Sarkasvuori rock painting, Juva

The ice-covered, winding roads force me to drive extremely carefully to my destination at Juva, southern Savo, Finland. I take a free mini-cruise on on ferry (1-2 minutes, there is no bridge) to Hirvensalo before reaching Uimasalo and Ristilampi lake. The spring hasn't arrived here just yet although it is on its way; it is still the ice age of winter 2013 and the lakes are frozen which means that I don't need to follow the marked path to the rock paintings. I pick up my snowshoes...

Or should have bothered to take the snowshoes with me at all? There seems to be so little snow left on the ice that I really don't need to wear them when walking on Ristilampi lake. Oh well, they might come in handy later.
I wonder if that rock has something to do with the rock paintings?

As soon as I leave the lake the snowshoes come in handy. There is still plenty of snow on the ground. I walk up to the rocks by Ristilampi lake and find out that this is a prehistoric quartz quarry, not yet a place to discover rock paintings.

In this distant place there have been people hard at work such a long time ago! Just imagine - quartz from this very rock has been used for knives or arrow heads in the Stone, Bronze or Iron Age and the tools used in the excavation weren't exactly modern.

I follow the arrow sign and the occasional red ribbons tied on trees to head for the rock paintings. The ravine between the rocks offers plenty to see around me: there are gorgeous icicle formations both on my right and left. I keep following the red ribbons as long as I can but when there are no further ribbons, keep on walking, in the hopes of arriving at the right place. However, when I reach a lake, I quickly realize that it is a whole lot bigger than the one I have memorized on the map before arriving here so I'd better head back and try again.

Yes, it is indeed interesting to be out walking without a printed map, trying to memorize the map from an online service that doesn't seem to be available when I'm on the spot. Wonder why I prefer to carry a printed map with me whenever I can instead of relying always on my cell phone? But no, it isn't really a problem because this is such a small area and I remember which way the right lake was supposed to be. Very soon I am walking on Sarkaslampi lake and start scanning the rocks for a rock painting. It goes on for a while... without success. I should probably have followed the trail (that is somewhere high up) instead of walking on the ice because there might be a sign leading me to the rock painting at this end of the lake.

I keep on walking slowly on the ice and lose my hope of spotting the first rock painting. However, as soon as I have passed the group of guys who have been winter fishing on the lake (and who are enjoying their break by an open fire) I spot an interesting looking rock and a sign beneath it. Once I'm there, it doesn't take long to find the  Sarkasvuori rock painting - it is clearly an elk! The rock painting is a couple of metres from the ground - the water level was much higher earlier - and the elk dates probably back to 3300-3700 B.C.

This is how long-lived artwork was made before spray cans took over. The red paint has survived surprisingly well over the years, telling its greetings from the days gone by so long ago. It is very easy to see the elk but the shape above it could be whatever. A human? I'm glad that the water level in lake Saimaa is exactly where it is now so that it is not possible to reach the elk painting and it can stay as it is, protected by law but unguarded here by a small lake in the middle of nothing. Almost.

The fishermen return back to the ice and sit down on their stools to continue fishing on this beautiful, sunny day. I wave a hello and walk past them to find my way back to Ristilampi. I feel a pang of sadness; this may well be my last snowshoeing trip this winter that is clearly turning to spring.

Map of Ristilampi - Sarkasvuori, Juva

Laukaa: Saraakallio rock paintings

Laukaa's Saraakallio in Central Finland can be reached both by water and on foot, and the easiest way to get there is by a marked path from the road between Tarvaala and Kuusaa. Once you have made it to the start of the trail, there is no need for a map. The texts only tell about the place in Finnish language, so this is what it is all about: there are prehistoric rock paintings at Saraakallio rock, and this is the largest rock painting in the whole of Fennoscandia. If I'm lucky, I may soon see images that are thousands of years old!

The trail goes through an opening to the spruce forest where the yellow trail marks guide you forward, towards more open space and pine trees.

I find myself on top of a ridge although there was hardly any ascent. The marked path continues along the ridge but I remember my only previous visit to Saraakallio that the one and only rock painting I discovered was from below. Of course, that time I came here by kayak and my poor footwear was more suitable for sitting in a kayak than walking on slippery, wet rocks...

Following my instinct, I abandon the marked trail and take a path leading towards the shore. Very soon I thank myself for choosing the right footwear this time. Hiking boots are the best for this rocky area where you really have to watch your step on the partly wet ground. Luckily, I slip only once and land on my butt on the wet moss. Careful!

Try as I might, it is far from easy to try to spot a rock painting - they really aren't marked! It takes ages for me to find even one, but finally I decide to trust my judgement and start believing that this red shape was made by a human being some thousand years ago. After all, there are more than a hundred paintings here...

I continue my search, put on sunglasses, take them off, still nothing more. The bright yellows on the bottom of the cliff try to brighten me up but of course it would be great to spot some more rock paintings, not just some pretty lichen!

On I go, walking further beneath the cliffs that are indeed a handsome sight. With or without rock paintings. Lake Saravesi glitters in the sun and I feel I'm higher and higher.

Even higher, on the top of the cliff, there is a neat shoe-shaped piece of rock off which a slice has clearly fallen down ages ago. I really like the shape of it. Why? Shoe is 'kenkä' in Finnish! Hi there mate!

I watch my step even more closely when I continue walking on the steep cliffs, but seeing that others have gone before me, it must be safe enough for me as well. Then I am rewarded: a real rock painting! I interpret these are human figures.

 

I have finally arrived to the right place. There are many easily distinguishable paintings right here, even if not all shapes are easy to interpret. However, you can't miss this elk walking on the cliff. If the weather wasn't so dry, it would be even easier to spot the red paintings.

I am walking without a guidebook or leaflet so luckily, I get some help from two better equipped walkers in trying to decipher what some of the paintings represent. The one above is apparently a boat with four people on it, and this is the one I remember seeing on my earlier trip. 

It is quite amazing; at Kirkkoniemi, not too far from here, I already felt I've stepped back in time but here I can see artwork created by our ancestors thousands of years ago.

The sign attached to the rock wall says that this is a prehistoric site, protected by law. The rock paintings have stayed there for so long... I really hope they will remain as they are for hundreds, thousands of years.

I descend to the lakeshore but the water level in Lake Saravesi is very high right now, just like in the other lakes in the area, and it is not possible to continue walking along the shore with dry feet. I turn back and return to the marked trail that will lead me to the top of Saraakallio.

Lake Saravesi is quiet and beautiful. I can hear only one motor boat crossing the lake - the summer season hasn't really started yet because the lake hasn't been unfrozen for long. Further away, on the other side of the lake, I can see the church tower at the Laukaa village. I'm taking with me memories of both our prehistoric past and this serene scenery.