How to Enjoy Nature in Lapland

Hiking

Choose the right shoes. On fells the best shoes should have thick and solid basis and give the foot enough support. Wetlands, marshes and bogs require water resistant and long enough shoes. Notice that rocky areas and wooden trails may be very slippery when wet or frozen.

Mosquitoes

These small insects normally cause harmless stings which may itch. The first mosquitoes usually come up in the middle of June and disappear about three weeks later. There are tens of species of mosquitoes, so it’s a little difficult to prognosticate their life. We have many ways to protect ourseslves against mosquitoes. Use light clothes dense in texture. You can buy different kind of insect repellents from the shops. Mosquitoes disappear when it’s windy or cold.

Winds

The weather changes quickly in Lapland. So it’s good to know something about the winds. When it blows from:
north: The weather is usually clear but chilly.
north-east: Cloudy weather.
east: Humid and rainy weather.
sout-east: Humid and rainy weather.
south: Warm weather.
south-west:Warm weather.
west: Beautiful and warm weather.
north-west: Clear and cold wind. 

How to Use a Knife

You need the knife when camping, hiking or heating with wood. Be very careful. Even the smallest slip may be fateful when it takes more than 15 minutes to get help. Remember always to carve at a direction away from your body.

How to Live in a Cabin and Use the Traditional Finnish Sauna

Before lighting the fire always remember to check that the damper (or dampers) is fully open and the chimney draws well. We always use dampers in Finland.

At first pile up a small amount of wood into the fireplace or oven. Use birch bark, paper or wood chips to set the wood on fire. After the fire has lit, put more wood, until appr. 3/4 of the volume of the fireplace is full.  Keep the hatches of the fireplace closed during the heating due to the sparking risk. The air holes of the hatches must be open. The fire needs air for burning. All the coals have to burn thoroughly. The damper of the fireplace must be open as long as the coals are glowing and hot.

When you heat the sauna, the sauna heater and the water boiler become extremely hot. So don’t touch them. When you enjoy the warm sauna, throw warm water to the hot stones of the heater. Then the humidity and temperature of the sauna increase.

In the traditional sauna there is no shower, so you have to prepare the bathwater yourself. Pour cold water into the basin and then add hot water to it little by little, untila the water is the basin feels warm.

Don’t dry towels, clothes or shoes above the heater. Dry things catch fire very easily. 

Collision with Reindeer

Reindeer like to be in open and windy places in the summer because of mosquitoes. In the winter they try to avoid thick snow. Therefore they can often be seen on roads all the year round. If you collide with a reindeer, remember the following things:

Call the police immediately and inform them of the accident. Emergency phone number: 112. Follow the instructions given by the emergency person.  

If the reindeer is still alive, knock it unconscious by hitting it on the forehead with a hard obstacle and move the animal beside the road, to avoid extra car accidents.

Source:
Pelkosenniemen ja Kemijärven luonto- ja perinnekulttuurihanke.