The spouses and mothers must try to not think about the treacherous rapids, rabid wolverines, steep ravines, quickly rising thunderstorms with 3-meter waves, and other dangers that lurk in the vast Sea of Sami and the last great wilderness areas of Europe; Vätsäri, Kaldoaivvi, Hammastunturi and UKK. The fishermen are out there somewhere, with no cellphone reception sometimes for days.
Finally the phone beeps. “Fish is good here. We’ll be another week.” And they can sigh in relief.
Smoked trout and perch with a glass of milk.
The quiet forest men can stare at the flowing river easily for 12-16 hours at a time. They seldom even catch anything because the fish populations in Lapland are scarce. The sun never goes down. Time loses its meaning. What kind of meditative states do these men reach? What do they see in the water?
