Trek 2023 – Finland’s Arctic Adventure

Our amazing group of supporters are setting off on their Arctic Adventure trek on 2nd March to raise vital funds for EHAAT.

Please support our brave trekkers by clicking on their online fundraising pages below.

Trek highlights

• Overnight Adventure to a cosy wilderness cabin, complete with traditional lakeside sauna
• Explore the ridges & frozen lakes on snowshoes
• Cosy up in the cabin to experience the magical Northern Lights
• Husky Sledding trail through snow-white forests and frozen lakes
• Cross Country Skiing through the flat pine forest and frozen lakes

Climate

Temperatures in March are typically -6°C with highs of -1°C. The coldest part of the day is at night, when temperatures can drop to -10°C, so visitors are advised to wrap up warm at night in thick layers.

What’s the daily routine like?

Each day’s trek will vary in duration but you will trek 5-6 hours a day, with lunch and rest stop in the middle of the day.

Itinerary

Day 1

Fly London to Kijaani/Kuusamo

Drive through the seemingly endless snow-covered landscapes to our comfortable cabin near Hossa in north -eastern Finland. After settling in, we will have an evening meal before heading off to bed.

Drive approx. 1-2 hours

Day 2

Snowshoeing

We have a full in -country briefing about the activities ahead and then kit up thoroughly. After an introduction to snowshoeing, where we quickly get the hang of this non-technical walking activity, we leave our cabin behind for our overnight adventure! Our route takes us through beautiful, silent woodland; the landscapes are magical, and the silence of our surroundings, broken only by the crunch of the snow and our laughter, adds to the atmosphere. We break for a picnic lunch around an open fire, then continue our invigorating journey to our cosy wilderness cabin, complete with traditional lake-side sauna. Staying here is a remote experience and you will feel like the early pioneers!

Snowshoe approx. 5-6 hours

Days 3

Snowshoeing

Returning by snowshoe, we explore the ridges and frozen lakes on our way back. Elk, wolves, lynxes and hares live in the woods, though are very seldom seen: we may be lucky enough to spot tracks in the snow. Returning to our main log cabin, we have time to relax aching muscles in the sauna and settle for an evening of watching out for the magical Northern Lights.

Snowshoe approx. 5-6 hours

Day 4

Husky-Sledding & Cross- Country Skiing

Husky-Sledding is usually one of the highlights of the trip! We drive to our husky farm and meet out intelligent, enthusiastic and very photogenic teams of huskies! After learning a little about the dogs from our ‘musher’, we have an introduction to sled-driving and set off! Pairing up, we take it in turns to drive while our sled buddy enjoys the ride. The dogs will be excited when they sense a run, but when everybody is ready to go they suddenly go quiet as they set off through the frozen wilderness. The trail takes us through snow-white forests and frozen lakes: a truly memorable highlight of our adventure.

After lunch we also have time for an introduction to cross- country skiing- one of the most popular winter hobbies in Finland. A relatively short tour through the flat pine forest and frozen lakes test what we’ve learned: it’s not uncommon to see a reindeer here, so keep your eyes peeled! Due to the number of husky teams available, we split the group so that half goes cross country skiing while the other half goes sled driving: the groups will then swap. Late afternoon we gather together to celebrate our Artic Achievements.

Sledding/Skiing approx. 5-6 hours

Day 5

Fly Kijaani/Kuusamo to London

Early start to drive to the airport for our journey home.

NB: the order of activities may change depending on the local conditions and logistics.