When 8 years old I learned about Mount Everest, and ever since I have dreamed about climbing up there. When I became middle-aged and sensible I thought that it's impossible.
2012 when I turned 50 I suddenly got this crazy idea to fulfill my childhood dream. Now, almost 2 years later, after studying, training, researching & finding solutions, it seems possible!
If things go well I will summit in May 2014, if things don't go well I will hopefully do it another year. If you want to follow me vie e-mail updates you can subscribe to them.
Iltalehti (Finnish newspaper) came last night to make an article about my Everest project. Go and check it out if you can find it :D
My oldest daughter told me the photographer had to do a lot of work to get such happy, smiling pictures of me. Her sister agrees!
It is supposed to be published today, Saturday 21.12, I haven't seen the story myself yet. I think it is only in the paper copy, not in the web version. At least so far.
Let's hope that me and my big mouth weren't too loud this time. I sometimes tell stories that I don't want to read in a newspaper. That becomes a problem if I happen to tell them to a reporter, during an interview.
As you can see, not much hope of a white christmas in southern Finland this year. Too bad.
I actually practice walking on the ladder in the dark wearing my boots and crampons. You know, they put ladders across ravines and other difficult places on Everest.
I was lacking high altitude boots and it seemed to be really difficult to find a pair of my size. Finally V-P Mölsä helped me to find Joonas from Bonge Oy who found me suitable ones. Thank you, both!!
The Boots came today from Germany. And luckily they are the warmest existing, Lowa Expedition 800 GTX. If I understood it correctly, Veikka Gustafsson (no relation) had the same model when he climbed Everest.
I have walked the rest of the day in my new shoes, to the bank, the supermarket, visiting the doctor to get high altitude sickness medicine (dexametazone), the pharmacy, exercising at home, the school Christmas party, etc.
Today it is so cold that there are no possibilities to go skiing. In the morning -35 degrees C. The reason why skiing is impossible is that the skis just don't glide, it's like gliding on sandpaper.
So I decided to go snow shoeing. Up to the Kesänki fell. Not so high, in Finland we don't have really high places, but the circumstances are pretty harsh and heavy anyway:
Selfie on top of Kesänki at -35 C, about 3 PM
It's dark (in Lapland there's no sunshine anymore this time of year, not for 5 weeks where I was),
Cold (-35 and reasonable wind chill factor makes it really chilly)
Isolated (nobody else there, people are not crazy enough to go out there at this weather & time of year)
I survived and I am happy about that. Sauna, back to the coldness skinnydipping in the snow from the sauna, then sauna again. That´s life.
The days earlier I was participating in ski-orienteering, here is the winner, Tove Alexandersson, at the finish. She currently wins everything in orienteering, summer and winter.
Mountain biking, running at the beach, swimming to the nearby islands, horseback riding, canooeing, kite surfing (I'm a total beginner) and lots of gymnastics at the beach
