Looking back at 2013

It's time to wrap up the year 2013. From an outdoor point of view, this year has been a good one for me. I spent around 35 nights out this year on overnighters and longer outings, which I'm quite satisfied with.

January started with a weeklong thaw after a very wintry December. Most of the snow disappeared, but then the temperature again went below zero. A week into 2013 it was time for the first overnighter of the year.

For some time we had very unusal conditions. The small amount of snow froze solid and with a fatbike you could ride absolutely everywhere. Just in time for an outing on the frozen mires of Kurjenrahka we got a little more snow, which softened the crust enough to make riding it hard. Again I managed to be out during the two coldest nights of the winter with Toni.

February was also a nice winter month. I introduced the kids to sleeping outside in the winter...

... and there was also the annual Vajosuo Beer Ski overnighter.

March was as close to a winter paradise as you can get in Southern Finland. Plenty of light, cold temperatures and lots of snow.

The winter continued well into April and gave the opportunity for one last fatbike overnighter of the winter...

... as well as a ski overnighter a week later.

A long winter meant that a short spring followed, which I had nothing against. Still in April, I went with the kids to check out the Liesjärvi National Park.

In May I had a tenacious flu, but participated in the MTB-Turku Spring Camp before that.

June was, as always, a nice summer month. I went out with the kids on a couple of overnighters.

In July I had a perfect summer night out with the kids...

... as well as some interesting bikepacking.

My plans for a longer bikepacking trip in Lapland were put on ice, when I was accepted into the Axxell Wilderness and Nature Guide education.

In August I still enjoyed the summer, both solo...

... and with the kids.

I also went to look at bears in Kuhmo.

At the end of August I had a major setback when I hurt my lower back. The left leg became rather numb and at least half of the strength in the quadriceps was gone due to some major nerves being pinched. Even walking was difficult for a week. I haven't recovered completely yet, but it doesn't bother me anymore.

The fall went mostly with courses of the Wilderness Guide education. We went to Lemmenjoki in Lapland...

... I finally met Korpijaakko during an overnighter in Kurjenrahka...

... there was the orienteering course...

... and the survival course.

The Mammoth March was again the best biking event of the year and provided fun for a little under 14 hours, most of it in the darkness.

The Vajosuo Beer Ride was arranged for the fifth time.

December was a major disappointment weatherwise. It was a dark and wet misery with temperatures mostly above freezing with only a few nicer days.

At the time of writing, the winter is nowhere to be seen. Looking at the long-range weather forecast, this is shaping up to be the worst winter since the 2006-2007 catastrophy, when the winter didn't start until the end of January.