Stephen Crist from the United States is no stranger to long-distance hiking: he has done eight over the last fifteen years, including the St. Olavsleden from Sweden to Norway. When hiking the St. Olav Waterway in Finland he was not alone, however: his daughter joined him.
“When comparing the St. Olavsleden and the Waterway, it is mostly about time and distance: the Waterway is ‘only’ twelve days, whereas the St. Olav Path is almost a month. The terrain of the Waterway is fairly flat and less strenuous than the St. Olavsleden. And of course, hiking across a series of islands is quite different from traversing vast expanses of land.
The Waterway was my eighth long-distance hike. My daughter had heard me talk about these trips during the past fifteen years, and she said she’d like to join me one day. After I booked the Waterway hike, she brought this up again. When I told her about it and pointed her to the website, she said, ‘I’m in!’ How was it with her? Simply great – so great that she wants to do another long-distance hike soon!
The island of Kökar might be the highpoint of this trip. It is a very special place. And we very much enjoyed hiking across Åland – the second part of the path. In addition to the beautiful scenery, though, we really enjoyed the places we stayed and the people we met along the way – such as Valentina in Lemland, who prepared for us a memorably delicious dinner.
In the past, I have always booked everything myself, but the logistics of the Waterway—especially the ferry schedules—are less straightforward than usual. So you have to do some real good planning or ask Nordic Pilgrim for assistance.”
Photo’s by Stephen Crist