Urho Kekkosen National Park

31 August 2024 – 10 September 2024

With ongoing housing difficulties in Holland, I was without a place to live for the first week of September. Fortunately, my employer is extremely flexible with remote work. Being away from the office was never going to be a concern and the only question was where to spend the week! My default option was a return home to Scotland, where I would have the opportunity to get out for a solo wildcamp and maybe a scramble. But an alternative quickly presented itself: the dates of missing housing almost perfectly aligned with a trip to Finnish Lapland that my mum had already booked.

We had previously passed through Kilpisjärvi, at the northwestern-most tip of Lapland (Finland) on our way from Lyngenhalvøya in Troms to Sarek National Park in Lappland (Sweden) back in 2019. That trip, we only had a single day, enough time to hike Saanatunturi, a monolithic fell towering above town, and little else. This time, my mum wanted to visit the Inari region in northeastern lapland. Compared to the low fells of Kilpisjärvi, Inari is comprised of rolling hills and the short, open forests of the arctic. A distinct departure from my usual choice of destination, Inari was never a top travel priority for me. It was actually quite a close-run thing whether I would return to Scotland or go to Lapland. Ultimately though, I am happy with my decision!

3 – 9 September 2024

Most of northern Lapland is protected land of some form, spread over thirteen protected areas. Kevo Strict Nature reserve is the most interesting in the Inari region, featuring a significant canyon which is particularly spectacular when decked out in autumnal livery. Unfortunately with a one-way distance of 60km, it would have been a full day but also not long enough to justify a multi-day trip. Public transit was not an option and driving was out of the question due to the linear point-to-point nature of the track coupled with the extreme distance (four hours) from accommodation.

We had a cabin in Laanila, just south of Saariselkä, an outdoor centre on the edge of Urho Kekkosen National Park. I had been hoping for a somewhat more secluded location, Saariselkä has a distinct ‘resorty’ feel. Still, we were in the woods, had direct access to the national park, and had reindeer roaming right outside the window.

Upon arrival, I was feeling pent up after a very awkward travel day and wanted to get out. I did not have a clear target, but ended up heading for Iisakkipää, a hill just east of Saariselkä. The weather had been uninspiring all day, but as soon as I crested the hill, splashes of sun broke through and produced a striking rainbow. I carried on to the ski lifts atop the next hill north before turning for home.

Despite having a full day to play with, I did not venture out until late afternoon, not much earlier than I had the previous day. This was a working trip, and I wanted to keep myself available during working hours. I also knew that the light would be much better in the evening. Nothing jumped out as a must-see view, so I took a gamble and made a loop via Rumakuru dayhut and Vävypää (hill). The track to Rumakuru was disappointingly straightforward, being on bike/ski track but things got a little more interesting when I turned to ascend Vävypää. From there, I briefly joined a recommended track before turning off to head around the base of Ahopäät (hill) for one of many mini-canyons in the area. I am not sure of the region’s geology, but it is littered with these little scars. As with the first evening, the lighting was phenomenal.

On Thursday, we made the hour drive north to Inari (the village). Inari is regarded as the capital of Sámi culture and is a large museum which was my mum’s primary reason for the trip. I had two trail options. I could either head along Juutuanjoki, the river that passes through Inari, and up Otsamo, the highest hill in the area. Alternatively, I could take a forest path to Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church, one of the oldest buildings in northern Lapland. Of course I chose the hill. It was a nice walk, but I was hoping the hill would provide more lake-views. I was too far away and the angle too shallow. At least the trail was a proper hiking track and not for mountain bikes/skis.

The next day we booked a table for a fancy dinner. I fit a trail run into the gap between working hours and dinner, opting to do a simple circuit similar to the one I did on the first evening. The run wasn’t exciting, but it was a good change of pace from Delftse Hout. And the dinner was excellent, with no shortage of reindeer.

The WiFi went out overnight on Friday. Normally, this would have been frustrating. But given that I was not taking holiday for this trip and was supposed to be working, it was particularly unwelcome. Of course, Friday was also the one day that I had a pre-scheduled meeting and was the one day someone wanted to contact me regarding a new project. The crisis was postponed by using my phone, fortunately we were still in the EU and I had access to mobile data. By the time someone came to replace the router, the workday was wasted and I wasn’t even able to take advantage of the break by getting out for a morning walk.

In late-afternoon, I set out again. This time my destination was Kiilopää, a hill south of a mountain station by the same name. I started on the same bike/ski track to Rumakuru Dayhut. At a junction for Taajoslaavu, I was able to find a a dedicated hiking track running parallel and jumped at the very welcome chance to leave the ‘highway’. Hiking along the base of the hills, I had a different perspective from my previous walks. Eventually I reached Luulampi Dayhut, where sadly, I would be forced back on the bike/ski tracks for the remainder of my walk. At the hut, I started ascending out of the trees. At this latitude, that happens quite quickly and I was soon faced with vast expanses of rolling tundra. Kiilopää was well worth the minor deviation – I as not expecting such views. Even better, the soft evening sun was in just the right place to make the view pop. Being an easy walk from a road-accessible mountain station, there was more of a crowd than I had expected and I didn’t hang around.

For the final full day I wanted to try something slightly different. On the western side of the highway, there were some trails marked as lesser used tracks on my map. One of these tracks followed a river and seemed likely to deliver some different views, hopefully on smaller tracks. Given that I had seen just about everything within 20km east of Saariselkä, it was well worth a punt. Unfortunately, I would be largely disappointed. After spending far too long walking along the road, I was met with yet more ski track. Eventually I finally reached some small hiking tracks after fording the river, but I was pretty checked out by then.

Outbound flights were better than inbound, but not by much. On Monday we had to be out of the AirBnB by noon and a 23:55 departure to Helsinki. The next morning, I would fly back to Amsterdam, arriving back to Schiphol at 8:30. My mum would take a bus to her next Finnish destination, a small town on the southern coast.

The remote working trip worked very well. Given how amenable my company is, hopefully I can take advantage in the future. It will take some consideration, and likely some experimentation, to pick the right types of destination but there is some real potential with the idea. It is a real pain having to bring two laptops though.

Inari may not have been my top pick of destination, but it was a very refreshing change of pace. Sometimes, a pleasant pallet cleanser is exactly what is needed. It is just a shame I was unable to make Kevo Strict Nature Reserve work.

• Very disappointingly, I did not encounter any lost metal bands stumbling their way home after shooting a music video.
• I think the word høstkos applies here.
• I’m just not a ‘walk in the woods’ kind of outdoorsman. I do understand the appeal, particularly given how much easier it is to haul a pack, but it isn’t quite me.
• Kilpisjärvi, with low-fells, would have been a better fit for me. This wasn’t my trip though, and it was nice to experience a different landscape. Given that I was working remotely, it would have been far harder to stay inside during working hours in a more mountainous region.
• The broad smooth trails were a jarring change from my usual style. I did my best to minimise time on the bike/ski tracks, but this wasn’t always possible. At least they made for very smooth running.
• By limited my walking to after working hours, I was almost always treated to exceptional lighting.