I checked Top Sport in Bruksvallarna. They had the right model, but wrong size – so no ski boots for me. I’ll have to try again next winter.

But as long as I have snowshoes, I’m fine. I had an ambitious plan for yesterday, I was going to hike up to Kariknallen (even if you don’t need snowshoes for it, the trail is like a highway). That’s almost 5 km – all of it uphill! Normally I take the snowcat but I felt that I’m in good enough condition to manage it on foot (and if I’m not in a good enough condition, then hikes like this will help to improve it). Turns out that I was right, I felt really good about the progress I was making but I shouldn’t take all the credit for it. I think a big reason why these uphill hikes are suddenly so easy for me is that I’m using the poles like the physical therapist recommended. I still think using poles without skis attached to your feet looks a bit silly, but I am now a convert with regards to the benefits of using them. When you read about nordic walking (walking with poles), they all say that it’s good for you, but then you just dismiss the idea because it looks so silly. It required an order from a PT for me to start with it but now I wouldn’t even consider doing a hike without poles. As soon as I get home, I’ll order a pair of good hiking poles because the ski poles I use at the moment are not practical in the summer and not to mention, they will look even sillier in the summer than they do now. The poles have several benefits (besides the upper body exercise which I think was the main reason why the PT wanted me to use the poles): They help me to walk faster, they help with maintaining a good balance and most of all, they help with carrying the load on my back. As happy as I am about my new backpack, it’s the poles that take off some of the weight. So the poles and the Loka, it’s a winning combination in my eyes! I was already looking forward to the summer hiking season but now I really can’t wait for the premiere tour!

The conditions yesterday, once again, were just amazing. The blue-white Finnish flag supposedly gets its colours from the snow and the sky but even if it wouldn’t be me showing my true colours, I absolutely love the combination (although, not just for the colours themselves but for the simplicity they represent). Photographers in general prefer some fluffy clouds in the sky to spice up the landscape but on days like this, a cloud would just be a distraction. Using only the snow as a compositional element, you can strip the picture to the basics and I felt that the long hike uphill was well and truly worth the effort!