Hiking Konttainen
Continuing our journey through Finland, we would leave Saariselkä on a beautiful morning with heavy frost on the snow-covered trees to head south and then southeasterly toward Kuusamo.
At Sodankylä we jumped on E63 which is much less traveled than the route between Saariselkä and Rovaniemi. To the southeast of Sodankylä we would come across this spectacular highway view.
We would pass through Kemijärvi and continue our southeasterly path toward Ruka. Just north of Ruka we would drive eastward on 8694 until we reached the trailhead for the hiking trail to the top of Konttainen. This was the view of this beautiful 433m hill as we approached it from the west.
In 2023 I had the opportunity to ski on Valtavaara on the first day of the Border to Border Ski and I wanted Julie to be able to enjoy a similar experience. The hike to the top of Konttainen, which is 59m less in elevation than nearby Valtavaara, would not be a disappointing alternative!
We ran into a young couple from Hamburg, Germany, coming off the trail as we arrived. They provided us some excellent intelligence on the conditions, particularly that the trail was passable without snowshoes. Confident we could make it to the top, we headed up this incredibly beautiful trail!
The best way to check out this experience would be to watch this video I put together using the GoPro app that you can find at this link to the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel:
The snow-covered trees throughout the hike to the top were amazing and the views in all directions were breathtaking!
We would then drive to Kuusamo to check into our hotel. Having enough daylight and knowing we would have a tight schedule the following day, we would drive just south of Kuusamo to the village of Poussu. My Poussu, Karvonen, Karjalainen, and Tormanen ancestors have ties to this place dating to the 1600s.
Driving down a backcountry road along the water after entering the village, we would stop to talk with two women out for a walk. It would turn out that one of them was originally a Poussu who now lives in Helsinki. We had a nice chat and she explained where the road we were on would lead and provide a nice view of the surrounding area. We braved the drive on the snow-packed road and enjoyed this outstanding view.
Back where we entered the village there was a stream crossing. Looking eastward it connects to Poussunjärvi and looking west it flows from Riekinselkä.
Back in Kuusamo at the Hotel Kuusanka, we walked just around the corner to have dinner at the Kuusamon Marmaris Pizzeria.
The Hotel Kuusanka provided a very good breakfast the next morning after which we would head out for a continuing exploration of the places my grandfather Nurmi’s mother’s ancestors had come from in this part of Finland. As we drove southward on E63, we got a good chuckle listening to a Finnish band’s cover of “Born to be Wild”. You can get flavor for it on my Finland Pinterest board at this link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/500884789824823960/ Shortly after this we would see three reindeer roaming alongside the highway, but did not have a phone ready to catch a photo of them.
Not long after this we would turn westward on 8400 to head toward Tyräjärvi where my Raisanen ancestors lived dating back to the 1600s. This was a really nice drive through the countryside with views like this.
On the west end of Tyräjärvi we would stop at a boat launch where ice fishermen had accessed the lake.
A short distance from here we come across an historic site, but more about that place and the rest of what was quite a day of adventure next time!