Gravel Finland

Smoke scratches at our lungs as the flames of the fire flicker in the eye of the stuffed raven. The sharp teeth of the dried pikefish seem ready to snap any second, as a loud noise from the darkness reverberates through the small cabin where we’re seated in a circle. The door creaks open, and in steps a towering man, dressed in leather and fur. “Long, loooong ago, giants lived here and hurled stones—boulders as big as houses,” he begins, his voice deep and slow. We’re visiting a shaman somewhere in the wilderness of Finnish Lapland, far above the Arctic Circle. We listen intently to his stories. “Do you know where the Northern Lights come from?” the healer asks us. We don’t, but we’ve got a full week to find out for ourselves.