Route 2000
By Oona Poutiainen
Helsinki, Finland
Oona Poutiainen lives for the outdoors, food and outdoor food. She shares her vegan recipes with the world and believes in the saying: a hike without food is just a walk.
Route
Route 2000 is a 110 kilometer outdoor route. The route can be traveled on foot or by mountain bike. A large part of the route runs along easy-to-pass asphalt and dirt roads, so it is very accessible. The route takes about 5 days to do in one go but you can choose any part! I did the route that goes around Central Park.
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Takes 5 days if you want to do it all!
The route is gentle, accessible and can be as along as you like.
Wear comfy shoes, bring a bottle of water or coffee thermos.
Hiking Key
The Look
Lightweight hiking shoes for a day hike - and they come in cute colours.
Siren 4
MHC team t-shirt is a must!
Hike Club Tee
Field Notes:
I love the fact that you can access a hike like this in the center of Helsinki. Leaving the city noises behind is super easy on this trail. Depending on the mood you can trail run or hike or even bike. When I'm in a mood for a sweatier session I head here to run the trails which seems to continue forever and ever. This time I packed a coffee thermos and headed here to slow down. Listened the birds to sign, sipped a cup of coffee on a rock and just enjoyed the moment just as it was. In nature time stops and all worries seem to disappear too.
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Good To Know
The route is long, if you do a day hike choose only a small part of that trail.
I love Finnish Lapland. The fells always feels like home.
When To Visit
I always love this trail in Spring/Summer when there’s still a little snow. In late March, which is when I did this hike, the snow has usually melted enough so that the path is clear. Be sure to get up early and stop off at Loch Morlich on the way to the trailhead. On still mornings the loch become a glorious mirror and reflects the whole mountain range perfectly.
Q&A:
Why do you love hiking?
Focusing on simple things like moving forwards, eating, drinking and where to put your tent. Did I already tell you how my worries disappear when I'm in nature and I love it? Also - in the outdoors everything tastes better!
What got you into vegan outdoor cooking?
It wasn't until 2019 when I started to explore outdoors. Soon I found myself planning overnight camping trips and road trips through Norway where I needed to figure out what to eat. I learned easy recipes for a day hike and then for overnight adventures. People started to ask about the recipes and I wanted to show how cooking outdoors can be easy and delicious. I'm still on the same mission!
What's your favouite campfire meal?
A warm bowl of comforting curry is so good after a long, cold day of hiking,
What the one non-safety-essential always in your bag?
Coffee thermos and a camera. I take a coffee break everywhere I go - there's always time for coffee.
HIKING TIPS
- Be safe and plan your route ahead
- Be weather wise, check the forecast
- Take the correct clothing and provisions
- Check if dogs/ camping/ BBQs etc are allowed
- Take your litter with you
- Leave gates as you find them
- Have fun!