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Urho Kekkonen

Delicate autumn serenity of the Finnish north

By Northern Adventures

September 16^th, 2011

Introduction

(SAT Sep 10th - Sat Sep 17TH, 2011)

Urho Kekkonen national park is located in Lapland, Finland, situated in the area of municipalities of Savukoski, Sodankylä and Inari. Established in 1983 and covering 2,550 square kilometres, it is one of Finland‘s largest protected areas. It is named after Urho Kekkonen, late President and Prime Minister of Finland.

The Suomujoki river flows through the northern parts of the diverse park. The marked paths in its western part are an easy destination even for the inexperienced backpacker, whereas the wilderness is good for long and demanding trips.

Second week of September is usually the best time in Lapland to witness beautiful explosion of autumn colours that is called “ruska” by the locals.

In mid-September, there are no more annoying mosquitoes that otherwise may become a nightmare in summer months. Less people around and full range of different colours in the surrounding landscape are the main attractions, together with moods of serenity and peaceful yet adventurous wandering.

It took us eight days to hike from the small town of Saariselkä across the national park to Raja-Jooseppi border station at the Finnish-Russian borders. We spent nights in wooden cottages (”tupas”) that form a convenient network of freely accessible accommodation in the area.

Maybe not that stunning at the first sight, Urho Kekkonen park boasts natural beauty of unspoiled deep north wilderness, with forests, rivers, lakes, and quietness of the Nordics nature.

The journey

We landed at the Ivalo airport in the evening and took the shuttle bus to Saariselkä.

From there, having bought additional food supplies in the local supermarket and after quick evening bite in its bistro, we immediately set out on the trail aiming to reach Rumakuru hut. We spent our first night in the national park there, and our adventure began.

Day 1: From Rumakuru to Porttikoski

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Actually, there are two Rumakuru huts; both being rather small affairs, they are not intended for an overnight stay, however they can accommodate two people comfortably.

Staying in those beautiful huts that are scattered across the national park, cutting firewood, lighting fire in the fireplace, and preparing dinner and tea… this was another part of our Finnish adventure, and it was as much as rewarding as hiking and country exploration.

This cabin network is really unique: often they are spectacularly located, and even more, some of them include a sauna!

The morning was cloudy. Autumn colours were at their peak - and the landscape looked really beautiful.

Just two weeks - and after that, at the end of September and with fallen leafs, winter comes already…

We hiked in the south-east direction towards Rautulampi hut. The terrain was flat, small lakes we were hiking along beautiful, and melancholic autumn moods were constantly present.

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Occasionally, sun broke through grey clouds and illuminated the surrounding landscape with its low autumn light - these rare moments were beautiful, and our heavy backpacks became somehow lighter during these wonderful spells.

At Rautulampi, we enjoyed our lunch in picturesque autumn setting. After that, we continued hiking in the eastern direction towards the Lankojärvi lake and hut.

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Not wisely, we chose the right bank of a stream flowing out from the small lake at Rautulampi. This meant two things: we missed Lankojärvi hut, and had to cross Suomujoki river barefoot.

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It was already twilight when we reached Porttikoski hut where we were about to spend the night.

It was really a long hiking day: more than 25km on foot.

Porttikoski hut was as comfortable as Rumakuru, and we fell asleep really quickly.

Day 2: From Porttikoski to Sarvioja

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Porttikoski is located in a truly beautiful river setting and is a cosy affair.

The third day started in a slow mood, however after some time, we set out on the trail again.

For a few kilometres, we continued hiking along the Suomujoki river.

Then we turned left and started to walk uphill in the southern direction, where we had to cross a ridge and descent to the east towards another hut called Sarvioja.

The hut was crowded with other hikers staying in, however there were last two spaces left for us which we happily occupied.

Day 3: From Sarvioja to Luirojärvi

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The fourth hiking day started cloudy and a bit rainy. We hiked to the south, aiming to cross another ridge and descent to Luirojärvi lake.

Luirojärvi forms a heart of the Urho Kekkonen national park, and offers a few lovely huts on its shores.

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We stayed in one of the smaller Luirojärvi huts.

After brief stroll around and after dinner, we fell asleep rather quickly.

There was a fellow hiker in the hut - an old and truly experienced guy. One of those guys that do not follow footpaths, but prefer to wander across the wilderness instead. From our perspective… something for the next time! :-)

Day 4: From Luirojärvi to Hammaskuru

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It was yet another cloudy morning at Luirojärvi lake, however from time to time sun beams broke through low lying clouds.

We set out in the trail in the eastern direction, in a rather short leg to another hut called Hammaskuru.

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It was a pleasant autumn walk through forests, tundra grass and bush, all during a gentle climb to the east.

From a place close to the (Hammaskuru) hut, we looked back to Luirojärvi lake; rolling hills of the Finnish north are not that spectacular, however they have something special, familiar, friendly, and peaceful.

Evening at Hammaskuru hut was very enjoyable - and with some barbecuing and single malt tasting as well.

Day 5: From Hammaskuru to Anterinmukka

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It was not a short walk from Hammaskuru to Anterinmukka hut, our planned delight thanks to its sauna.

There were tracks of snowmobiles and quad-bikes we followed for some time, and there was a barefoot river crossing pleasure as well.

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Anterinmukka looked really special; an old spacious cabin preserved in a good shape, and with a sauna located at the river bank of the Anterijoki river.

Sauna time is a special time in Finland, and wilderness areas are no exception. There was even a special sauna wood available in the wood storage; sauna deserves it better than the fireplace, obviously :-).

So we set sauna wood in the sauna stove on fire, had dinner, and then… enjoyed the sauna! A special time truly, warming up and then cooling down in the ice-cold river… another pleasure of the deep Finnish north.

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Day 6: From Anterinmukka to Kiertämäjärvi

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This was about to be our last day in the wild - and rather long one, with more than 20 kilometres ahead of us.

During the past few days, my hiking speed was rather slow - I got a foot injury on the first day that was not becoming better due to continuous hiking. So we were not speed demons, on the contrary - but the more we enjoyed the surrounding autumn landscape.

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The way to Kiertämäjärvi lake was beautiful; from time to time, very close to the borders with Russia, there were interesting warnings of close proximity to the frontier.

There were beautiful lakes along the trail, and the weather became clearer in the evening that we even thought about some sun light for the next day.

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Day 7: From Kiertämäjärvi to Raja-Jooseppi

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The morning at Kiertämäjärvi was… sunny! A special time and special moments, especially after those past few days of grey clouds and occasional rain.

In such a beautiful autumn weather and in such a serene setting, we hesitated to leave the place where we comfortably and lazily enjoyed our breakfast.

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The hike to Raja-Jooseppi continued to be an autumn forest endeavour, and we enjoyed last moments of hiking in the wild.

A few stops at shelters on the shores of other lakes, crossing reindeer fences, last few stops and last few photographs.

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There is a hanging bridge across the Suomujoki river at Raja-Jooseppi.

Here, a spectacular rainbow gave us a farewell when we were about to leave the wilderness.

We shared a taxi arranged by a Finnish couple we met on the trail and went back to Saariselkä to stay in a hotel for our last night in Finland.

Opulent dinner must not have been missed. Salad, beef, reindeer, wine, cloudberry desert… long hiking trips should be finished like this.

Afterword

Since this trip, actually my second visit to Finland at that time, Lapland has remained in my heart.

Finnish Lapland is not that spectacular as Iceland or mountainous areas of northern Sweden; it has its own magic and special charm, slowly flowing rivers and beautiful serene lakes instead of hot springs or rugged peaks, peaceful hiking instead adventurous rambling.

Autumn period is a fairy tale story here. The delicate combination of all the possible autumn colours create a unique sight that only lasts for couple of weeks; at the end of September, first snow already falls down.

No matter whether it's sunny, cloudy or rainy, the landscape will touch hikers' souls.

Practicalities

With a network of conveniently located cabins scattered within the national park, hiking across the area may be quite easy and without major problems. That being said, one cannot really count on having "tupas" just for himself/herself; there are usually other hikers around. There are also reservable (paid) huts within the boundaries of the park that arguably offer more comfort (i.e., mattresses ;-)).
If I had a chance for another visit, I would most likely stick to a tent and pursue more wilderness hiking i.e. using the main marked footpaths only occasionally. More solitude and reaching remote places may be the gain here.
Obviously, mosquitoes are abundant throughout the summer where temperatures are at their highest. Personally, I would probably never choose summer for a hike in Lapland; besides mosquitoes, the summery green landscape may look rather monotonous to me, especially when compared to autumn magic I've witnessed numerous times over the years.
Logistically, Saariselkä is the most common starting point, being easily accessible by regular bus to/from Ivalo airport. For more remote areas like Raja-Jooseppi, pre-arranged taxi may be the only option.
Drinking water is abundant across the national park; this surely comes as no surprise.
When planning a longer trail across the area, be sure to include at least one cabin with a sauna into the itinerary. You deserve that treat!

Footnotes

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FootNotes

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

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