taking a break
from snowshoe walking

We like to go to Koli national park, which is a beautiful location in eastern Finland. The roots of ancient mountains, the Karelides, which were born 1800 million years ago. It is estimated the mountains were once five kilometers high.

Now only fells remain, but what a sight it is from the top. Mu husband and I love to go there both in winter and summer. And this year we were there for our winter holiday.

I don't like slalom. I might enjoy cross country skiing, which I used to do with my mother when I was a child. But just show me snowshoes...! I love show shoe walking!

Climbing up steep sides of the fells, trusting the snowshoes is wonderful. But it is very tiring, you really need to use all your muscles. 

Here we stopped, took out our thermos and had some cocoa while looking at the scenery. We put our leather mittens on our ski sticks to dry and took a breather. 

Can you imagine the silence here? Not a single person anywhere, only an occasional crow. The spruce forest reaching all the way to the horizon, the soft wind blowing.

And snow... There was 1m 20 cm of it in the middle of March. Pure, glistening white snow.

This is the place where a writer's tired mind is completely at rest. There is something special about the energies of these ancient fells. Your mind quiets down, and you slip into a meditative state without even noticing it.

We stood there a long time, sipping our hot cocoa, enjoying the silence. When the frost began to feel cold again, we packed our thermos in a back bag, and headed back to the hotel. (Which, by the way, is right next to the highest peak of Koli, Ukko-Koli. The scenery from there is just as magnificent. If you are a nature person, I recommend a visit.)