Jump to content
Clare
Clare

Day 6: Saariselkä

It was another cold morning in Saariselkä this morning, with the thermometer outside our cabin suggesting a temperature of about minus 22.

image.jpeg

It looked like quite a cloudy day, though there were some pretty colours in the sky in places.

image.jpeg

Our plan was to re-do Tuesdays walk up the Kaunispää hill. The first hurdle on the walk is climbing over this pile of snow to get onto the path.

image.jpeg

Once you've managed that, the rest of the path is much more straightforward.

image.jpeg

On this part of the walk it's pretty obvious where the path is, though it is marked with these blue poles in case of any doubt. The poles are more useful for finding your way the closer you get to the top.

image.jpeg

There wasn't so much snow we needed to rely on those today, but I did think some of the trees were looking a bit whiter than they had on Tuesday.

image.jpeg

As we climbed higher, I enjoyed the colours in the sky.

image.jpeg

It felt like the forest was quite deserted, although at one point we did meet another woman walking on the trail.

image.jpeg

Before too long we reached the spot where we had to cross the road and the ski tracks.

image.jpeg

We were now on the higher, more exposed part of the trail and the wind was really chilling.

image.jpeg

I accidentally stepped off the main trail and fell through some deep snow!

image.jpeg

After that I paid more attention to the blue poles :D

image.jpeg

These trees were definitely looking white!

image.jpeg

We were high above Saariselkä by this point and could see the forests stretching out into the distance.

image.jpeg

We passed my favourite tree from the other day again...

image.jpeg

...and then the summit was in sight.

image.jpeg

It was around midday by this point so hard to tell whether this was sunrise or sunset, but it was very pretty :)  

image.jpeg

It definitely had snowed up here since Tuesday because the sign at the top which points down to Saariselkä was now illegible.

image.jpeg

We were extremely cold by this point so we went into the restaurant for a warming drink...

image.jpeg

...and some lunch.

image.jpeg

Then it was back down the hill again!

image.jpeg

It's a really fun walk and I'm glad we managed to fit it in a second time :)

image.jpeg

That should have been the end of today's blog, but when I'd just started writing it up I got a notification on my phone to say that the northern lights were visible outside. The aurora forecast hadn't been strong for today so I debated whether it was worth putting all my gear on and going out in minus 22 again. 

image.jpeg

In the end I decided I'd kick myself if I missed the northern lights and headed out.

image.jpeg

The display started off pretty faint, with these lights just looking grey to the naked eye.

image.jpeg

Then the colour really started to intensify.

image.jpeg

Wow, they were really a bright shade of green!

image.jpeg

And this was now looking green without the help of the phone camera too!

image.jpeg

These are definitely the brightest and most impressive northern lights we've seen to date.

image.jpeg

You have to pay to subscribe to the app I'm using but I'm so glad I did, because there's no way I would have been standing outside at random in the hope of seeing the lights tonight.

image.jpeg

One of the most amazing things was that we could see the lights moving and changing shape in the sky.

2025-01-23 192038.jpg

We'd be taking a picture in one direction, then turn around and realise the display was even better in a different direction.

image.jpeg

This bit was the absolute highlight; green lights swirling in the sky.

image.jpeg

If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't think the pictures were real :D 

image.jpeg

If the lights were this visible with all the interference from the artificial light around the cabins then I can't imagine what they would have been like if we were watching them from somewhere darker!

image.jpeg

Taking the photos is pretty difficult because you can't see whether the camera is going to capture the lights until after you've taken the photo.

image.jpeg

It's also pretty difficult because you have to take your gloves off in minus 22 to press the button.

image.jpeg

We attempted a selfie, though I think the lights didn't come out as brightly on this one because the camera couldn't decide what to focus on.

image.jpeg

While we were doing that, the lights in the opposite direction had become so bright that it looked like an alien invasion was taking place.

image.jpeg

I don't think northern lights can get much better than this :)

image.jpeg

Eventually the display started to die down a bit.

image.jpeg

We were getting pretty cold by this point too.

image.jpeg

We took a few final photos, then headed inside to thaw out.

image.jpeg

It's been an absolutely incredible evening and we can now well and truly say that we've seen the northern lights!




User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.