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Feb
21

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Easter Hike 2018: Finnmark in Norway and Lappland in Finland 31.3.-7.4.

Category: News (in English), paasiaisvaellus, Tulevat tapahtumat, Uutiset (etusivu)

During the 2013 Autumn Hike we discovered a new area for hiking – Stabbursdalen National Park in the Arctic Finnmark of Norway. Now we intend to go back there and see how it looks in wintertime and experience unforgettable adventures and the awesome nature! The Stabbursdalen National Park has rugged hills, great views to the Porsanger fjord, rocky terrains and deep river valleys. The special attraction there is the world’s northernmost pine forest. Alternatively you can get off the bus in Finnish Lapland and hike in the regions of Paistunturit, Muotkatunturit, Kevo Strict Nature Reserve and Kárašjohka. The bus for the Easter Hike will leave from Oulu on Saturday morning the 31st of March and we will return back Saturday evening the 7th of April. The total price for the hike is 90 euros including transportation, maps of the area, the after-hike meal and sauna. You are welcome to join the hike even if you are not a Scout or have no previous hiking experience – provided you are able and know how to ski. If you have not taken part in SOOPA hikes before or you have questions about this hike then there is a special meeting just for you in Wednesday 28.2. 5pm at Kolo (look at Kolo location in the map in right —>).

Registration form is here, sign-up at no later than Monday the 19th of March 11pm.

Hiking with SOOPA

On the annual Easter Hike the participants are divided in to groups of 4-6 people. Each group will contain experienced hikers who are happy to advice beginners. The groups hike independently and each group is free to choose their own hiking area and route according to their wishes. The possible hiking areas are the Stabbursdalen and Kárašjohka regions in Norway and the vast Muotka- and Paistunturi wilderness areas as well as the famous Kevo Strict Nature Reserve. There is something for everybody in these regions, whether you are a beginner or an experienced wilderness adventurer. A typical hike includes 50-100 kilometres of skiing. On the Easter Hike the hikers typically spend their nights in tents. The Lappland region also contains a few wilderness huts, so it is possible to enjoy a little warming fire and the unique atmosphere of the wilderness huts during the hike. On the other hand, the harsh wildernesses of Stabbursdalen provides challenges for the experienced hikers.

General guidelines and testing your fitness

Before leaving for the Easter Hike you should read through our general guidelines for SOOPA’s hikes, especially if you haven’t been on a hike before. The guidelines may also give useful ideas for more experienced hikers to make the hikes even more pleasant.

Hiking requires at least moderate physical fitness. If you don’t have any clue of your fitness level, you can test your fitness for the hike by doing a fitness test (there are plenty online, for example google: ’walking test’). Testing your fitness is not necessary, but hiking with the group will be much more pleasant when the members have about the same capability and attitude for hiking. If you do a test, mark down the name and result of the test and submit the information in the ”Physical Fitness” section of the registration form.

There will be an info event about the practical arrangements of the hike on Wednesday 28.2. at 5 pm at Kolo (look Kolo location in the map in right —>). In this event you can also get useful advice on what to do before the hike and during the hike. In this event you can ask the organizers and experienced hikers all the mind-bugging questions about the hike that you can think of.

Groups, food and gear

When arranging the groups, we will do our best to take into account the fitness level of the hikers as well as their personal wishes. There will also be some more experienced hikers in each group. Each group will also have a group leader who is usually a more experienced hiker. The most important tasks of the group leader is to make sure the group has got all the necessary gear they need and inform SOOPA if there are any problems before the hike. Every group member is responsible that communication in the group works.
Food will be prepared in small cooking groups, usually consisting of 2 people. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be needed for each hiking day, and the cooking groups can decide themselves what they would like to take. Read more about hiking food.
The Easter Hike can be challenging so it is important to have suitable gear for arctic weather conditions. Especially first-time hikers should take time to get prepared and check their equipment with care – especially the sleeping bag and the mattress must be suitable for sleeping in a tent. The gear list for a winter hike gives an overview of the most important equipment, both personal and group gear. It is not necessary to own all the group gear mentioned in the list because the group members can agree upon how to get the equipment needed. Tents suitable for camping can be borrowed from SOOPA free of charge. There are also other places where you can ask to borrow hiking gear such as www.kuinoma.fi or emailing other SOOPA members: soopa(at)lists.oulu.fi. For some rentable gear such as skis, boots or down jackets you can ask the SOOPA storage-keeper: venla.vuolanto (a) student.oulu.fi.
It is important to be active in the planning phase! Your group needs to know what you want to do, the gear you have and the overall situation concerning the hike. How else are you going to solve any of the problems you might come across?

Pre-trip meeting for the hikers

A pre-trip meeting will be held before the hike for all the participants. It is an opportunity for you to get to know your fellow group members before the hike, and plan about the route you want to take. Moreover, the groups can check that they have all the needed group gear, and assign cooking groups for the hike. The meeting is also an excellent place for new hikers to get more information about the hiking area as well as learn some basics about the gear and safety on hikes. There will be experienced hikers who are more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

If the group does not resolve the afore-mentioned things in the pre-meeting, it is the group leader’s responsibility to make sure all the needed arrangements are made before departure. If you cannot make it to the meeting, please contact your group and group leader to get all the necessary information. The meeting time will be announced by email to registered hikers.

Schedule for the trip

We will travel to the hiking area by bus. Pick-up places are the following: 1) The Central Bus Station in the city center, 2) Tuira (Merikoskenkatu) or 3) Linnanmaa (Uni. campus). When we return to Oulu, you can be dropped off at the same places. We will depart from Oulu early in the morning of Saturday 31nd of March and be back in Oulu on Saturday evening 7th of April. The departure and arrival times will be arranged according to the arrival/departure times of the trains from southern Finland. The exact schedule for the hike will be announced later in the instructions sent to the hikers after the sign-up period has ended.

Before returning back home we will have sauna and after-hike meal, which are included in the price. Please note that you should take along towels, shampoo and fresh clothes in a separate bag for the after-hike sauna. Those things can be left on the bus during the hike so you do not have to carry them with you for a week.

Signing up

Sign up for the hike with online form. The last day for registration is 19th of March 2018, before midnight. This is also when all the payments for the hike are due. If you sign up after this it will cost 15 euros extra and you should also send email to the hike organizers about your participation. The first 49 hikers to sign up will be automatically selected on the hike. Preference is given to SOOPA members that are currently studying at the University, but usually there has been room for everybody.

SOOPA has the right to deny the hike from a person who is seen as dangerous to himself or the group. This might occur due to some of following reasons: poor fitness level, lack of skiing skills or health condition. In such a case, all payments will be reimbursed to that person.

All SOOPA’s events are alcohol-free.

Price and payment

The price for the hike is 90 euros. The price includes transportation from Oulu to and from the hiking area, sauna and a fancy meal on the way back, as well as a map of the hiking area. The price does not include any insurance, thus everyone is responsible for themselves. The participants must also pay SOOPA’s membership or supporting membership fee for the year 2018 to take part in the hike. Please follow the instructions for becoming a SOOPA member and paying the membership fee.

All payments have to be made to SOOPA’s bank account:

IBAN: FI72 574136 20057718
SWIFT/BIC: OKOYFIHH
Reference number: 11594
Sum: 90 euros
Remember to also pay SOOPA’s membership or supporting membership fee for the year 2018.

The payments for the hike have to be paid to SOOPA’s bank account by no later than the 12nd of March, so it is highly recommend that you can pay right after signing up for the hike. Those who have not paid the participation fee for the hike or SOOPA’s membership fee by the deadline will not be considered as participating on the hike. If they still want to join the hike, they must follow the instructions for late sign-up (which results in extra 15 euros fee).

If SOOPA must cancel the hike for some reason, all payments will be returned. You may also inquire for the the membership fee to be returned, if you do not intend to take part in any other SOOPA events during this year.

If you get ill before the hike, you may ask about the reimbursement of the payments with a written message from the persons in charge of the hike (soopa.vaeltaa(at)gmail.com) and they will forward your message to SOOPA board, who will make the decision.

 

Contact information

If you have further questions about the hike, please contact soopa.vaeltaa(at)gmail.com

Welcome to the Easter Hike!

With warm regards,

Easter Hike committee