Merino wool is a great natural material that is at its best in outdoor sports clothes. I have used different merino wool clothes mostly on hikes, in trail running I have preferred more technical materials. However, merino wool has superior properties compared to technical materials, so I have increasingly turned to merino wool on the running side as well.
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Backpacking
Sarek National Park is located in Swedish Lapland, in Jokkmokk Municipality. The ruggedly beautiful Sarek is the oldest national park in Europe, and it is often called the last great wilderness of the North. Six out of thirteen peaks over 2,000 m are located within the boundaries of the national park, and there are around 100 glaciers.
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Muotkatunturi wilderness in Northern Lapland is the most wilderness-like area in Finland. The wilderness area is located in Utsjoki and Inari counties. There are around a hundred fells in Muotkatunturi, but the scenery is very open with gentle slopes in the horizon.
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Kevo Strict Nature Reserve in Utsjoki is one of the most rugged hiking destinations in Lapland, Finland. In the heart of the nature reserve there's almost a 40 km Kevo canyon with River Kevojoki flowing in the middle. You can explore the beautiful nature reserve by hiking either Kuivi ring route or Kevo route.
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Lake Pallasjärvi is located in Western Lapland in Finland, at the border of Kittilä and Muonio. The beautiful lake with red sand beach is in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, on the South-East side of Pallastunturi fells. Visiting Lake Pallasjärvi and the Punainenhiekka day hut is convenient to include in a hiking trip such as the classic Hetta-Pallas hike in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park.
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Kebnekaise (Giebmegáisi in Sámi) is Sweden’s highest mountain, its summit reaching 2,097 m. It has two peaks, the southern Sydtoppen and the northern Nordtoppen. Kebnekaise is located in North Sweden around 80 kilometers from Kiruna. It’s a real Swedish classic hike in a high alpine environment.
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Vistas valley (Vistasdalen in Swedish, Vistasvagge in Sami) is a green oasis in high-alpine environment in Swedish Lappland near Kebnekaise. The trail runs between Nikkaluokta and Alesjaure along river Vistasjohka in the wide valley surrounded by mountains. The trail is well-marked all the way. You can also hike the 84 km trail from Nikkaluokta to Abisko through Vistas valley. There’s a mountain cabin, Vistastugan, in the middle of the valley providing facilities, such as accommodation for hikers. The river is popular for paddling trips as well. Sometimes you may spot Scandinavian elks wandering in the valley – I did!
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Halti is the highest fell in Finland with the peak, Háldičohkka, at 1324 m above the sea level. The trail to Halti from Kilpisjärvi, the Arctic Trail or Nordkalott Trail, is the most popular route to Halti from Finland, but several unmarked routes through wilderness lead to Halti as well. I chose the Nordkalott route on my way to Halti but hiked back to Kilpisjärvi via Termisjärvi, following the Arctic Trail to the Kuonjarjoki hut before taking my own path.
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Halti is the highest fell in Finland with the peak, Háldičohkka, at 1324 m above the sea level. It can be summitted from Finland or from Norway as the fell is located at the border between two countries. The trail to Halti from Kilpisjärvi, the Arctic Trail (Nordkalott Trail), is the most popular route to Halti from Finland.
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It’s usually recommended not to hike solo or go to the wilderness alone. But that doesn't mean you couldn't or shouldn't do it. I always run alone on the trails. I go hiking solo. And I go alone to the mountains and multi-day trekking journeys. Most of the time I don’t want to have company. I like the solitude and the silence, the freedom from distraction, being my own boss, and the boost to my self-esteem when I have managed difficult things all by myself. There are some outdoors sports that I wouldn’t do alone, such as kayaking, especially when going to the sea or for several days of kayak camping. But when I have solid ground under my feet, nothing could stop me from going for an adventure just by myself. It doesn’t matter whether I’m running alone in a forest for an hour or hiking two weeks – soloing has positive impacts on all areas of my life.
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