Cabin life

Christmas time solitude

By Erik Plankton

January 3^rd, 2016

Waiting for winter

We booked the Kuutinkämppä cabin early on during the fall with the hope of spending a couple days during christmas snowshoeing and ice fishing. The weather had been exceptionally warm and there was no trace of snow in southern Finland this year. So we decided to take the kayaks instead, even though the forecast predicted quite strong winds and a storm passing over. We got to a slow start on christmas day and didn’t even try to get on the water during day light, since it would get dark anyway and the possibility of the full moon lighting our way was tempting.

night time navigation

The cloud cover was quite full and the moon was just rising above the horizon. We were barely able to see the shapes of the landscape around us, but still it was quite easy to navigate since the lake is familiar. Had a strong tailwind so the paddling was easy, but the thought of hitting a rock and capsizing in the dark into the 0-degree water was definitely not tempting. The dogs seemed a bit confused about being on the water in the darkness, but were surprisingly calm. We eventually reached the cabin and got the fire started.

warming up

The cabin was just recently renovated and everything was in good condition. The new fireplace warmed the room quickly and it was time to enjoy some wine with cheeses and crackers while waiting for the sauna to reach the optimal temperature.

lazy days

A storm passed over and dropped a tiny amount of snow on the ground. After a nice breakfast omelette it was time to do absolutely nothing. Just relaxing.

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afternoon walk

We took a nice walk in the afternoon. You could sense nature finally getting ready for winter.

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rewards

After the heroic walk in the woods it was ok to enjoy a nice hot chocolate and a tortilla with left over roasted elk.

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full moon

It was great to be able to benefit from the full moon at christmas time, since it will not happen again until the year 2034. The skies cleared up during the night, but the winds remained quite strong. We climbed on top of Mustavuori and had a look from the outlook tower.

dinner time

We made a nice pecan nut pesto pasta for dinner and of course pancakes after the sauna.

packing up

On Sunday morning it was time to tidy up the cabin and pack stuff in the boats for the paddle back. The winds were now much tamer and the sun was out. Temperature was around -5°C so everything that got wet iced up quickly. We made makeshift windbreakers for the dogs from our rain ponchos. They worked quite well and the boys didn’t complain about the chilly weather.

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heading home

The paddling went fine and it was a two hour drive back home in beautiful weather. Excellent and relaxing trip to a nice place that is available to rent for everyone. Take a day or two and enjoy the silence of the woods and the warmth of a cabin. Highly recommended.