Woke up in my hammock staring up at a perfectly clear blue sky, then lifted my head slightly to look out onto the serene waters of lake Makiselka, with the birdsong occasionally punctuated by a distant woodpecker doing what they are famous for. So relaxed after the chance to unwind yesterday with a spot of swimming by the camp. It's 8am and there's already quite a bit of heat in the sun, so it's on with the factor 50, as the factor 30 didn't quite cut the mustard yesterday.


Todays leg is a bit longer than yesterdays, though nothing like the long hauls of the previous 2 days. We made terrific time after setting out, travelling down Makiselka onto Valivesi then Rauhajarvi and north about halfway up Paalahti before turning off onto Lasankosken kanava. We stopped and ate lunch after passing under a bridge, to give up energy for the portage we knew lay a short distance ahead. It was just as well, as several trips back &forth were needed to ferry all the boats and gear the 400 odd meters along the shore before getting back in the water.
Then we were onwards towards lake Puula. Except a one of our boats encountered a spot of bother on a rock, so we had our first swimmers of the trip. No major damage done though, and after rescuing crew, boat and gear. We were once more underway, minus 1 of our 3 water purification pumps, which had escaped unnoticed in the commotion. Conditions on Puula were windy with plenty of chop, which made the last section of todays journey a bit more challenging. I think everyone was glad to reach camp this evening at Likoniemi.

Vavesaari to Luusniemi

Woke to a hazey morning, had a hearty breakfast and set off for the day. We were spending the day setting waypoints & getting used to the gps we'd be using to find our way on the larger lake systems. As the day went on the weather cleared to blue skies, and the layers of clothes came off and the sunscreen went on.
We stopped off at Tahtiniemi for lunch and a short break to stretch our legs before heading on to Luusniemi, our camp for the night. After the previous 2 long days we were all glad to have had a short day. And a chance to rest and recharge our batteries.
Distance covered, 12 or 13Km.

Vehvaa to Vavesaari

Woke to the sound of rain on the tent again, so much like camping back in ireland. Broke camp in the drizzle, though thankfully it'd cleared for long enough to get a decent breakfast into us, and once again we were on the water. This morning it was on the Rantojoki which graced us with more lacklustre rapids at paasikioski before opening up onto phyaluoma lake. We crossed this to porsaskoski, where we took a short break as we carried our boats around the race of picturesque old mill, before venturing on across pitkasjaryi & down palvalampi and orjuu lakes. Much to our dismay, we discovered on arrival at Nykala that the shop and cafe was not just closed, but closed down, so after a short breather it was back in the boats and south along pilkanselka lake till we came to the island of Vavesaari which was to be our home for the night. Distance since breakfast, about 25Km.

P.s. Sorry about the spelling mistakes in yesterdays post, thats part of the joys of cellphone blogging

Lomatrio to Vehvaa

Awoke several times to various sounds of the wilds, the birds, the rain pounding on the tent, and the deep notes of a wild boars cries, which turned out to be the snoring of an unidentified culprit!

Our great intentions of an early (9:30am) start never quite materialised, probably due to the lack of sleep the night before, combined with a loooong day of travelling.

Setting out on the water

We eventually broke camp about 11:30, and went downstream from a small lake onto a narrow winding water in flood, surrounded by overhanging branches. My steering caused Denis some neverous moments, but we still managed to make it to camp. Saw plenty of evidence of beavers on the trees.

Swan taking off

We had a close encounter with some low flying swans between Lomatrio and Tensala, where we portaged around a low bridge, and used the break for lunch to wash the hundreds of tiny leeches - which had fallen from low hanging branches - from our bags & canoe.

Lunchtime :)

 Further downriver we were sorely disapointed by the 'rapids' at Kalystenkoski, which were scarcely beyond a ripple! 

Niskaniv Lean-to

Continuing on, we took a short break at Niskanivu, where we relaxed while examining the Finnish lean-to. A wonderful shelter for a weary traveller, and a potential lifesaver in harsh weather.

Just after Valijoenkylan silta there was a moment of confusion as we identified the correct route. After a brief rec. we found it, and it was onward to Vehvaa, and a good nights sleep.

Zzzzzz

Travelling on

We assembled at the travelodge near dublin airport, and spent a fair while packing and repacking bags, tying to meet the weight restriction of 15Kg, easier said than done when trying to prepared for everything from sub zero nighttime temperatures to cooking and communicating. Bags got weighed, repacked reweighed several times before everyone could be sure to avoid the excess baggage charges. Our flight was departing @7:45, so early morning taxis were booked, and despite best intentions, we ended up talking for a good while before finally giving in to sleep.
Arrived at the airport, more repacking (for some) and we were checked in. Following a breakfast that was inhaled as much as eaten, we had a pleasant flight through clear skies before arriving in an overcast & drizzly Tampere. Hours of travel by both bus & train lay ahead of us, which gave an opportunity to try learning to speak the local language. It was a weary bunch of travellers who arrived in pieksamaki for the short transfer to Lomatrio campsite. Once camp was set up we discussed our route for the next couple of days, before heading for the sleeping bags.

Getting there

As part of college, I'm taking part in a group canoeing expedition in the wilds of Finland. 10 Days paddling, starting at Lomatrio, and finnishing near Mikkeli. The trip will take in sections of grade 2 whitewater, but will mostly be on the lakes Kyyvesi & Puula.


The flights are confirmed, canoes booked, and other essential logistics taken care of. Dublin to Tampere on the 8th of may, then train to Pieksamaki, and onward to Lomatrio for our first nights camping in the wilderness. I've purchased a waterproof digital camera, so i'll be posting high-res pics when i can, as well as cellphone pics and blogging on the go, cell coverage permitting. My gear is assembled, now it's time to start packing.