VÄTSÄRI wilderness

Paths less travelled

By Erik Plankton

September 21^st, 2019

Helsinki - Ivalo - Näätämö

It was time for our annual trip up north. The plan was to take packrafting and fishing gear and spend ten days in the remote wilderness area of Vätsäri, which is known for its rocky and difficult terrain. After an uneventful flight we got some supplies in Ivalo followed by a drive to Näätämö - our starting point. The first leg is a 13 km trail that takes you to Uutuanjoki river. The weather was warm with a thunder storm both ahead and behind of us. Luckily we managed to avoid both of them.

After a five hour hike we reached our destination and setup camp. Antti found a soft spot on the swamp crossing.

day 2: Routasenkuru gorge

Paddling and scrambling through the canyon was a highlight of the trip. To keep this post from becoming excessively long I wrote a separate piece about the experience:

Link to Routasenkuru post here: https://www.packgofind.com/routasenkuru (a must read!)

day 3: Routasenkuru to Lake 179

After getting out of the canyon we continued south and setup camp on the shore of an unnamed lake which we called "179", which is the lakes elevation above sea level. Spent the evening fishing, but caught nothing.

day 4: over the watershed to taimenlammet

A foggy morning turned into a beautiful calm day. We found a beautiful spot to fish on the eastern end of Hirvasjärvi lake. You could see the trout cruising around in the crystal clear water. We spent a good part of the day trying to catch dinner, but we caught only small ones, which were released. In the afternoon we decided to continue further to Taimenlampi lake, which was rumoured to be a good place to catch some trout.

this is vätsäri

We found a traditional Laplanders hut, that was setup on a very wet spot for some reason. Maybe it is used only in the winter, when the ground is frozen? Great views from top of the hills.

over the watershed

reindeer spotting

I think we saw some reindeer wandering around every day of the trip. Quite a lot of antlers on the ground here and there. The Gyrodactulus salaris salmon is a real threat for the atlantic salmon population. It is important to disinfect your fishing gear (and packrafts) when moving between different waters. So after crossing the watershed we used Virkon S tablets to disinfect our tackle, lines and leaders. We did not use our packrafts on this side of the watershed.

day 5: ÄÄlisjärvi - Iso Rovijärvi

Leaving Taimenlammet we headed west towards Äälisjärvi lake. Soon it started to rain and the temperature dropped. You really need to concentrate on every footstep on the slippery rock fields. The kilometers in Vätsäri are tough, especially if you are carrying a lot of gear like a packraft. We were a bit cold and low on energy when we reached the camp at Iso Rovijärvi lake. We set up the tarp between our tents and everyone took a nap under the rain drop concert.

something fishy

For some reason the fish was not really biting and we only managed the catch small ones. Spotted a semi fresh reindeer skeleton in the river. At the campsite we found a tarp under a rock and used it to make our camp even more luxurious.

DAY 6: PADDLING ON ISO ROVIJÄRVI

After a sunny morning the wind picked up as we started paddling along the lake. Got some more rain thrown in as a bonus.

We paddled as far as we could on the North Eastern tip of the lake and set up camp. Spent the evening fishing and finally caught a nice one. A Siberian jay was quick to capitalize on the guts.

tarplife

Luckily we had a tarp with us, since it was another rainy night. Getting the fire going was not a problem since the area has a lot wood with a high resin content. It burns wonderfully even in the rain.

day 7: towards porijärvi

We packed our rafts and took a compass bearing that would lead us to the upper Porijärvi. From there we followed the river towards the lower of the two lakes and fished along the way.

CAmp Porijärvi

At the mouth of the lower Porijärvi lake we inflated again and paddled the last few kilometres before setting up camp. When the camp was ready we went sourcing for wood and discovered a beautiful beach with a tent sauna frame ready for some hot action. If I ever go back to this area I will definitely setup camp here.

day 8: heavy rain and broken blades

Another breakfast under a grey canopy. The rain was pouring down when it was time to get going. Trying to keep the overall weight of the kit down to a reasonable level, all of us had chosen a hardshell jacket and pants as the only outer layer. A winning combo on this trip for sure. Antti and AV had the (now discontinued?) Norrøna Dovre set and I was happy with the Tierra Nevado jacket and Norrøna Svalbard pants.

Uutuanjoki

As we went into the Uutuanjoki river the water got really shallow. We got stuck many times and had to give a little push with the paddle to get going again. Antti's ultralight 500g paddle did not appreciate the effort and the blade snapped at the stem. Luckily it did not separate completely and he managed to do a quick field repair with two hiking poles and a bunch of straps.

Running low

Uutuanjoki river is a beautiful place and would be super fun to paddle with a bit more water. Now it was a constant battle to avoid getting stuck on the bottom or getting out of the raft and carrying your gear on the shore. Finally we made it to the sandy beaches of lake Vuontisjärvi where we packed the rafts for the last time and got going on the trail.

Pakanajoki / jankkila

The trail from Vuontisjärvi to Jankkila is open, flat and fast. No rocks or roots. The old forest ranger station is now owned by the government and it is a rental cabin. We crossed the Pakanajoki river and continued on the trail to Varisjärvi lake for the night.

varisjärvi

We dropped down to the lake from the trail and setup camp. Not the best spot, since the gradient is very steep and there is not a lot of room before you are in the water. But it turned out to be a prime fishing spot. After a brief shower the sun came out and the graylings were on the hunt. Caught 4 in 15 minutes, but they were all a bit too small for dinner. Had a really nice trout on the line, but we lost it when trying to get it out of the water on the rocky bank.

day 9: summer is back!

The second to last day turned out to be warm and sunny. Record breaking temperatures in the end of August meant for t-shirt hiking. We were already close to our starting point so we walked only for a couple of hours and took it easy at camp on lake Pikku Nuortijärvi.

day 10: back to näätämö

A dense wet fog rolled in during the night, but in the morning the sun was out again. We had booked the sauna at the Näätämö Gateway at two in the afternoon, so there was no rush to complete the remaining 6 km. We had done the entire adventure by map and compass only. Of course we had our phones for backup GPS pinpointing, but we had not used them. So we thought we can put the map in the backpack and simply follow the trail back to Näätämö... suddenly we found ourselves on a gravel road. It seems that at some point we missed a turn on the trail. We knew that the road would take us to the right place, but who wants to walk on a road?! So out came the map and compass one more time and we bushwacked ourselves back to the trail. After a raid to the supermarket we enjoyed the sauna at Näätämö Gateway and learnt that the following day they would host a bushcraft festival with a lot of stuff going on including a sauna built into a van. Next year we will time our trip accordingly :)

One of the best trips ever. I recommend the Vätsäri wilderness area for everyone who wants to get off the beaten path and find their own trails and adventures.