Gym & Spade

8 times right hand is leading, 8 times left, 8 times push, 8 times pull… Was I the first ever person using spade and snow for exercising instead of gym?

That how I made my first volunteering looked like. What about huskies? I heard something, probably wrong, that huskies was aggressive. No, this dogs are very nice and friendly. They behave exactly like dogs supposed to behave unlike homey dogs do. The best dogs I’ve ever seen. They even didn’t smell too much. In winter.

Photo album

To run around with this dogs was a real fun. The only problem was… yes, the owners. I learned that many locals also didn’t like how they treat their huskies and horses.

Husky ride

So at the very early morning of the 3nd of January I came to the junction at the Karigasniemi on the Finnish-Norwegian border, ready to go to my second volunteering place, 70 km back to Finland. This road

Finnish-Norway border, Karigasniemi

was never busy at all even on the weekday, but on Saturday it was a desert in all four directions. When after about 20 minutes the first car approached and stopped next to me, I just jumped into. Lady was driving to Norway, so what? Did it really matter Norway or Finland on minus 35? What did matter was in or out.

My office in Lapland

My driver lived in Finland and worked in Norwagian hospice. The town of destination was Karasjok, 30 km from the border. Not much to do. The ethnography open space museum was closed for the winter, but there was the hotel Scandic next door – the warm bathroom, Lapland styled lobby, wifi, plug for my computer, table, chair close to fire place and … welcome coffee thought I was not going to stay overnight for 90 euros. I was the only person there at the time. The manager even found me accommodation around the corner for 30 euros but at the same time someone offered me a 100 km ride back to Finland right passing my next volunteering place.

Wow, what a job, I love it, and many times heard “good snow work!” from visitors. To make an accurate narrow paths with snow hill aside from parking to the restaurant. To make clear corners on the little square around the gas station. To vanish roads between cottages. I definitely need my biceps to be done to be able to fit my new tiny cycling top. Sleeveless, so biceps are needed. 5 hours of daily throwing snow should help.

8 times right hand is leading, 8 times left, 8 times push, 8 times pull… almost dancing. Was I the first ever person using spade and snow for exercising?

Looks like, otherwise from one side gyms would bankrupt and from the other side no need to employ snow workers. Once or twice I attempted a visit to the gym but couldn’t find anything what could drove me through all their machinery.

Pink sky for an hour instead of sun

What was besides of shovelling? Living in a wooden log, skate skiing, walking in snow shoes in the forest, snowmobiling, even ice fishing once. No, I don’t like any fishing, but that one was very special. I was sitting at the middle of the frozen lake on the deer skin at minus 35! The still most important – it was a snowmobile trip.