On the way to Finland

From Kautokeino I walked the first part along the road to avoid a probably very bad swamp area, of which another hiker had warned me the day before.

On this day there was only a little bit of a drizzle, but the feet still got wet by river crossings.

What was new were the planks, some of which were built over swampy areas, saving the tedious walk through.

On the second day my lower leg started to hurt a little at noon and I took a longer break and reduced the pace. Since it didn't really get better, I called it a day in the afternoon and put up the tent.

The low sun illuminates my tent

While I was able to walk reasonably well the next morning, the pain got worse and worse whilst walking and I was forced to take a break in the middle of an area with thousands of mosquitoes. At that point, I could barely walk, so I weighed my options. I took a painkiller and decided to continue on the trail for a bit longer no matter what. After about thirty kilometers would be a road from which, if necessary, I could certainly leave the trail.

I finally decided not to leave the trail and to continue the stage all the way to Finland. Due to the pain, however, I needed partly twice the time and progressed much slower.

Before that, I first went through a gorge and then up over a mountain to the border of Finland.

Reisadalen is a beautiful valley even without the sun

In the mountains there was partly a strong wind, sometimes combined with rain, which did not necessarily make it easier for me. Especially because the terrain was characterized by rocks over which you had to balance more or less like a mountain goat. And as if this balancing and coordination exercise wasn't strenuous enough, the slippery rocks and stones in the rain made it even more challenging. In addition, I had the pain in my leg, which I felt with every bending movement, so constantly.

However, the landscape could hardly have been more beautiful and that has also got around with the Finns, so from the border were lively hiking traffic and full huts announced, but that did not bother me at all, as I prefer my tent anyways.

Shortly before Kilpisjärvi

On the last day, the pain even got a little better. Perhaps this is due to my stubbornness. Nevertheless, I was overjoyed to have arrived in Kilpisjärvi and then ultimately even stayed there for four nights.