Lapland

I think my decision to drive 8 hours North for Eastern was close to jackpot. The season was in perfection. Sun shining almost every day and temperature was between 10 and 15. No mosquitoes. No snow. The only problem was the lack of boulders. I had some lines in my mind that we found last summer, but after making a quick visit to them I realized no way I have the boobs to do any of them just by myself. The next day I decided to go and hike to this one place I had in mind, and yes there were a boulder and two walls with mostly good rock quality (meaning not loose, the rock as in finger/friction friendly sense was superb!). This one boulder had a very nice and hard line that starts in a cave and climbs up to a vertical end with nice little more balancy section. So so super nice to have a project and a bunch to climb close to summer cabin (30-40 min by foot or 20 min rowing). I mean eat fresh fish for dinner every day, climb, have a sauna and beer, watch hallelujah sunsets every night, what else do you want from a holiday? 

And, I am talking about the Swedish side of Lapland, not the Finnish. We don’t realize in Finland that there is a Lapland in Sweden as well with northern lights, and unfortunately with bigger fjäll and fish, and a lot more boulders that I have ever bumped into while searching climbable stuff in Eastern Finnish Lapland. But I luv them both, or I luv ONE LAPLAND. Another thing that made me loose half of my national identity was when realizing the fact that Swedes also have a pea soup and pancake – Thursday. 

I don't have to be worried about my swelling anymore (yes you call it swelling when you put up couple of extra k's) because my lovely Finnish family members brought some nice little stomach flu to keep me company for the rest of my holiday. Watch out Swedes, I will be contaminating some boulder problems this week (won't tell you which ones). BTW: There is boulder problem in Chironico called HIV, anyone dared to try it?  I think I have to steal acid from work and add it to my normal bouldering equipment; you can use it for bad spotters too. No but seriously I high fived myself when realizing I got it, it is my weak point, dieting or eating healthy food, or not eating too much. You can do miracles after losing kilo or two, so yeeey it will be sending time soon!

Isn't it luvely!?

This salmon vonkale (whopper) weighted 3.8 kg and almost didn’t fit through the hole in the ice, and was picked up with a 35 mm net (city translation: big fish with small net, does not happen often, and yes you can put fishnets under the ice).

 So luvely.

 

This karate lemming was a scary little nasty beast. He almost bit my ankle while doing karate screams. Watch out for them, it seems to be a lemming year again. 

 

 This photographic masterpiece is from my project.

 Finland or Sweden?