Jouni Laaksonen 21.5.2018
We just had a birthday party and a family who are originally from Spain asked us: “This isn’t normal May weather, is it?” All the week it had been close or even above +25°C.
A Finnish friend of ours sat at the same table and we looked at each other. We nodded and laughed almost together: “In May everything is normal.”
Last year on Mother’s day (second Sunday of May in Finland) it was snowing heavily, this year on the same day it was +26°C, which is almost too hot for us Finns. Both are possible weather conditions in Northern Finland, though naturally something in between is more likely.
First paddling of the season
Four pictures say more than a thousand words, ain’t it so? I usually write too long posts, I’m afraid, so this time I’ll cut it short. We have a tradition to go paddling almost as soon as it is possible after the winter. A nearby river is one of the first places without ice cover and that’s where we head. Sometimes this first paddling happens already in the end of April (like 2016), but more often at some point of May.
2017:
These pics A and B are taken 16.5.2017. There was plenty of snow everywhere, but the ice cover on river Isojoki had melted. For the first time we did not need to carry our canoe from the parking place to the river! River Isojoki flows into Lake Lentua. On the lower pic (B) you see how the lake is completely frozen. We paddled only for some 600 meters until the edge of ice, but it was still a nice first paddling trip. First day of summer! 🙂
2018:
These pics C and D are taken 13.5.2018. No hint of snow, temperature is +26°C, and the river is flooding. On the upper pic you see the same ridge that was unreachable year earlier (pic B). This time we paddled all the way to Lake Lentua. It was completely windless, a perfect weather for paddling!
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Next week I’ll ponder outdoor gear and consumerism. What kind of hiking equipment lasts from father to son?
Finnish Way of Hiking 