Springtime encounter with the wilderness: Mountain biking and canoeing trek from Mäntyharju to Repovesi. May 24th, 2018. By Jaska Halttunen (eng. sub)
In May, I visited the cycling route leading from Mäntyharju to Repovesi National Park, and when I got to Repovesi, I walked to admire the most famous sights in the National Park, while cycling, pushing and sometimes even walking. The region is full of services and there are numerous lean-tos and campfire sites. A special shoutout to Kuutinkolo's services and to Repotassu for the best food in a thousand kilometers!
The route is a paradise for mountain bikers, but if you are a bikepacking hunter, this piece requires more effort and a touch of insanity. These were the most severe 75 kilometers I've ever experienced. But remember, I was the one who wanted to conquer the rocks and hills of Repovesi.
When I went on this trip, I was dressed for a 3-4 night adventure. I wanted to leave all sense of hurry behind. I wanted to be able to ride in piece, feel, see and experience the area in full. I planned the route so I could ride most of it but I also got to hike and paddle to make my adventure a versatile one.
This excursion was the start of the # FILLARIPÄVÄKIRJA2 project. In the first book, I rode from Hanko to Nuorgam and told the tale. Over the next two years, I will go through 15-20 trips to Finland's most beautiful national parks and oldest forests.
My most humble thank you to everyone who made this possible!
English translation: Heikki Sulander
Further information: retkipaikka.fi/kevainen-kohta...
Toss a penny for charity: oma.wwf.fi/suomalainen-luonto...
Links:
www.kuutinkolo.fi (in Finnish)
www.villa-aurora.fi (in Finnish)
mantyharju-repovesi.com/en
visitkouvola.fi/en
Repovesi - Verla - Kouvola Bus brochure: visitkouvola.fi/dataflow/visit...
Repovesi National Park's accessibility information is collected here: visitkouvola.fi/fi/a/133/repo...