Hiking 170 kilometers alone in Finnish wilderness | Taival Outdoors

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Experience with me this 170 kilometers long backpacking trip I did alone through Finnish wilderness. I hiked southbound a section of the old, somewhat forgotten, but still prestigious UKK-trail (UKK-reitti) from Pintamo to Hyrynsalmi, through boreal forests, high hills and wet mires. During my week long trip I managed to visit many interesting sights (checkout the timestamps below if you’re interested in something specific), slept in lean-to shelters and did a couple of water crossings with little boat ferries made for hikers. Trail was in tough condition in many places due to a recent storm (a lot of localized flooding) and the general lack of maintenance and usage, so it put me and my gear to a nice test. A true “taival” indeed!
0:00 Introducing the trail
5:34 Gaiters and duckboards (and the lack of both)
9:02 Snack break at Haapuanoja lean-to shelter
11:20 River crossing over Iijoki
13:55 Arriving in the dark at Pikkulampi lean-to shelter
19:58 A misty morning and coffee in the woods
25:19 Hiking in the rain
28:33 Few words about the trail so far and bikepacking
32:00 GPS, trail markings and land navigation
33:54 Kirkashete lean-to shelter and natural spring (bog pond)
36:00 Ohtakulju / Iso ohtalampi
37:16 Water crossing over Korpijoki
39:30 Ollinlampi lean-to shelter
40:49 Pöksänkorpi lean-to shelter, setting up for the night and drying gear by the fire
43:54 Day three starts in the rain again
46:26 Kometto, the first high hilltop of the day (located in Siikavaara Nature Reserve)
51:02 Lunch at Poussuoja lean-to shelter, talking about a broken trekking pole and tough climbs
56:29 Stepped through a duckboard!
58:07 Losing daylight – plans change
1:00:40 Markonpuro / Markonpalo lean-to shelter
1:03:02 Testing to heat up my boots with handwarmers, will it work?
1:05:02 Day four begins with wet trail and steep climbs (déjà vu)
1:09:08 Lunch at Pyssylampi
1:13:46 Hepoköngäs waterfall
1:19:11 Vääränsärkkä / Väärälampi lean-to shelter
1:19:44 How to improve your situation when there’s no firewood
1:23:45 Day five, the temperature is just above zero
1:24:21 Plan for today is to take a detour and visit Paljakka Strick Nature Reserve
1:28:25 Pirunkirkko
1:30:50 Talking about Aila storm and storm damage in general
1:32:10 Leililampi, also known as ”Taivaanpeili” = ”Heaven’s mirror”
1:33:37 Lunch at Löytöjärvi päivätupa and then hiking Paljakanpolku
1:37:48 Joutensuo kota – what a great place to spend the night!
1:42:08 Fifth day starts along Köngäskierros trail
1:45:48 Paskokoski lean-to, lunch and comments on morning’s trail section
1:47:23 Hyrynsalmi is only 14 km away, but why am I not finishing up the hike already today?
1:49:13 Vortikka or Vorlokki gorge
1:53:20 Louhenkoski lean-to shelter
1:54:08 Talking about merino wool and Keli Clothing
1:58:24 Seventh day and starting the hike in darkness
2:01:37 Final words and reflections

Trails hiked during this trip were called in Finnish UKK-reitti, Kometon kierros, Siikavaaran sienipolku, Köngäskierros, Ilveskierros, Paljakan luonnonpuiston polku and Paljakanpolku.

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Disclosures
At the time of this video, I was an ambassador and testing gear for the following companies:
5.11 Tactical Finland
Keli Clothing

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#taivaloutdoors #hiking #ukkreitti

Taival Outdoors is a channel about the great outdoors, spending time in nature doing everything from day hikes and overnight adventures to bikepacking and multi-day wilderness backpacking. Trekking is close to my heart, but I’m not tied to any particular “genre” like ultralight or bushcraft – instead I do what I’ve found through my experience in the wild to work the best for me. I’m also making gear reviews and skill videos based on what I actually use and how I operate in nature. Thanks for watching!



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