Photo-A-Day: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Blue Moon

Not actually a blue moon, but still a beautiful sight! Inari, Lappi, Suomi

On top

Although the hills aren't that tall, nothing else is taller and it makes you feel on top of the world. That being said, I'm sure that white-out conditions can be horrendous!

Nothing but blue skies

The endless sky matches the endless sunsets in Lapland. It feels like the sun is just about to set at about 14:00. Then, at 16:30 it finally did.

Mountain mist

Treeline is low on the arctic hills of lapland. The cool air was really holding moisture that afternoon giving the hill and pines an eerie look as they blended into the distance.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Reflected light

The sunset over the lake reflected in the old glass panes of the wilderness church

Santa Village

There was an eerie cold mist shrouding the Santa Village in Rovaniemi when I visited. It was all but abandoned, but the cheesy Christmas music was still being played over the speaker system.

The wilderness church was surrounded by a shaky fence. The ground was to rocky to pound the posts in so it was instead supported with braces and beams along the ground. The churchyard was just a pile of boulders that had to be moved to allow the church to be built.

Hut morning

After a very warm night in a slightly cramped hut, morning came slowly. It was -2 and horizontal freezing rain outside, so everyone stayed in as much as possible. The small hut felt like chaos with 8 people and all their stuff in this cramped space.

Like it?

Lichen coats nearly every surface that is sheltered enough to support life in Lapland.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

bow to bow

A gate to the arctic trail - a snowmobile route (or animal-powered sled presumably) through Lapland to the Arctic Ocean. The Inari river and town of Inari in teh background.

frosted tips

Ice and lichen. Two undeniably important influences on the arctic landscape.

Summit

Cairns marked the summit of each fell, and the trails were marked by the large wooden X s. I'm quite sure these trails double as snow mobile routes or ski trails in the winter. The high posts are required to keep the markings above the snowpack where there are no trees to mark on.

road block

We had some issues when they blocked the trail. Usually they were at a run, so we didn't have to wait long, but it depended on the size of the heard

morning flight

The elusive Fuzzy Footed Wild Chicken. Aka ptarmigan (kiiruna)

Garden frost

I think it's the end of the growing season...

Silent Sunrise

Still waiting for the 8am sunrise...that's ice on the lake in the distance!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ditch it...drain it...plant it!

Forestry is culturally and historically important in Finland. As is forested land. In an effort to increase forested land base (and the economic benefits of this), Finnis forestry went through a phase of ditching and draining bogs which were then planted. Here is an example of a managed forest with very wet soils adjacent to a peat bog...with a ditch running right down the middle. Interesting idea....this is no longer practised in Finland.