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    mid-winter snowshoe trekking in sipoonkorpi

    Sipoonkorpi (the wilderness forest of Sipoo) is located just in suitable distance from the main office of Ketunretket. January weather was not too cold and bright sunlight was visible, at least a couple of hours of the day. So we decided to grab our skipoles and snowshoes and pay a visit to the National Park of Sipoonkorpi. There we could have some grilled sausages and black coffee beside the fire. This kind of winter activities are offered to all of our customers during the winter time.
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    Arja and the icy organs of Sipoonkorpi
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    The ridge was rather steep, but we shall not give up!
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    In the upper part of the ridge the sun came visible
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    Timo on top of the snowy ridge
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    Wouldn't you like this too?
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    Near Ängesböle has been built fire making sites by the Forest Government (Metsähallitus) and they are also bringing firewood there. When we came here, there was already a readymade fire, so it was easy and convenient to start grilling the sausages and making coffee.
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    Even the smallest animals, like this forest mouse Apodemus Flavicollis, needs to have food
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    moonlight sauna and snowshoeing at vaakkoi hut

    Nice freezing weather and thick layer of snow - of those ingredients you can build a great outdoor event here in Finland. That is why we at Ketunretket decided to collect our snowshoes and sauna things and pay a visit to Helsinki Latu community's hut beside pond of Vaakkoi in Vihti, only one hour of drive from Helsinki!
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    Woderful small hut located beside a small pond Vaakkoi, in the Northern side of Nuuksio wilderness area. The owner of the hut and sauna is Helsingin Latu, an outdoor sports and recreation time promoting community, that has more than 7.600 members. This hut has an interesting history, being place for forest works for the unemployed men. These working men had a warm hut to stay overnight and in the other part of the hut there was a lady taking care of the meals for the men. Motorized saw was seldom seen during those times, so it was 2 men required to cut a big tree down. Hard work!
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    There is of course a sauna at this nice pond shoreline. This sauna has during winter time no kind of heating, and everything starts in cutting the firewood and getting water from the well. This sauna bath has a fire stove to heat the water and the Löyly room, and you need to do everything yourself - this is an experience even to a comfort-seeking Finn. You start with making firewood in dark wood-shed, making an open icy pit into the pond ice, carrying water inside the washroom stove... During winter it takes more time to heat this sauna, but that is really worth of it!
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    If you wonder where the water comes to the sauna, here is the answer: first you need to make an open icy pit in the pond ice and then carry the icy water in with buckets!
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    There were other members of Helsingin Latu bathing in the sauna, and we had some extra time to experience the snowy winter wonderland. We could meet here also my wilderness-guide friend Ella testing her snowshoes.
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    This is the way a fox moves in the forest
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    Later in the evening, when other sauna visitors had left, we got the sauna to our personal use. There had grown a new layer of ice in the icy pit, so we had to open it again with the tool available. Arja wanted to go skinny-dipping in the icy pit three times, because then your internal brown fat cells are activated and they will enhance your health and blood pressure gets lower.
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    AAAARGHH... take the photo fast, the eggs of these tubducks a freezing...
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    Hugo simberg-presentation at  kirpilä art home in Helsinki

    Helena Ruuska: Devils and Angels (pirut ja enkelit) in the art of Hugo Simberg
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    Pääsin kuuntelemaan Helena Ruuskan pitämän taide-esitelmän taidekoti Kirpilässä Helsingissä. Helena kertoi kirjoittamansa kirjan kertovan taiteilija Hugo Simbergistä, joka on tehnyt mm. kaikkien tunteman Haavoittuneen Enkelin, joista toinen on Ateneumissa ja toinen Tampereella tuomiokirkossa. Simbergin hahmo selveni huomattavasti kun luki tämän kirjan, voin suositella sitä kaikille symbolismin taidesuunnasta kiinnostuneelle. Tuomiokirkon maalauksien tutkiminen Waltteri Torikan konsertin aikana aiheutti hieman niskanikamien kiertymistä, mutta oli sen arvoista.