This was a 6 days cross
country ski tour organized by Anne and Hannu Rauhala owners of the
Fell Trek
travel organisation.
Hannu was our guide and Anne did the fine cooking and the logistics.
The tour goes mainly over
the fells of the Finnish Pallas-Ounastunturi national park, 200 km north of the
Pole circle (see the map).
The round-topped heads of the fells in this park rise 500 meters above the
surrounding landscape.
We made this tour from
18-23 March 2001 under excellent whether conditions:
blue ski, no wind and a
temperature in the
range –30 to –10 °C.
Our group was composed of 7 people of Italy, 2 of France, 2 of Germany and 3 of
Holland.
We started from the home
of Anne and Hannu in Rauhala. The first 4 km went over the lake Jerisjärvi.
Next we entered the Pallas national park to go along the Keimiötunturi to the
Keimiöjärvi cabin where we had lunch. We continued to the Porrokämppä cabin
and made a long descent back to the Jerisjärvi lake were we stayed in a
bungalow park. Total distance about 20 km.
After breakfast in the
Hotelli Jeris, we crossed the road to start the tour to the Mäntyrova cabin
where we had lunch. Next we went to the Pallas Information centre where we got a
slide show about the national park. Next we climbed the Luontopolku fell and
descended next the steep Palaskuru ravine, which was so steep that we had to
walk. Via the Sarvijärvi we went to the Felltrek cabin at Harrilompolo. Total
distance about 31 km.
You could made a day tour
to the Nammalakuru cabin, but this required a lot of climbing, so this was a
nice challenge for the young guys. We made a more easy tour to the
Tunturihotelli at the Vuontispirtti lake and returned to Harrilompolo via the
village Raattama. Total distance about 18 km.
We started early at 7.30
to go, via the Tunturihotelli at the Vuontispirtti lake, to the Hannukuruun cabin
where we had lunch. Next we went via a small track maintained by Hannu to his
cabin north of the village Ketomella. Total distance about 35 km.
Via a small wilderness
track made by Hannu, we went to a reindeer farm north of
the village Peltovuoma. Total distance about 25 km. We lunched in a
Lapland tent of the farmer where he told us about the life cycle of the
reindeer. We went back to Hannu’s cabin by bus.
The next morning we
crossed the Ounasjoki river and went to the Sioskuru cabin where we had lunch.
Next we went along the west side of the Ounas fells to the Pyhäkero cabin.
Finaly we reached the end of the tour in the nature centre east of Hetta. Total
distance about 30 km. The bus brought us back
to Rauhala.
