What’s this all about?

– – Updated 2025-09 – –

I’ve always liked nature and going out to the woods, finding new places, riding a bicycle and cruising with a car to a new random places that I have not been in before. Adventurous as I am, I often choose a path or way that I haven’t traveled before, or take random turns just to find out what’s out there and behind that next hill…

This blog started from Retkelle 2018 exhibition, where I stumbled upon a brochure of nature trails in Jyväskylä area.

#Kerää kymppi – Collect ten, they said. It was a brochure of ten nature trails within Jyväskylä area, up-kept by the city of Jyväskylä for the people to enjoy nature near and within the town.

As all of these trails are basically within biking or walking distance from Jyväskylä center I thought I’d make a blog and go trough ’em all.

My main method of sharing is photography, so expect lots of pictures and not so much about text, but feel free to comment and ask, I’ll do my best to try to answer your comments within decent time-frame.

The 2018 part of the blog itself was written in “rally english” that we finns are so famous about. But it also serves as a kind of a simple English introduction to nature trails in Jyväskylä area for those interested about nature and camping, hiking and outdoor activities in general.

As of 2019 I dropped the rally English part and tried to write some more proper English language.

The blog will get bigger in time and I think I shall include other trips in here also, as I promised to myself that I’d be spending more time outdoors with my camera this year (2018) than in the past.

Later I hope to include some overnight trips with hammock and bike. I did say fatbike a year ago, but I kinda had an issue with bikes and how comfortable they are to ride. Then in winter 2018 – 2019 I found recumbent bikes and in spring of 2019 bought one for myself. Now the 2019 part of the blog will focus more on bikepacking with my new found two-wheeler.

Hiatus 2021 – 2025

In the summer of 2021 I grew tired of writing this blog. I did continue to do trips and adventures of my own and with some friends, but I kinda lost interest of writing about them.

Now in 2025 I’m planning to write some “throwback” issues for the blog, digging up some old photos and videos of the places I’ve visited during those years of silence.

What is Hiidenkorpi?

There are two words in hiidenkorpi: possessive form of word Hiisi -> Hiiden and Korpi.

Today Hiisi usually is considered more of a something of nasty and evil, like goblin, evil spirit, even orc or devil.

Before christianity came to baltic and scandinavia, finns had many beliefs of nature spirits in our folklore. Words like Hiisi (goblin), peikko (troll), Haltia (elf), Tonttu (nisse, tomte), Jätti (giant) had really different meanings.

Orginal meaning of Hiisi was a sacred place, burial place or a sacred grove.

Korpi is a type of wetland or swamp forest, but also a synonym to a wilderness, place or area, where no-one lives.

So Hiidenkorpi itself is a reference to an old sacred place in the woods, hidden in the wilderness.

The themes:

    • 2025 going back out there again and writing about those trips! ❤

. . .

    • 2021 theme was more about car camping and road trips.
    • 2020 theme was more bike trips and few over night trips into the national parks.
    • 2019 theme was bike trips.
    • 2018 theme was nature paths and nature near by.