I landed in Ivalo in early evening. The aircraft’s door opened to a fine weather, partly sunny, partly cloudy, bathing in warm light. I picked up the car, went grocery shopping, and drove to the shore of Akujärvi. I had heard about some nice bird observations on that lake, and wanted to find a place to camp there. Following a track I had noticed on Google Maps, I found a lean-to shelter next to the water.
This was not the trip I had imagined.
For these two weeks in Lapland and Varanger, at the top of the world, I thought I would sleep during the day and enjoy the midnight sun to take pictures and watch the abundant bird life. Alas, the weather was not on my side, and I mostly saw clouds above. That’s not necessarily bad per se, for an overcast day brings soft and even light on my subjects. The problem is that, two weeks of cloudy weather, that’s long. And frustrating. Alone in a cold land, it would have been easy to give up.
Nuuksio National Park is one of the most popular day-trip destinations for Helsinki inhabitants. It’s only 30km from the center, and there you can hike in the forest, along the small lakes that dot the whole area, and grill sausages at fireplaces available to all.
During the day, it’s usually rather crowded and birds stay quiet. However, life truly reveals itself in the morning. That’s what I discovered on this trip with my friend Mika.
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