A snowshoe walk to feel at home in the world
Once upon a time, Estonians started loving walking. It was not just love; it has been said. It was more like tremendous awe, an avalanche of joy, which grew into respect, bliss, and… calling nature their second home.
Everyone carries the idea of the North inside them. And as the story goes, a traveler only needs two things to venture deep into snow silence: a heart full of yearning and a pair of magic shoes. Because when you put these shoes on, you can walk straight into the snowy silence of the North.
Snowshoes are an ancient invention dating back 4,000 to 6,000 years, allowing travelers to tread lightly across frozen landscapes. With winter boots and snowshoes, you can venture deeper into Estonia’s wilderness, following in the footsteps of animals that leave their own tracks in the snow. You will leave tracks, just like all animals leave tracks on the snow, when you tread lightly across the frozen bogs, forests and floodplains that span the northern terrain.
Within an hour’s journey from Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, visitors can step at the bog landscape of Põhja-Kõrvemaa, a landscape where hills, woods, bogs, and lakes intermingle, creating a truly unique environment. The alternating scenery of steep eskers and frozen bogs is perfect for those wanting to feel completely at home with nature.
And then there is the Männikjärve bog in the Endla Nature Reserve, for those wanderers who want to venture just far enough. It has been said that every traveler needs to have one good walk a year to feel at home in the world.
Have you walked through your winter in Estonia yet?
