
MEDIA PATRONAGE AND SPONSORS

The far north of Europe; here, thoughts slow down unquestionably. Reindeer, magnetizing auroras and raw nature. These are the conditions that this enormous land is situated in, the history of which could fill a large library – a land that covers as much as 380 square kilometres, extending to Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia.
Surrounded by this wild and untouched by human hand nature – without the rush and commotion of the civilized world – one thinks and feels differently. You start to live (and it’s not a cliche) … in harmony with nature. There is a wild, mysterious charm here that can both fascinate and terrify. It can give you freedom, but at the same time enslave you with its strength. In a way, it is a mystical place that changes you profoundly. A metamorphosis that has been accompanied by mysterious folk for centuries.


CHALLENGE
The expedition around the Scandinavian peninsula which aims to get to know the mysterious and beautiful, but dangerous land of the Saami, will begin in May 2021. Travelling through the endless taiga and tundra, the participants will be forced to cover nearly 6,500 kilometres through unbeaten paths with the use of old methods of navigation. Rivers, lakes and mountain streams will be their routes. To get from one water network to another (which they will be paddling through both with and against the current), they will need to climb up steep mountain slopes and traverse unexplored peat bogs, carrying equipment weighing dozens of kilograms. Sleeping in a traditional canvas tent, in an area dominated by bears and wolves, the participants will find themselves face to face with wild, untamed and powerful nature. Their only means of transport will be a canoe, sledge, legs and … paws. As if that was not enough, they decided to do it (with a few exceptions) in a traditional and historical style, which means avoiding artificial materials, electronics and mechanics – as was done in the old days; to come as close as possible to the equipment used before 1900. Almost all the equipment taken for the trip will come from their workshop. However, it will not be a strictly historical reconstruction, but rather a journey into wild nature, to get to know the ancient folk and to get to know yourself.
PLAN OF THE TRIP
Our SámiiLand expedition 2021 is a multi-stage project. The first stage of this great adventure is pure learning as well as verification and consolidation of the knowledge acquired so far. We took on the challenge of learning to build log huts, a skill necessary to survive three winters in the far north. We also traveled over two thousand kilometers on Polish rivers with full equipment – lakes, rivers, in the mountains as well as lowlands, upstream and downstream. It was thanks to this stage that we were able to undertake the second part of the plan, i.e. to modify the equipment and retrofit it based on previous experience. Being almost ready to set off into the unknown, we proceeded to the third stage – obtaining the necessary permits, visas and insurance. Finally, we proceeded to the fourth part. We packed up and on the river Warta, on July 4, 2020 we set off from Sowinek, a small town near Poznan in Poland, towards Sweden. Arriving at Lake Wener in Sweden, we proceeded to build a base camp with the intention of securing 150 kg of food, spending the winter there and further constructing the missing pieces of equipment. The final stage of our plan was to complete the designated route. But in fact these are only a few topics that make up one big organism.
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#1 Training canoe
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#2 Expedition Equipment Rebuild
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#3 Formalities, permits
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#4 Arrival at the starting point
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#5 Building a Base Camp
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#6 Covering the Expedition Route
PARTICIPANTS OF THE EXPEDITION

Thomas Paterski

Wydra

Nanook

LIST OF OUR PATRONS
Norbert Rutkowski
Michał Aleksandrowicz
Łukasz Waszkiewicz
Małgorzata Kaptur
Jarosław Mikulski
PLAN
Although the expedition began on July 4, 2020, departing from the vicinity of Mosina near Poznań and reaching the area of Trollhättan in Sweden, its official start will take place on the third largest lake in Europe; more precisely, on the Swedish lake Vener. There is a base camp on one of the islands of this lake that we established in the fall of 2020. It is there where we will complete the last preparations for the expedition, and in May 2021, together with my two companions – Wydra and Nanook, I will set off on a three-year adventure. We will be following a water route leading north through the interiors of Sweden and Norway, which charms with its open space, as well as mountains, wild, distinct landscape and magnificent lakes with thousands of islands and rough waterfalls. Slowly reaching the gates of the world of Saami, the land of Lullisapmi, we will experience nature in the form of huge boreal forests, stretching for hundreds of kilometres and inhabited by wolves, lynxes, wolverines, elks and bears. At this stage of the expedition, the Arctic Circle, or more precisely, the land called Davvisápmi will be our target.
It entrances with the Northern Lights, glaciers, meadows stretching beyond the horizon and snow-capped mountain peaks. As we will be reaching this place in late autumn, I will be setting up my little trapper camp in the vicinity of the Sarek National Park. It is there that I will start building a log cabin and take up the challenge of surviving the winter lasting several months, thus leading a rough, simple trapper life – just like in the old days. For the first few weeks, making do with living in a canvas tent and the smell of a bonfire, we will start the challenge of building a log cabin using only the materials found around the place. Dry, tall spruces will be used as a building material after cutting down with an axe, then saying goodbye to the bark removed using a classic drawknife. The saw-cut logs will be brought to the construction site to be put back together in a new form using traditional carpentry tools. We will only have a few weeks to make the hut, as we must make it before the inevitable onset of the harsh winter, which will ruthlessly cover the vast wilderness with white fluff. As we build our wooden shelter to tackle the icy cold and deadly inhabitants of the forest, we will also have to accumulate fuel supplies for a six-month winter, which will bring temperatures below minus thirty degrees Celsius.
The following hundreds of kilometres of the trail lead through Nuortesápmi, the Russian part of Karelia – one of the coldest regions of the European part of Russia. The Russian głubinka, i.e. a deep province, a land of lakes, is similar to neighbouring Finland, yet entirely different. Here you will find wild, unpopulated areas, reindeer breeders, and Pomeranian people – the Russian population settled here centuries ago. You will encounter Saami sacred sites and Orthodox monasteries which were built several hundred years ago. Two cultures have lived here over the course of several thousand years – Finno-Ugric peoples’ indigenous culture, and the Slavic Russian culture which came later, creating a unique ethnographic mixture. The rhythm of life is determined by the times of day and times of the year, just as if nature and man became one in this place. We will be accompanied by the white nights described by Pushkin, Brodsky and Dostoyevsky. After satisfying ourselves with the view of the Russian part of Lapland, it will be time to prepare for the last winter in the land of Saami, which will be around Kuusamo. Like in the past winter, I will be setting up my modest trapper camp and start building a log cabin, thus commencing a rough and simple life of a trapper. Yet again, we will have only a few weeks to make the hut ready for snowy and unrelenting winter which will inevitably come. During the next winter,
I will not only be looking after matters discussed above, as it will be another great opportunity to learn more about the Saami culture in the Finnish area. After a few months of snowy and cold winter, we will set off for the last hundreds of kilometres to the land of a thousand lakes – Järvi-Suomi, or Finnish Lakeland, thus saying goodbye to the world of Saami. Bounded from the north and south by the Salpausselkä terminal moraines, a sun-sparkling tangle of over fifty-five thousand glacial lakes, pristine waters surrounded by enormous spruce forests … all of this together creates an astonishing landscape and exceptional sailing conditions. These lakes are shallow, making them quick to warm up in summer, and easy to be covered with ice during winter, creating a unique, fabulous landscape. There are short rivers full of water, with numerous rapids and waterfalls. Thousands of lakes connected by canals make up a perfect network of waterways, so, recognising the opportunity we will build Wydra a sail, and enjoying the views and making new plans in the meantime, we will sail to Helsinki, where another great adventure awaits us.
OFFER FOR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
Proposals for the promotion of companies and institutions during the expedition under the title “SámiiLand expedition 2021” include:
- placing the company’s name and logo among the sponsors of the expedition’s pre-trip promotional video;
- placing the company’s name and logo among the sponsors of the series of films (twice a week) showing the current course of the expedition;
- placing the company’s name and logo among the sponsors of the post-expedition film;
- placing the company’s name and logo on the main page of www.lesnerzemioslo.com
- Placing the company’s name, logo and the text about the sponsor on the “SámiiLand expedition 2021” subpage at www.lesnerzemioslo.com
- Place the company’s name and logo on the port and starboard sides of the canoe used during the expedition;
- Placing the company’s/institution’s name and logo on the front of the tent used during the expedition;
- taking a specified number of photographs with company’s promotional materials during the expedition;
- Presentation of the company’s/institution’s name and logo in the expedition’s articles at www.lesnerzemioslo.com and on the Forest Craft Facebook profile;
- Presentation of the company’s name and logo in media reports and interviews (Internet, radio and television);
- Presentation of the company’s/institution’s name and logo in expedition’s lectures;
- direct reports (by phone, Internet) from the expedition;
- participation in promotional and marketing actions of the company/institution;
- participation in events, programmes and broadcasts related to expeditions;
- multimedia presentations as part of promotional activities or other company’s/institution’s expedition(s). In both cases presentations can be limited to a particular expedition/travel or be of an overview nature and cover a longer period of time (several expeditions/travels);
Of course we remain flexible and ready to cooperate in the fields proposed by you. Feel free to contact us.