IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUNO THE BEAR

It’s midnight and I’m in the middle of a sea of peat fluff, folded double in a hide that is far too small. Only with a shoehorn will I be able to free myself from this cramped situation. A few steps away a couple of young brown bears are tussling with each other. I hold my breath and squeeze my arm just to be sure. For a moment I even imagine myself as David Attenborough shooting his umpteenth spectacular nature documentary. In the background the trumpet call of a lone crane. Its slowly expanding echo dies in the peat. Afterwards that deafening, ear-hurting silence once again.

With this intense bear adventure still resonating in my mind, I continue my way north. Travelling around Finland means countless moments of wonder and at least as many unforgettable impressions. From behind the wheel I see the immense backdrop of the Finnish taiga with its jetblack fens, crystal clear lakes and swampy birch forests pass by. Besides my target, Bruno the bear, I hope to catch the rare red-flanked bluetail and the wolverine during this trip. So far without success. Still, I’m happy as a kid with a handful of bony elk, a mysterious great grey owl, and several groups of bustling grouse. Wondering what else my path will cross.

In this part of Northern Europe I’m totally immersed in the rhythm of nature. Stress only overwhelms me when I meet some rare animal, I sleep when the sun is at its zenith. My sense of time disappears like snow in the sun, my biological clock takes over. The north takes hold of me again.