A walk in the park

I like walking and I like parks so I was delighted when a work event included a guided walk in Koli National Park in Finland. Our walk was over hills, through trees and across meadows on the west side of Lake Pielinen. From the tops of the hills we got views like this of the lake, its many many islands and, in the distance, Russian hills.

The day was shaped by water. It rained several times during the walk, at times quite heavily, which meant that we had to walk around or through puddles and temporary rivulets. Water lay in small still pools and cavorted down streams. We pulled water from a well for our coffee. The lake came in and out of view all day. And the hike ended with a hot sauna and warm showers to, so I was told, provide relief to our muscles.

The other three elementals played their parts too; we walked and scrambled over the earth, drank in the fresh air and cooked our lunch over an open fire. It was back to nature but in a good way and with the support of modern technology, like waterproof coats :-)