On foot through ancient virgin forest. An open landscape of pine heathlands and fish-rich lakes awaits you. Perhaps a moose, but probably no people.
You may associate Finnmark with cold weather, but when the wind blows from the east, inland Finnmark has reliably warm weather, and temperatures can easily reach 30°C. So if you enjoy old-growth forest and want to hike in an area without many tourists, Pasvik is a good choice.
It is easy to find accommodation. The Norwegian Trekking Association has a cabin, and the Finnmark Estate Agency (FeFo) has a number of open wilderness huts as well as some cabins for rent. If Pasvik feels too small for you, you can continue into Finland, where there are also open cabins.
We did that in the 1980s. We flew to Kirkenes, then took the bus up to the national park, and set off towards Ivalo in Finland.
Ellenvannet – the occasional mosquito
Our first stop was at Ellenkoia by Lake Ellenvannet. The open cabins are simple one-room huts with a few beds and a small wood-burning stove. We made the mistake of lighting the stove to cook. It was 25 degrees outside, and the cabin became unbearably hot, so we had to air it out. And then the mosquitoes came in…
There’s no denying that there are quite a few mosquitoes in Finnmark in summer. Remember mosquito repellent, and preferably a hat with mosquito netting. Ideally, bring one for the bed too.
After Ellenvannet, we took a quick trip up to the three-country cairn where Norway, Russia and Finland meet. Don’t risk walking around it. It is strictly forbidden to cross the border into Russia, and you never know who might be lurking in the bushes, keeping an eye on you.
After that, we continued south into Finland. As it would later turn out, this may not have been entirely well thought out.
The terrain in Pasvik is very easy to walk through. It consists of gently rolling, dry pine heaths with sparse woodland and some marshes. If you cannot find a trail—there are not very many of them—you can simply follow a compass bearing. This is one of the few areas in Norway where you can experience virgin forest without seeing any signs of logging. Old trees die and remain standing until they are blown over in a storm. This creates a special sense of true wilderness. If you are lucky, you may spot a wolverine, and perhaps even a bear.
Further down on the Finnish side, the forest gradually becomes more varied and wetter. The only trail we found ran along the Russian border, and we followed it. Because of the bogs and denser forest, it is best to stick to the trail here.
This made it a little harder to estimate how long things would take, and on one of the days we did not reach the next cabin until late at night. But it was the midnight sun, so apart from being absolutely exhausted, this was not a problem. There was also a special atmosphere to hiking at night. I will never forget the experience of coming across a moose with two calves around midnight. We were walking through marshy terrain on the edge of a lake covered by a light mist, which the midnight sun was struggling to penetrate, and far out in the shallow water, the moose stood grazing.
After the arduous night, we arrived at Lake Kessijärvi, where there was an unlocked cabin. Exhausted, we fell asleep and did not wake up until well into the day. Kessijärvi was a wonderful little lake, full of fish. As dinnertime approached, all we had to do was grab the fishing rod, cast out, and reel them in. Within 10 minutes, we had enough large perch for dinner. Perch is one of the best fish to eat, and when they are large, the countless bones are not a problem.
Kessijärvi – enough fish
We stayed at Kessijärvi for a few days before continuing south. We knew we were going to face a problem: we had to cross the Paatsijoki River. Paatsijoki is the river that flows from Enare Lake into Russia and becomes the Pasvikelva when it reaches Norway. The river is wide, and this was wilderness, so we did not know whether we could get across without swimming. But the map showed a military post right by the Russian border, so we headed there in the hope of finding a boat or getting help to be rowed across. And, miraculously, on our side of the river there was a small plastic boat with oars. A bridge has now been built across the river here, and a road leads into the area. But the region is so vast that there is still plenty of wilderness left for hikes.
Once across the river, we thought it might be best to let the border station know. Otherwise, someone would eventually make their way down to the river only to discover that the boat was gone—probably soldiers on patrol who used it. We hadn’t encountered a single soul on the trip, but as we later learned, others had spotted us. There was quite a commotion when we arrived at the border station. What were we doing there? Where had we been?
Ivalo – free stay
We assumed that crossing the border into the Nordic country of Finland was the same as crossing the border into Sweden, that you could do it wherever you wanted. That was not the case. This was in the 1980s, and it was forbidden to cross the border without permission. And especially here, in the border region near the Soviet Union, it was strictly forbidden. There was an area 2–3 km wide along the Soviet border where it was not permitted to go at all, and we had been there. After all, that was where the only trail went. We had seen the signs, but they were only in Finnish.
After a while, the police arrived and we were driven to Ivalo, the largest settlement here. There, our luggage was thoroughly searched and the maps were examined in detail. Fortunately, we did not have a camera with us, as they were very concerned about that. Finns are poor at English, and there was probably only one person at the station who spoke it reasonably well. He explained that this was a serious border violation and that it had to be investigated.
So we were thrown in jail. After a couple of days, the police must have realized that we were not dangerous spies, and we were allowed out to have dinner, but had to be back before evening. After another day, we were each given a fine—a whopping 50 kroner—and driven to the Norwegian border, where the sheriff in Karasjok picked us up. He explained that crossing the Finnish border illegally was much worse than crossing the Soviet border. Finland was terrified of the Soviet Union at the time.
As far as I can see, it is now permitted to cross the border. It has been a long time since we hiked here, so it would be wise to check which cabins are open in Finland.
For information about cabins:fefo.no/friluftsliv/apne-hytter
Cabins in Finland:www.nationalparks.fi/huts
Map of cabins:www.excursionmap.fi
National parks:Pasvik-Inari-Trilateral-Park-internal-web-site
All about Norway: Norway
