END ZONE

When Mekkar was living in Minnesota his friends wanted to take a road trip. They begged Mekkar to be the designated driver. He would be the perfect sober person to take their small group where they wanted to go. They all knew that Mekkar had quit drinking alcohol altogether for health reasons a few years earlier and was a recovering alcoholic. Plus, this there was some distance involved.

It was Monday and their favorite hometown NFL team was on going to be on television that evening for the whole nation to see. The matchup was against the team’s main rivals from the state next door. The game was to be played in Green Bay and the gang had planned this trip for awhile. Previous travel arrangements had been made and game tickets had been purchased long beforehand. There was an extra one because one in the group was now unable to get away from another engagement to go on the journey. Thus, they chose Mekkar to accompany them.

Mekkar thought this would be fun and have a chance to visit a place he had never been before. Having grown up and participating in reindeer treks when he was younger, he liked to travel to new places and see new things. Mekkar has a view of once that in awhile it is a good thing to break the endless routines of life by participating in new adventures. It is in his blood and background. Also, he would get the chance to be inside the storied stadium.

The man from the arctic had first learned and improved his english language skills watching old professional sports films. He had heard commentators mention the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in a deep voice many times on football films. He wished he could speak like that, but it was not possible after taking hockey pucks and sticks to the mouth and throat during his playing days. In reality, Mekkar was from the real frozen tundra above the Arctic Circle. He thought to himself that any place in Wisconsin would be tame in comparison to winters back home.

Still, it took some time to reach their destination, yet even with the driving Mekkar was not tired when they arrived. He was instead filled with anticipation, yet the matchup was still about 1.5 hours until kickoff. They went through the entrance gates and searched for their assigned seats to see would they would be in relation to the field. It was the first row at one of the end zones and there were other Vikings fans in that section clothed in purple. All around their small section was a sea of green and yellow that dwarfed them. There were a quite a few fans that wore slices of cheese on their heads in support of the Packers. Mekkar thought that those individuals could be the invested owners of that team and cheese head gear were the identifying indicator. He read that the locals had a unique arrangement and a true vested interest in their team. Personal ownership was one way to continue the string of unwavering support of a major league franchise in such a small city, thought Mekkar.

Since it was early, the rest of his group went to get more beer to drink. Even though they had drinking on the way over, it was not enough to satisfy their desire to consume. Mekkar had his gang get him some food and snacks. They were willing to pay the ridiculous prices for those items at the stadium and he was going to accept. It was part of the price for getting him to drive in the first place. Mekkar just watched the player warm-ups on the field and spotted certain players for him to watch. He had a program but didn’t bother with it. He felt that was the easy way and wanted to exercise his mind instead. He wanted to indentify any possible factors that could affect the outcome such as injuries, etc.

This was Minnesota’s star wide receiver debut season and they were undefeated so far. The Packers were no slouch either. Along with most people Mekkar expected to get a showcase of points by two explosive offenses in this matchup. Even though the arctic native was not really a fan of the Vikings, he chose his allegiance with his buddies on this night. Plus, he was the type of person who goes against the crowd anyway because that is just the way Mekkar is. He has some contrary personality traits and is not a follower by nature.

The Vikings raced to a big lead on the scoreboard. Fans around their section did get restless and quiet. However, they did pelt Mekkar and his friends with a few items. The arctic warrior wanted to brawl with some of the offenders. However, he knew who the local security people would favor in any dispute because those individuals probably lived in that town. His gang was outnumbered anyway and would have been overwhelmed in any physical encounter. Due to this, Mekkar was secretly hoping that one of the Minnesota players would have followed the local game custom. That is, by leaping into their section of the stands after a Vikings score, right in front of the crowd.

Only players in the purple, white, and yellow uniforms would have been accepted by them. On the other hand, if a player in the green, white, and yellow colors tried this they were ready to push that athlete back onto the field as a sign of rejection. Unfortunately, neither instance happened. Minnesota met Mekkar’s expectations, while Green Bay did not as the game was out of reach. To the Packers’ credit, they did not give up and made it respectable on the scoreboard at the end. Now, the long trip home or would they risk staying overnight in enemy territory...

ON THE TREK & ENVIRONMENT - PART 2 (A)

[This story is an improved version from mini cassette recordings of Mekkar’s actual voice in 1990 while hiking and walking as a University student; Then, it was converted to a Windows Media Audio File and transcribed in 2011. Mekkar’s spoken English skills are nowhere near as polished as Saavo’s are.]

He was still a little guy at best. As Mekkar moved around the town, he noticed other boys his age did not look resemble him at all, at least in his own opinion. His mind flooded with comparisons to and questions about them. Does any of those boys go on long reindeer treks or at least herd the animals? He thought that was kind of strange that some of them wore similar, but different, native clothing like his. Mekkar bombarded some of fellow adult tribesmen with questions and comments as they walked together, “What could they be doing instead? Are we missing out on something? I am helping with reindeer; they are playing in the snow. They don’t look tough enough to survive out there with us. Do they even do any work? It looks like there is a lot of work to still be done to me.” It got to a point where they stopped listening to Mekkar and finally he shut up. At this point, Mekkar was already in judgment mode. He saw other herders and tribes just outside of the town. However, he didn’t see other children as young as his age here working with their animals except himself. This baffled him.

It was not a sense of this is not right, this is not fair, or why can’t I be like regular kids my age. It was more like, well am I just different? Why am I doing similar tasks within our group that a few older people I see are conducting elsewhere? Definitely none of them are as youthful as I. Mekkar now had the mindset that he must be special. That is when it dawned on him that he was indeed very different. Mekkar then remembered some of Aslak’s past words and predictions in his discussions with him about these matters.

On the other hand, other people there glanced at him in a different manner. He received those gazes as though they felt he should be doing something else until he got older. This began to make Mekkar somewhat self conscious. They didn’t know all the details, he thought. After awhile, Mekkar settled down and thought to himself, who cares what they think. Yet, subconsciously his mind was still slightly affected, whether he realized it or not. At this point, Mekkar decided to ignore the stares and enjoy hanging around with older members from his group. The youngster never experienced a wavering in his confidence level and he knew that he was doing exactly what was expected of him.

The young boy was of the impression that the people in this town dressed different. Their native clothing and designs were different from his. The locals there used language terms and some speech inflections that were distinct from where he grew up. He figured that since they were quite a distance from home, this should probably be expected. Many in his trekking group didn’t actually get strange looks from the locals that he received. Some of the leaders in his trekking bunch spoke with a few of the inhabitants easily. Ansetti was chattering with a few others he seemed to know there. Mekkar only could understand some of the dialect and words they were using to converse with one another. The youngster could relate to a few similar factors such as tone of speech, intonation, and emphasis some of the time. He interpreted that as Ansetti had been here before on a few occasions. Mekkar took it to mean that some of the locals were known by leaders in his trekking party. The boy also deciphered enough to learn that Ansetti was trying to get the latest news regarding conditions to the east. That way they were more prepared before travelling that direction.

He knew that something was amiss, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Soon Mekkar began to hear the rapid rotation sounds of helicopter blades. These were of similar flying machine noises that Mekkar imitated back home. Next, he heard a whoosh of the supersonic jets zooming by overhead. He was unable to exactly identify them because they went by so quickly. Since Mekkar had seen them on occasion before and his papa Henrik flew all types of aircraft. So, he could roughly identify the objects as planes. Mekkar had even ridden in the helicopters back in the village as they flew at low elevation during herding sessions. The machines were used to keep the reindeer herds together during the seasonal migration. However, he had not been around those aircraft enough to be extremely familiar with them or to distinguish between each one. Thus, whose is whose and which models belong to which side. In time, that would change.

They did continue through the center of town to gather additional provisions for the journey and returned back to their camp, on the west plain, to rest before moving on.

Mekkar thought it seemed darker that night than usual. The moon gave him the impression it was trying to hide. He wondered it this was related to the ominous activity that occurred earlier in the day. Normally, this is the time that some animals in the region come out looking for prey as they are better camouflaged by the dark skies above. This trend of less light provided by the moon stretched on for a number of days as the tribe moved further away from the town. Everyone was required to keep extra vigilant while watching over the herd. Especially Mekkar as he was prone to get bored while on guard duty and sometimes start to daydream as young boys do. Still, the tribe spent the next few days going east while bypassing a scattering of villages here and there.

Now, going this far north and travelling on a long old eastward trail could take them all the way to the sea, if that was the intention. Anyway, along the route going east the weather stayed ideal for about four days. After that, the trekking was tough and the group encountered storm after storm, with each dumping more snow than the last. He felt as if he had not enjoyed a decent night’s rest for awhile. His mind couldn’t stop recalling the images of the aircraft streaking over the town and this affected him. Young Mekkar began to become weary from the toll it took on him.

There was a lot of deep snow combined with thick patches of frozen earth underneath formed by high winds. Any digging for food by the animals or during camp setup could be a chore. The white powder was very dry there and flakey, at least until it landed on the ground. Dryness of the falling winter layer made sure it didn’t stick together very well. It was really hard for Mekkar to even make a solid snowball due to the lack of moisture. To walk on it becomes treacherous because you never know when you might sink. Sort of like a sinkhole on a city street. He figured it would be better and more predictable near the mountainous areas.

One might see some deep crevasse unless a person knows exactly where they are going. It is also key to know the surrounding terrain for all seasons as the drop when the snow is melted could be great. Mekkar was confident in the trek leaders regarding these aspects. The trek always needs excellent path finders and trackers to determine the best routes to travel. At times, the campaign requires them to go over some smaller hills for the best traction. To the uninformed one’s footing might collapse at any time. Truly, it is an adventure to watch where you walk with every step.

The hope was to distance themselves from the windy area by moving as close to the chosen route as possible and use the natural terrain as barriers. Strong winds tend to dry out everything and make it seem colder than it really is. That is why the adjusted wind chill temperatures are more extreme than the regular readings.

Anyway, as the itinerary went further east Mekkar was assigned an observation shift one particular evening. On the reindeer trek each individual has to serve and on this occasion it was Mekkar’s time for wolf watch. The boy was out under the winter sky performing his wolf watch duties. The lookouts need to observe for any potential predator movement, not just strictly wolves. Yet, wolves in this region are more prominent. The shift lasts about four hours each and they take turns. There is an additional surveillance backup crew also. They might consist of individuals that don’t appear to Mekkar as needing as much snooze as he does. He saw a couple of them in a state of superficial rest mode. The others not on duty normally take advantage of this time to catch up on their shuteye.

All of those in second group sleep out in the open, if the weather is not too bad. This was a normal practice of some of the trekking veterans. Mekkar normally wears a hat much of the time. It was easy for him to pull down a flap on the cap to cover his eyes before dozing off. The boy would pick a spot and lay down with his back against a tree or some type of vegetation. Mekkar is unable to get adequate rest until he blocks out light and noise with earplugs. Even the glare from the snow is too much for him and will keep him wide awake. In their wisdom, the trek leaders never assigned Mekkar to the reserve watch for these reasons. They decided that the still growing boy was to be placed in a position to get a full compliment of sleep as to not stunt his mental and physical development. The rest was up to Mekkar.

It wasn’t like that he was outside trying to catch a nap in a highly populated town or city. In those cases, there might be traffic at all hours during nightfall or perhaps a drive-by shooting. Here, Mekkar might hear a predatory animal once in awhile, but generally most wild animals stay away due to fear of encountering a large group. However, normally the sounds Mekkar would notice were just part of their own herd, accompanying people, or equipment.  

Of course, there are the wolves and less frequent encounters with bears, as they are a different story altogether. Wolves prey on what they think they can get for themselves. As carnivores, they intelligence is underrated. Plus, those creatures hunt in packs. A pack of wolves can even team up with enough numbers to steal from and kill a bear. Not normally a larger polar bear, mind you. Mekkar has seen this firsthand in action where the wild toothed animals have used their advantages to retrieve desired food. Using the various aspects of speed, agility, and teamwork they can succeed in ripping off another beast’s edible cuisine and provisions. It is well to note, that all life in the arctic expanse must fight for survival against the seasons and each other. This applies to human beings also because the far north is sometimes an unforgiving place. [Confirmed by Animal Planet TV Channel] 

The whole key to dealing with a wolf is to isolate it by itself. In Mekkar’s mind, they lose a bit of their aggressiveness until one backs them into a corner where there is no retreat.

To separate one from the pack, an individual has to show courage, confidence, and command because the animal can smell fear. During the dividing out process the individual must always at the ready to take out the potential attacker at any time. You never know as the wolf could respond by taking even more risks or be more cautious. Also, it depends on an animal’s personality but Mekkar never wanted to be around a wolf long enough to determine that. A perceptive herder can usually tell in the first few minutes after noticing the untamed beast. The method and manner of stalking its prey and demeanor especially when getting detached from the pack shows tendencies. It is difficult for novices to grasp because experience is the best teacher. Mekkar already knew the first rule of wolf watch. That is, to stay awake and keep his eyes attentive to make sure the herd, as well as accompanying people and resources are not attacked by them.

Mekkar’s tribe put him through a few tests related to reindeer herding, but not all. Not even close. Those trials were conducted close by his home village and familiar settings. Before this trek, Mekkar has not been involved in most of the training because he is much too young. That would happen later. Thus, he could not be left alone during the nighttime guard duty in any circumstance or it might put everyone in danger. The youngster never let on if he realized that he was always being shadowed by more experienced tribesmen. Mekkar was actually relieved when he saw others were also alert with him on duty. Looking out with multiple sets of eyes is always a good idea, thought the boy.

The experienced leadership determined the schedule for these tasks and which roles were to be filled at any given time. A minimum of one or two, at different distance intervals, could be the watchman depending on the size of the group, including animals, in their section. There always a few, like Mekkar due to his inexperience, who might be tempted to fall asleep while on active duty.

All members of the tribe understand that their livelihood is out there and protection against danger is paramount. Loss of assets to a roaming wolf is not an ideal scenario. Isolated attackers have a higher possibility to panic and flee or at least hide from view when they see humans. The wild animal understands that they can be killed without their friends around as easily as they can attack. Also, people do carry out preemptive first strikes against predators to gain the upper hand in this struggle.

Pack hunters, such as the wolf, are the reindeer herder’s greatest natural enemy, but they are not the only one. Even though they are numerous in the region, wolves are nowhere near as plentiful as reindeer. The hooved creatures are not completely helpless in defending themselves either. Mekkar had been made aware that a lot of the wild animals can be hard to detect in certain environments. Particularly, ones that have a white base color in appearance hidden by the snow.

Native people in this region also have some hereditary traits passed down through the generations to help them adapt to the harsh conditions. One is mainly to help individuals to spot any aggressors at longer distances than would be considered normal elsewhere. Just as many animals use camouflage to blend in with the background to hide their presence. The tribesmen can exert other attributes to discern the predator and counteract them anyway. Ansetti says to Mekkar, “It is a continual, evolving battle and test of wills between man and beast.”

This is a major aspect for Mekkar or anyone on the trek to be able to locate the attackers before they descend on the weaker parts of the herd. They always seem to attack where you are weakest. Reducing the amount of opportunities for the opposition to grab fresh meat is just on part of a herder’s job. Like anywhere else on the planet, the intention of get it, while you can is prevalent. Mekkar was familiar even at his young age of the survival of the fittest concept. [Principles of Biology by Herbert Spencer, 1864] Yet, the little boy had not grasped the economics regarding the law of supply and demand. [An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy by James Denham Steuart, 1767] This would happen in time.

The reindeer can bunch up, while still moving, during one of these surprise encounters. Mekkar says, “It is like slower rush hour traffic on the freeway. The vehicles are still moving, but not at full speed.” Wolves, as most predators, like to assail the loners, stragglers, and the young that become separated from the main herd. They are quite aware that full grown reindeer have those large somewhat sharp antlers and can give a devastating kick also. Antlers are useful for other things besides defense and attracting mates. The hoofed animal can employ them to keep from starving to death by prodding for their food. Even more so during the winter, when it is necessary for them to dig under a lot of snow to access nourishment sources. Thus, it is beneficial to keep those antlers in pristine condition. 

Overall reindeer are not large animals, well as least size-wise compared to a bear or a horse. Yet, they are stronger and more powerful than they appear. Mekkar knows better than to stand directly behind one and possibly receive a thrust kick to the chin. The compactness of power gives them a good chance of surviving in their environment.

Plus, they can move faster than most expect. Upwards to twenty five miles per hour (40.23 kph) and higher. Their acceleration is more when not weighed down by any objects or pulling a sled like one would see in a race. Reindeer are afraid of being hit in the back of their hind legs because it can throw off their whole balance and stability. Their enemies choose this as a weakness to be exploited while on the offensive. You attack the rear to reduce fleeing speed and running power.

Mekkar uses the analogy of a human playing baseball. When they come up to bat and the hurler is throwing the ball towards the hitter. Most think that the pitching power comes solely from the arm. However, Mekkar knows better and understands that the pitcher actually gets the majority of their power from the legs instead. The boy was aware of this through watching films of Nolan Ryan. As Mekkar has said before, “Boy, that guy can bring it!”

The thing is that in a charge by a pack upon an individual animal is usually done by more than one carrying out a strike. Plus, the target can give a swift kick backwards, but unable to use both legs to deliver blows to aggressors at the same time. If a predator stops their prey in its tracks, overcoming it is more straightforward. A stationary target is much easier to overwhelm and opens up other parts of its body.

In this scenario, a stationary mark then is unable to spin around and exercise its own natural advantages to counterattack the aggressor. One on one, a face off between a healthy reindeer and wolf can be a close battle, especially in an all-out frontal blitz.  Mekkar would favor the arctic deer in that case and thinks that many underestimate the reindeer’s speed and flexibility. Making use of distractions and conducting a surprise attack from behind normally have quite different results for the antlered animal, but not always.

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ON PATROL

Mekkar grew up in a region where the power nations of the world seem to have interest in. For what reasons, he was unsure. The historical records show that his homeland has been desired through the ages for specific resources. To him that means those are items that can be used for specialized military means. For these very reasons there was a great need to protect their lands from being overrun. Some resistance had to be exhibited to prevent outright thievery. Thus, when Mekkar came of age he had to be trained like a soldier and go through the mandatory military training.

Normally, the first extensive combat related drilling and instruction time period usually was around two years. There was also required retraining intervals of a few months every five years until a person their very late elder years. Women were not excluded either, as there were just not enough people in the region. Females had a choice between regular and militia duty. The ladies might have to turn any type of manufacturing company into one producing military equipment or goods in a very short period of time.

After the initial boot camp, everyone also had military weapons that they took home with them. Each town and many villages even had more sophisticated weapons mini-armories located within them. With this type of open access, Mekkar felt that being trained in these areas would be grasped easily. Past history also played a part in the preparation readiness of the inhabitants. It was due to numerous enemy invasions, brutal treatment of the local natives, and havoc created upon their lands.

Henrik’s oldest son, Mekkar remembered when enemy warplanes and helicopter gunships would arrive overhead and started firing away at them when he was younger. The first time Mekkar was aware of a skirmish happened when he was seven years old. The boy was on a reindeer trek and remembered Asnak, Antti’s brother, had gotten shot in the back by a fully armed, swooping helicopter and a number of animals being picked off as well. Poor Asnak didn’t make it and lost his life that day. Mekkar had been aimed at from the sky also. He figured that, as a small boy, he was a hard to hit target. This occurred as the adults were shouting instructions for any inexperienced, younger members to be hidden from danger.

Those memories fueled Mekkar desire to be properly trained on who the enemy was and how to defeat them. Exacting a little revenge for being shot at as a boy was also justified by him. Soon afterward, Mekkar had the various leaders of the community teach him how to properly use the military items available in his village. He absorbed the information like a sponge and caught on quickly. He now felt he was ready for next time the enemy would show up. Later on as a teen, Mekkar experienced these arms in action himself when Antti had him shoot at an elevated enemy fighter plane in the sky. Mekkar missed. Antti did not and blew it apart with a hand-held surface to air missile launcher.

Near his village anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers were strategically placed and camouflaged by the terrain. It seemed that some of the batteries were old, from an earlier period, possibly World War II. Hand-held weaponry was also hidden in the brush and could be used to fire back when loaded and physically cranked into position. Mekkar didn't understand some of the implications to all these activities until he reached his service age. He couldn’t accept that a powerful outsider wanted to pick on them. Mekkar contemplated the potential reasons, but arrived at few answers. However, his desire was to help fight back in any he could and not be completely defenseless is a trait that became more ingrained as he grew up. Mekkar was not one to take the hit and turn the other cheek. His passion to seek of immediate retaliation was exposed as a weakness in other endeavors such as hockey. It resulted in much time spent in the penalty box.

After recovering from major surgeries that ended his ice hockey career, Mekkar was finally ready to complete his obligations of military service. He was the oldest person in his platoon. On one occasion, a group of four soldiers had to go on patrol to find an enemy aircraft that had been brought down, by someone else, after invading their airspace. The goal was to pinpoint the location and bring back the pilot – dead or alive. All of the four were natives of the region. However, none of them were from the same village and their homes were far away from this place where they were stationed. This meant there were some differences among them. The loaded up their gear and headed out on their skis to navigate on the snow topped ground. They had to search a specifically determined section in an area that none of them was truly familiar with. Fortunately, cross-country skiing covers a lot more area quickly than on foot.

The four troops had been out for a number of hours carrying out their mission, in the freezing temperatures. After extensively searching, they never found any signs of a grounded plane or aviator. Instead, they did encounter a single polar bear in the distance. Mekkar had seen larger ones before and didn’t spot any cubs nearby. As the animal reached a specific range away from them, Mekkar set his sight on his standard issue machine gun and fired a shot. He was an excellent sharpshooter when on the hunt back home. Thus, Mekkar knew that he had hit his target and confirmed it in his scope. He saw a metallic object lodged in the bear’s skull, right between the eyes. The arctic bear continued coming their way at a faster pace now. This panicked the rest of the patrol and they deserted Mekkar. As they were leaving one, in the group, gave Mekkar a grenade launcher along with some of the ammunition. The patrol had been supplied, at the outset, with only one of these weapons.

Next, Mekkar fired another shot from his gun and the bullet impacted the same exact spot right behind the first one. The polar bear sped up his approach. Mekkar thought to himself that if the animal could have laughed in his face right then, it would have. The village where Mekkar came from had a tradition of no retreat from a battlefield for any reason. Alf and Lasse both say that is the basis for Mekkar’s extreme stubbornness in many parts of his overall personality. He was now stuck with figuring out a solution, and fast. Mekkar began loading up the more powerful armament and positioned it in the correct position. At the same time, began to get defiant in his attitude. Even challenging the bear with “Let’s go!” and other similar comments.

Yet, Mekkar is not stupid and aimed the grenade launcher at the polar bear’s stomach as opposed to his head. Since, the two earlier shots were not effective in slowing it down. Mekkar fired his weapon and then dove into the snow to avoid any potential shrapnel as the gap of space between them was narrowed now because those large bears have a rapid pace. The arctic soldier figured he would get just one attempt to take care of the problem, otherwise he would be dead. The explosive device did its job and blew the bear apart sending blood and guts in all directions. Some of the remains ended up on Mekkar’s all white military apparel as well. Even though this grossed him out, Mekkar felt it was still better than being a snack. He was hoping that someone else had heard the explosion and come back to help him. After an initial pause, Mekkar realized that he was on his own and removed his outer layers of clothing to burn them. Then, he buried them in the snow as he knew that wolves would soon be attracted to the remains. Fortunately, Mekkar had heavy long-john underwear underneath and it was still a good distance back to the base. Even though it was about zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.77 degrees C°) outside, at least the skiing would keep him somewhat warmer. Later, when he reached his destination Mekkar sought out those three that had left him alone. He wanted to chew them out and kick their butts. Nevertheless, his superior officer approached Mekkar instead and told him, “At least, you are still alive to tell the story”. 

FURTHER NORTH

Mekkar had a relative from his mama’s side of the family who lived even further north than he did above the Arctic Circle. When Mekkar was young, he and his younger brother Alf would travel with Sirga to visit her relatives in that area. Most of the time his papa wouldn’t accompany them on their infrequent journey near the top of the continent. In those days there wasn’t even a paved road between the closest small town and the small inlet village on the other side of the island where Gretta lived. This was especially hazardous during the latter part of the calendar year when the road was basically plowed snow pack. Very much like a dirt road to make it accessible to vehicle traffic at all. Frequently, it was easier to get there by boat.

The inlet was a small fishing village of people who gather their livelihood from the nearby Arctic Ocean. That is, when the waterway approaches were not frozen over. The area hasn’t changed much since then, except for local animal observation tours that cater to travelers. Many tourists hope to see rare wildlife that inhabit a cluster of islands nearby.

The boy played in deep snow in the open area next to Gretta’s house. It wasn’t really a flat field in the usual sense, but a series of small hillsides to climb on. Most of the houses and the small number of businesses were mainly located on one strip of land. Otherwise, the surrounding landscape was fairly barren with just brush plants. Trees are unable to gain roots and grow on the rocky hills that are mostly confined by water. At least, that would be the average visitor’s perspective. Those same rocky plains would be blanketed in snow during wintertime. At times, the powder could be up to little Mekkar’s waist. For him that was one way to interact with a few of the local kids in outdoor activities. The choices were extremely limited as there wasn’t many people living in this area to start with.

Every so often, polar bears would arrive on the shoreline from one ice flow or another. Their goal was to scour around on land looking for any scraps of food they could find to fill their aching bellies. One time, Mekkar saw a rare event that was not only remarkable, but showed him the power possessed by these animals. A regular bear had arrived this far north on the tundra, which was out of the ordinary. Mekkar wondered why that bear was there when there almost no trees of any significance to forage on. Usually, many land animals don’t travel this far north of the forest areas due to the lack of available game. Mekkar thought that this fairly large brown bear must have gotten lost somehow and was way out of his element. It might possibly be delirious from hunger. When Mekkar eventually spotted this scene, he tapped some of the other kids on their shoulder. He wanted the whole group’s attention and warned them to be aware. The kids began to send signals between them and whispered to each other to be quiet. The hope was that the wandering unexpected visitor wouldn’t notice their presence very easily.

Of course, neither Mekkar nor any of the other children on that snowy hillside were stupid enough to yell at the lost animal. They definitely didn’t want to attract its attention. It was a good thing that bear was way over on the other side of the inlet and far enough away from them for any real danger to occur. The youngsters continued to keep their wits about them. Still, none of the now huddled children saw the large polar bear arrive into their view until it was nearby the lost brown bear. The other bear must have come upon the floating ice from another direction, thought Mekkar. Everyone assumed both were both males in gender because no cubs were there. However, when both animals were almost face-to- face one could see the arctic beast was much larger in size and towered over his counterpart. Someone pointed out that a territorial confrontation was about to occur. The polar bear then suddenly moved forward while still standing straight up on his hind legs. What an imposing figure he was. The two of them wrestled for a bit. Next, the arctic animal raised its hand and gave a back-handed swat to the lost brown bear’s head. A separation and decapitation occurred. The now deceased beast’s head went flying away from the torso for a few feet. After that, the smaller bear’s whole body fell to the ground with a resounding thud that sent tiny shockwaves.

Wow! The kids thought with the mouths aghast. They only whispered their surprise under their breaths in the cold air. This reaction was not only due to their frightened state, but because they were hoping to avoid the attention of the victorious animal. Too late! The lighter colored bear had used its keen sense of smell and could easily smell the little ones from a distance. It was decided among them, the kids should now respond with action and Mekkar led the group of kids back to the houses in the village. They figured the adults would know what to do to scare off any aggressive animals. They immediately began functioning on pure adrenaline. Full awareness with regard to exercising the fight or flight response and other undeveloped human mechanisms within their little beings. Soon, they all reached their destination back to the village structures. By the time they all reached their destination, each of them was completely out of breath. Yet, they didn’t seem to notice. Mekkar felt that the group did not care at this point. The desire was for the curious children to be in a secure place and out of harms way.

HAPPINESS ON THE FERRY

On a few occasions Mekkar and an assortment of his buddies would board a round trip excursion ferry from one of the larger cities to another and back. There were a host of different routes to choose from that left from that spot to a variety of intended destinations. They all said the main reason for this jaunt was they wanted to visit other people they knew across the water. Mekkar himself did not believe it and mentioned that was not the main intention at all. Since the trip itself was an overnight journey the collection of rebels figured why not party and have some outrageous fun.

At the time underagers could have a run of the boat minus a lot of restrictions they encountered on land. It did help that everyone in their bunch appeared to look older than they really were. First of all they could drink duty-free and was much cheaper in cost. Sometimes, that meant also getting hammered with a small number of crew members. The gang had done this sporadically, so they were on a first name basis with a portion of boat employees. Mekkar and his pals were seen by the crew as relatively harmless. The chums all thought the junket and the coastal stop in between was a good place to meet different women too.

As soon as the transport pushed away from the dock Mekkar, Eppu, Kallio, Vanha, Mikko, and a revolving cast of characters would start up the flurry of inebriation. Engaging in revelry was part of the action as well. In other words, party throughout the night. A wide selection of booze was available for consumption: Beer, vodka, other grain spirits, rum, bourbon, tequila, and more. Mekkar endeavored to try and experience as much of the different flavors at his disposal each time. Well, as much as his body could tolerate. Not forgetting the basic staples of alcoholic beverages the Arctic warrior already enjoyed.

Mekkar problem occurred when he would mix the hard stuff with beer. His system, especially his stomach, did not like this too much. As it would happen, he would feel the effects quickly. Then, proceed to get sick due to the mixing of the two different types of drink. Otherwise, when Mekkar stuck to one or the other he would arrive in a good festive state without the sickness and nausea.

The lack of extra taxes on the spirits on the boat made the liquor prices less expensive. Thus, the gang ingested more. Mekkar and his friends also saved a bundle of cash by usually renting one room or two at most. Not a cabin for each individual which would have cut into the amount of money on hand for partying. The troop rarely stayed in any of the rooms they did hire unless it was to place to pass out or bring female companions back to. Much of the time was spent run around the decks in a crazed state of drunken madness or playing pranks on others. To many outsiders it would be hilarious to watch them in action.

This type of activity on their part would be in full swing early in the journey. That is, way before reaching any halfway point of the shortest trip between two distinct locales. A few other forays might involve short stops at islands and coastal entrances along the way.

The pack would party all night long. On this particular trip there was a band onboard. So, Mekkar and the group definitely took advantage of that! On some trips they would reach the main destination city and stay on the boat not bothering to go ashore. Then, depart on the same course back to where they originated, to do it all over again. On the sojourn back, the fellows could be quite loaded.

In one instance, Mekkar and his buddies were going down in one of the elevators and Mekkar got sick by mixing the consumed booze. He became queasy from the combination and assimilation of the different beverages. As a result, Mekkar threw up in a big way on the floor of that lift. His barfing session was followed by others who saw it, were affected, and did the same. It became a considerable mess. Mekkar and the gang reached their floor and got out rapidly. They didn’t want anyone else to notice who had made the nasty mess.

As they walked away laughing, carousing, and carrying on, most of them noticed an older couple about to get into the same elevator they had just left. There was a thud. The old woman had slipped and fell on her bottom in their vomit. Mekkar thought those people should have noticed the puke on the floor. At the very least, the nasty smell of it before getting into the lift. He concluded the reason why the older ones were not aware beforehand because they might have been drunk too! Mekkar still muttered to himself, “They are so stupid”. The little old maid started blurting out derogatory statements and swear words in a loud manner not caring who heard. She said, “Those spoiled brats. Uncontrolled heathen!” and she went on and on cursing for a bit.

The elderly couple probably assumed that Mekkar and his friends didn’t understand what they were saying. The boys had been steady conversing in a totally different tongue on the boat and in the vicinity of the other guests. However, Mekkar and the gang understood every word that came from those seniors’ mouths. They just pretended not to understand. Mekkar along with the rest of his posse just thought it was funny and continued to laugh and joke about it. Still, there was plenty of time to carry on their merry way to consume more booze and create more commotion.

ON THE TREK & ENVIRONMENT - PART 1 (B)

Later on, Mekkar thought his original analysis was correct as he listened to the main trek leaders speak with each other in the sauna tent. Frequently, he would pretend to be asleep or not appear like he was paying attention. Good thing for him that he kept his mouth shut and was absorbed by the discussion environment going on around him. The boy attempted to recall in his mind any similar past examples as what was broached in the sauna. Unfortunately, Mekkar was unable to find any comparisons. He resolved to ask questions about any concerns he had, the next time he had a chance. However, this was not right time.

Mekkar soon figured out that the leaders of the trek were not referring to this journey, but their own past adventures. Some had involved being in the nation’s military. There were no details whether it was related to required regular military service or militia duty, otherwise known as regional home guard. The youngster overheard one of them say the destroyed equipment along the ground over there was not one of theirs. Yet, the boy did not know where that equipment came from and the adults weren’t giving up more details. Many in the group wanted to drop the subject altogether as not alarm the others on the trek. A small number of the adults there appeared to have no interest in describing details of past horrors they had seen. They didn’t want to be reminded either. Why relive painful memories?

Previously in the village Mekkar has heard the air raid sirens, but he usually ignored them as false warnings and didn’t respond with any cautionary measures. Here before him was real evidence and live carnage. He had the realization that sometimes ignoring those alarms can have consequences. It was not pleasant to see and the eyesore of strewn out wreckage penetrating his mind. He detected that there was more than one flying apparatus that had been destroyed, he counted at least three maybe four. Arms, legs, other body parts, plastic, and metal pieces were visible too and the scene him ill with dread. Mekkar thought it looked worse than any trip to the butcher shop he had been to. He was definitely disgusted with the view around him. He had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. A sensation of distressful nausea was the result. With that, the group still continued on their way. Mekkar heard somebody make another related comment near him. He decided to seek out answers to calm the anxious state he was now in.

Antti approached Mekkar and replied to the boy feel better, “Yeah, I used to be a scout in a special military unit and these are not ones that we used. These helicopters are deployed for war. Someone else has shot them down. You can tell.” Mekkar was wondering why he had not heard any explosions or gunfire near them. Still, the boy did not grasp everything Antti was speaking about. Mekkar was aware, by Antti’s speech intonation, that devious intent was carried out through someone else’s actions. The young trekker understood those helicopters had been knocked out of the sky, but didn’t know why. Being the curious kid that he is Mekkar began to question anyone he could regarding how did it happen?

Those images would haunt and preoccupy Mekkar’s thinking for the next few days. The visions haunted Mekkar and kept him up most of each night. He was too worried to close his eyes and go back to sleep. This was not a good thing. Mekkar did not want to be distracted too much. Ansetti pointed out that Mekkar’s lack of extended rest could become a concern and possibly affect his performance. He was brought along on this expedition to learn needed skills to use for future treks. Mekkar was required to perform his normal duties like all the herders in the group. There was a codependency within the group that involved each member of the trekking party. Everyone depended on him as he did on them. In fact, due to his youth he relied on his leaders much more than the other way around.

The inexperienced young herder started to let his thoughts wander with fearful questions such as what if those people came back and saw the mess. How would they respond in retaliation? Revenge perhaps? The concerns flood the boy’s brain as he listened to Antti speak.  Mekkar had to calm himself and ask Antti, “When might they be back? Would they try to get us all? Why? We didn’t cause this.” The main worry firmly planted in his still developing mind was, why did this occur? The youngster was beyond understanding and comprehension of the situation at this point. He heard the words, but he did not understand. The lack of shuteye was making matters worse for him. Ansetti thought Mekkar was slightly delusional.

Ansetti was a large man, big and strong Mekkar thought to himself. The boy observed that Ansetti is almost as big as my papa. Mekkar always was of the opinion that Henrik was a much bigger than normal individual and was correct about this. Yet, Mekkar had a belief that the person with the most experience, which described Ansetti, had the most answers.

So, Mekkar attempted to ask the mighty Ansetti about these matters, but Ansetti was not in the mood to talk about it at this time. Even Ansetti looked somewhat perplexed and worried about this situation as well. A few of the others tried to unsuccessful hide their anxiety from the boy and Mekkar didn’t know what to make of it. It was further reinforced when Mekkar discerned the look on the chief of this trek’s face. This made him worry even more. An increase of additional stress Mekkar was already afflicted with and could do without right now.

It was odd that as he heard Antti repeated similar speech to others on the trek. He said that to the effect of surrounding nation’s own military aircraft and helicopters don’t normally fly in this area unless there is terribly, terribly wrong. So, there has to be a reason they were overhead recently. The band of herders saw other debris as they strode by. More items were scattered along the ground. It was estimated that the items were in the hundreds and that was what could not be identified. Mekkar was still alarmed and this feeling was increasing the more he saw. However, the overriding chore was keep the animals on task and calm as avoid any possibility of a frightened stampede.

Mekkar was now preoccupied with just getting to the town that was not far away now. He thought that would be the best answer and the safest habitat for the trekkers. Others in the group were of the opinion that some protection and cover was better than being out in the open. Mekkar agreed with that opinion. He also thought there might be more overhead activity to be anticipated soon. In either case, their path would bring the group into the town to get needed supplies and replenishment. It seemed to Mekkar that this last part of the trip, before they reached the town, became more difficult. Their arrival could not have come at a better time because they all could use the rest.

The lad’s thoughts in his head started flowing as he entered the community. He said to himself silently that there something peculiar about this place. Mekkar wondered if he had been here on a previous occasion. The faces look eerily similar, along with the clothing and its basic colors, and even the décor of the structures as compared to back home. Plus, other features as well. There were some differences also. The town was not only larger than Mekkar’s home village, but appeared to be more modern also. On this day, quite a few tourists from the continent were visiting. Mekkar village never has this many visitors at one time. He noticed there was less of an international flavor here, among the travelers, than back home. Animals, mostly reindeer, far exceeded the number of people staying in this place.

The adolescent still stayed on task and his group began to keep track of which reindeer were theirs and which were not. That way there would less hassle and confusion created through mixing of animals and afterward the hectic sorting out process. This is a tough assignment, but Mekkar along with others in his group felt they were up to it. It dawned on Mekkar as he remembered that each herder has their own distinctive branding mark, usually on the ear. No two are alike. This determines whose reindeer belongs to whom. It is extremely helpful, with identification, when moving larger herds.

It was an overwhelming sight to see the sheer numbers of reindeer herders and individual animals they saw in the valley on the other side of the town. There was a overflowing of people as opposed to the relatively small size of the town. At least, the boy thought so. Mekkar speculated after listening to his fellow trekkers that maybe all of these extra groups flocked there because of the situation in the skies up above. Outsiders outnumbered the locals by a great margin. It was a battle for everyone to pickup their supplies and find space to stopover here, due to all of the extra people. Mekkar walked with Antti, Ansetti, and a few of the trek leaders. Most felt that the town was not quite prepared for this onslaught. The trekkers finally found a location just outside of the town to set up the tents for a day or two. Then, they went on their way.

Sunshine was a bright break as the trekkers continued on. By noontime the clouds came rolling in. The mood of Mekkar and some of the others changed just as quickly as the weather. They knew they were about to encounter another fierce storm. This one appeared to be more vicious than the ones they had faced recently. This time it was damp, wet, soft snow that fell down from the sky in torrents and resembled a blizzard. Everyone’s ability to carry out their duties was hindered for awhile due to lack of visibility. Interaction by the herders was the least of the problems as the communication methods changed. It was done by only through calls, yells, and other sounds between them. Regular speech was ineffective and normally not loud enough to bridge the distance and the current elements. Unfortunately, this bad weather continued day after day. They bypassed another small town on their journey because there was no good area large enough for them to setup camp. They had plenty of food, yet everybody was weary from the harsh travel conditions.

Mekkar didn’t want to fall asleep because realized predators might notice and there would be a greater chance of an attack against him or his group. Speed of movement continued to get slower as the temperature dropped, but the tribe continued on. Even after rationing, this band of trekkers ate all of the food and used up most of the supplies. At that point they had to stop soon to re-energize and formulate a plan. Mekkar put on some clean clothes. Lucky for him he located a pair of high boots that fit him. The winter flakes easily reach a level up to his knees. The youngster overhead another adult saying it was odd and not right for the season to encounter such wet snow in this area.

Nobody anticipated or could have predicted this no one. Mekkar thought to himself, ever since he had seen the strewn out helicopter wreckage, that everything seemed out of order. Events had become very weird and peculiar in his inexperienced mind. Mekkar fired himself up with outward motivation and felt he was ready. His demeanor was if we are going to have to fight, then bring it on! This was Mekkar’s attitude; actually more of hostile characteristic exhibited by this situation. A temperament inherited from his mama, Sirga. Definitely, this disposition was not the best mindset necessary to survive in this Arctic environment. Any wrong mental outlook on a trek could kill you, if you are not careful.

Few outsiders know this area and its past history. Some are only aware as far back as the end of World War II. Mekkar was uninformed, but others in the party have known that foreign aircraft roam this area on a regular basis. They have been doing it since the last Great War under the guise of keeping the area free of invaders. Ansetti, Aslak, & the leaders thought that was a ruse to conduct additional not well known activities. In times gone by, other nation’s militaries invaded this region and spread far beyond the individual country originally targeted. During that time a few invaders were soundly defeated after quite a bit of damage was done to the territory and environment. Many things were completely obliterated and buildings were burned en masse.

The youthful Mekkar could sense the local’s cautious view when any military action was being conducted in this area. Battle exercises were treated with suspicion by those who live in this region as a result of past brutal atrocities. Juhani brought this subject up with Mekkar and asked the boy whether he would be extremely bothered if his home had been destroyed. How about the region decimated by foreigner armies as in the past. Only a handful of nations could relate to that type of carnage. For example, the residents of a couple of Japanese cities that were nuked near the end of World War Two could relate. How about the German metropolitan areas were fire-bombed unmercilessly from the air during the last world war and so on? They persevered on the trek. During the next few days they were exposed to more of the same destroyed objects in the snow. The blizzard could not completely hide them. Mekkar figured that maybe some of the storms must have played a part in the fragments he now witnessed.

Mekkar wondered where the time went as it they prepared the camp of animals and tribal members for the night nearby a different hamlet. This community was much smaller than the town they stopped at previously. Mekkar more accurately described it as a village, with about the same inhabitants as back home. The trekkers labored and at the beginning constructed the temporary sauna tent. It was like a teepee and many of them wanted to enjoy relaxation time in there, after completing their work. It is ironic and contradictory, warm and toasty in the sauna, yet freezing cold outside. There is an opening in the center of the teepee, but the chilliness doesn’t seep in because of the flame inside. Since heat rises it forced any smoke from the fire to escape through the cylinder hatch.   

Antti and rest of the trek leadership discussed and agreed on a strategy of staying put to outwait the repeating storms they expected to continue for some days. Outside the wind blew and blew. Nevertheless, due to the construction and study design of the native nomadic portable dwelling in use for many years, those inside were unaffected by the conditions around them. Anyway, Mekkar observed these things and listened at the news of Ansetti who said, “They (the group) could be in for a long stretch.” Blizzard after blizzard came upon them. There was no letting up. They could tell that some of the trekkers were wondering when a break in the atypical cycle would occur. The hope was for a nice return to normal for this time of year in this district.

A person’s natural dangerous tendency is to fall asleep, when outside, during these frosty conditions. It is a battle because that is the last thing you should do. An individual’s body might go into shutdown or shock mode the colder it gets. Drinking alcohol deceives the mind into thinking that one is warm and is fully functioning at the correct internal temperature. The reality of physical effects upon the body is still there and real damage cannot be ignored. Fortunately, even the young Mekkar was trained to notice this trend and fight his natural inclination during his guard watch time outdoors. The awful weather partially changed the schedule among the herders. Total neglect of duty was out of the question. Required functions still had to be done with modifications. Survival was always at stake as enemies could show up at any time and cause mayhem.

In spite of the best intentions of the leaders in riding out the storm waves, it was not to be. A new course of action was undertaken to now attempt to resume the trek and optimistically move away from the barrage of strong weather. As they trekked along, more snow accumulated. Snow can fun for some of those who do not see it very often, sort of a novelty. This was no illusion as the struggle on the path continued. Mekkar also went forward despite the bombardment of big flakes and thick snow descending out of the sky. The powder was deep and very soft as his boots planted deeply with each little step. At times, Mekkar felt like he might be swallowed up by all of the whiteness. The youngster himself was exhausted and annoyed by the lack of sunshine. He forgot about the positives aspects. Snow actually provides some brightness and light especially in dark areas and the dead of winter. Yet, this trip was not happening in full winter according to the calendar. The fact was the boy was weary and not enjoying himself as he yelled out loud, “Give us something else besides this!”

Older ones on the journey were used to these extreme changes as they had been on many treks. The problem was Mekkar is still quite young, inexperienced, and new to all of this. Antti told Mekkar that many of them felt the same way about the unpredictability when they were young like him. Now with more experience they are better adjusted to that way of thinking. Another in the group mentioned to Mekkar that familiarity in a way brings about an ignorance of bliss. Blocking out some of the negatives and just except them because they are there. A realization or discovery materializes that as an individual you are powerless to control certain aspects or unable change them.

Now in this region as one turns and travels further to the north toward the sea they are find themselves near the top of the mainland, the continental shelf. Normally, in this type of arctic area one can find winter huts, winter homes, and additional temporary shelters. Some of them are constructed in a way that is burrowed into the earth like a beavers’ residence or manmade caves built into the hillsides with plenty of space. However, in this particular area Mekkar did not notice any of those types of dwellings. This was in the flatland, not a mountainous expanse, what could be considered a valley in the Arctic. Basically, this was the equivalent of a desert and usually described as the tundra with sparse rolling plateaus.

Mekkar estimated after about five days of this same routine, they were approaching another reasonably sized township in the north-country. As they got within about ten kilometers (6.21 miles) away the landscape was sight to behold. The town was very high on the latitude scale and was much further north than some other places Mekkar could think of. Plus, the bad weather started to let up and the morale of the group improved.

Nevertheless, the military air intrusions had come back with a vengeance due to better visibility. Mekkar had heard that the residents here had encountered this for many years. Mekkar thought that they were sort of indifferent to this activity above them as a result of overexposure to this type of activity. As they reached closer to the town, Mekkar saw more debris. More military wreckage than he had ever seen before in his life, worse than earlier on this trek. The whole crew predicted there were more guns here. This information made Mekkar more afraid once again as he didn’t who the actual enemy was.  Clearly it was decided that weapons would not used here and have their group stuck right in the middle of a skirmish.

Later in the night, Mekkar would hear tales in the sauna about past history. What had happened to this whole region in the days of old. Mekkar didn’t think this still existed today. He was under the impression that it was just a myth or only occurred in the past. When Mekkar saw more of these remains, he was disturbed again like before. His belief system was altered and began to think these incidents still happen on a regular basis, even today. His mind refused to fully believe this and accept it, despite the evidence before him. If he admitted that these expeditions were really so frequent and not imaginary, then he would really be increasingly frightened. For practical reasons, Mekkar had to ignore it because paralysis from fear would affect his reindeer herding duties on the trek.