Photo series: Pastel shades on Särkitunturi fell in Muonio, Lapland

Särkitunturi is a low and relatively easily accessible fell in Muonio, Western Lapland. There is a 3-kilometer-long (1,9 mi) trail that leads to its summit. The path is popular and often so compacted that it is easy to traverse in the winter, for example, with snowshoes. This photo series shows what it’s like to view the landscape from the top of Särkitunturi at midday during the polar night when the temperature was 10 degrees Celsius below zero (14 °F).

Särkitunturi on the map

A January morning nipped with a ten-degree frost in Muonio, Lapland. The polar night still reigned over lands and skies. The world was silent and slow-moving, almost motionless.

My husband and I decided to see if we could find the sun from the top of Särkitunturi fell. There is both a walking trail and a snowmobile route leading to Särkitunturi. Since the destination is popular at all times of the year, it may not be the place to seek noble solitude or absolute silence, but one can certainly find beautiful scenery on a clear day, guaranteed.

And so it was this time.

The Lappish pastel sky does not show the day during the polar night. It shifts from morning twilight directly to evening twilight, spreading at its most beautiful in a deep purple. The blue shadow of the Earth unfolds to the horizon opposite the sun, with the pale pink or violet ‘Belt of Venus’ – the counter twilight – above it.

This view we admired on Särkitunturi above the Pallastunturi fells.

We were not the first to arrive. During our journey, there seemed to be pairs of people on the move. Some had skis, others arrived on foot along the trail, some by snowmobile.

A gentle breeze nipped at our noses.

Around midday, the sun did peek out from behind the horizon.

When one watches a sunrise with intent, one can notice that it appears surprisingly quickly. The sun rises in sight – or rather, the Earth turns so that the sun becomes visible. In such a situation, when viewing the event during the polar night on a fell in Lapland, one should not start to fuss with other things. The moment is over surprisingly quickly.

The winter day even built up a little mist over the fells. The cold seemed to tighten.

And there, the sun had already disappeared from view.

There are ponds on the summit of Särkitunturi, which is partly why this particular place has become so popular for excursions. There is no hut or other facilities on the summit, but there is an open hut lower down on the slope along the walking route.

In the picture below, the largest of the ponds is hibernating under an ice cover.

One can also admire the snow-laden trees there. They should just be looked at with respect. I only recently learned that falling snow mass from such trees is sometimes called ‘silent death.’ The weight of the snow can become too heavy for the tree, causing it to collapse and tear off branches with it.

Hopefully, these polar night images from Särkitunturi brought you joy.

Note that in winter, snowfall and frost can cover both the trail and the trail marks, and temperatures can also drop rapidly. If you are not an experienced traveler in the Lappish winter or do not have local company with you, we recommend getting to know Särkitunturi either with a professional guide or during summer or autumn. For those wanting to reach a fell summit during the polar night, we recommend the nearby fells Levi or Ylläs, whose summits can be reached, among other ways, by gondola lift.