Swimming in Liesjärvi National Park
Liesjärvi National Park is located 95 km from Helsinki, in Tammela. There are many lakes, beautiful shorelines, dense forests and valuable mires in the area. It’s easy to camp in the Park: there are campfire sites, lean-to shelters, wood, waste bins and dry toilets free of charge. There are trails for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. Swimming and paddling are good ways to experience lake nature. I swam along the Kyynäränharju Ridge, which separates Lake Kyynärä and Lake Liesjärvi from one … Read More
#31daysofswimming challenge
Phew! Finished! But it was fun and gave energy. I’m writing a blog post of all swims, but first I edited a short video of the last swim. Lake Iso-Melkutin is a green and clear wilderness lake. Visibility 4-8 m depending on season.
Swim and glow in winter
What is it that gives winter swimmers that glow? I asked myself this question again, when I saw healthy and invigorated swimmers in The Finnish Winter Swimming Championships in Ähtäri. There are many answers to that question, both scientific and experiential. One professor has said: “Lack of ‘thermal exercise’ may cause inadequate functioning of the brain.” A cold dip is a trigger, a positive stress to swimmer’s body and mind. This so called eustress helps you to maintain and improve your … Read More
Winter swimming adventure in Kainuu
It’s been a while…so this is looking back to last February and March, which I spent in Kainuu area. I was volunteering in an international artist residence called Mustarinda. The location is the second snowiest place in Finland, and I surely did some hard-core snow shovelling on the roofs and in the yard…but I really loved it! Recent winters in southern Finland have been with so little of snow, so it was great to experience loads of it. It was like … Read More
Swim Tour – Part 3. Lake Päijänne National Park
There’s ice cover on lakes now – so it’s perfect time to think back last summer’s swim tour in July! After saying goodbye to Samuli in the Arctic Circle, I flew back to Helsinki with Jonathan. And then Tuomas, a marathon-swimming pioneer in Finland, picked us from the airport and we drove to Padasjoki by Lake Päijänne. After almost two hours’ ride (160 km), we met Paula and Ismo, who welcomed us to the beautiful location of Villa Takila holiday apartments. Wow! … Read More
September Swim
After walking the trail around Lake Iso-Melkutin with my friend and having a quick dip in the lake, I had to come back for a longer swim. Iso-Melkutin is nice, green and clear ground water lake not so far away from my home. There are no summer cabins, no motorboats and it feels like there’s only wilderness around you. But there’s a sports aviation centre nearby the lake, but somehow the whole area is tranquil. Lake Iso-Melkutin is divers’ favourite spot, it’s … Read More