Travelling with Antsa

17 months

2012-01-17T22:24:00.000+02:00

It has been 17 months since I started Nature Experience Instructor studies at Santasport at Rovaniemi. The last 4 day period of the studies were conducted this weekend. The days were fully booked and long when we covered still themes and activities left for the studies. On Thursday we had a chance to try scuba diving, but only at swimming hall. This was the first time for me to dive with oxygen

On a thin ice

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000+02:00

Walking on a thin ice After skiing at Saariselkä 5 days, I took a bus to Rovaniemi early on a Thursday morning and joined other students for the 15th school period of Nature Experience Instructor studies. The theme for this 4-day period was firstly to learn safe practices on a thin ice and secondly do couple of courses and exams related to safety and healthy practices at travel business. Getting

Skiing at Saariselkä

2011-12-04T14:14:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Saariselkä! Tampereen pyrintö sporting club has been arranging ski camp at Saariselkä last 10 years at this time of the year. This year I decided to join them and on Friday we headed towards Saariselkä in the hope of snow and skiing possibilities. It has been very warm recently in Finland and thus the snow hasn't fall down yet to Southern part of Finland. We had to drive until

Prizes and awards

2011-12-01T15:36:00.000+02:00

T6d Suunto heart rate monitor Now it's the time of the year for giving awards and prizes for those, who have succeeded well in races and competitions throughout the year. E.g. paddling club Vihuri remembered the talented and gifted paddlers who have succeeded in world cup and different championships during the summer time. Well, I am not competing, but it was nice to notice that even paddlers,

Suunto T6d heart rate monitor

2011-11-16T11:29:00.000+02:00

It was only about 2 weeks ago when I was lucky and won a sea kayak in a lottery. Well, it seems my lucky days are not over yet... In the spring I decided to participate a bet organized by Hevoskuuri, which is a site specialized on publishing endurance sport news to Finnish sport lovers. There were altogether 12 different competitions during a year to bet and actually it was a long and tough

Days full of ropes courses

2011-11-13T00:43:00.002+02:00

Climbing to a swinging beam at 10 meters It has been mentally and physically challenging visit to Rovaniemi because current school period has been filled with all kind of ropes courses. There has been low and high elements to experience and to overcome own's fears of heights. I must admit I have fear of heights and I have encountered a real fear factor... Walking on a beam Absolutely most

Winning in a lottery

2011-11-02T17:48:00.001+02:00

Pideraq, sea kayak Today I drove to Welhonpesä store and picked up my prize, which I won in a lottery arranged by Finnish Canoe Federation. Everyone, who were participating this summer Finnish Canoe Federation courses were automatically included into a lottery at the end of the season. The prize was Pideraq, 530 cm long sea kayak made of diolen / fiberglass. What a nice surprise for me, when I

1 hour each and every day through 8 years

2011-10-30T19:00:00.001+02:00

Couple of days ago it started. I got the sore throat and during the previous days it has gone worse. I have a flu and have to rest and stay inside, so it's a perfect time to look back and see what I have been doing and achieving within previous 365 days... In the end of the last year I decided to list few objectives for this year 2011. The list was Paddle over 1000 km Visit at least 10 new

J.P. Fushi at Sappee

2011-10-24T17:07:00.000+03:00

At Sappee slopes It's hard to understand why the calendar is full of bookings at weekends. It seems that every weekend has been reserved for activities of sport events, school periods, parties, friends gatherings and so on... This weekend was not an exception. On the contrary there were sport event, friends gathering and concert combined into one weekend long activity planned and organized by

Exercise bike

2011-10-20T14:01:00.000+03:00

I bought my third bike directly into my living room. My MTB- and City bikes are nicely at bicycle storage at ground floor, but exercise bike got the good spot in the upper floors. Now it's all about training hard for the long distance cycling events next summer... At the same time I joined a local long distance running and triathlon club, which gives me a good possibilities to train and

Authorization test for Rope Work Leadership

2011-10-17T23:05:00.000+03:00

Knots, knots, knots The weekend was mentally and physically tough one. On thursday I was doing the theory exam of the Rafting Guide authorisation test and on Saturday we had a Rope Work Supervisor authorisation test including a theory and practical tests at the same day. Rescue operation about to start Most probably the Rafting Guide test went well, but we didn't get the results yet. On the other

Case Korouoma

2011-10-14T21:28:00.000+03:00

View to Korouoma gorge from the top of the cliffs The Korouoma canyon is a 10 km gorge in Lappland at Posio. As part of the studies this weekend we had a chance to face mighty rocks and cliffs of the gorge as well as rare caves in Finland. Early Friday morning we headed towards Posio and Korouoma from Rovaniemi with all the gear for abseiling and caving in the gorge. Building anchor points for

Long, wet and cold - Season's end

2011-09-25T16:34:00.001+03:00

18.2 km The weather forecast told all the essentials from the day of 24th of September 2011. Humidity 100%, temperature +7 degrees, occasional showers, wind 5 m/s. It was time to start long distance orienteering competition at Vaajakoski. There were 18 km course waiting us as a last sport event on this year's Kalevan kierros. Approaching control point Alltogether roughly 300 participants started

From Tiinanmäki through B-Final to C'est La Vie

2011-09-21T16:17:00.000+03:00

Map of B-Final At last weekend I was attending a Kirmaisu-event at Alavus with 4 other guys. The plan was to enjoy the weekend in a cottage near the place, where Finnish Orienteering Championships in a middle distance was arranged. On a Friday we drove to J's cottage, run a 1 km "Tiinanmäki" test-run and had a relaxing sauna after it. Early on Saturday morning had a decent breakfast and right

Week full of guiding courses

2011-09-16T14:04:00.000+03:00

The previous week was full of guiding courses and tests. As a starter I was doing the final part of the Paddling Guide test, the theory part with written exam. The first part of the Paddling Guide test I had already finished one month ago at the waters of Kotka in a 3 - day course. Now I'm waiting the confirmation and the results from the Finnish Canoe Federation if I made it and if I will be

Rafting guide course

2011-09-09T20:48:00.000+03:00

In the rapids of Raudanjoki 4 - day rafting guide course is now half-way. After two tough days at white water near Rovaniemi, I have found many new muscles on my upper body. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Tornionjoki, where even bigger rapids can be found than in the neighborhood of Rovaniemi. Safety equipment : helmet, PDF Vikaköngäs rapids have been ideal for practicing rafting and learning to

Märket dialect has been invented

2011-09-04T23:42:00.000+03:00

It has been a typical Märket weather today. A bit of everything like wind, waves, clouds and sunshine. Waves have been increasing during the day and the islet has been shrinking at the same pace. However there has been still enough solid ground to work outside and even do the jogging exercise around the island. Today we have been doing compulsory maintenance and shift changing tasks like

Visitors from the mist

2011-08-29T17:34:00.000+03:00

M/S Brahe approaching Märket from north It was again a very misty morning. Early , very early there was a ship in the mist. It was M/S Brahe which like the Flying Dutchman came with 62 guests who were on a trip between lighthouses. Visitors landing Märket northern harbor Our guests looked at Märket and were guided around the island and got coffee.They had to leave earlier than planned

The night of the ancient lights

2011-08-28T22:10:00.001+03:00

Märket lighthouse The morning was a misty, but warm and sun started to shine very early. It was beautiful morning when we were driving from Mariehamn towards Postbryggan and Mats' boat. There should have been four radioamateurs from Netherlands waiting us, but unfortunately one of them had injured and therefore all of them cancelled the trip to Märket lighthouse. Instead of them we saw couple of

Day of pain & torture at Tampere : World & European Championships

2011-08-22T13:00:00.001+03:00

Sunday 21st of August was full of pain, but on the other hand full of joy as well. It was a day when elite triathlonists were competing on a ETU long distance triathlon European championships at Tampere. The race started at an inhuman time 6:45 AM, when trained bodies dressed up in wet suits were jumping onto a Pyhäjärvi lake for a respectable 4 km swimming leg. The Ratina stadium was acting as a

Peeking onto next year

2011-08-16T15:37:00.000+03:00

Previous couple of weeks have been totally sanctified for the recovery activities like getting massage for tight muscles at upper body, eating a lot, sleeping well and resting as much as possible. However at the same time I have been starting jogging and orienteering very cautiously, after being 2 months without running a single step since Jukola orienteering relay at mid June. The reason for

Eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping, ...

2011-08-03T14:41:00.000+03:00

Pretty much the activities done on this week at home. When I returned back home from paddling trip on Wednesday last week I had one day to unpack the stuff, wash the clothes and do the packing again. I was attending on a 3-day paddling guide course at Kotka from Friday to Sunday. Writing this blog at Pikku Leikosaari at Helsinki on midnight summer eve I was feeling a bit nostalgic to return back

30. day 62 km (in total 1301 km)

2011-07-27T00:09:00.000+03:00

Final few hundred meters at Tornio Finally at Tornio ! It was a long day, but now I'm extremely happy after finishing coastline paddling. It took 30 days as I expected in half-way. The last day was like the first one, sunny with mild or non-existent wind. Just great paddling day. Keminkraaseli lighthouse During the day we visited Ykskivi daymark and

29. day 47 km (in total 1239 km)

2011-07-26T01:59:00.000+03:00

Weather forecast was giving a warning of strong wind up to 14 m/s today, but the wind would calm down in the evening. Therefore we didn't had any rush to start paddling today, instead took easy and slept long. We enjoyed sunshine at the beach we were camping and followed the actual wind values of Marjaniemi, one of the closest weather stations. It was

28. day 36 km (in total 1192 km)

2011-07-24T21:13:00.000+03:00

There were thunderstorms in the morning all around our camping place. It was raining and we had to wait until 10 AM before we dared to start to paddle 9 km crossing to Hailuoto island. We managed to reach Hailuoto and started the second crossing, which was around 12 km. Immediately we had to reroute and paddle closer to shore, because one of those

27. day 49 km (in total 1156 km)

2011-07-24T00:22:00.000+03:00

< Raahe, Raahe - Varessäikkä, Siikajoki> Paddling continued and we had all the day headwind 4-5 m/s from NE. First leg from Raahe to Tauvo was about 3 hours, after which we landed on the beach near Tauvo lighthouse. Day was sunny, but windy. We continued and passed Siikajoki delta, which was extremely shallow area and reached windmills at Varessäikkä. Tauvo lighthouse We tried to continue

26. day 0 km (in total 1107 km)

2011-07-22T15:37:00.000+03:00

Today is the first rest day during this trip. The rest day is more than welcomed now. We have had quite a long paddling days and stretches within 5 days. Getting familiar with Raahe, doing laundry and some other mandatory tasks is on the schedule for today. Let's continue tomorrow...

25. day 62 km (in total 1107)

2011-07-21T20:42:00.002+03:00

We had a plan to reach Raahe today and so we did! When we arrived to Kalajoki beach we had a rest of 3 hours and then started to paddle at 11 PM during the night. Weather forecast was expecting stronger headwind for this afternoon and therefore we decided to paddle as far as we could during the night on the good tailwind. After 4 hours paddling we pitched the

24. day 53 km (in total 1045 km)

2011-07-20T21:54:00.001+03:00

Fine paddling day again. Sunshine, mild tailwind and nice sandy beaches. Lunch break at Ohtakari, Lohtaja We reached Kalajoki sand beaches today and set a camp on a beautiful beach. We had one mistake on the route selection during the day and therefore the day was longer than expected. Kalajoki beach for 3 hours rest

23. day 46 km (in total 992 km)

2011-07-20T00:05:00.001+03:00

1000 km milestone is getting closer and closer. Now we are nearby Kokkola city in Poroluoto island. There are "wilderness" hut and sauna located at this island. The cottage and sauna is owned by the city of Kokkola and they are meant for recreational usage. I don't know if wilderness is correct word for this cottage, because it's located close to the

22. day 35 km (in total 946 km)

2011-07-18T21:49:00.001+03:00

During the night wind was turning to blow from SE and I woke up many times to check if the water on the shore would still be lower than our tent on the beach. Fortunately water level didn't raise up to tent and we started against the wind this paddling day. Amazingly tasty fresh trout plate There were still one longer crossing towards mainland,

21. day 53 km (in total 911 km)

2011-07-18T00:07:00.000+03:00

This was the day of lighthouses, daymarks and long crossings on open sea. It all started at 15 km crossing from last night's camping place, Korsören to lighthouse island Ritgrund. Fortunately weather was fine, sunny and no wind. It took 2,5 hours to reach the lighthouse. Ritgrund lighthouse We had 1 hour break at Ritgrund after which we had

20. day 56 km (in total 858 km)

2011-07-17T01:02:00.000+03:00

< Moikipää, Korsnäs - Korsören, Mustasaari > It had been raining during the night, but morning were cloudy without raindrops. I started at half past eight and headed towards north. The wind was mild and coming from SW, which was excellent for long crossings between Moikipää and Raippaluoto. I felt quite strong today due to shorter day yesterday and paddled 3-4 hours stretches. I had lunch

19. day 35 km (in total 802 km)

2011-07-15T18:50:00.000+03:00

The day was sunny, but windy. Wind was coming from east and in gusts I had to paddle with all my power. I tried to find a place to have lunch, but there aren't actually good spots in this part of coast. All shores are rocky or there are houses / cottages. Therefore I decided to have lunch at Moikipää, where I landed next to restaurant at 2 PM. The pizza

18. day 60 km (in total 767 km)

2011-07-15T01:28:00.000+03:00

Härkmeri daymark Wind was blowing all the night and I didn't start until 10 AM. Just a couple of kilometers away were small island, where Härkmeri daymark was located. I headed first to see the daymark before turned my kayak towards Kaskinen. The morning was nothing but easy. Tailwind, waves and my body was complaining all the time.

17. day 44 km (in total 707 km)

2011-07-14T00:32:00.001+03:00

Sunset at Norrgrund, Kristiinankaupunki Yesterday when I was arriving to Merikarvia it was already blowing 10 m/s from west and wind was increasing all the time. During the night and the morning it went up at 12 m/s and therefore I decided to wait for the wind to calm down a bit. I had the breakfast and lunch at camping place and when the

16. day 44 km (in total 663 km)

2011-07-12T21:28:00.000+03:00

Yesterday's long paddling stretch and late bedtime made me start a bit later today. I was feeling on my body yesterday still in the morning. It had rained during the night and it seems weather has changed now. It feels colder and the wind is increasing and turning to west / north west, which is not too good direction for me now. Ryssäntorni daymark at

15. day 73 km (in total 619 km)

2011-07-12T00:58:00.000+03:00

Halfway passed today! At the evening I passed Luvia, which is on a halfway from Virojoki to Tornio. It took 15 days and thus it would indicate it would be possible to complete Finnish coastline in 30 days... Santakari daymark I started early at 7:30 AM and the first 3 hours paddling went on a 5-6 m/s tailwind (SW). On a way to Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse I

14. day 52 km (in total 546 km)

2011-07-11T00:41:00.000+03:00

At Jere's cottage Coastline paddling continues again. After Kökar trip I was invited by Jere to the summer cottage in Kustavi. It was great to spend marvellous summer evening with friends eating well, having sauna and swimming in the sea. Thanks a lot, Jere. Lyökki daymark Due to the late bedtime yesterday I didn't had any rush to start paddling

Paddling in Kökar archipelago

2011-07-09T11:48:00.000+03:00

Paddlers of Vihuri at Gustaf Dalen lighthouse The week of paddling in Kökar archipelago is over. 5 members of Vihuri paddling club from Tampere was participating on this sea paddling trip to Åland. Sun was shining nearly all the time and the wind was gentle and allowed us to paddle on each day altogether 150 km. Paddling on a calm sea We managed to visit on 2 lighthouses: Kökarsören and Gustaf

13. day 32 km (in total 494 km)

2011-07-01T18:46:00.002+03:00

I woke up at night many times, because of powerful thunderstorm was passing by. It was raining heavily and storm was loud, couldn't sleep too much. Fortunately it didn't last till morning and I was able to eat breakfast and pack my stuff in a sunshine. Although weather forecast was warning about thunderstorms and therefore I decided to choose a route

12. day 57 km (in total 462 km)

2011-07-01T00:24:00.000+03:00

View from the terrace at Kirjais I woke up at 7AM, when sun hit the tent and the temperature jumped high. Hearty breakfast and then starting with a longish crossing. It took nearly 4 hours to reach Kirjais, where I had the first break, lunch break at local restaurant. How delicious the salmon and new potatoes tasted! During the crossing wind was blowing

11. day 46 km (in total 405 km)

2011-06-29T22:09:00.000+03:00

Long crossing from Hanko to Archipelago of Hiittinen went very well due to a optimal weather for such demanding crossing. It was blowing only 1-3 m/s tailwind and I was able to paddle straight. It was hot and sunny day. I was planning to paddle to Sandön beautiful island on Archipelago National Park.There are white sandy beaches and campfire utilities on

10. day 27 km (in total 359 km)

2011-06-28T21:44:00.001+03:00

This was another great day for paddling! When I woke up at 7:30, when sun was raising, there were no wind at all. At the same spot there were 2 boats in anchor and one of them, M/S Cindy I had seen before. When I started chatting with the owner we noticed we had spent 3 nights in a row at the same place! This night at Fladalandet, yesterday at Stora

9. day 44 km (in total 332 km)

2011-06-28T00:07:00.001+03:00

Today was the first day since the start when I was paddling without dry-suit! It was sunny and warm day. After one hour paddling from Stora Fagerö, we stopped at Barösund to change paddling clothes, because it was too hot. At the same time we visited at local shop and I got first ice cream since the start, delicious ! Great day for paddling It

8. day 39 km (in total 288 km)

2011-06-26T20:17:00.002+03:00

Wake up was already 5 AM due to weather forecast. After sleeping only few hours my body was feeling tired already in the start. But the wind was gone. Instead there were fog and 6:30 we headed towards Porkkalanniemi and Rönnskär island, which is military area. The island has daymark called Rönnskär, which have been earlier lighthouse. We passed the

7. day 50 km (in total 249 km)

2011-06-26T00:20:00.001+03:00

The wind was supposed to be 1-2 m/s and I was expecting as a pleasent paddling day, but it turned out that wind was blowing 4-5 m/s from SW. Thus this was 6th day headwind in a row.Welcome to Suomenlinna island! The first stretch from Pikku leikosari to Suomenlinna was familiar from previous paddling trips. Silja and Biking ferrys were just

6. day 35 km (in total 199 km)

2011-06-24T22:57:00.001+03:00

Heavenly Sauna Last night I pitched my tent carefully and tied up my kayak with a rope onto a tree due to a storm. When listening the wind during the night I can easily imagine the forecast for 20 m/s was quite right. However my kayak was OK in the morning... The first leg was across the Porvoo oil refinery and the wind was still 7-8 m/s

5. day 39 km (in total 164 km)

2011-06-23T21:45:00.001+03:00

Very narrow and sheltered route After arriving late in the night to Kabböle, I just immediately fell asleep. I had shortage of water and needed desperately recharging of my batteries for laptop, cell phone and GPS. I managed to charge all the batteries of different equipments, buy some more food and fill up my water bags. Now I can continue another 4

4. day 43 km (In total 125 km)

2011-06-23T00:51:00.002+03:00

Wake up already at 4AM and paddling started at 4:30 due to milder wind during early morning. The wind was still blowing from SW and were headwind all the day. I paddled 5 hours and took a long lunch and rest break during 12AM - 6PM. There are rocks everywhere The wind was strongest at that time and there were no sense to try to do multiple 5-6 km

3. day 24 km (in total 82 km)

2011-06-21T21:10:00.001+03:00

This was a windy day. I was fighting against 8-12 m/s (SW) headwind all day and managed to paddle on the waters of Pyhtää. I was hoping to continue still, but on gusts wind was so strong there were no sense to continue. I tried to find a camping spot and last found a small ledge, into which I pitched my tent. Sure this has been one of the hardest

2. day 38 km (in total 58 km)

2011-06-20T22:37:00.002+03:00

At the beginning of paddling every item seems to be lost. I don't have routine for packing stuff into a kayak yet. It rained during the evening and night and the wind increased from yesterday. I started a bit after 9AM and noticed a strong headwind and moderate waves.I pushed all the day in 6-8 m/s headwind (from W and SW) and long crossings between

1. Day 20 km (in total 20 km)

2011-06-19T23:09:00.002+03:00

At start at Virojoki 1. Paddling day started after Saturday's 50 km adventure race and Sunday's Jukola orienteering relay. My body was totally exhausted already in the start. Quarter to five I headed onto a water at the center of Virojoki. The first leg was 20 km paddling in a calm weather, 2m/s from SE and occasional showers. Approaching national

First aid module 2

2011-06-17T15:07:00.000+03:00

Hypothermia bag Two days at Rovaniemi contained a first aid module 2, which were fine-tuned for the outdoor professionals. We were practicing a simulated snow-mobile accident at Saariselkä fell area in a virtual class room, which enabled us to see the actual terrain and snow fells of Saariselkä, felt the coldness and howling wind. This virtual environment for practicing different types of

Sea kayaking at the Baltic Sea

2011-06-13T21:24:00.001+03:00

At the calm sea It was sunshine and high pressure all over Finland during the weekend and thus it was a perfect weather for sea kayaking. The group of 11 paddlers headed on the waters of Pori on the western coast of Finland. The aim was to visit on 3 different lighthouses within 3 days and enjoy sea paddling. At Kallo lighthouse We succeeded to visit on all of three lighthouses, which were Kallo

Climbing at Hiidenkirnut, Rovaniemi

2011-05-27T16:55:00.000+03:00

Ready for abseiling On the weekend it was time again to head to Hiidenkirnut cliffs again and continue the training of rope work supervisor module. On September 2010 we did the module 1 and now managed to complete module 2 (KTO 2). The theme for the 2-day session was abseiling, rescue from the climbing wall, varying possible problems when climbing/belaying, etc... Accident on the wall,

Orienteering at amusement park

2011-05-14T21:24:00.000+03:00

This was really a competition at home ground ! Sprint orienteering competition a few hundred meters away from my home at Särkänniemi amusement park. The environment was challenging and difficult due to non-symmetrical forms and shapes, high number of the information at the map and challenging route selection options. All in all the race was up- and downhill... The first control point came fast

The summary of the Ylläs-week

2011-04-29T01:03:00.000+03:00

Kellostapuli fell The week of skiing in Lapland is over... The summary for the week was: - Lots of reindeers- Even more Moomins at the ski tracks- 1 Capercaillie- 1 Picoides tridactylus- 4 Squirrels- 2 Swans- 1 Jarmo Riski- 1 Popeda- 1 Ylläs- 1 Pallas- 1 Levi and 140 km XC skiing, 10 km running, half a day telemarking and one day backcountry skiing. Backcountry skiing at Pallas Sun was shining,

Capercaillie, the king of Ylläs

2011-04-19T22:52:00.000+03:00

Approaching Ylläs In the middle of April it was time to gather again with other students to our monthly 4-day period of school studies. We headed on Thursday to Ylläs or actually to Äkäslompolo, which is a small village at northern part of Finland, next to over 700 meters fell called Yllästunturi. Searching the victim of avalanche buried into a snow with the help of beacon On Thursday we were

Adventure education

2011-04-11T15:46:00.000+03:00

Thanks to the studies I have had a great possibility to read many interesting books. The diversity of the subjects has been astonishing. E.g. the last four books have been dealing with subjects ranging from GPS systems and navigation to the human factors of risk management and an introduction to the theory of adventure education! Left : Compass, Up : GPS system, Down : Risk mgmt, Right : Theory

Ice climbing at Korouoma, Posio

2011-03-22T14:20:00.000+02:00

On a way to Northern Finland This weekend was booked for 7th school weekend and the theme for the 4 days was ice climbing at Korouoma, Posio, which is the best place in Finland to climb on ice. There are multiple icefalls at Korouoma, the biggest one is 60 meters high "Ruskeavirta". Climbers at Ruskeavirta icefall We headed to "Mammutti" (Mammuth) icefall next to Ruskeavirta. There were lots of

Weekend of traditional tradition

2011-03-14T14:48:00.000+02:00

On a ready made track The skiing weekend of this year with my friends in the outback of the Kuru woods is now over. Skiing nearly 80 km distance in a four days in a thick snow was again an experience of this winter. All together this was our 9th annual skiing weekend, so you could say this is our tradition every spring. However I have missed a couple of earlier events and for me this was perhaps

SSSS weekend

2011-02-21T22:50:00.000+02:00

Sun with visible sunspots Skiing, snow, stars and space were some of the themes at the weekend at Rovaniemi. During the 4 days we were studying and learning lots of interesting skills and things: like navigation, winter hiking, different knots, stars and space and personal protective equipments. Our camp One of the most crucial skills, when travelling in the wilderness is capability to know

Konnichiwa Antti-san and sayonara Nippon !

2011-01-10T12:03:00.000+02:00

Mt. Fuji and Kawaguchiko - lake It has been great 10 days journey to the country of sunrise - Japan. I have seen the biggest tourist spots like : Mt. Fuji, Hiroshima A-bomb dome and peace memorial park, Tokyo and it's trendiest suburbs like Ginza, Tokyo tower, Imperial Palace gardens, Sumo - wrestling tournament, etc... 30 million people metropol Tokyo by night It has been an overwhelming trip

0, 2, 13, 22, 33, 92

2010-12-30T15:51:00.001+02:00

These are the numbers of my year 2010. I haven't been working at all during the year and therefore the number of working days is pure 0. This has been a exceptional year on my life so far... During the autumn I managed to break a record on a 2 long distance race, half marathon and Pirkan hölkkä (33 km). It seems I have been doing something correctly, despite of getting older and slower I was

Loud, crazy, colourful, dirty - Tirana is simply fascinating

2010-12-23T16:57:00.000+02:00

Somwhere in Bosnia & Herzegovina Trip has continued through Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro to Albania and Tirana. The touch of socialism has been following all the way down, but when it has been mixed with post-socialism with trendy cafes, shops, bars, beautiful young people, the experience has been somewhat, how would I say it : confusing and surprising. And brand new

Night at jail

2010-12-18T19:33:00.000+02:00

My jail at Ljubljana Well, the trip has continued well. Last night I was spending at jail in Ljubljana, but it was a lovely place. The hostel Celica has been reconstructed as a modern hostel and art gallery from former prison. I recommend it for everybody, if you just need accomodation there... Christmas lights at Ljubljana During the snowy and cold days in Slovenia and Croatia I have been

My 3rd Interrail

2010-12-15T19:56:00.000+02:00

Christmas market at Monte Carlo Has started fluently. This time I'll be focusing on the Eastern Europe + giants of the Europe, i.e. Monaco, Vatican city and San Marino. Ice rink with yachts background I started with Monaco, admired the Christmas markets at the harbour and the ice rink just in front of the huge yachts anchored on the bay. Then I took the train and jumped to Vatican City, which

Fire & ice

2010-12-13T06:15:00.000+02:00

The theme for previous 4 days at Rovaniemi was pretty much fire & ice. We were practising how to make fire without matches at outdoor conditions. It was roughly -20C degrees at Rovaniemi and 30-40 cm snow. This skill can save your life and it's essential you are able to make the fire reliably and fast. I managed to light the fire in 35 seconds, excellent! How to fire fight a dripping fire

Private show at balcony

2010-12-06T18:51:00.000+02:00

View to the Independent Finland from my balcony It's great to have a private firework show from my balcony every year at Finland's Independence day at 6th of December. Thanks goes to the city of Tampere !! Fireworks at the heart of Tampere

Tour skating at Näsijärvi

2010-12-06T11:59:00.000+02:00

Ready for skating It was a perfect saturday morning. Temperature was roughly -6 degrees Celsius and the wind was light. At 9 AM we headed to the shore of Näsijärvi lake, from where we would start a skating trip on a frozen lake. Näsijärvi was totally frozen two days earlier and the thickness of the ice would be sufficient already for the skating purposes. The thickness of the ice will increase

Theory in Rovaniemi

2010-11-29T11:33:00.000+02:00

Our "normal" behaviour at lunch table :) The 4 day period of "Nature Experience Instructor" - studies in November were full of theory. As usual the period started on Thursday and ended on Sunday. The first two days was reserved for First Aid 1 - module. I have participated the First Aid 1 - module already in year 2004, but the qualification is valid only three years after which you need to update

EXERCISE, PLAY ALIAS AND DIP ONTO FROZEN LAKE

2010-11-25T13:31:00.000+02:00

It's been awhile since the previous post. The most unpleasent and darkest month in Finland, November, is surreptitiously fading away followed by interesting and mysterious December. I always wonder how people survive from October to December. Do they work like a crazy? Is the hope of coming Christmas holidays keeping them live and kickin'? Perhaps they play games like Alias in a cottage in

Door has been closed, season is over

2010-11-01T10:34:00.000+02:00

Lighthouse at sunshine The last week of this season at Märket lighthouse was full of emotions. When 4 members of Finnish Lighthouse Society was preparing marvellous Märket lighthouse to be closed during the winter season. There were lots of things to be done before finally locking and closing the doors of the lighthouse and leaving it empty until next spring. Group portrait The biggest thing to

Utö & Märket

2010-10-25T10:42:00.000+03:00

Utö I spent a nice weekend on a Utö - lighthouse island on a Baltic Sea with a full moon on the sky. This weekend trip was organized by Finnish lighthouse society and there were alltogether 34 members enjoying pre-winter athmosphere on this remote island. Weekend was packed full of guiding and stories about the Utö lighthouse, the island and the people living there. When lying on the rocks in

Rope work

2010-10-21T23:20:00.000+03:00

My first rope work "rope circle" I started to work with the ropes by making rope circles. Not too complicated in the beginning... I'm hoping one day to be such a skillfull person, who is able to make e.g. my own rope ladder. Until then I need still a little bit more practise! Rope circles, ocean plait mat and 4-strand round crownplait

Last sausages at this summer ?

2010-10-18T20:18:00.000+03:00

Starters Are these last sausages at this summer? Well, they might be or might not.. It all depends how long this summer will last and how hungry I am :) The first snowfall was already seen, but after all the sailing trip to Baltic Sea was a pleasent experience. We had wind speed from 1 m/s up to 12-14 m/s, sunshine, snowfall and cloudy. The sea was quiet, we only saw couple of other sailing boats

Sailing

2010-10-16T21:07:00.000+03:00

Jonie sailboat This was the weekend for the sailing on the Baltic Sea. We started at saturday morning from the Uusikaupunki and headed towards the south in a cold weather with occasional snowfall. Lunch :)During the day we had sunshine, snowfall and cloudy weather. Few seals were greeting us on our way. There were only one other sailboat we saw during the day. On a Vuosnainen harbour

Rope work supervisor

2010-10-09T21:15:00.000+03:00

The studies in Rovaniemi were continued during this weekend. The main theme for this 4-day period was to do Rope work supervisor module I (KTO 1 in Finnish), which is the first module in the series of mandatory modules of Finnish Climbing Association to become an authorized Rope work supervisor. We headed into Hiidenkirnut, which is a rock climbing place near Rovaniemi and started practising

Thank you guys!

2010-10-03T14:50:00.001+03:00

I'm speechless! After travelling previous winter and neglecting totally physical excercise I wasn't a good shape at all in spring. I hardly was able to run 12 minutes and it felt awful. During this autumn I have broken my records in half-marathon and now in Pirkan Hölkkä. What's amazing is that I literally smashed my previous record time for over half an hour!! I just can't believe it. How this

Why the sky is blue?

2010-10-01T15:21:00.000+03:00

Indeed, why the sky is blue and not black as the space? Well, this and lots of other's interesting questions are being answered in the book "Miksi taivas on sininen?" written by the professor of the physics, Göran Grimvall. I warmly encourage everybody to grab this book from the library and read it through to understand better the phenomenons of our everyday life. Questions like: - Can you see

614 km

2010-09-26T22:27:00.000+03:00

Text on the street at Helsinki 614 km paddling in the universe during this year. I loved every km. Including the last paddling trip today, Saarikylät in Kangasala. Paddling at Saarikylät, Kangasala

Kaikoura & G1

2010-09-24T08:58:00.000+03:00

Kaikoura is a lovely city in New Zealand southern island's east coast. It's one of the best places to watch sperm whales and dolphins and even swim with them. I have had the privilege to swim with the dolphins at the surroundings of Kaikoura in the Pacific Ocean. One of the most comprehensive PFD (Personal Flotation Device) made for the paddlers for expedition level touring is called Kaikoura (

My 13th lighthouse this year : Gustavsvärn

2010-09-19T21:30:00.000+03:00

Gustavsvärn lighthouse and the house behind the walls This week I have used for making a multimedia presentation about Märket's summer 2010, which I manged to complete on Friday. Early Satruday I started to drive towards Hanko, a city on the southern coast of Finland. From the east harbour of Hanko I paddled with my kayak a short distance to Gustavsvärn lighthouse island, where we had a Finnish

Back to the school

2010-09-14T11:06:00.000+03:00

I started my studies at Santasport institute in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland. During next 1,5 years I will be regularly driving from Tampere to Rovaniemi for 4 days short periods every month. The first 4 days period was held on 9.-12.9 at Santasport. We are 10 active, open minded and willing to learn students trying to build an excellent team spirit and work as a team together our common goal: To

Half marathon finished at record time

2010-09-11T22:13:00.000+03:00

At start Wow! I haven't been running or jogging too much lately and I was feeling not too confident today, when I started my second half marathon this year. Ruskamaraton in Levi in Lapland is a famous event, which I haven't been participating before. There were 1300 runners on half marathon and weather was perfect +12-15 degrees and partly cloudy. The profile of the race was a bit hilly, but I

Hiking in UKK-national park

2010-09-09T00:36:00.000+03:00

Reindeers at national park I left Märket island on sunday at noon and arrived back at home at 10PM. After one hour furious unpacking and packing I was ready to head on a 12 hour drive to Lapland and UKK-national park. From Monday to Wednesday I have been hiking from Kiilopää mountain centre to the summit of Sokosti - mountain and back. Alltogether 84 kms in just over 2 days. On top of Sokosti (

Autumn storm at Märket!

2010-09-03T22:39:00.000+03:00

Waves coming over the northern wavebreaker It has been blowing two days from north up to 23 m/s in gusts and 17-18 m/s on average. The waves are now over 3 meters and they hit over the islet and even the wavebreaker, which have been built to protect lighthouse from the northern winds and waves. The island, which is normally at 100 m x 300 m at size, is nearly under the water. Only approx. 75 m x

Activities on a Märket lighthouse

2010-08-31T10:59:00.000+03:00

The beginning of the week has been memorable and exciting. I arrived to Märket lighthouse island on saturday with other 5 volunteers to work and repair the old Märket lighthouse. Very next morning Kristina Brahe cruising ship was bringing nearly 100 visitors to island and we had a busy moments to tour them and selling the products of Finnish Lighthouse Society. The weather has been sunny and

Helping Finnish Lighthouse Society to repair Märket lighthouse

2010-08-27T13:22:00.000+03:00

On a Märket island Next week I'll be working as a voluntary worker for Finnish Lighthouse Society in Märket lighthouse island. There will be various tasks to repair the old lighthouse and to prepare for the 125th anniversary celebrity on 3rd of September. Märket lighthouse You can follow the activities on Märket island daily bases from the Märket diary ! It's interesting to spend one week

5 lighthouses within 2 days

2010-08-25T00:58:00.000+03:00

Getting closer to "Tankar" lighthouse island It has been rainy and cold 2 days at Baltic Sea! I have been kayaking on the northern part of Baltic Sea and visiting 5 lighthouses just in 2 days. Wind has been blowing steadily 6-10 m/s from north and east and temperature has been nice 9-14 degrees Celsius with rain showers... It seems summer is gone now. Lighthouse "Kallan" on a tiny island at

Devil's mountain

2010-08-21T15:56:00.001+03:00

Installing online control point at Devil's Mountain... Previous 2 days went fast by working voluntarily for the Young Jukola orienteering competition in Kauppi, Tampere. The actual competition was today and the result service and online control points, which I was putting up were running smoothly. Now I'm already in train on my way to U2 concert at Helsinki Stadium.

3-athlon

2010-08-19T01:20:00.001+03:00

6 athletes completed 3-athlon race today,not full length though... For me this was absolutely the first one, 750 meters swimming around Tesoma lake started the race, followed by 19 kms cycling and 7,5 kms running around Tohloppi lake. Recover drink after 2 hours race tasted fantastic. Thanks for the organizer and other participants, just great experience!

Vierumäki - Heinola

2010-08-13T18:26:00.001+03:00

Mountain biking 2,5 hours and 35 kms from Vierumäki to Heinola and back. Sun was shining, temperature moderate +30 and tracks beautiful and nice.

Leisure day

2010-08-12T19:44:00.001+03:00

I was sleeping until 9:30 and next 2 hours spent with reading the newspaper and eating breakfast. What a nice start for a day! Biked to the Tammelantori market and had the lunch with my friend on a sunshine :) Then picked my tent from my friends who had returned from 3 weeks trip from Austria and Italy. In the afternoon paddled 8 kms to Haukisaari island to have sauna and swim on the

Frolic

2010-08-11T21:54:00.001+03:00

Running 1 hour in a forest, having 2 hours sauna after the run and eating 2 sausages meanwhile. This week's frolic event successfully completed!

Elo half-marathon

2010-08-11T14:13:00.001+03:00

After tough week with MTB and orienteering activities at Hämeenlinna and Lahti, I was driving back to home on Friday. My body was totally tired and broken, but I decided to run half-marathon on saturday near Tampere. It was hot and humid and not too easy. Surprisingly I finished only 1 minute slower than my record time on half-marathon!

Summer activities

2010-08-11T10:40:00.000+03:00

Sunset at the Baltic sea End of the June and whole July have been extremely active season for me. It started with the Jukola orienteering relay competition in Hyvinkää. I was extremely satisfied with my performance on my leg. I managed to complete the orienteering track of 9,2 kms at the time of 1:34 on a demanding terrain. This was one of the best runs I have done at Jukola commpetitions :)

Cooper test

2010-06-16T16:04:00.000+03:00

Today I made a bit faster exercise for the coming Jukola relay. I jogged to Ratina stadium and did a Cooper 12 minute test. The physical shape was just what I expected, far away from the best I have had. I managed to run 2850 meters in 12 minutes, which is just barely acceptable. Jukola relay will be held this year on a terrain, which demands a good physical condition. That's not good news for

Strömmingsbådan lighthouse

2010-06-15T00:06:00.001+03:00

Heading towards the sunset and the open sea At the weekend made a kayaking trip to the Kvarken at Baltic sea. Kvarken archipelago is a world heritage site. At friday evening we drove near Vaasa and started kayaking at 9PM in the evening. The weather was beautiful and sea was calm. We had 4 hours paddling head of us before reaching the outernmmost Strömmingsbådan lighthouse island at 1AM at the