Day 1:
I got up at 4.30am and had a "luxurious" breakfast at the Royal Star and Garter home. We left Gatwick at 9.30. The take-off was a bit turbulant but it was good. I have made some friends already and everyone is really nice. We arrived at Helsinki at about 3 o'clock and departed from there to Kupio at 4.30. We then had a 1 hour coach trip to Sokos Hotel. We had tea at 7.30. It was really nice but there wasn't very much choice. We then had a briefing. We were told who our guides were, where we are walking to, and roughly what we would need in our day sacks. Kate also had her first encounter with a mosquito tonight. The weather was really nice. It is very hot and the view from the aeroplane was fantastic. There are lots of lakes with forests all around.
Day 2:
We got up at 5.15 today, and had breakfast at 6.00. We departed the hotel at 7.30 to start our trek. We arrived at Naarakoski at 10.0 and walked to Suuri Pillonen, which is where we had our delicious lunch of an orange, a mars bar, and sandwiches. We continued towards An¨a;kaisen, where we set up camp and had a meal. Overall, we walked 21km (13.26 miles) today. Although we didn't see any bears, we came across a beaver dam and some elk tracks. One of our leaders (Threasea) is really nice; she helps us a lot. I have also made more friends today. Kate and I have decided to go to bed because we are absolutely knackered.
Day 3:
Today, we walked 21km. We started at 9.00 and had lunch at Valama. We camped at Aittokoski, which was the best camp yet. We slept in the cotta (which is a large wooden teepee with a hole in the middle). We had a sauna and then jumped in the lake. We played frisbee and football, which was a disaster. We had a really nice meal of pasta. We slept in mooses skins and bear skins. I went to bed at 2.00.
Day 4:
We had breakfast at 8.00, which was soup (sauce) and porridge. We started canoeing at 9.15 and I got tired at 9.30. We went through 9 rapids and overall, we canoed 31km. Tom did most of the work. We stopped for lunch at Pisamisub, which was okay. We camped at Viitakoski, and we are all camping in tents. 10 of us had an annual hair-washing day. I am going to get an early night tonight.
Day 5:
Today we canoed about 20km. I changed canoes about 3 times, due to my wrists. We had a packed lunch at about 1 o'clock. The highlight of the day was fishing and I actually caught one, although Tom took the fish eyes out. My feet are covered in mosquito bites and I have found that there are too many insects. We got sent to bed early because we were singing.
Day 6:
It was extremely hot today and we walked 18km. We stopped for lunch at 1.00 and got to camp early. We saw two lizards and an adder. It has been a really good laugh and people are really nice. Threasea has agreed that Tom is lovely. We all stayed up until 1 o'clock and got 8 people into a 2-man tent. Tom and I slept outside with just a roll-mat and a sleeping bag. It was okay when we actually got to sleep, because we had about 50 mosies around our heads. I then put loads (nearly a whole tub) of insect repellant on.
Day 7:
After very little sleep, I woke up very early (about 6.30) to find a nice cup of tea and rice bread. We walked 19.5km today and most of is is on duckboards. I think the insects are becoming immune to the repellant because I have more than 20 bites from mosquitoes and 3 horsefly bites. We stopped for lunch at Pistionit. We were in front of our schedule so we stopped for 1½ hours. Our campsite is the best yet. It doesn't have a sauna, but we are camped beside a really wild river. It is the one where we will go white water rafting. I don't think I am going to get any sleep tonight because this is the last night where we camp.
Day 8:
We got up at 8.30, missed breakfast, and then did our last 14km in the scorching sun. We didn't stop for lunch, but at the end we ate a nice packed lunch at a small restaurant. While waiting for 3 hours for our coach, I went swimming in the lake, and sunbathing. We came back to the hotel and I had a very nice shower before going for some rabbit food dinner. I met Simon Westem and he is very nice. I then went out, got drunk, and found my way back to the hotel at about 4 o'clock in the morning.
Day 9:
I woke up at 11 o'clock and missed breakfast, so one of my mates bought me a McDonalds. I then went to town and bought a hat and a new swimming suit. I had lunch at McDonalds and I slept because I've got another long night tonight. I then went down to the bar where I played darts and got mildly drunk. I was then going to go to a nightclub with Juha, but my friend Maka came back paraletic, so Antony and I lookied after him. Antony fell asleep about 2 o'clock, so I stayed up all night with only the TV to talk to. I drank 18 cups of hot chocolate.
Day 10:
Being so tired and extremely bored, I finally woke up Antony and Maka at 7.30. I had a salad for breakfast and then went to town. We left the airport at 1.25 and everyone was crying. I got a kiss from Juha and Maka. While everybody was getting ready to fly, I was fast asleep. I was asleep before the plane even got to the runway. I then got to the Royal Star and Garter home at 7 o'clock. Richard and I have decided to get an early night tonight, but somehow I don't think it will happen.