The cross country ski tour Rauhala - Pallas – Hetta

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.

Day 1:

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.

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Day 2:

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.

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Day 3:

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.

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Day 4:

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.

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Day 5:

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.  

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Day 6:

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.
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