Active young people and youth workers organized an awesome 22 km hike in Otepää. The hike took place on Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21, on the shores of Lake Pühajärv. Like the previous hike in the summer thunderstorm, this hike was also extremely memorable.
On April 20-21 this year, the Tartu Youth Center organized its third hike, which took place on the beautiful shores of Lake Pühajärv. The idea for the hike was conceived and planned by active young people themselves. Fifteen young people took part in the activity, seven of whom had previously been on hikes with the youth center, as well as three employees who also enjoy spending their free time in nature. It's safe to say that it was an incredibly fun group.
They gathered at 11:00 AM on Saturday morning at Lillekeses to have enough time to check the last things and prepare their minds for an exciting hike. The young people ran into the youth center one by one, and to a pleasant surprise, no one overslept. Everyone present sat down and had a small introductory round, rules were set, and each person individually signed them. Before leaving, everyone double-checked that they had everything necessary, and if desired, equipment such as hiking and sleeping bags was provided by the Youth Work Center.
By 12:00 PM, they had successfully boarded the Tartu-Otepää bus, and the adventure could begin! The bus was completely full, which meant many had to stand, but fortunately, most still found a seat. As people leaned everywhere and bags obstructed the exits, considerable effort was required during stops to lift bags onto laps so passengers could disembark. It snowed during the journey, an interesting sight for spring, and simultaneously, people got to know each other.
At 12:45, we arrived in Otepää, took a short shop break for the hungrier ones to fill their stomachs before the walk, and then the hike began. Initially, groups formed according to walking pace, with some rushing ahead and others falling behind, which continued until the end of the hike, as there were always faster and slower walkers. Nevertheless, out of politeness, everyone always waited for others to catch up – it was a friendly togetherness. First, we walked 2 km on the Apteekrimäe hiking trail to reach the shore of Lake Pühajärve from the city center. From there, a beautiful view of the lake opened up, which was wavy due to the wind, creating a feeling of being by the sea. At lunchtime, everyone was cold, but now, upon reaching the Pühajärve hiking trail, the sun began to shine strongly, and it gradually even started to feel hot.
The Pühajärve hiking trail could begin! The plan for the day was to walk half of the trail, or 9 km. Since several young people had not hiked much, breaks had to be taken every 2 km. However, we kept ascending to higher ground and could admire the beauty of the lake, as the view was truly stunning, and we walked along the lake's edge for a long time. In the middle of the hike, a lunch break was taken, where everyone ate what they had brought with them. This time, the young people were especially creative: sushi, pickles, crisps, and more! During this break, everyone's jackets and gloves flew here and there, and the first dazzling sun appeared.
After the break, the trails became increasingly hilly, which added spice for some and sweat for others. In addition, youth workers had given the task of taking pictures of different places in nature, and the participants received a prize afterwards. They definitely learned to notice nature more!
Before reaching the accommodation, we had climbed a very high hill, where we descended over 100 meters by stairs – awesome! Now, the destination was finally reached.
Sleeping arrangements were made: most slept in tents, and 5 people settled into a hut. There was a beautiful campfire spot, and the view by the lake made it especially memorable! Everyone was either doing their tasks or simply relaxing: dinner was prepared, wood was chopped, and tea leaves (such as nettle and ground elder) were collected in the forest. They sat by the lake for a long time, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere and simply having fun. They were creative, for instance, building mini-boats and cleaning the hut with spruce branches. It was great fun!
For dinner, pasta with canned meat was eaten. ''But unfortunately, the salt was left behind again,'' laughed Elisabeth, something that will definitely be remembered for the next trip. Water was boiled, and tea was made. Some of the more resourceful ones had brought sausages and meat to enjoy a barbecue. ''We should have brought more food,'' Valter admitted, or ''The pasta didn't fill me up,'' Teele thought, but the youth workers also acknowledged that next time they could try something new and bring barbecue meat! But ''The homemade tea was truly wonderfully good,'' said Liisi, and everyone enjoyed it. Nevertheless, no one went hungry, and it was a great evening in nature.
The night, however, turned out to be something entirely unexpected! The hut was completely filled with smoke because, for some reason, it wasn't venting from the top – there was a real lack of oxygen. Fortunately, everyone remained safe by sleeping low, though the smell of smoke lingered on everyone! The night was extremely cold, dropping to -4 degrees Celsius. Most people had been very cold, which was somewhat extreme, as several young people had sleeping bags rated for +10 and 0 degrees. Luckily, they made it through the night and were able to continue their journey peacefully.
After a 6:00 a.m. wake-up walk and run, most people didn't bother going back to sleep and started cooking porridge. With our stomachs full, the campsite tidied up, our things packed, and our last admiring glances at the lake cast, we set off again. Once again, an 11 km hike lay ahead, but luckily the day was sunny and warm. We walked several kilometers along the road, took lots of pictures, and admired the beautiful views once again. Then the hiking group split into two: a longer and a shorter route to the rest stop. Those who chose the longer route enjoyed the views of the lake from above, and at the meeting point, everyone got to touch the water and enjoy snack bars, nuts, dried bananas, and water!
Awards were given to those who took photos and searched for bird sounds, and the final kilometers to the finish line continued. It was clear that some were tired, but there were also those whose energy had doubled. Their legs had already gotten used to it, and the final stretches weren't so difficult – they reached the end! Certificates were handed out, they went to the shop again, boarded the bus, and drove back to Tartu. With that, this adventure had come to an end! 😉
Youth worker Liisi, Elisabeth, and young hikers Teele and Valter also share their memories:
What was liked? Liked: young people from all youth centers were represented, a good choice of hiking trail and accommodation – in a beautiful location, the hilly route was enjoyable, generally beautiful weather, great company, beautiful view, green nature, excellent trail length and pace, a perfect number of young people and youth workers, we hiked high up.
What were the minor downsides? Downsides: many breaks, it was cold to sleep, no salt (tasteless), the hike was short (but great with this company), there could have been more cooperation (there were also those on the hike who didn't really want to hike), felt a bit hungry, thin hiking bags, the stuffy atmosphere.
Where should we go hiking with young people next?
Something could be done on the water body, young people could unleash their ideas, perhaps to Taevaskoda, somewhere towards Narva, further into the corners of Estonia (for example, to the islands).
Was it a memorable hike? It was? Yes!
Article written by Teele Põder, a young person from Tartu Youth Work Center
