im so addicted to hiking, backpacking.why ?

I choose either pair depending on terrain/weather/my mood/... For city strolls I might even choose something completely different.

Hip hip hurray! It's a year since I started writing this blog. I had been reading other outdoor blogs for some time already and thought that a blog of my own might be a nice idea. Not only because it is a good way to record my walks, but also because I wanted to comment on other outdoor blogs and it felt more okay to do so if I had an existence in the blogosphere. This is also why I chose to blog in English - I like to read not only Finnish blogs but also foreign, and English . Sometimes I've been thinking whether there are people out there reading my blog who'd prefer a Finnish blog? Or sometimes I've chosen not to blog about something very local (a sale at a local outdoor shop, a booklet of a local trail or something like that) because such news are not very interesting to an international readership - and it feels a little strange to tell Finns about something like that in English. Anyway, I'm continuing like this so far.

Map and compass - I'm happy I did so much orienteering in my childhood and in my teens, so I got quite confident in using these. Although, there is no such thing as a perfect orienteer!

I have always walked much and spent a lot of time in the outdoors. I remember the family summer holidays as a kid: if we were not visiting relatives, we were either orienteering, doing day hikes in the Finnish national parks or travelling to Java cities (by train). Solo, Surabaya, Jakarta And so on. Those tours in Java included a lot of walking! I guess we averaged some 15 kilometres a day. I'm sure that my love for walking started at a very young age.

Two of my stoves: the recently purchased Coleman F1 lite and my trusty Trangia Mini (aka Trangia-28). We also have the Trangia-27 (meths) and Primus EtaPower EF (gas) stoves, but they are more for family use.

When it comes to backpacking, I'm still a newbie. My background is more in day walks and base camping. I have practiced my backpacking skills and got new equipment over the past year, but my hikes have still been very modest. I know I can do longer backpacking trips when the kids grow up a little bit - either with them, or leaving them at home with their father. At the moment I know that all the family members would just get too cranky if I would be away for more than two or three days. But there are hikes to be hiked even in a couple of years time.

I also like the social aspect of blogging. While the majority of outdoor blogs seem to be written, and quite many of them are more technical and gear oriented, I still feel like a part of this Outdoor Blogging Land. A great example of the kindness among the outdoor bloggers is how I got my new tent! I thank all my readers, and appreciate each and every comment I have received. It is always nice to receive comments (there hasn't been one single mean comment during the entire year!) and exchange ideas.

Now, into the next year guys :))!