Snow Shoe @ Nellim

In my trip to Finland, we participated in the snow shoe programme arranged by the Wilderness Hotel Nellim which lasted slightly more than 5 hours, starting at 10.30am. Personally, I was surprised that the snow shoeing experience is much less strenuous than the skiing. :)

Well, first I should introduce what's a snow shoe. In summary, it's an oversized shoe with a big area. Your boots will be strapped into that oversized shoe. Below is a picture of my snow shoe. :)

The snow shoe programme started well. Wearing the shoes is slightly easier than the skis and we were walking mostly on flat ground. The snow is deep though. 2 guides were leading us and we had the option to lead the group and clear the way, if we want to. :)

As it was not as strenuous as sking, I had the energy to take some photos here and there. Below is a picture I took before our campfire lunch.

We climbed up a small slope to get ready the campfire. The participants also walked around collected dead wood for the campfire. After that, I snapped a photo of our surroundings. It's quite surreal.

I also managed to take a photo of someone assisting the guide to start the fire, well using matches. :)

After the fire is started, it's time to heat up the berry juice for everyone and get ready for BBQ! Hot dogs and bread. There are vegetarian hot dogs too. Yummy!

After a satisfying lunch, the 2 guides gave us a choice. We can either take the short route back, or the long route back. We took the long route. :)

What that means is that you'll be climbing up a small knoll. :) The slope will be steeper than the other slopes you have encountered, but you will be able to see the forest from above, and the Russian border too. During the walk, the guide will also point out and explain certain things that they spotted. They will also stop at certain points for a breather. Believe me, you'll need it.

Below are some photos I managed to snap when I was up there.

The guide also warned us again that not all lakes are safe to walk and shown us a small lake in the middle of the snow covered lake. Well, I've no intention of deviating from the route the guide ask us to take. :)

We had an enjoyable walk back to the hotel. It was rather long though. I think we were about half an hour late from the original scheduled time. Not that I'm complaining. :)

Stay tuned for more posts on my adventures in Finland.