This collection of photos was given birth while I was visiting a place called Kilpisjärvi located in Northern Finland. The trip that was planned to last for a weak turned into a short cry for reckless gasoline consumption. Well, the wandering attempt wasn't a full disappointment: I learned a lot about the cruel environment of the mountains of Lappland, myself and about the trees that seem to equal to warmth and safety. Watch and read, and find the seed.

The first view for highlands. The weather was cool and dank - it was raining. The River Torniojoki flows as peacefully as ever. It would have been nice to have a kayak under you butt and shuffle along.

The adventure has reached a line where pines change to stunted birch trees. The dark clouds are waiting and no soul is on the move. Even the reindeer are gone. What is there to see?

The heavy heap of iron and gas was left at the foot of Mount Saana and I climbed up to the root of these wooden steps. They would ease my quest to conquer the zenith of this dark giant. The weather was in an unpredictable state: the feeble drizzling had just ended but the wind was rising.

I was surprised by a windy snowfall but it only speeded up my climb. It was about nine o'clock in the evening when I reached the crown of Saana. There wasn't much to see as the visibility was poor. I was pleased with my camera that was still working.

I ran down hoping the weather would be more favorable on the lower end of the slope but the windy snowfall continued. Luckily, the tree line that was well covered from the gale gave me some warmth and I was able to regain some of the small pieces of my strength and moral. The adventure had just begun.

The mountain had just shown its perilous side and was still watching over my journey from the cover of hectic show dust and mist. The clock was half past one in the night and there was still some steps left between my feet and the first place of rest.

I found my place. There was a one rock in the little forest that was to be my shelter. I offered her the faint glow of my body and she returned the favor by being my protection against the horrible wind. I slept like a baby under her wing. The picture was taken in the morning when the wind had eased a bit and the sky had some beautiful spots of blue. The prop in the left corner of the lean-to was already cut so I didn't weaken the fragile existence of the forest.

The Lake Tsahkaljärvi was mostly frozen over. Its water was crystal clear.

Another image from the same lake. In the end of the day I would be somewhere behind that hill on the left - or so I had planned.

The path around the lake was a bit bumpy. It and the overloaded backpack put my calves on their limits. There was some snow in the air at the time but the overexposure is the main reason for the terrible brightness in this picture.

There was plenty of vivid water in the cascades of Tsahkaljoki but the only real life I noticed was in the junipers that were hopelessly scattered around the scanty forest.

The path, that was called Kalottireitti, took me over the borderline and I had a privilegde to travel in the mystical world of Valkyries. My visit to Norway was only a kilometer and a half long and there wasn't much to see. There was just stones, stones and stones. My path was covered by the stones.

I looked back and it was still there - the mighty Saana whose eyes are never closed.

Stones...

...stones...

...and stones. But what is that? Is it a house?

Oh yes, it was a house, the building that was my target. It took a while to get there but finally I found myself from the heart of a large cottage full of firewood and gas. The place could have supported an army of women and men if needed. I warmed up the oven to have some warmth but it proved to be unnecessary. After a couple of minutes the cottage was full of people: an old man, three young Estonians and a Finnish couple occupied the building in a few beer-smelling seconds. In a short shot of purposeful talk I found out that the coming kilometers were covered by white snow and that I would need snowshoes to continue my quest. I made a fast decision: I would head back to to the tree line - and home. I ate a pair of sausages and some noodles with dried meat, then lifted up my backpack and went back into the wild. It was seven o'clock in the evening and I was very tired but I kept my mind. I started to trudge back towards the trees I had left couple of hours earlier. I counted on the sun and the fact, that the distant star would never go down.

No one was able to escape from the freezing wind. No one.

A farewell to the cottage between the two lakes. The clouds didn't promise much for the beings before them.

A scared wanderer trembling in the hands of the everlasting wind. The last pieces of chocolate have just touched his swollen lips. Is this the right place for him?

A rusty artifact was lying on the ground close to the path. I took it into my hand for a second but then I put it back onto the colorless moss. It was a gift for someone else to enjoy.

Blotches of snow delayed my walk. I had to use old tracks because the virginal snow wasn't hard enough to hold my weight. I have to admit that I hated those footprints. They were icy and sometimes even so deep that the heirlooms of your very own were in grave danger.

The first trees. One of them "earned" a warm kiss as I was very happy to join their community once again. A kind of a treehugger was born.

I looked for a shelter and found it. The second camping place was in a slope of a small hill that was surrounded by two becks. This photo was taken in the morning as the beautiful rays played on my face. I felt as light as a bird and Mount Saana seemed to be smiling at me as well. And yes, I carried that little tripod chair from the beginning to the very end:)

This was a one of the finest views I saw. No a hint of snow can be seen - yet. All the colors are in the skies. I tried to reach for them, but to no avail.

The cascades of Tsahkaljoki are waiting again. There is a small brigde at the upper end of the steep river formation.

Weaklings like me get easily hypnotized by this kind of views. I enjoyed the stream and drank a couple of cups of cold mountain water.

On the frozen sea they swam and kissed like the last of the days was already gone.

In Norway there must be a lot of work for snowshoemakers.

Interesting ice sculptures. The one on the right was like a horseshoe.

The River of Saanajoki was not going to abandon the frozen lakes of Kilpisjärvi and Alajärvi. Small, but constant flow is enough if there is many of them.

If I could breathe water I would do it in this place. I would fill my lungs with crystals and feel the call of the ancient spirits. If only I could...

Yet another wall of clouds was approaching. This way was not the choice of the day.

The steep slope of Saana doesn't look as mighty in the picture as it is in the real world. I would really hesitate to climb up there, even if I wasn't a bit scared for heights.

Someone has fallen from somewhere. The becks still find their way down to the bottom of the valley.

The rare greenness increased as I got closer to the starting point of my incomplete quest. The gasoline eater was parked on a slot next to the building of the Kilpisjärvi Hiking Center.

For whom are you carrying that water? Why don't you just release its weight and follow the way of the others?

The lonely fireplace called Muotkatakka is located at the highest point of Finnish roads. It would get pretty cold if you were living at a height of 565,8 meters without any walls.

He was the only being I got acquinted with on the whole trip.

Back to the zoo of Tornio. This mammal won't escape your touch, not in a million years.

The smiling face that did everything to join my journey. I had to turn him down because it was forbidden to take his kind of hairy creatures over the borderlines. However, I think that he still enjoyed lying beside me on the warm greenness of my parents' garden. Green - now I truly understand why it has always been my favorite color. Always.