Hiking Route from Savitaipale to Kärnäkoski Fortress
Savitaipale, February 19th, 2018.
Today, we had the day off, so we took the opportunity to go on another hiking route in the area. This time, we visited Kärnäkoski Fortress (Kärnäkosken linnoitus in Finnish). The official route is a 9 km walk along the road to reach it. However, we’re not exactly fans of the easy or conventional route (too boring, right?). So, we preferred to reach Kärnäkoski by crossing Lake Kuolimo and the islands that make it up, even if it took us twice as long.
Our experience at Rovastinoja taught us that there’s no need to wake up excessively early; a morning is more than enough for this type of hike, including stops to enjoy the scenery, eat, or take photos. Last time, we started hiking at 8:30 AM because we thought it would take longer and we’d run out of daylight (here, it gets dark around 4:30–5:00 PM). However, since we were back home by 1:00 PM, we decided to start this one later. After a few delays, we finally started walking at 11:30 AM.
The Route from Savitaipale to Kärnäkoski
We chose this route because Kärnäkoski is one of the most iconic historical sites in the area, as explained on Savitaipale’s official tourism website. Essentially, it’s a fortress built by Russian General Alexander Suvorov to protect Saint Petersburg, completed in 1793. As I mentioned in the previous post, this part of Finland has a strong Russian influence, mainly due to past wars between the two countries.
The Journey Across the Lake
Thanks to our “alternative” route, we saw many interesting things. For example, we noticed that practically every island, big or small, had cottages. It was fascinating to see such tiny islands with nothing but trees and a single cabin. In summer, having such a unique retreat to yourself must be an incredible privilege!
We also noticed that many of these cottages had exterior staircases leading to the roof. We’re not sure why, but we made a bet: they must be for watching the northern lights!
Since it was the middle of winter, the entire lake was completely frozen and covered in a thick layer of snow. The snow reached well up our legs, making walking tiring after a while.
On one of our stops, we came across a small Buddha statue:
When Two Become One
I still have the impression that the color of the frozen lake and the sky is practically the same, no matter the time of day. You look at the horizon, then up, and you see the same white-grayish tone, so characteristic of Finnish winter.
However, on the first island we crossed (Paimensaari), the sun didn’t reach the back side, and for the first time in weeks, I saw a light blue sky. The trees and elevated surface of the island cast a shadow on the lake, creating a bluish hue. It was beautiful! Plus, since we were behind the island, there was a fresh and pleasant breeze.
Unlike other days, today was very sunny, and the snow seemed to “shine” like tiny crystals. Looking at the snowy surface, you could see little sparkling dots. Really beautiful!
The Magic of Ice
After passing Paimensaari, we saw what looked like some “strange rocks” in the distance and decided to check them out. They stood out against the rest of the landscape. When we got closer, we realized they weren’t rocks but ice formations that had fallen from the cliff’s surface. They looked like stalactites, with colors ranging from transparent to white and yellow. We could even see water trickling down each icicle, forming a layer of ice on the ground. You could pick up an ice shard like a spear (though maybe playing with it wasn’t the best idea).
Off the Beaten Path
From there, we continued walking across the lake, hopping between islands until we reached one with a small path. We decided to follow it, but at one point, the trail disappeared, and we had to go off-road. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but there was so much snow that we couldn’t see how deep it was or what lay beneath. In some sections, the snow reached up to our knees, and in others, you could step in the wrong spot and trip over hidden branches—something that happened to me more than once! 😆
After a while of navigating this unclear path, we decided to abandon it and return to the lake to continue our route. We made our way to another island and found a more well-marked trail.
Back to Civilization
As expected, this island also had cottages, all with staircases leading from the cabin down to the lake, no matter how high they were. Since no one was around, we climbed one of these staircases to the top of the island and rejoined a trail leading toward Kärnäkoski. This path eventually took us to the main road, and from there, we had no trouble reaching the fortress—finally!
During this part of the journey, my phone died from the cold. I had a feeling it was lasting too long… Luckily, I had my portable charger and plugged it in, but no luck this time—the cold even drained the power bank! I didn’t give up, though. I stuffed my phone, charger, and cables into the innermost pocket of my coat to warm them up. At this point, it was best to take my phone out only when absolutely necessary.
Kärnäkoski Fortress
After this adventure, we arrived at the fortress at 3:00 PM. There was practically NO ONE there. A couple of cars, but no one actually visiting the site. Even though everything was covered in snow, the walls and ruins that once served their purpose were still visible.
Walking through the fortress, there were explanatory panels about each building (artillery, warehouses, the general’s quarters, etc.). There were also a few cannons scattered around, but not much else.
I would have liked to take more photos of Kärnäkoski, but it was SO COLD that taking my hands out of my pockets and gloves was impossible. Plus, my phone was barely hanging on, connected to a dying power bank, with little hope of lasting much longer. So, unfortunately, I couldn’t take many pictures—sorry!
Hitchhiking: Round Two
If you’ve read my post about the hiking route to Rovastinoja, you’ll know we hitchhiked back to Savitaipale. It was a total success: we didn’t even have to wait five minutes! Maybe because of that, or simply because we were exhausted, we decided to try our luck again. Plus, it was getting late, meaning darkness would fall soon.
This time, we weren’t as lucky. The road from Kärnäkoski is remote, and no cars passed by. Maybe one every 15 minutes—and in the opposite direction. But we didn’t lose hope and kept sticking out our thumbs whenever we had the chance.
Since I had never hitchhiked before, I felt a bit awkward, so my friend stopped the cars. But hey, no risk, no reward—so I joined in too!
After half an hour of walking and covering 2 km, we finally saw a car. We signaled—and it stopped! I think it was partly out of pity, seeing two lost young people on such a lonely road.
Luckily, the driver was heading to Savitaipale and kindly agreed to take us. Communication was a bit rough since he was Finnish and didn’t speak a word of English. But he understood where we were coming from and tried his best to keep up a conversation—so all was good.
Ten minutes later, we were home safe and sound. Otherwise, we would have had to walk two more hours along a dark, remote road. No complaints here!
Bonus!
If you want to learn more about Kärnäkoski Fortress, here’s a link.
