Well, after first two days and more than a 1000 kilometers of road we decided to take a little break and just rest. So, for the most part of the day we just sleep, swim, took a walk in the forest, eat blueberries and, well, just rest merrily :p.

 

 

 

 

As place for our next camp we choose complex of small lakes not so far from our current location. In act it was backup location for the first day in Karelia. Well, why not. So, we gather our camp and rode on. But we decided to go on a different route and visit Olonets town to get some supplies and, well, to see the town itself. But first I wanted to check a north route near Ladoga's shore, just to check where it goes.

Total travel time: 25 minutes
Total travel distance: 4,85 km ( Mi)
Average speed: 11,6 km/h* ( Mph)
Road types: soil (bad condition), marsh / light offroad
Starting Point: shore of the lake Ladoga
Finishing point: shore of the lake Ladoga
GPS Track: [OneWay]

 

Well, the soil-top road went from bad to worse and not so long we ride on a marsh with 4wd on, trying not to get stuck. After a few hundred of meters I decided it not worth the time and we turn around and took a different road north.

Total travel time: 1:29 hours
Total travel distance: 46 km (279.6 Mi)
Average speed: 31,3 km/h* (41 Mph)
Road types: soil (bad and good condition)
Starting Point: shore of the lake Ladoga
Finishing point: Olonets Town
GPS Track: [OneWay]

This time we road on a “grader” road, and safely travel to Olonets. Well, it’s hard to belive that this big villagesmall town is actually an oldest documented settlement of Karelia, with at least 850 (!) years of history.

Total travel time: 1:09 hours
Total travel distance: 27,5 km (279.6 Mi)
Average speed: 24 km/h (41 Mph)
Road types: asphalt (good/bad), soil (bad condition)
Starting Point: Olonets Town
Finishing point: shore of the lake Kongolz’yarvy
GPS Track: [OneWay]

Our next destination was lake Kongolz’yarvy and few nameless lakes just east from Olonets. After short ride a couple of searches we found a perfect place for our next camp. We stood on a thin isthmus between two lakes, bigger one named Kongolz'yarvy, smaller one was unnamed according to our map.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. I always wanted to try and make a lumberjack candle (or Finnish candle). That’s an old trick of Finland army to make small fireplace inside pine tree trunk, very useful especially at harsh North winter (the fireplace won't melt snow and go down). All you need is chainsaw, dry (dead) pine tree trunk and a bit of gasoline or diesel fuel (you can do a trick an old way - with pine needles and pieces of dry bark. Gasoline is really like a cheat).

Just cut part of trunk, put it in vertical position, make vertical cuts, splash a bit of gasoline in the center (or just stick in the cuts enough pine needles and dry bark) and light a fire. After a few minutes you could put a kettle on top of a “candle”, the fire won't go out.