Mossy Walls and Rooty Trails

Seeking the echoes of time in hidden portals and moss-walled havens

Welcome to Linlo — an island, once again. This time no water crossing, because you can reach it by footbridge over the sea. We had a lovely and sunny day here with my three children and a friend, and I want to take you with us to explore the mossy forest cliffs.

There are plenty of photos ahead, so I suggest that you take a cup of hot drink and sit down to enjoy nature.

The path was tangled with roots, almost as if trees were holding it together. My 3-year-old got a bit frustrated with the roots, which is understandable — such short legs and those slippery roots can be tricky!

I spotted some letters formed by the roots, like trees were trying to write a poem — or warning? Let’s find out.

Soon, path started to rise. I had no idea how cool place we were entering at this point. We had just read that this is a nice place to hike. But what we saw later, blew us away.

There, between two pines and under this sheltered rock, was clearly a portal — gate to a hidden mossy-wall haven. Under this granite roof, I felt so safe. If I had lived Stone Age, this would have been the perfect spot for my hut. Sleeping beside this steady rock must have been so cozy and protected.

The kids were so enchanted by the place that they didn’t want to continue our hike, so we let them play for a while. They became Stone Age explorers, climbing, whispering secrets, and imagining hidden treasures. Their giggles made a cave-like rock shelter feel even more magical.

After we continued, we came to the sheer cliffs, where a green carpet covered the stone wall and the sun made it shine. Even though this was a northern coniferous forest, the moss on the cliffs looked like it belonged to a humid jungle, with delicate mats growing almost like algae. The cliff seemed to blush under the moss, as if shy and embarrassed for us to observe it so intently.

My 5-year-old found a crack, just wide enough to slip an arm inside, and was curious to see where it led. ‘Definitely to some other world,’ she declared. There darkness hid secrets and air smelled like ancient stone and times.

This pine leaned toward the cliff. I couldn’t stop thinking about how it happened as it began to bend. Did an icy wind blow from the sea, forcing it to seek warmth from the rock, which held it inside? Did the pine have weak roots, and without the rock to catch it, would it have fallen to the ground? Or was it simply going through a bad phase and in need of a friend?

My son climbed up to have a bit of rest. He is at the age where he reads a lot, and up there it would surely have been a great place to read for a while. Perhaps, in that very spot, someone in the Stone Age once lay down, pondering what the nightly sparkle in the sky was, where the edge of the world lay, or what the next meal might be.

Lastly, I want to show you one more fun discovery we made. In this dead pine, we spotted a hole. I’m not sure who had the idea to peek inside, but there was something so sweet and funny. Three hercule ants (Camponotus herculeanus) were sitting in this beautifully carved round hollow, and just watching calmly outside as we peeked.

They kind of have a penthouse with sea view. We didn’t want to disturb them, so we just watched for a moment, amazed at how such tiny creatures had made themselves a perfect little home. Nature has a way of surprising you in the smallest details, and this little ant penthouse was a perfect reminder of that.