In search of Central Finland Provincial Trail: Hietama-Saarijärvi

A nice breakfast at Kartano Kievari guesthouse is a good start for today's hike. After a day in the rain it feels good to start walking in dry weather. Before really hitting the road, I check out the simple, newish Hietama church next door.

I leave the highway 13 and walk first along Hietamantie which is an ancient village road. There are loads of lovely flowers by the roadside - wish I knew them all by name. However, I recognize foxglove when I see one, but I've never seen them grow wild in Finland. Wonder if these beauties have escaped from someone's garden?

Hietama school no longer operates in the old school building (1898) but in the more modern one in the same school yard. I prefer the old school... Very soon I step off the road and turn into the forest to follow a parallel path that leads to a large gravel pit.

The gravel pit area itself is off limits as there is work going on. The machinery used makes a bit of noise so I'm happy to step back among the trees and through a small meadow.

The Central Finland Provincial Trail follows wide and narrow paths as well as small roads. I cross a railroad track, pass houses and a farm after which I reach a calm track through the woods. There are blueberries everywhere. 

I stop to admire the moss-covered rocks, especially the one that is split in half. But I don't want to disturb the tender moss by leaving my footprints on it... It feels good to walk on such a good path and over here it is no trouble to follow the trail although the blue trail marks are still a rare sight. Should I have carried a can of blue paint with me?

The path again returns to a small road at Parantala, surrounded by farms and fields. There are large letters on the roof of the old cowshed but I can't discern exactly what it says, because of the shadows of the trees. Does it say Kuoppala? After a while, I see the first cows of the day.

I pause for some wild strawberries by the side of the path, but then I see something even better: arctic brambles. It makes a difference to be walking instead of cycling or driving; moving any faster than on my two feet I probably wouldn't notice such little things as these delicious berries. The clouds are gathering above me and the first raindrops land on my face. Time for a rain coat, time to leave the road and start hunting for the next path. It was supposed to begin right here?

Never mind, I'll just turn to the right direction and am sure to find the path again soon - so true. Alas, the path is somewhat overgrown but still recognizable; there are no trees growing on the old track. Not just yet, that is.

The thistles are taller than me. Luckily, the path becomes clear after the bushes and the clouds make way for the sun. Walking on the mire I know I am definitely on the right track. A sign warns me about cars: a road is again coming up. 

The route takes me back to the highway 13 at Parantala. This is where the former Parantalankoski rapids were before the water-power station was built. Somewhere there is lake Kiimasjärvi, and behind my back is lake Pyhäjärvi.

After the Parantala bridge, there are surprises ahead. Trail signs! Not necessarily on trees or signposts, but somewhere... The broken sign gives the distances as Parantala 2, Saarijärvi 23. One look at the map tells me that I may not need to walk more than 20 kilometres; there are two alternatives for the last part of the trail and I've already decided to take the shorter route to Saarijärvi.

Parantala area gives me the best Central Finland Provincial Trail experience of the day: there are some original trail signs from the 1980's and blue paint marks along the path. There is even a welcome sign that marks the border between Äänekoski and Saarijärvi towns - right in the middle of the forest! The path is well trodden, and not just by people: someone definitely rides here regularly.

Goodbye, you wonderful path, and hello civilization. Only for a while, though. The railroad track would offer the fastest route to Saarijärvi, but I'm not in a hurry. It is time to look for the next path somewhere on my right.

I've learnt my lesson: this must (have been) a path. I jump across the brook and continue my way through the bushes...

Meadowsweets aren't prickly, they are just tall and wet. Felled forest. A splash of blue paint on a tree. Oh yes, this is the trail. I wonder, what it will be like to walk on a well marked path after this trip. Boring?

This moss-covered car must have been parked among the trees decades ago. I forget to check the front of the car and can't tell the make from the rear lights. Anyway, there must be a road and houses nearby.

Next, I spend some kilometers walking on a dirt road, passing houses and summer houses, cultivated fields, planted trees. Many of the summer houses have names - such as Riemula, Summanmutikka, Ruusuranta, Ruskoranta. At Sääksniementie road, after the market garden, a trail sign (fallen by the side of the road) again reveals the distance to my destination: Saarijärvi 15, Äänekoski 27.

Road, path, or... Yes, this is a path... At least according to my map. A group of black grouses jumps, having been standing in the middle of the path, gets up in the air and the birds take shelter on the branches of the spruces around me. Sorry!

At least this route is very varied! The dirt road is easy to walk so I have plenty of time to watch the clouds drift above me - and see the rain arrive. On the other side of the railroad track, I hear the traffic of highway 13. In a minute, I can see a truck slow down and turn. I wonder if that is a petrol station or a café?

I step off the path to Linnan Liisa café-restaurant for a cup of hot tea and a fresh bun before returning to the rain. A woman in the next table looks at me in wonder when I put my gore-tex jacket back on. Why would anyone want to go out when it is so wet? I do. I want to keep on walking, and the rain will not last forever.

Getting closer to Saarijärvi, I see some more blue trail marks. However, once I step off the road, the marks disappear and I need to rely on my maps and keep on believing that I am on the right track. Past the houses, somewhere there behind the bushes, round the field, past the tall thistles...

I am now almost at the last "oh trail, where art thou" part of the trail. That house wasn't there when the trail map was printed! However, after a bit of searching I again find the track and am rewarded also by the sun which makes the raindrops on the branches and plants sparkle so beautifully.

A dirt road leads me to Saarijärvi industrial area: first Kangastie, then the long and straight Rajalantie and the possibility to choose from two alternative routes to Saarijärvi centre. I don't turn to the left on Uuraistentie road but choose the shorter track, just as I had planned to do. The narrow stretch of forest opens to a larger one and I find myself on a very good path, going past the calm Mäkelänlampi pond.

The path rises slowly but surely and leads me to the local sports venue on Kusiaismäki; in the winter, there are lots of cross-country skiing tracks as well as a possibility for downhill skiing and for some of us, for skijumping. I am close to the finish already!

There it is: Saarijärvi (saari = island, järvi = lake). The town is named after the lake. It feels strange to be back on the fairly straight asphalt roads, the noise, people. The last two days on the Central Finland Provincial Trail have been so different! I have done my best to stay on the trail as marked on the map that was published 25-30 years ago, and have mostly made it. It would be great if this stretch between Suolahti and Saarijärvi was also revived and perhaps marked again properly, though!

The remains of the trail sticker catch my eye on a lamp post when I am walking my last kilometer of the day towards Saarijärvi center, to catch my ride home. It has been simply fun and interesting to be walking on this kind of trail, and a good experience to read maps more carefully for a change. It is worth it to leave the well-worn paths sometimes, to find something new... Being able to do this with a very light backpack was a bonus: I don't often do a 2-day hike without a sleeping bag.

The Central Finland Provincial Trail continues from Saarijärvi towards the north as a marked trail, and there is a new map available. I will need different gear for that hike... But I'll be back!

In search of Central Finland Provincial Trail: Suolahti-Hietama

It only takes a minute or two before I am hit by the first drops of rain. Until now the sky has only been promising rain in Suolahti, Central Finland, where I start my quest for the Central Finland Provincial Trail. The trail used to run through most of the province of Central Finland, from the south to the north, but it is no longer maintained in its entirety. As far as I know, the trail was last marked properly in the 1980's in the area I've chosen to walk now - between Suolahti and Saarijärvi. I am equipped with (black and white) trail maps from approximately 1985 and a newer map which doesn't show the the trail. It would really help to have a proper look at either of these maps before hitting the road... However, I skip that part, take a wrong turn and end up by the wrong road.

How about a good look at the map now? I decide to go to a place where I've seen some traces of the Central Finland Provincial Trail last year, when following it from the direction of Jyväskylä to Suolahti. The blue signs point me back to the path that leads close to Keitele Hotel, where I started earlier but at least I will stay on the right track this time...

I wonder if this ancient footpath sign - the man has a backpack! - located in the bushes, is an omen. But at least I'm finally on the trail and soon find myself on a narrow track through a small forest, followed by a saunter across the asphalt roads of an industrial area. Stepping on the Pässinradantie road feels weird; it is so straight!

However, the name Pässinrata is a clue: rata means a railroad track which is exactly what there used to be earlier. The narrow railroad track became obsolete decades ago. Walking along the slightly muddy road, I watch for any remains of trail signs and am rewarded at least twice by a glimpse of faded blue paint on the old spruces.

Some kilometres later, a single motor boat heading north is rocking in the waves of Paatela lock, where the gap between the gates is slowly widening, letting in the water from lake Keitele. Paatela lock connects lake Keitele with lake Kuhnamo; the rise is 7-8 meters and the canal is about 500 meters long. This lock brings back memories from a kayaking trip some years back; I remember how it felt to paddle through the gates alone in a kayak, find a place not too close to the front gates, take hold of something in the wall, hear the gate behind me shut and then start the slow descent towards lake Kuhnamo.

I feel I've deserved a cup of tea and have a break at Paatelan Portti café-restaurant next to the canal. However, the rain is kind enough wait for me and I get a feeling it will keep me company for many more hours to come! This is where I (again) step off the trail (as marked in the map): the map was published before the canal was built by a group of Soviets in the early 1990's! Before that, there was no waterway here connecting the two lakes. I cross the canal along the tall bridge.

I tread along Sulkutie ('lock road'), cross the railroad tracks that were built to replace the old Pässinrata and find myself on the other side of the road between Suolahti and Äänekoski.When I arrive at the road that leads to Valio dairy (manufacturer of Aura blue cheese), I discover an original Central Finland Provincial Trail sign, complete with the wood grouse that symbolizes Central Finland. The blueberries by the tall spruces taste good... I start following the narrow trail happily but arrive far too early to the road, instead of going round the Ahola farmhouse like I should have done. Once again, I should be more close attention to the map, if I intend to stick to the original trail.

Oh well, no need to take it so seriously. The asphalt footpath offers an easy way to Äänekoski and as the rain continues, it's quite OK even if I have to endure the passing cars and trucks. This is where lake Keitele must have been originally connected to lake Kuhnamo; by Äänekoski rapids. Naturally, the location was ideal for making more money and a groundwood mill and a board mill were built there at the end of the 19th century.

I slip from the path once again, but this time on a purpose: to see if I could get a snack at the centre of Äänekoski. I am in luck and get a hot pancake from the local Women's Club stall at the almost deserted market place, and Wilhelmiina bakery next door is open until 7 pm. Thank you!

I've still got some kilometers left... First by the side of the Kotakennääntie road instead of a calm forest. The proud mistress of the roundabout is hopefully trying to make the skies turn blue instead of grey! Or is she casting a spell to catch some more fish?

On the other side of Kotakennääntie road the pink representative of functionalism, Hotelli Hirvi (1937), is also acting as a pedestal for a slim statue of its namesake hirvi, an elk. At the yard of the local youth club there is an old, small airplane. No longer in use, though.

On my side of the road, I rest my eyes on the artwork that covers the apartment building walls, as well as on the blue paint that can still be seen on some lamp posts. Trail marks! The footpath leads me to the highway E4 and even more traffic, but I won't need to tolerate the noise very much longer.

There are two bridges across Kotakennää at Äänekoski: the smaller one remains in use for local traffic only, and the larger one serves E4. The still erect Central Finland Provincial Trail sign tells me that the distance to Saarijärvi is 45 km. I doubt I've got so much left... It probably means the longer track that you would use when skiing.

The view from the bridge to lake Kuhnamo is very grey today, thanks to the rain. No boats. And very few walkers about on the roads...

After the bridge, there is a little ascent and a tunnel under E4 highway. The dirt road seems like a more reliable option than attempting to find the old trail from the side of the road so I stick to the road even though I manage to discern a blue trail mark among the trees. The old path seems to be so overgrown that I don't feel too bad about cheating a little. A sign to the right says Tärttävuoren lintutorni (Tärttävuori bird watching tower), 800 meters... Not in this weather.

I arrive at the fork of Tärttämäentie and Tärttälahdentie roads; my trail is the left one. The fields are not all cultivated anymore and trees are slowly taking over. At Kalliomäentie I meet someone and test his knowledge: do you know the provincial trail, perhaps?

Glad I asked. His advice was to walk on for about half a kilometre, then take this turn and keep going, even if the trail may look overgrown. He lets me discover myself that that occasionally the trail turns out to be not overgrown at all, but those rare occasions are a pleasant surprise...

... Because this is a more typical sight in front of me. It is not raining hard, but steadily, and whatever touches me when I push through the undergrowth, is wet...

However, it pays to keep reading the map and I even manage to find some trail marks on the trees! Still not lost!

Oh yes, this is a path. Although not too many people have been walking here recently. I start to think that I will really need map reading skills this time; the trail was probably last marked decades ago and even then it may not have been in heavy use in summer time.

I keep on reading the plastic-covered maps and hope for the rain to end, in vain. I am soaked - gore-tex doesn't always keep you dry - but realize I don't actually mind. The weather is warm and my backpack is extremely lightweight so I can simply take it as it is. A summer's day and a trail that whispers: now you see me, now you don't, but keep going! Somewhere around here there should be a place for making a fire, taken care of by the local villagers, but I miss it. Never mind. It's not too far to go anymore!

I walk past beautiful birches, a farm house called Onnela (Happiness house) and the sound of the traffic seems to increase. The flock of sheep is taking cover on the side of the field. Time for me to take cover also, isn't it.

Arriving at highway 13, I spot a Central Finland Hiking Trail sign by the side of the road. However, I choose not to walk among the tall grass but stick to the asphalt... My destination, Kartano Kievari (a hotel / bar / dance hall / summer theatre venue) is only few steps away.  I don't feel like a proper hiker because I'm sleeping between sheets instead of in a tent tonight, but the idea of carrying hardly anything for two days was very tempting and I fell for it. Plus I have a chance to dry my clothes properly overnight!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring - more or less trail signs, and will I keep on (almost) staying on the trail? For a change, this is so much more interesting than following a well marked trail where you don't need a map!