Finland is Dream Destination for Canoe Tripping

[Glenn MacGrady]

Why Finland Is A Dream Destination For Your Next Wilderness Canoe Trip

Morning mist rises from the water. Rocky, pine-clustered islands reflect perfectly in the glassy surface of the lake. A broad slab of metamorphic rock

paddlingmag.com

And as some OT trivia for general education, Finland is the blondest country in the world.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Remember the word sauna is pronounced,
SOW-na
Has to be one of the most mispronounced word in North America.
According to my Finnish friends, the blonde Finns are from many generations of Swedes that owned Finland for a long time. The Finns I know personally are all dark haired.
I spent a couple of weeks in Northern Finland prior to CV-19 pandemic, not canoe tripping, but car camping. I enjoyed it very much, became very much enamored with the wooden Teno River Boats in Utsjoki, Finland. Would have bought one except for the cost of getting it home. I did visit the boat shop that was still making them.
I did bring home a handful of hand forged Puukko knife blades and Saami hand made mittens. Hoping to go back for a longer visit once the pandemic ends.

 

[Erica]

I was in Sweden for my son’s wedding and then went on a canoe trip. in reading about the history, I ended up looking at maps. I dearly love maps.

In the process I noticed that much of Finland is water. Pictures look like prime canoe country.

 

[recped]

Northern Sweden (and Finland) would be very familiar to anyone who has paddled the boreal and Canadian Shield, Adrenaline junkies should head to Norway, some fantastic but short(ish) runs there but you need skills (and a different boat when you end up in the fjords!).

One other attraction to Norway, you can drive on a high quality highway all the way to 71°N , well above the Arctic Circle!

I haven't really looked into Finland and to be truthful the closest I ever been to Scandinavia is Hamburg!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I was in Sweden for my son’s wedding and then went on a canoe trip

Erica, what kind of canoes do they have in Sweden—American and Canadian brands, or their own or other European brands?

 

[Erica]

Middle Sweden, looks a lot like the Adirondacks to me.

I don't know what kind of canoe it was, but here are some old photos. I rented it from an outfitter, situated in a tiny, tiny, tiny town (it all fit into a bread basket), and put it right from town. This was in 2008? I think. Film and 35 mm camera. Clearly the prints, even though stored away from light, are fading.


Notice the upside down two-wheeled canoe cart in the bow. The outfitter, a big, tall, blond, brawny Swede, told me I had to bring this for the portages. This was before I saw the canoe. I told him I didn't need a cart, I could carry the canoe myself on portages. He laughed and laughed. He said he had never heard of such a thing. I explained how I would pick it up and sort of toss it up over my head and onto my shoulders and he nearly dissolved laughing.

This was a joke to him and he brought it up repeatedly during our conversations. Over and over again.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I told him I didn't need a cart, I could carry the canoe myself on portages. He laughed and laughed. He said he had never heard of such a thing. I explained how I would pick it up and sort of toss it up over my head and onto my shoulders and he nearly dissolved laughing.

Not sure his reason for laughing, but the canoe does look like it's probably a heavy poly material. Thanks for the photos of the photos.

 

[Tsuga8]

Love this whole thread. As a cartophile (map lover) myself, I've noticed how watery Finland is and thought it must be good for tripping. There's lots of big water - I wonder about proportions of sea kayaks to canoes, but either way I'd love to get there for paddling...and to the rest of Scandanavia for reasons stated above!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Holiday like the Finns do in Lakeland

www.visitfinland.com

 

[recped]

Some trivia here:

Which Country Has The Most Lakes In The World?

Lakes are a vital part of our ecosystem and over half of the world’s lakes are located in Canada. Discover the countries with the most bodies of water on the planet.

www.worldatlas.com

According to the study, the 10 countries with the most lakes in the world are:

1. Canada - 879,800
2. Russia - 201,200
3. USA - 102,500
4. China - 23,800
5. Sweden - 22,600
6. Brazil - 20,900
7. Norway - 20,000
8. Argentina - 13,600
9. Kazakhstan - 12,400
10. Australia - 11,400

As per the study, Finland does not feature on the list of top 10 countries with the most lakes. However, there are many articles stating that Finland has 187,888 lakes and that makes it the country with the most lakes in relation to the size of the country. In fact, it is estimated that Finland has one lake for every 26 persons. While this fact might be right to a certain extent, it must be remembered that the definition of a lake varies widely from place to place. There is no standard unambiguous definition of the size requirements for a water body to be classified as a lake.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Restoring Finland's Rivers

 

[hautamak]

Greetings from Finland!

Here's couple sources for you whom like to come paddling here:

Maps:

Karttapaikka - Maanmittauslaitos

asiointi.maanmittauslaitos.fi

https://www.retkikartta.fi/ <- Go to right box and select "karttatasot" then "reitit" and check box "vesiretkeilyreitti" and "veneilyreitti" Those paddling routes should now be purple on map


Paddling routes:

Melontareitit - Melontareitit.com

Täältä löydät kaikki melotut melontareitit. Kerromme jokaisesta melontamatkasta reittikuvauksia, joissa mukana myös kuvia ja videoita melonnan vaiheista.

melontareitit.com

I will keep updating these when I got more time.

 

[hautamak]

Lake kuohi (Kuohijärvi) In tavastia proper (Kanta-Häme). Also worth to visit place. Picture is from hieatasalos recreational area

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

"If kayaking has one drawback, it’s the small number of people that can ride in one simultaneously. Luckily, our friends in the Netherlands came up with the solution about 10,000 years ago: the canoe! Lapland’s backwoods rivers and lakes are perfect for canoeing, no matter your level of experience. Take the kids or take the plunge.

"Perhaps the most popular canoeing area in Lapland is Muonio. One look at a map, and you’ll see why. The Muonio river, Muonio Lake, Olos Lake, Äkäsjoki river … you could spend months exploring these Arctic waterways and still not know them all. Whether you’ve never set foot in a canoe, or you have “Grumman” tattooed on your chest, you’ll find a great canoe adventure in Muonio."

Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting in Lapland | Visit Finnish Lapland

The thrill of exploring the Arctic waters of Finnish Lapland by kayaking, canoeing or paddling hasn't changed in a thousand years.

www.lapland.fi

The Dutch invented the canoe 10,000 years ago? This claim needs more research. Meanwhile, canoe Finland!

 

[VernAK]

If you visit those countries, be sure to visit the Puuka [sp?] manufacturers as they make some of the finest knives for outdoors folks.

 

[Keeled Over]

Remember the word sauna is pronounced,
SOW-na
Has to be one of the most mispronounced word in North America.
According to my Finnish friends, the blonde Finns are from many generations of Swedes that owned Finland for a long time. The Finns I know personally are all dark haired.
I spent a couple of weeks in Northern Finland prior to CV-19 pandemic, not canoe tripping, but car camping. I enjoyed it very much, became very much enamored with the wooden Teno River Boats in Utsjoki, Finland. Would have bought one except for the cost of getting it home. I did visit the boat shop that was still making them.
I did bring home a handful of hand forged Puukko knife blades and Saami hand made mittens. Hoping to go back for a longer visit once the pandemic ends.

As a Finlander I have faced this pronunciation issue for years. We need some sort of 12 step program or something.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Vern…
The Finnish word you were looking for is spelled Puukko. All Puukko’s are knives, all knives are not Puukko’s. I would agree with you that they are the one of the finest knives for outdoors people. For those interested in knowing more about Puukko knives there is a Finnish guy with a YouTube channel called Old Forest Bushcraft, he reviews many different knives not just the Finnish Puukko.
Keeled Over…..
We also need to teach people the proper pronunciation of the Rapala fishing lure and other products. Rapala is the last name of the man that invented the famous fishing lure, the correct pronunciation of his name is ra-puh-luh and as you know the Finnish people really roll that R in Rapala. I have made that part of my life work along with the word Sow-na for sauna.
I also like the Finnish word Sisu. The word was used by a Finnish/American friend of mine. He said one of the interpretations of the word Sisu is “Stubborn beyond reason.” My friend was given a month to live by his Doctor, he lived three and a half more years. That is SISU!! He also made beautiful birch bark handled Puukko’s encased in woven birch bark sheaths.

 

[Keeled Over]

Thank you BB,

I was going to jump into the Rapala thing but figured I might get too far into the weeds. I have been correcting people for decades on that one. I also love the word Sisu. While always knowing the word due to living in the Upper Peninsula, it seems to have gained a small following recently, however not seismic.

For me, the word jumped into use because of Heikki Mikkola, the Finnish motocross champion from the 70's. While DeCoster was the better rider you knew when the conditions were really tough, Mikkola would be on that podium. SISU!!

 

[VernAK]

Vern…
The Finnish word you were looking for is spelled Puukko. All Puukko’s are knives, all knives are not Puukko’s. I would agree with you that they are the one of the finest knives for outdoors people. For those interested in knowing more about Puukko knives there is a Finnish guy with a YouTube channel called Old Forest Bushcraft, he reviews many different knives not just the Finnish Puukko.
Keeled Over…..
We also need to teach people the proper pronunciation of the Rapala fishing lure and other products. Rapala is the last name of the man that invented the famous fishing lure, the correct pronunciation of his name is ra-puh-lug and as you know the Finnish people really roll that R in Rapala. I have made that part of my life work along with the word Sow-na for sauna.
I also like the Finnish word Sisu. The word was used by a Finnish/American friend of mine. He said one of the interpretations of the word Sisu is “Stubborn beyond reason.” My friend was given a month to live by his Doctor, he lived three and a half more years. That is SISU!! He also made beautiful birch bark handled Puukko’s encased in woven birch bark sheaths.

Having grown up in Northern Minnesota, I had a lot of Finnish friends and a girl friend from the old country. It was often stated that they roll their aRse. I also knew the fellow that saw a Rapala lure in MN and went to Finland where he struck a deal with Mr Rapala and started a very successful import business which became Normark. I think his name was Weber.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Vern……
I too grew up in Northern Minnesota, on the eastern side of Red Lake. We had Finnish neighbors. My parents little hobby farm was homesteaded by an immigrant from Finland. Left that part of the world in 1964, returned four years later to go to college on the GI Bill at Bemidji State. Lots of pretty coeds of Finnish descent. One from Ely, had a mother that made the best Braided Cardamom Coffee bread called Pulla.
I left Minnesota in 1974 to come to Alaska. Best decision I have ever made. I live up the road sixty some miles from you. We have probably nodded to each other in the IGA store a time or two and will again now that it has risen from the ashes.