#3: [21-Feb-11]

#2: [04-Aug-07]

#1: [08-Jun-02]

06-Sep-2014 -- This is the first out of 5 reports reaching confluence points in Central Finland.

Friday afternoon I left my office in Zurich a little earlier than usually. Instead of cycling home, I rode to the airport, boxed my bicycle and flew via Helsinki to Oulu. When I got out of Oulu airport at 10 PM, it was already dark and chilly. Half way between the airport and Oulu city, I found a special overnight place on a wooden viewing tower above the otherwise swampy ground. I rolled out my sleeping bag on top of the tower and enjoyed the rising full moon.

The next morning, I first cycled to Oulu to get some food supplies and then continued cycling towards this confluence point. About 7 km before entering the village Ylikiiminki and 3 km from the CP, I turned off the highway and followed forest roads until the minimum distance of 400 m was reached. Then, I continued a nice hike along a beautiful track. The ground was wet, which is nothing special for this area. On my way I saw more mushrooms than I would see in Central Europe within a year.

The confluence is – what else would you expect – in a spruce forest. The nearest track is only 36 m away. The ground is covered with moss, cowberries and with all kinds of mushrooms. It’s a pity that I didn’t bring my stove to cook mushrooms. At least I ate a young raw bay boletus. There is a clearing 50 m from the confluence from where I took the #1 picture in order to get a better overview.

After returning to my bicycle, I came through Ylikiiminki to have a second breakfast.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 3 km
• Distance to a track: 400 m
• Distance of bicycle parking: 400 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 10 min
• Time at the CP: 10:00 AM
• Measured height: 79 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 7 m
• Topography: flat
• Vegetation: moss, cowberries, mushrooms, spruce forest.
• Weather: sunny, 15° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The All-Over Mushroom Confluence

The story continues at 65°N 27°E.