5.7.2025
Our story
From self-employed hikers to professionals in the field.
Let’s dive back in time about twenty years, when our family’s parents were seriously struck by the hiking spark.
From my and my husband Tom’s backgrounds, I was already a scout when I was in primary school and Tom spent almost all of his childhood summers fishing on the shores of the clear-water lakes of Kuusamo. So we had contact with nature already in our early childhood years.
At the beginning of the 2000s, we lived the busiest everyday life of our lives as a family with children and at that time our life revolved mainly between work and home. So we had to find a change in the hectic everyday life and we mainly sought this change during our holidays in the Ruka-Kuusamo area.
Personally, I still remember the feeling when I first sat in the car and saw the lines of fells opening up in front of me. The feeling I experienced then still comes back just as strong time after time. I feel at home in those landscapes, in a haven of peace, drawing strength from nature.
From the beginning of the 2000s to 2024, we had been visiting the Ruka-Kuusamo region or further north almost every year on all our holidays, sometimes several times a year.
When the hiking spark struck in us parents, we naturally started taking our children on day trips to nature. The more we did it, the more we were hooked. According to various research results, walking in nature is known to improve mood, calm down and reduce stress, which has a positive effect on psychological well-being. At the same time, walking in nature increases physical activity and nature itself entices us to move. So it is no wonder that we were completely carried away by these feelings.
Our first long hiking trip was to the legendary Karhunkierros in Ruka in 2009, where we headed with our family. Excited, we set off from Ristikallio towards Ruka, a 70km journey. The group of four adults, three children and two dogs were full of confidence.
We had packed everything we needed and a little more, including a 10kg villa tent, several kilos of dog food and, of course, backpacks that were too heavy for each adult. Even the children’s equipment could have been improved.
However, the trip progressed towards Ruka with varying emotions and weather. With cracked feet, sore shoulders, disposable raincoats tied around our necks, and with clumsy steps, we finally arrived in Ruka after four nights and five days of hiking.
What we learned from this trip was mainly all the planning required for longer hikes. Of course, hiking trips can be done this way, but it is not necessarily very enjoyable. The experience was great, however, and that’s when we started planning our next trips.
Over the next 15 years, we have seen and experienced a lot, and have hiked on that route several times after that first Karhunkierros.
We have hiked in national parks and nature parks all over Finland, not forgetting unmarked routes, for example in the Kaldoaivi Wilderness and UKK Park. We have managed to climb Finland’s highest fell, Halti, three times, and last summer we summited Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnakaise.
!
The idea of starting a business in the nature sector has been simmering in our minds for several years. The desire to take people into nature naturally led to the need to obtain relevant training for this dream. In the spring of 2023, I applied for wilderness and nature guide training. The training provided the foundation for starting a business and, of course, a lot of new, necessary knowledge and skills related to hiking.
Now we are at the point where I am a wilderness and nature guide, meaning I am responsible for planning and implementing our trips in the business. Tomi, on the other hand, makes sure that our online store offers high-quality products needed for hiking. He also naturally participates in our trips in the role of an assistant guide.
The basic idea of our company is therefore the desire to offer nature experiences to people!