Warm winter camping

Visiting Repovesi

By Erik Plankton

February 8^th, 2015

getting there

This time the roads were very icy, so the going was a bit slow. We got to the parking area with some light left and started the hike towards the hut we had rented for two nights.

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night hike

Soon it was dark and some parts of the trail were slippery. We managed to find our way without any problems and it was a nice 2,5 hour walk to the Mustavuori hut.

pancakes

The hut turned out to be in very good condition and had a lot of room for two people. You could easily sleep six in there. We got the fire going and soon it gave us warmth and a nice atmosphere for cooking and lounging around. Pancakes were made and consumed with joy.

morning

The hut got so warm in the evening that i fell a sleep in a t-shirt on top of my sleeping bag. Of course it was not so warm in the morning anymore, but it warmed up surprisingly quickly. It was very nice to cook a bacon omelette for breakfast with nothing to hurry about. Real luxury camping compared to waking up in a damp tent.

snow shoe hike

After a slow morning we left for a snow shoe hike before noon.

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Look out

The winter views were nice. Saw a skier on the lake below, but that was pretty all the people we saw for two days. This national park is very popular in the summer time, but for some odd reason only a few enjoy it in the winter.

valkjärvi

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splitting wood

After around three ours of walking it was time for lunch at Olhava’s fire place.

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flat bread hotdogs and hot chocolate

I tried the Primus winter gas for the first time and it worked very good. It was only around -5°c with a small breeze, so can’t really tell yet how it will perform in truly cold conditions. After a nice flat bread hotdog we made some hot chocolate with the appropriate splash of Minttu.

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OLHAVa

One of Finland’s best climbing spot and the famous route “Kantti”

Back to the hut

After around five hours outside we had earned a nap. After waking up and coffee it was time for some red wine and dinner preparations.

pulled pork tortillas

I wrapped the pulled pork in foil and left it in the fireplace for around 40 minutes. It turned out fantastic.

heading back

After another pleasant night in the warmth of the hut it was time to head back home. It was a great weekend of hiking, good food, scenery and the peace of the forest in winter.