Eeva-Liisa Hakala

Working for sports and forests

This year my summer weekends has been all but lonely long rides. And still, I´ve enjoyed my summer more than ever  ! Bike has waited me patiently and it has had my time during weeks, before or after works. Finnish nature is just something that gives you extra energy every time you get in to it. Even you would feel tired you should at least go in the forest: I bet that after it you feel 100 times energetic than before it!

Sometimes I do travel without my bike like did on last weekend. But as always I´m looking places from the perspective of a cyclist. That island (Hailuoto) has plenty of paths to discover with mtb. This time I had other things to focus for, but on one day I´ll go and discover them with my Müsing e-bike  !

https://www.luontoon.fi/hailuoto

https://www.muesing-bikes.de/en/index.html

In Finnish language there´s this saying of "Huitsin nevada" or "Huitsin jorpakko". It means a place somwhere in the middle of nowhere or a unknown located place. It took + 28 years from me to find this mysterious place. When you read maps you can find out interesting things. And then you got to go and see those places on live. I can tell you that this plcae Huitsi and it´s "jorpakko" ( jorpakko = pond or swamp) was pretty nice!

After last post I´ve started a new job and been busy with it. But there´s also been some time to discover my new "homegrounds" with a bike and without it. As a map focused individual I took contact for a local map person. I recieved enough maps to keep me busy for a while. Is there anytihg better than discovering new nature spots  ?

This place is called a "bird pond". And that´s what it really is! I fhinished my forest job for now and headed to northern where I´m starting "a new career in indoors". It means also new surroundings and new paths to discover. And this bird pond has nothing to do with my next adress. It was just some place to see on my roadie  .

I needed a rest day and used it for total different activity than the physical one. With my friend we visited some cultural places and monuments near cities Kotka and Hamina. Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge was one of those: https://www.nationalparks.fi/imperialfishinglodge/history .

This is where I´m currently "living". Weather has not been and will not be very nice for forest works during these days: +25 to +30 °C daily. Heat brings extra stress for my body. But this will be my last forest project for now which is why little physical overstress is ok. I can do it (biceps emoji)!

On my way towards next workfield I had time to meet friends. Last time we´ve seen some 8 months ago  ! We went for little cruise to this island which is located in Tampere city. I hadn´t never been on that island before. It´s small enough to go through in a couple of hours as we did. Now, time to pack equipments and tomorrow I´m heading to new surroundings. I am mentally prepared to receive a fairly heavy working days that await me. See ya  !!!

Many things that I couldn´t imagine at the beginning of this year has hapened during past months... Forest works are somethig that I really like. But I was already heading more towards new career as a physioterapist. You just need to give a shrug and say Covid -19 and everyone understands. Yep, as I´ve told I went back to forest works. First I was working with our own farm projects and then I went to plant trees for external employer. One thing lead to another. Soon I´ll bee heading to south for works. Which means temporary relocation for my living facilities (note: not moving  ).

Before my "relocation" I had chance to see these rocks that I´ve never visited before. They are called Kälviän pesäkivet (or Lohtajan pesäkivet: https://kartta.kokkola.fi/IMS/?layers=Opaskartta&cp=7088804,23531916&z=4&title=K%C3%A4lvi%C3%A4n%20pes%C3%A4kivet). Especially in these times when it is good to favor domestic tourism and especially nature sites I recommend that you´ll take a look at map and find some spots you´ve never seen before. I bet there are enough new places to visit for you. Even for me who´s been kind of living in forest there are still millions of places that I´ve never seen. Good luck with exploring  !

My life has looked like work pretty much last weeks. And I´m glad about it  . This project will end soon and I'm looking forward the next projects. You never know what´s waiting behind the corner. Just have to go and figure it out!