PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf


Wilderness Wolves
Jukka Nordman and one of his huskies.
Husky
One of Era Susi's 200+ dog sled dogs.
More Fuel
Era Susi brings more wood to the fire.
comfort
Era Susi lights a warming fire in full PN Oulanka.
juhla
A pack of Jukla Mokka. Coffee encourages millions of Finns to react to the lack of light and sun.
fire coffee
Detail of the bonfire lit by Era Susi near the Oulankajokki River.
Coffee time
Jukka Nordman serves freshly brewed coffee.
call for more walking
Husky claims the owner Era Susi.
unwrapped
Era Susi holds her dogs for a break on the hike through Oulanka National Park.
Bird of Opportunity
Siberian Jay keeps an eye out for food opportunities during a small barbecue in the snow.
Towing
Jukka Era Susi Nordman walks pulled by one of her huskies.
An Eager Team
Dogs await the restart of the march during a dog sled stretch.
Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.

The robust and very hot breakfast of porridge leaves us cozy for a new boreal day. A trip over semi-snowy roads around Kuusamo takes us to the Oulanka National Park Visitor Center.

Normally, in these parts, at the beginning of winter, we are greeted by people with sophisticated synthetic outfits that protect them from the frigidity that seizes the scenery. They also come equipped with the latest telecommunications technology, not always domestically produced, to the detriment of Finnish finances and self-esteem.

Era Susi: A Unique Character from Finnish Lapland

When we come across Era Susi, the exception jumps out in such a way that it disturbs us.

We see ahead of us a small human specimen, something rare for the Suomi population. Long, light brown beards, slightly gray, hang from his rosy cheek, from which deep blue eyes stand out.

The beards merge with a collar and collar of almost the same color and rub against a full-skin sweater that goes with worn-out trousers and tan gloves.

The clothing comes all in the same raw material of animal origin and handcrafted confection. It refers to a sort of Arctic Crocodile Dundee style. We realized that the model has been using it for a long time. That it feels comfortable and integrated in the Nature that surrounds us.

Originally from the south, “Susi” felt comfortable in the taiga of northern Finland from an early age. There he installed his favorite way of life, which he interrupts only for another visit to Helsinki or Turku, or abroad.

“Hello, I'm Jukka Nordman, better known as Wolf, welcome. I was watching the weather evolve and… it started to snow seriously too late. You will only arrive for a walk but pulled by dogs. And speaking of them, these are Miska and Funny, your engines. As you can see, they are eager to run. Let's go?"

Jukka Nordman turned 51 that day. We just had to indulge him.

Hiking Trailer of Demonic Huskies

Wolf hands us two hand harnesses. We put them on and the owner hooks us up to his huskies. Miska is an Alaskan leader, Funny is a Siberian. At ease in the wooded, white-smeared setting but detached from the usual teams of eight or ten other dogs, the pair stalk off wildly.

Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland

Jukka Era Susi Nordman walks pulled by one of her huskies.

The route begins by revealing itself flat or rising, which helps us to control its momentum, but the first descents don't take long. On the steepest, we lost traction. We are forced to run and skate to avoid imminent falls and stretches in tow but sprawled on the icy ground.

In this way, we stumbled forward for a few kilometers along the Oulanka River which, in turn, winds through the national park it gave its name. Having overcome a considerable distance, Wolf rejoices that we have all our limbs intact and sees the inadequacy of the boots we wore.

Coffee Break, Bonfire and PN Oulanka Worship

Take the opportunity and dictate a well-deserved break for rest and rewarming. We settled in a humble clearing, surrounded by icy beech trees and a short distance from the bluish river flow.

There, under the anxious surveillance of several Siberian jays, he hurries to fetch wood chips from a nearby hut and prepares a pyramidal fire which he lights in three strokes. Moments later, there's already a scorched coffee maker on the fire.

It was Susi with firewood, Oulanka, Finland

Era Susi brings more wood to the fire.

He dumps part of a Paulig Juhla Mokka bag that he opens with a knife hitherto tucked into a holster hanging from his pants.

“Is coffee okay with you?” he asks us. “Here in Finland we drink in industrial quantities. You know how it is. There's little light, half the year is really cold, we're not very expansive ourselves. With the coffee there, we keep the highest spirits.”

Coffee maker, Oulanka, Finland

Detail of the bonfire lit by Era Susi near the Oulankajokki River.

The steaming steam from the coffeemaker indicates a near-boiling point. Wolf gives us mugs with an organic look and texture, serves us the dark and thick drink, passes us the sugar and salmon sandwiches.

Also secure us with sausages that we stick on sticks to roast over the fire, one of Lapland's unavoidable outdoor rituals.

From the nearest branches, the jays gain confidence and venture out on calculated incursions on offered or lost pieces of bread. Susi also rewards the three canids for their efforts.

Siberian Jay, Oulanka, Finland

Siberian Jay keeps an eye out for food opportunities during a small barbecue in the snow.

The Huge Pack of the Wilderness Wolf

Jukka Nordman and her partner Mirja Pyysiainen raise more than two hundred and fifty dogs on three separate bases, with the main lair in Oulanka Park, just two kilometers from the Russian border. Every year, from November to April alone, the couple takes more than 5000 visitors on their sledges.

Wolf tells us they know the names of all dogs and can recognize them by their looks and howls. “But in reality, their character matters more than their names.

"It's what determines where we put them on the teams that pull the sledges." We continued to talk about dogs, for a long time, sprinkled with floating snowflakes that had begun to fall in the meantime.

Iditarod and Affines: A Delicious Conversation on the World's Dog Sledding

We'll tell you about our dog sledding experiences in Ushuaia and in different parts of Alaska and the breeder-keeper's eyes shine even more. "But these are my big rivals!"

It was Susi and dogs, Oulanka, Finland

Era Susi holds her dogs for a break on the hike through Oulanka National Park.

I find them when we participate in the biggest international competitions. You've heard of Iditarod, right? “ We had already heard and in what way.

“Because I participate with my best sled dogs. But they are very tough competitions. And, in the Alaska, cross huskies and other races with wolves. In Ushuaia, the latest trend is to cross them with Australian dingos. They breed incredible sled dogs, the fastest of all! "

The Upchuck, the Loss of Finnish Karelia and the Respect for Russia and the Russians

In the image of the ever more abundant snowflakes, the conversation flows and drifts.

We confess that one tundra animal in particular, the glutton, has fascinated us for a long time. Wolf understands our admiration and professes to us his. “It's a really amazing animal. If you know them, you know for sure that they can kill dozens of reindeer in just one night.

They gouge out their eyes and bite their Achilles tendons until they are badly injured. Then they chase them as long as necessary and end up eating the ones they can. Reindeer breeders hate them. And there is no wolf or bear that can defeat them”.

Sunset, PN Oulanka, Finland

Sunset over the Oulanka National Park.

We go back to talking about Iditarod and Wolf confesses to us that he considers himself privileged. He's already traveled around 25 countries. “I really like the Russia. Unlike many Finns who prefer to cultivate resentment at the loss of part of Karelia at the end of World War II, I even have a lot of admiration for them.

“Russia has its bureaucratic peculiarities, let's call it that. I see them as a good way for the country to protect itself from the rich and ambitious.

Saint Petersburg it's an amazing cultural city. Moscow is more like a big village. You have to go there as soon as possible.”

Did not take too long. The following year we took a long trip across the border and discovered both cities and most of the Karelia now Russian, unfortunately not the remote part of Panajarvi Park that extends beyond the eastern limits of the Oulanka.

We also returned to Finland in the middle of winter. In Rokua – on the outskirts of Oulu – as elsewhere in the country, snow was already much more abundant. We returned to walk towed by sled dogs.

Sled dog pack, Oulanka, Finland

Dogs await the restart of the march during a dog sled stretch.

We soon realized that even there, hundreds of kilometers from Oulanka's headquarters, the sled dogs that were pulling us were from the great Era Susi.

Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Kemi, Finland

It is No "Love Boat". Icebreaker since 1961

Built to maintain waterways through the most extreme arctic winter, the icebreaker Sampo” fulfilled its mission between Finland and Sweden for 30 years. In 1988, he reformed and dedicated himself to shorter trips that allow passengers to float in a newly opened channel in the Gulf of Bothnia, in clothes that, more than special, seem spacey.
Lapland, Finland

In Search of the Fire Fox

Unique to the heights of the Earth are the northern or southern auroras, light phenomena generated by solar explosions. You Sami natives from Lapland they believed it to be a fiery fox that spread sparkles in the sky. Whatever they are, not even the nearly 30 degrees below zero that were felt in the far north of Finland could deter us from admiring them.
Inari, Finland

The Guardians of Boreal Europe

Long discriminated against by Scandinavian, Finnish and Russian settlers, the Sami people regain their autonomy and pride themselves on their nationality.
Hailuoto Island, Finland

Fishing for Truly Fresh Fish

Sheltered from unwanted social pressures, the islanders of Hailuoto they know how to sustain themselves. Under the icy sea of ​​Bothnia they capture precious ingredients for the restaurants of Oulu, in mainland Finland.
Inari, Finland

The Babel Parliament of the Sami Nation

The Sami Nation comprises four countries, which ingest into the lives of their peoples. In the parliament of Inari, in various dialects, the Sami govern themselves as they can.
Kuusamo ao PN Oulanka, Finland

Under the Arctic's Icy Spell

We are at 66º North and at the gates of Lapland. In these parts, the white landscape belongs to everyone and to no one like the snow-covered trees, the atrocious cold and the endless night.
Saariselka, Finland

The Delightful Arctic Heat

It is said that the Finns created SMS so they don't have to talk. The imagination of cold Nordics is lost in the mist of their beloved saunas, real physical and social therapy sessions.
Hailuoto, Finland

A Refuge in the Gulf of Bothnia

During winter, the island of Hailuoto is connected to the rest of Finland by the country's longest ice road. Most of its 986 inhabitants esteem, above all, the distance that the island grants them.
Helsinki, Finland

A Frigid-Scholarly Via Crucis

When Holy Week arrives, Helsinki shows its belief. Despite the freezing cold, little dressed actors star in a sophisticated re-enactment of Via Crucis through streets full of spectators.
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Helsinki, Finland

The Pagan Passover of Seurasaari

In Helsinki, Holy Saturday is also celebrated in a Gentile way. Hundreds of families gather on an offshore island, around lit fires to chase away evil spirits, witches and trolls
Helsinki, Finland

The Design that Came from the Cold

With much of the territory above the Arctic Circle, Finns respond to the climate with efficient solutions and an obsession with art, aesthetics and modernism inspired by neighboring Scandinavia.
Helsinki, Finland

Finland's once Swedish Fortress

Detached in a small archipelago at the entrance to Helsinki, Suomenlinna was built by the Swedish kingdom's political-military designs. For more than a century, the Russia stopped her. Since 1917, the Suomi people have venerated it as the historic bastion of their thorny independence.
Porvoo, Finland

A Medieval and Winter Finland

One of the oldest settlements of the Suomi nation, in the early XNUMXth century, Porvoo was a busy riverside post and its third city. Over time, Porvoo lost commercial importance. In return, it has become one of Finland's revered historic strongholds.  
Oulu, Finland

Oulu: an Ode to Winter

Located high in the northeast of the Gulf of Bothnia, Oulu is one of Finland's oldest cities and its northern capital. A mere 220km from the Arctic Circle, even in the coldest months it offers a prodigious outdoor life.
hippopotami, chobe national park, botswana
Safari
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
Prayer flags in Ghyaru, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Architecture & Design
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Adventure
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.
self-flagellation, passion of christ, philippines
Ceremonies and Festivities
Marinduque, Philippines

The Philippine Passion of Christ

No nation around is Catholic but many Filipinos are not intimidated. In Holy Week, they surrender to the belief inherited from the Spanish colonists. Self-flagellation becomes a bloody test of faith
Treasures, Las Vegas, Nevada, City of Sin and Forgiveness
Cities
Las Vegas, USA

Where sin is always forgiven

Projected from the Mojave Desert like a neon mirage, the North American capital of gaming and entertainment is experienced as a gamble in the dark. Lush and addictive, Vegas neither learns nor regrets.
Obese resident of Tupola Tapaau, a small island in Western Samoa.
Meal
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
Vairocana Buddha, Todai ji Temple, Nara, Japan
Culture
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

Nara has long since ceased to be the capital and its Todai-ji temple has been demoted. But the Great Hall remains the largest ancient wooden building in the world. And it houses the greatest bronze Vairocana Buddha.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
very coarse salt
Traveling
Salta and Jujuy, Argentina

Through the Highlands of Deep Argentina

A tour through the provinces of Salta and Jujuy takes us to discover a country with no sign of the pampas. Vanished in the Andean vastness, these ends of the Northwest of Argentina have also been lost in time.
Intha rowers on a channel of Lake Inlé
Ethnic
Inle Lake, Myanmar

The Dazzling Lakustrine Burma

With an area of ​​116km2, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar. It's much more than that. The ethnic diversity of its population, the profusion of Buddhist temples and the exoticism of local life make it an unmissable stronghold of Southeast Asia.
sunlight photography, sun, lights
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Natural Light (Part 2)

One Sun, So Many Lights

Most travel photos are taken in sunlight. Sunlight and weather form a capricious interaction. Learn how to predict, detect and use at its best.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
History
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Island of Goa, Island of Mozambique, Nampula, lighthouse
Islands
Goa island, Ilha de Mozambique, Mozambique

The Island that Illuminates the Island of Mozambique

Located at the entrance to the Mossuril Bay, the small island of Goa is home to a centuries-old lighthouse. Its listed tower signals the first stop of a stunning dhow tour around the old Ilha de Mozambique.

Correspondence verification
Winter White
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Kalandula Waterfalls, Malange, Angola, Savannah
Nature
Kalandula Waterfalls, Angola

Cascading Angola

Considered the second largest in Africa, the Kalandula waterfalls bathe the already grandiose Angola in natural majesty. Since the Portuguese colonial times when they were baptized in honor of king D. Pedro V, also Duke of Bragança, much Lucala river and history has flowed through them.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Lenticular cloud, Mount Cook, New Zealand.
Natural Parks
Mount cook, New Zealand

The Cloud Piercer Mountain

Aoraki/Mount Cook may fall far short of the world's roof but it is New Zealand's highest and most imposing mountain.
At the end of the afternoon
UNESCO World Heritage
Ilha de Mozambique, Mozambique  

The Island of Ali Musa Bin Bique. Pardon... of Mozambique

With the arrival of Vasco da Gama in the extreme south-east of Africa, the Portuguese took over an island that had previously been ruled by an Arab emir, who ended up misrepresenting the name. The emir lost his territory and office. Mozambique - the molded name - remains on the resplendent island where it all began and also baptized the nation that Portuguese colonization ended up forming.
Characters
Look-alikes, Actors and Extras

Make-believe stars

They are the protagonists of events or are street entrepreneurs. They embody unavoidable characters, represent social classes or epochs. Even miles from Hollywood, without them, the world would be more dull.
Boat and helmsman, Cayo Los Pájaros, Los Haitises, Dominican Republic
Beaches
Samaná PeninsulaLos Haitises National Park Dominican Republic

From the Samaná Peninsula to the Dominican Haitises

In the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic, where Caribbean nature still triumphs, we face an Atlantic much more vigorous than expected in these parts. There we ride on a communal basis to the famous Limón waterfall, cross the bay of Samaná and penetrate the remote and exuberant “land of the mountains” that encloses it.
Balinese Hinduism, Lombok, Indonesia, Batu Bolong temple, Agung volcano in background
Religion
Lombok, Indonesia

Lombok: Balinese Hinduism on an Island of Islam

The foundation of Indonesia was based on the belief in one God. This ambiguous principle has always generated controversy between nationalists and Islamists, but in Lombok, the Balinese take freedom of worship to heart
End of the World Train, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
On Rails
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
Executives sleep subway seat, sleep, sleep, subway, train, Tokyo, Japan
Society
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's Hypno-Passengers

Japan is served by millions of executives slaughtered with infernal work rates and sparse vacations. Every minute of respite on the way to work or home serves them for their inemuri, napping in public.
Daily life
Arduous Professions

the bread the devil kneaded

Work is essential to most lives. But, certain jobs impose a degree of effort, monotony or danger that only a few chosen ones can measure up to.
Curieuse Island, Seychelles, Aldabra turtles
Wildlife
Felicité Island and Curieuse Island, Seychelles

From Leprosarium to Giant Turtles Home

In the middle of the XNUMXth century, it remained uninhabited and ignored by Europeans. The French Ship Expedition “La Curieuse” revealed it and inspired his baptism. The British kept it a leper colony until 1968. Today, Île Curieuse is home to hundreds of Aldabra tortoises, the longest-lived land animal.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.