#solohiking

Olivier Steiner Photographyosteinerphoto
2025-05-13

During a solo fall hiking trip in the Absaroka Wilderness, I camped by a quiet lake under the last glow of the day. Just me, the stillness, and a moment that stayed with me. I wrote about the full journey on my website—link in bio.

Bivouac in fall in the Absaroka Mountains, Montana
Trail Hiking Australiahike_australia
2025-04-23

Someone told me:
“My first solo camp was an act of defiance. They said it was too risky — too dangerous.”

Funny how different the warnings sound when you’re a woman.

That stuck with me.
So I wrote about it:
Why Many Women Fear Hiking Alone — And How We Can Change That.
trailhiking.com.au/blog/the-un

Most of the food I carried for the first 17 days of my two-month hike. The total weight was 11.1 kg when I weighed it. Missing from the photo is about 1.5 kg of various items, including 250 g of butter and 0.25 liters of cooking oil.

#nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #photography #hikingfood #mealprep #solohiking #backpacking
Photo of food supplies for a two-month hike, weighing 11.1 kg, with additional items not pictured.
It’s funny how the worst weather, the one that causes the most stress, also gives you the most photogenic shots. This one is from my six-week solo ski tour to the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area in Finland, spring 2023. It’s always a difficult decision—whether to set up camp or push a bit further. The winds can pick up fast, and they can get so intense that setting up a tent becomes almost impossible, especially when you’re solo hiking.

#sonyalpha #tamron #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #photography #skitour #weather #solohiking #finland #winterhiking #storm #visibility
Photo taken during a solo ski tour in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, Finland, showcasing the challenging weather conditions.
Can’t quite remember the exact spot where I took this, but it’s somewhere in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area during my six-week solo ski tour. Fun fact: Käsivarsi means ‘arm’ in Finnish—because if you look at a map of Finland, it kind of looks like the country has one arm reaching out. We used to have two… but then WWII happened.

#sonyalpha #tamron #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #photography #skitour #solohiking #winterhiking #winter #finland #käsivarsi
Photo taken during a solo ski tour in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, showcasing the beautiful landscape.
Windy fjells in the Valtijoki valley in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, Finland, during my six-week solo ski tour.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #skitour #photography #solohiking #käsivarsi #winterhiking #naturephotography
My pulkas covered in snow after skiing in a blizzard during my solo winter hike in 2023 in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, Finland.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #winterhike #pulka #solohiking #skitour #blizzard #badweather #finland #käsivarsi #photography #backcountryskiing
A crisp October morning in the Pulju Wilderness Area, Finland, in 2023. I was surprised by snowfall during this hike and didn't have skis with me, which made movement sluggish and difficult. There was approximately 15-20cm of snow.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #snowfall #solohiking #finland #pulju #photography
There was supposed to be a nice view of the valley here, but instead, I got rolling fog for the whole day. It made navigation a bit more difficult and dangerous. From my two-month solo hike in the Gaissene area, Norway, in 2024.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #outdoors #adventure #wilderness #fog #gaissene #solohiking #thruhike #norway #fog #backpacking
It always surprises me how much open water you can find, even in the middle of -30°C temperatures. Somehow, these small streams stay open for long periods, even in extreme cold. For us hikers, they always present a challenge, as crossing them over snow bridges or even ice is always an unknown danger.

#mountains #fjells #sonyalpha #hiking #winterhike #openwater #extremecold #snowbridge #icesafety #wilderness #arcticadventure #solohiking #finland #pöyrisjärvi #pulju #skitouring
The Guollejavri lake that I've always wanted to see. Of course, there were strong winds and fog on the day I climbed up the Guollerášša fjell to see it, so my visit was short as I was a bit worried that the winds might get stronger. They didn't eventually, but visibility was bad most of the day.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #lake #guollejavri #guollerášša #adventure #outdoors #solohiking #winds
This river crossing is from my solo hike in the Pöyrisjärvi Wilderness Area last January. These always give me sweaty palms, especially when I'm hiking alone in the winter and dragging a heavy pulka, or in this case, two pulkas behind me. On my recent solo winter hikes, I've been pulling two pulkas, as this allows me to lower the center of gravity on the larger Fjellpulken, making it harder for it to fall over.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #winterhike #solohiking #adventure #outdoors #rivercrossing #pulka #finland #pöyrisjärvi #fjellpulken #wilderness
Sometimes dragging the pulka requires a bit of elbow grease, stamina, and patience. During my six-week solo winter hike, there were a few occasions where the snow was so soft that I had to wade through it. When this happens and you're alone, often the easiest way to move is to first open the path some distance ahead, ski back to your pulka, bring it with you, and then repeat. This means you cover three times the distance you would if the snow could carry your weight and you could ski on the top layer.

#sonyalpha #nature #mountains #fjells #hiking #landscape #lapland #winterhike #solotravel #adventure #outdoors #pulka #solohiking #finland #winter #skiing #endurance #patience #fjellpulken #varusteleka #särmä #skitouring #backcountryskiing
This is what the midnight sun looks like near Nuorgam, the northernmost village in Finland. This video was taken on July 16th while walking back to my tent. The piiping sound is Eurasian golden plover who always follow hikers in the fjell.

#nature #midnightsun #nuorgam #finland #arctic #summer #outdoors #adventure #travel #landscape #wilderness #hiking #solohiking #lapland #mountains #fjells
Having refreshments from this small waterfall in Norway during my two-month solo hike. You can pretty much drink any flowing water in northern Finland and Norway without fearing illness (excluding very popular hiking routes and areas). I even drink from the lakes up north without boiling the water; it's so fresh and clean. I do have some Imodium as a backup if…uhm..”stuff” will hit the fan so to speak 😅

#nature #hiking #waterfall #norway #outdoors #adventure #solohiking #wilderness #freshwater #travel #landscape #fjells #mountains #photography #sonyalpha #backpacking
The Poroharju esker in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, Finland. I captured this photo during my six-week solo winter hike. Esker is a large and extensive formation made of sand and rocks, and is quite common in Finnish landscapes. These eskers were formed during the Ice Age by melting water from glaciers.

#Nature #Photography #Esker #Harju #Fjell #Mountain #SonyAlpha #Käsivarsi #Wilderness #Finland #WinterHike #Solohiking #Outdoors #NatureLovers #Geology
A tiny rainbow over a fjell in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, Finland, during my 6-week solo winter hike in 2023. It was one of the best hikes I've ever done, with great experiences and valuable lessons about hiking alone in the winter.

#Nature #Wilderness #Hiking #WinterHike #Finland #Käsivarsi #Fjell #Rainbow #Solohiking #Outdoors #Photography #fjells #mountains #sonyalpha
Another shot of a baby willow grouse. In a good year, these little ones run around your legs in abundance. They are so cute. Their mothers pretend to be injured, dragging a wing behind to attract attention—only to fly away at the last moment.

#willowgrouse #babybird #wildlife #nature #hiking #wilderness #finland #outdoorlife #birdwatching #solohiking #photography #bird #backpacking
My campsite for a couple of nights during my two-month-long hike. The river is called Storelva, and it’s in northern Norway.

#campsite #hiking #storelva #norway #outdoorlife #camping #wilderness #nature #adventure #solohiking #fjells #mountains #sonyalpha #gaissene #lunch
Raging madman – I found this camping stove gas canister on the shore of a pristine small lake in the Kaldoaivi wilderness area during my two-month-long hike. It had been there for a while, as it was all rusty and beaten by the weather. Needless to say, it is no longer there. Some of the trash that I collected during this hike I posted back home, and my plan is to have an exhibition of them and the photos I took on this hike.

#ragingmadman #campingstove #gascanister #kaldoaivi #wilderness #hiking #solohiking #trashcollection #exhibition #photography #fjell #mountains #sonyalpha #finland #lapland

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