5 days backpacking in Lapland - midnight sun, water crossings & snowy fells (FULL MOVIE)

Join me and my friend on this 100 km backpacking adventure to Urho Kekkonen national park in Lapland. Established in 1983, the national park is the second largest in Finland encompassing over 2,500 km² of magnificent arctic wilderness, fells, and rivers, so it’s no wonder we keep coming back here. It’s also our second most popular national park, but most of the visitors tend to stay near the ski resorts and other services on the Western side, whereas we start our journey from the far North-East corner of the park. This video will include a lot of midnight sun, campfires and coffee, and many water crossings which are always interesting during the early summer as the winter’s snow is melting down fast! Here’s our route with timestamps:

0:00 Day 1 - Arriving to Urho Kekkonen national park and hiking from Raja-Jooseppi until midnight to Hirvaspäänpalo campfire site.
13:51 Day 2 - Following Anterinjoki (Anteri's river) towards the center of the national park. We stop by Anterin pyöräparkki laavu and Anterinmukka. We end the day by climbing over the trip's first fells and setup camp by Muorravaarakanjoki campfire place.
38:54 Day 3 - We climb to Sokosti, the highest fell in Urho Kekkonen national park and in Eastern Lapland. Great views! Stayed the following night at Muorravaarakka open wilderness hut camping area.
1:00:26 Day 4 - We start trekking back north, following Muorravaarakanjoki downstream. On our way we hear about the overflowing Harrijoki and got to experience one of our sketchiest water crossings ever. Day ended at Jyrkkävaara open wilderness hut camping grounds.
1:15:17 Day 5 - Again following rivers, first Suomujoki and then the mighty Lutto river, we head back to where we started. The park doesn't let us out without one final water crossing through Kiertämäjoki, which proved to be the deepest one (although not having the strongest current) of the trip.
1:23:22 - Final summary of the five-day backpacking trip and video showcasing the historical Raja-Jooseppi homestead.

This is how Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland describes the area:
"Trek through this magnificent arctic fell country on foot or on skis, finding your way to a welcoming wilderness hut for the night. This vast park extends eastwards from the resort of Saariselkä through the wilderness of Finnish Lapland all the way to the Russian border. The remote fell of Korvatunturi is famous among Finns as the home of Father Christmas. The night sky is illuminated by the Aurora Borealis in winter and the Midnight Sun in summer."

More information about Raja-Jooseppi homestead: https://www.nationalparks.fi/en/urhokekkonennp/sights#rajajooseppi

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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 https://511tactical.fi/

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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!

Видео 5 days backpacking in Lapland - midnight sun, water crossings & snowy fells (FULL MOVIE) канала Taival Outdoors