Korpilahti: Path of Sin

Korpilahti is a community about 30 kilometres south from Jyväskylä. Since 2009 it has been officially part of the city of Jyväskylä, but I somehow feel that there haven't been too many changes taking place here - at least not to a visitor's eye. Quite a few smaller communities in Finland have joined forces with their bigger neighbours in the past few years to save money in administration etc. Korpilahti's history as an independent community goes back to 1867 and this mill by Korpijoki river is almost as old, dating to 1874. I reach the frozen shore of the narrow river but at this time of the year I can't see or hear water flowing beneath the ice and snow.

The interesting looking wooden structure that is hanging on the outer wall surely isn't just a decoration. After making my way through the snow to the wall and a piece of paper I get an idea of what it is, based on the black and white photo: originally this piece was part of a horizontal wooden structure to which a horse was tied. The horse walked round a pole, rotating this large wooden wheel, which in turn must have kept another piece of machinery in motion. Unfortunately there are no further details available.

The other buildings at the Old Mill (Vanha mylly) are not painted red but have become grey over the years. This is truly the old style.

There is a narrow path, made by previous walkers, up from the mill, following the river. No, I can't make myself call it a river... Rather, it is a narrow brook. I reach the pedestrian bridge and turn back just before the highway. This must be a gorgeous place in the spring!

I pass the Old Mill area and follow the footpath towards the centre of Korpilahti, reaching Martinpolku (Martti's Path) which is clearly the main street here. The street is named after Martti Korpilahti who was not only born with the name of the community itself but gained fame in Central Finland as a poet and a music man, besides being a teacher in Jyväskylä. Martti Korpilahti was proud to be born in the area and his lyrics depict his love of Central Finland. Besides Martinpolku, Mr Korpilahti has had another path named after him in the city of Jyväskylä by lake Tuomiojärvi.

There are both old and new buildings along Martinpolku. As usual, I feel more at home with the wooden ones and am glad that there are quite a few of them left, and some seem to have been or are being renovated as well.

Synninpolku literally means a Path of Sin. What on earth is this? The sign points down but actually the Path of Sin starts a bit lower and leads to the very top of the hill, to the church. Very probably the path gained its name because of the fairly steep hill - perhaps the walkers felt the sweat on their foreheads and had time to think about all their wrongdoings when climbing to the top, to ask for forgiveness in the church. Right next to the path, the red building, dating to 1777,  houses the local museum which is only open in summertime. The building first first served as a belfry but it became a granary later.

I feel compelled to follow the Path of Sin. It isn't Sunday today so I am sure the church doors will be closed but at least I'll get the feel of the path. On the piece of paper that is taped on the litter bin it modestly says "a walking route to the church hill" instead. Come on, be proud! Not every village has a Path of Sin!

The partly snow-covered granite statue by the Path of Sin pays homage to Martti Korpilahti, who else! I make my own trail in the snow to walk to it and round it and wonder what the story behind it is. I have no idea what Mr Korpilahti looked like so can't say if the statue has his profile or not. The poet's own words are engraved in the stone: En kotiseudulleni tiedä vertaa (There is no place like my home region).

Step by step I get closer to the top of the hill. I can imagine that on a hot summer's day it would be easy to feel the burden of your sins walking up there, especially the sin of laziness, if you're not too fit. The wooden belfry meets me first; its architectural style is somewhat different, a bit more decorative, than that of the church behind it. Also, the paint is not the same colour. 

Korpilahti's lutheran church is the third church here; the first was built in 1693 and this last one, designed by architect Charles Bassi, dates to 1827. I try the door but since there is no service today, the door remains closed. One of the architects who have been involved in the restoration work of this church over the years was Alvar Aalto, back in 1928.

The footpath on the top of the church hill doesn't go a full circle so I need to retrace my steps back towards the Path of Sin. What a great view this hill offers! If only it were a sunny day, it would be even greater - and I can't even imagine how wonderful it must look like when the lake Päijänne glitters down below in the summer. However, I get a sinful thought when walking down the Path of Sin. I wish I had a sled! It would be great to sled down the hill, no matter how much I enjoy walking.

I pass the old museum building and continue along the Path of Sin down towards the harbour. The rock fence is covered in snow and ice, with little works of Nature's art on the rocks.

There are also traces of human hand. A date from 1849 has been carved in stone, if I read it right.

Across the road, there is a quiet area with lots of boats having a rest under tarpaulins until the spring arrives again. The red brick building next to me these days houses Korpilahti's theatre; originally, there was a steam generator for the saw mill.

And before the theatre moved to its current location, it was located in another red brick building at the harbour area, close to Satamakapteeni café-restaurant which is open all year round. Part of the text painted on the red brick building has been erased - the word 'theatre'-  so it now spells Korpilahden kesä (Korpilahti's summer) instead. Today the building is home to an art gallery and an arts & crafts shop: Höyrygalleria and Emalipuu. 

The art gallery upstairs now displays paintings by Marja Hirvinen in her exhibition on enchanting landscapes, Maisemien lumous. I can imagine that quite a few of them have been inspired right here, enjoying the atmosphere of Korpilahti and lake Päijänne. It is easy to forget about the snow when you look at her work.

The gallery itself is charming as well. My eyes are drawn to the bright red chairs that keep an eye on the gallery visitors like two old and alert ladies.

I return back outside and breath in the vast landscape that opens before my eyes, with black dots moving rhythmically on the ice, pairs of skis sliding forward. Korpilahti and lake Päijänne - what a great combination.

Leppävirta: Orinoro gorge

Orinoro Gorge at Soisalo, Leppävirta makes a great destination also in wintertime. However, at this time of the year you may need snowshoes, depending on how much snow there is and whether there have been other visitors before you to keep the path open (if you're really lucky!). There are two alternatives routes to visit the gorge. The longer route starts at Mustinmäki school (3.3 km to the gorge) and the shorter one at Hanhiahontie road (900 meters to the gorge). My pick today is the shorter route because there just isn't enough daylight left to make it back before the dark.

 

I check the start of the path before hitting the trail and find that there is no need for snow shoes today; someone has been walking there recently, and the path is open. The nature trail signposts - in Finnish only - tell more about the flora and fauna. However, the cuckoos that typically live in this forest are long gone somewhere in the south for the winter...

I wonder what creature of the woods has crossed the path, leaving its own trail in the snow? There are no prints because the trail is under a thin layer of snow that has fallen in the last few days. Perhaps it was a fox.

The Orinoro trail descends down to more dense forest with the snow-covered fir trees. This is a winter wonderland.

The two spruces that are standing guard right by the trail, watching over the passers-by must be twins.

Rauhoitettu luonnonsuojelualue means that we are now entering a protected area: a nature reserve. The first large rocks appear close to the path so the gorge is already near.

The icicle season has already started at Orinoro gorge, thanks to the recent cold but sunny days or the occasional warmer spells.

There are even larger icicles higher up the rocks. In my eyes they bear resemblance to teeth - those of not-so-nice fairytale creatures.

The trail that leads to up the gorge has railings for safety. On one side the cliff is very steep, on the other side the rocks slope up more gently.

The gorge gets even narrower. Orinoro gorge is about 100 meters long and at its tallest point about 20 meters deep; it is considered one of the seven wonders of Savo. I get flashbacks of my visits to Hitonhauta at Laukaa and to Helvetinkolu at Ruovesi.

To help walking, there are duckboards at the bottom of Orinoro gorge. Because of the snow, it is hard to tell how rocky and hard to walk the ground is but we opt for walking along the duckboards which can just about be discerned under the white layer of snow. However, it is good to walk slowly to avoid slipping.

The different sides of the gorge behave differently: the other side has gathered quite a bit of snow whereas the other is almost snowless.

I think I prefer the snowy rocks and the icicles here and there to bare rocks. The Orinoro gorge is gorgeous and makes you feel small even if it isn't one of the largest in the world. Time to say goodbye to it, unfortunately.

 

There isn't that much snow (less than 30 cm) so we decide to make a small detour before returning to the car. Nobody has walked before us in the snow so we need to make our own path, following the green trail marks painted on the trees; there are not an awful lot of them but the trail is still fairly easy to follow. I'm glad to wear gaiters so snow doesn't get into my hiking boots.

There is a small shelter - for firewood, not for spending the night - at Orkonen lake as well as an outdoor toilet. Time for a snack and some hot tea from the thermos flask! A poem by Kaisa Laitinen reveals that Orinoro gorge got its name (ori= stallion) after a stallion that fell into the gorge from the cliffs.

The small, frozen Orkonen lake is silent and doesn't show any signs of life. There are no prints on the surface of the snow. Where is everyone? The trail to Orinoro gorge exists thanks to the local villagers whose volunteer work made the construction of the trail possible in 1997-98. The trail was officially opened in May 1999. Even today the villagers take care of it and bring firewood to to the shelter; this is a meeting place for local nature lovers. There are lots of these fantastic, similar volunteers all around Finland who maintain trails and shelters for the benefit of their local community and for all of us.

 

So... Let's do our share and honour the volunteers' work as well as the nature. No more ripping birch bark from living trees: bring your own kindling if you want to make a fire. The distance from Orkonen lake to Mustinmäki school is only 2.5 km but we turn back to follow our own trail to Hanhiahontie where we started from. Some more of Savo's winter wonderland to see on the way!

Muurame: Muuramenjoki nature trail

Muuramenjoki nature trail is located in Muurame, Central Finland, only about 13 km south from the centre of its neighbouring city Jyväskylä. Before arriving here I was sure to meet a tiny, slowly flowing river so when I step down to it from Muurame's civic center by Virastotie street, I get a pleasant surprise. Is this really Muurame river or Muurame rapid?

Very soon I meet the first, slightly dirty nature trail sign which tells about the area's cultural heritage in Finnish. The buildings in front of me belonged to a furniture factory which started here in 1910. The red brick building housed a steam power plant in the old days but is today only used for storage. The white building behind it was originally taller, but its two top floors were destroyed by a fire in 1970 and only the ground floor remained. Today, the building is part of the fire station. 

I find an old, big millstone that has retired from active service decades ago and is now resting on the green grass in front of the former furniture factory. The mill was located on the other side of Muurame river but the building was torn down at the end of the 1950's. The building which housed the mill had earlier served also as an umbrella factory and a dairy.

The riverbank is steep and partly collapsed to the river; therefore there is red and yellow caution tape to stop anyone stepping too far. When I enter the footbridge to cross the river, I smell a bit of smoke. There is a fading fire close to the offical start of the nature trail, perched on a rock that could well be another millstone as this is where the mill used to be; the two fishermen have apparently had a break here. They have been fly fishing - with not too much success so far - and are getting ready to move to another spot further down.

The nature trail (luontopolku) sign indicates that I should head off the riverbank. However, I am not ready to leave Muurame river just yet but decide to follow another footpath that will lead me further upstream, to the bridge that I see in the distance. I'm simply so pleased to be walking by this beautiful stream that I don't want to leave it just yet.

This autumn has been very rainy in Central Finland, just like previous year. The water level in lakes normally goes down in the autumn but for two consecutive years now it's been the opposite. If there are also heavy snowfalls in the winter, it means that the water levels will remain very high also next spring. When I look at white water in Muurame river now, I can imagine this is what it could be like on a normal spring. The river flows from Muuratjärvi lake to Päijänne, descending 12 meters on the way, so it is no wonder the water flows pretty fast. The shallow river doesn't seem fit for kayaking because of the rocks but it is very popular among fishermen.

The path takes me up to Muuramentie road and right next to the bridge across the river. The large windows reveal that the wooden building must have been a shop earlier. Today it is home to Piano Jylhä.

The engraving on the stone bridge dates it back to 1898 when Finland was still part of Russia.

When I look upstream from the bridge towards Muuratjärvi lake the river seems to flow very gently.

However, immediately after the bridge the river seems to catch speed so there must be a bit of a drop already. The wooden construction on the right has been used for guiding floating logs downstream - no idea when that ended here. So glad I walked up here to get a good view of the stream from above!

I return downstream and follow the nature trail for a while through a now barren meadow - with all leaves having already fallen down - but hear the river calling me again. The opposite shore reveals the former furniture factory building I passed earlier. Fly fishing continues in this spot; the river is mostly very shallow but right in front of me the water is 5 meters deep, giving a better chance for catching fish. However, it seems that the fish are not in the mood for the elaborately made flies today.

If the fast flowing water has attacked the sandy riverbank a bit too fiercely, these poor birches have been victims of unthinking humans. If you want to make a fire, bring some kindling with you. There are shops only some hundred meters from here if you come unprepared. Never cut birch bark from a living tree! It doesn't grow back quickly but the trees stay like this.

Behind the old birches the water is totally still, reflecting the trees like a huge mirror. A total change of atmosphere from the more noisy white water only a little distance away! I slow down my step and find it is a wise decision because the duckboards are even more slippery than I anticipated. Watch your step!

The quiet waters have risen very high here. Some of the duckboards and part of the wooden bridge across to the other side of the river have suffered somewhat...

Despite the bridge being even partly under water, it is great to cross it and admire the scenery on the way. Some ingenious soul has kindly brought a wide board here as temporary help, to enable us to to walk across without getting your shoes wet.

A meadow, then a swamp. Such a great place - so many different faces to it within such a short distance from each other!

Walking a bit further along the path, the water is wonderfully still and here it looks like this is a small lake.

Therefore I get another surprise when the path reaches another bridge. The white water flows down so fast! Earlier, the dam blocked access for the migrating fish that would have wanted to swim upstream but then a fishway was built on the right side. In the fishway, the water doesn't flow as aggressively and even fish which are not as strong swimmers are able to get upstream. How kind!

I listen to the rumble of the white water which soon fades away as I return to the still waters. The nature trail is a circular route and very soon I arrive where I started from. Before that, there is a bit of a damp patch which indicates that if the water level keeps rising, the trail will need to be moved a bit higher.

Muurame river nature trail is a real gem that is worth a visit any time of the year. I can hardly wait to see it when the snow has fallen and the river is at least partly frozen, or in early summer, surrounded by the fresh shades of green, or in September-October when the leaves are turning yellow!