Kauksi-Penijõe hiking trail 614 km / 382 mi

Penijõe-Aegviidu-Kauksi RMK hiking trail is 614 km / 382 mi walk across Estonia, in the Baltics, from West to East. I hiked it Eastbound starting from Kauksi, on the coast of Lake Peipus, from where it takes the course to the Baltic Sea through Alutaguse National Park. The trail passes Ida-Viru county’s industrial and mining landscapes/towns, the coast of the Baltic Sea, forests, bogs, it goes through ancient hill forts and manor houses. Finally it reaches western Estonia from where it ends next to Penijõe manor.

This was the longest hike I’ve ever done and the last RMK (State Forest Management Agency) hiking trail I hadn’t stepped on. The walk was varied and

didn’t have long boring stretches except old Virtsu rail to road section and western Estonia. I suggest walking the trail Eastbound as the boring bits stay until the end and is just a last challenge. You start with beautiful landscapes and (atleast I) have more motivation to walk it.

Eesti keeles: https://muidumatkaja.blogspot.com/2023/08/kauksi-penijoe-matkatee-614-km.html

Challenges on trail

The two hardest sections of the walk were the coast of Ontika and the endless gravel roads of western Estonia. In Ontika you had to hike an impossible coastline. It was covered in fallen trees and you had three options: either climb on muddy clay wall, climb over the tree trunks or walk in the sea. I chose the latter. The second hardest section started after Rabivere campsite from where on the path took you on endless gravel roads, especially monotonous was the old Virtsu rail to road section which meant hours of walking in a straight line.
Other than that I once had a storm roll over me with pouring rain and lightning. Luckily I missed an even greater storm which hit western Estonia a day after I had finished my hike.

Pace

I walked the trail in 15 days, 14 days and 18 hours to be precise, of which two days were spent recovering from a bug bite. On average I did 48 km / 30 mi a day (excluding the sick days) and also around 15 km / 10 mi to different campsites and in towns. The exact daily kilometrage is shown here:
Day 1 - 30 km / 18.5 mi - Kauksi-Agusalu
Day 2 - 50 km / 31 mi - Agusalu-Jõuga
Day 3 - 47 km / 29 mi - Jõuga-Vaivara
Day 4 - 41 km / 25.5 mi - Vaivara-Toila
Day 5 - 46 km / 28.5 mi - Toila-Aidu-Liiva
Day 6 - 65 km / 40 mi - Aidu-Liiva-Punasoo
Day 7 - 53 km / 33 mi - Punasoo-Mardihansu
Day 8 - 49 km / 30.5 mi - Mardihansu-Lehtse
Day 9 - 53 km / 33 mi - Lehtse-Paunküla town
Day 10 - 10 km / 6 mi - Paunküla and a sick day
Day 11 - 0 km / 0 mi - sick day
Day 12 - 40 km / 25 mi - Paunküla town-Järlepa
Day 13 - 56 km / 35 mi - Järlepa-Varbola
Day 14 - 46 km / 28.5 mi - Varbola-Hirvepargi
Day 15 - 40 km / 25 mi - Hirvepargi-Penijõe

People

I met three people during my walk. Two of them on the first day when I left the coast of Lake Peipus. We exchanged few words but then kept walking. The only other person I met on trail was just before reaching a military training area. He had been walking for 12 days already and wished to reach the halfway point soon.
In Soosaare the family was very welcoming, gave me water and some good wishes. Another helpful person was the owner of Õnnela guest house next to Ohepalu campsite. RMK states that there is a well in the yard of the guest house, but as it didn’t exist there the owner was willing to come there on a Sunday and give me water from the tap.
Lastly of course my family who helped me when I got the injury, let me stay with them for two nights, drove me to the doctor and let me get better. Also it was great to walk with them for few kilometers at one point. The trail is quite lonely and moments like these warm my heart.

Wildlife

On the trail I saw hares, foxes and hawks flying in the sky. The most memorable moment was when I walked towards Viivikonna in pouring rain on some random gravel roads when a hare ran towards me. I stopped but it didn’t notice me and kept running towards me. Only few meters from me it finally stopped and ran away. But that wasn’t all, it stopped further away and started to come towards me again. I kept completely still and the hare kept coming. It sat down just two meters from me and looked at me for a while. I think it finally figured out I was a human and then ran away for real this time. I’ve never seen a hare this close, I even could see how it’s fur was wet from the rain.
Other than that there were a lot of bugs here in the summer. At any point I was attacked by mosquitos, blackflies, horseflies, ticks and deer flies. Luckily I managed to stay sane most of the time.

Weather

The two days it didn’t rain were quite hot. The two worst times it rained were before Viivikonna and Järlepa. The first time it just kept pouring for hours and the second time I got caught in a thunderstorm which also meant many hours of constant rain. The second time I even got worried a bit as I was starting to feel cold. I tried to look for a second when it didn’t rain and put my fleece on.
Other than that the weather was great for hiking. Only few days had high temps. It’s surprising that last year when I was hiking in Hiiumaa at the same time I only had one rainy day compared to just two clear days.
The temperatures stayed around 20°C/68°F during most days and up to 25°C/77°F on some days (thankfully just few). During nights the temperatures dropped to around 10°C/50°F, the lowest being 7°C/45°F and the highest during night being 15°C/59°F.

Food and resupply

When walking in Ida-Viru county the trail passes many towns and cities from where you can buy food. In the center of Estonia the amount of large towns is smaller and in western Estonia the only bigger settlement is Märjamaa. At Ida-Viru the shops are larger and later the common shops you see are Meie and Aldar Market, with few bigger ones in Aegviidu, Kohila and Märjamaa. I sent resupply boxes to parcel lockers which there is an extensive network of. My resupply boxes were in Sillamäe, Roela, Aegviidu and Kohila. If you want, they can also be sent to Iisaku, Kiviõli, Kadrina, Kose and Märjamaa. But at the same time there are shops at these places to resupply from as well. My money went mostly on ice cream and meds.

Water

Water became one of the bigger obstacles on this trail for me. On my first day I found out that my filter is compromised and is not filtering properly. I ordered a new filter to Kiviõli but when I tried it out its situation was even worse (sent it back to the store). This meant I was afraid to filter too much water and bought a great amount of water from stores. This meant carrying 2.5 L of water rather than 0.5-1 liters if I had collected water from rivers and some lakes. I have to say thanks to Soosaare family once more as they gave me water on a longer dry stretch where I would’ve had to filter. I’ll also mention that RMK says there is a “stream nearby” in Punasoo campsite but I couldn’t find anything.

Journal

Day 1 - 30 km / 18.5 mi - Kauksi-Agusalu

I took a morning bus to Kauksi and the RMK visitor’s center was still closed. I started my walk nonetheless but turned away from the official path (12 km of asphalt) straight away and walked on the beach of Lake Peipus. I recommend it to everyone because there are no big obstacles other than one stream that you can cross on a tree trunk. The nature and walking are much more interesting this way. You could also walk on the ridge of the grass/moss covered sand dune. After Alajõe the trail turned to roads which I walked until Agusalu campsite which is over two kilometers off trail, but which is next to a beautiful lake, away from any people and also a legal place to camp in the Alutaguse National Park.

Day 2 - 50 km / 31 mi - Agusalu-Jõuga

In the morning I awoke to nice weather and kept walking gravel roads. The trail followed Alutaguse bike trail which meant interesting signs next to the roads talking about the history and nature of the place. A more interesting part of the day started when I reached Kotka hiking trail. It was actual trail in some parts and there were many rest stops. I waited the passing of a rain cloud under Kõrtsikraavi campsite’s roof and after that kept going. By walking on small roads and under power lines I finally reached Jõuga järvede campsite next to Jõuga lakes. This however was also poular with locals and this meant having to listen to some people partying till around one o’clock.

Day 3 - 47 km / 29 mi - Jõuga-Vaivara

The day started off with walking on forest boundaries and gravel roads. There were long stretches of hiking trails near Kurtna which raised the mood during a gray day. It was also great to learn about the beautiful lakes passing by. Soon I reached the oil shale railway carrying great amounts of oil shale from the mining areas. When I reached the railway so did rain and it kept pouring for hours while I tried to manage walking next to the railway and on gravel roads with huge puddles. Finally I reached Viivikonna, where I could dry for a second under an old concrete bus stop. Passing through the ghost town I continued hiking in the rain when I neared Vaivara and made my bed next to a field.

Day 4 - 41 km / 25.5 mi - Vaivara-Toila

In the early morning a car passed me, but luckily it didn’t stop and kept going. I packed my bags and walked towards Sinimäe in the rain. It was quite interesting to walk in a place I’ve heard much in our History lessons. The observation tower was cool and I could see the Baltic Sea already! Soon I reached but kept going on forest trails towards Sillamäe. There I received my resupply box, washed my socks in the bathroom of a COOP store and dried my stuff at Langevoja campsite. Had to walk few kilometers of Tallinn-Narva highway nr 1 where I tried to stay alive and the goal was to reach the cliff and the sea once more. I got a quick look at the cliff’s edge before the storm reached me. Strong headwind and rain went over me. Finally I reached Toila and made camp next to the sea in a designated campsite.

 

 

Day 5 - 46 km / 28.5 mi - Toila-Aidu-Liiva

This day had the most physically exhausting stretches yet. The morning started with a quick warm-up next to the sea by having to climb over many trees. For a second the trail turned to asphalt, but soon enough I was back on the coastline trying to push onwards. I had three options, either climb on the muddy clay, climb over tons of tree trunks/branches or walk in the sea. I chose the last option but still only managed less than two kilometers per hour. Finally this section ended and I got to walk on gravel roads again to Kohtla-Nõmme from where the trail took me to the industrial/mining landscapes. Aidu quarry was hard as the trail was drawn to go up and down a lot. I crossed channels by two different rafts, climbed on loose gravel, shared trail with motocross drivers and descended steep trail with the help of a thin rope.

Day 6 - 65 km / 40 mi - Aidu-Liiva-Punasoo

The first half of the day brought aa lengthy pedestrian/cycling road but after reaching Uljaste lake I finally exited Ida-Viru county. 6 days had passed and finally I completed one county. Lääne-Viru county brought with it a decline in blazes and long gravel roads. At Soosaare I rested for a second and asked for water (I found out my filter was compromised) after which I continued towards Punasoo. I passed a swap section during which I flicked 16(!) ticks off my pants. I reached Punasoo at twilight and the last few meters had complete darkness already. I had walked 65 km / 40 mi!

Day 7 - 53 km / 33 mi - Punasoo-Mardihansu

I had had one physically hard day and a second hard day for my legs. So it was only fair to have a hard day mentally. Worries with feet and batteries brought my mood down. Reaching Roela I was ready to plan a rest day or just quitting. RMK had also drawn the trail through tall grass. My hike was saved by RMK’s museum in Roela which had an electrical outlet and where I could wash my stuff. I at good food and my mood rose quite a bit. The trail continued on a nice forest path where kilometers kept passing. When I reached Raketibaasi campsite I wasn’t however interested in the abandoned nuclear warhead storage rooms and such. The trail however was missing and I had to bushwack on. I was tired and when it started to rain after Porkuni lake I knew I had to change something the next day.

Day 8 - 49 km / 30.5 mi - Mardihansu-Lehtse

I decided that I was going to take it a bit more chill and not care too much on what I had planned beforehand. I’ll walk as long as I feel like it and then set up camp. This was how I started my day and immediately I was blessed with a nice forest trail which lasted until Kadrina. I enjoyed the journey and also the ice cream I bought in Kadrina. Even though the weather was hot and I was walking on straight and exposed gravel roads my morale was high and soon enough I made it to Ohepalu campsite. There I had to deal with the fact that even though RMK states there is a well, there isn’t. Thankfully I got water from the guest house there. Walking towards the main military training grounds in Estonia I once more and for the last time on this walk met another hiker. He said the next part is total luxury and I have to agree. A nice straight forest road with soft ground underneath made me want to run this section. The horseflies and mosquitos kept attacking me until I reached a super muddy road. I passed Tõõrakõrve’s campsite on a nice forest trail and before setting up next to a field I passed through Lehtse town. 

Day 9 - 53 km / 33 mi - Lehtse-Paunküla town

On my way to Jäneda I walked mostly on forest roads and paths through hayfields. Thankfully from Jäneda the walk took me on an actual trail again. I hiked on it to Aegviidu where at RMK’s visitor center I charged my batteries and let things air out a bit. At the same time I took my resupply box from the parcel locker. I washed my things in the sink and kept walking on gravel roads (on trail for a second as well). Around half way I started to feel pain in my left foot which just kept getting worse. I took paikillers and at Voose campsite I took a better look at my foot. I had some sort of a swelling on my calf which caused excruciating pain with every step. I couldn’t do much so I kept walking and took another painkiller which helped a lot. Walking next to Sae-Paunküla channel I saw tons of horseflies. Later when the effect of the painkillers had worn off and my leg was hurting again I made camp near the trail.

Day 10 - 10 km / 6 mi - Paunküla and a sick day

When I woke up I understood that there was no way I could continue walking with my foot hurting like that. So I called my parents to drive to Paunküla to pick me up. I went to the doctor and they told me a “black bug” had bitten me. They gave me antibiotic cream and said I needed to rest my leg. I also took antihistamine at my parents home.

Day 11 - 0 km / 0 mi - sick day

I laid in bed most of the day and rested. The swelling and pain had gone down so I decided to hike on next morning.

Day 12 - 40 km / 25 mi - Paunküla town-Järlepa

Before noon I was driven back to Paunküla where I continued my walk. After some lengths of trail I was on the old Tartu-Tallinn highway where now it’s much calmer. At Kose cross-roads I asked water from a small food joint and now turned to gravel roads. It had began to rain which turned into a thunderstorm at one point. It was pouring rain but I kept moving. At one point I was a bit afraid to be hypothermic as everything was damp and I started to feel cold. When I saw that the rain stopped for a few seconds I quickly grabbed my fleece and put it on. It helped a lot. Back on a trail I soon reached Järlepa campsite where I made a small fire, the first that I’ve ever made while hiking. I warmed myself and then went to sleep feeling calmer.

Day 13 - 56 km / 35 mi - Järlepa-Varbola

The morning started with a visit to the Loone ancient hill fort as they had rebuilt the bridge over the river. The trail usede to go somewhere there but I just found bushes. Then I made it to Kohila where I took my last resupply box and my family walked with me for few kilometers. For a minute I went into the railway station there as it had a toilet and running water. Going forward there was a long stretch of actual trail again. Even though it wasn’t maintained much, the parts in the bog stay clear for a long time. Once it turned to swamp and then hayfields however I had to use GPS to know where to go. I even got lost once as there literally was no trail. When I made it to Rabivere campsite it just began to rain and luckily I could wait it out under the roof. I walked for a long time on small gravel roads when finally I made it to Varbola campsite. I discovered though that my leg had swollen up once more.

Day 14 - 46 km / 28.5 mi - Varbola-Hirvepargi

The day started out beautiful and the aim was to reach Märjamaa soon. I consulted with doctors on my phone and apparently it was the antihistamine that had made my leg better. In Märjamaa I sat down next to the main street, taking meds, having a frozen vegetable mix bag on my leg and eating ice cream. Soon however I had to continue walking and now the trail continued on to old Virtsu rail to road section. Just kilometers of straight gravel roads. When I made it to Hirvepargi campsite in the evening I was glad to be back in nature. I set up on a slope and surprisingly there were fewer mosquitos than I expected from an island in the middle of a pond.

Day 15 - 40 km / 25 mi - Hirvepargi-Penijõe

I started my last day early to make sure I caught the bus back home. Mostly the trail was still on the rail to road bit even though it did make a turn into chest high hayfield. Back on the road nothing interesting happened until I turned away towards Matsalu National Park. I asked water from a cafe in Kirbla and continued on boring roads towards the NP. I can say that the meadows were nice but didn’t impress me that much as I was also still on the road. Matsalu NP is supposedly an amazing place in the spring and fall when the birds are migrating and stopping there in thousands. A greater impression was left by the Karuselja linden tree. A moment lateer the trail had its finish next to Penijõe manor and a weathered terminus sign.
I stopped at the manor in the RMK visitor center for a moment and then walked to Lihula where I caught a bus home.

Gear

My baseweight was 2.88 kg / 6.35 lbs starting out wand my pack weight was 2.94 kg / 6.48 lbs. Here you can see my packing list: https://lighterpack.com/r/v9167s

Good items: The main thing I was happy about was my Nashville Cutaway backpack. It was just amazing to hike with and the vest straps were comfortable even when carrying 2.5 L of water and 2.5 kg of food in addition to my baseweight. That would be 3 kg still under the upper limit of the bag. It was simple to get things from the bag using the small pockets on the straps and the big unipocket on the back.
The other thing that saved me when walking on long gravel roads were Dirty Girls gaiters. These kept most of the small pebbles out of my shoe and let me keep on walking. The only thing I didn’t like was when the velcro started to peel off my shoe and I had to glue it back again two times.
A thing that I was really happy about were my XERO Mesa Trail trail runners. I got no blisters from them, they dried relatively quickly and were comfortable for the full length of the trail. I’m also surprised by their durability as I’ve done over 1300 km / 800 mi with the same pair and only in the end did the upper mesh start to show signs of wear. I bet I can get few hundred kilometers more out of them.
Lastly it’s quite important to have a headnet when walking in Estonia during summertime. Only this meant I finished my hike when I was attacked by mosquito or horseflie clouds. I used the Sea To Summit Nano as its cheap, easy to use and perfect for my needs.

Okay items: Most other things I brought I can be happy with as well. My tarp and bivy worked great though I do need to check their connections. My MYOGed quilt was a bit small and I’d like to sew a new one but it did keep me warm at such a light weight. Electronics worked nicely and the hygiene and first aid kits were just what I needed. The only thing I’ll change is I’m going to bring more painkillers and also antihistamine. Surprisingly I was happy with Montbell Versalite rain jacket. It kept me mostly dry and only the hood was a bit wet on the inside.

Gear failures: The two things that failed were a turkey oven bag as a pack liner and my Katadyn Befree filter. I had used the liner for few hundred kilometers already and it failed on me in the middle of the trip. I’ll just stick to Nylofume going forward. Regarding the water filter I discovered mine was compromised when I started the hike and I ordered a new one to Kiviõli. However that was defective. So I stayed away from filtering as much as possible which meant I had to carry around 2 more liters than I would’ve needed. I think I’ll try the Platypus Quickdraw next instead.

Favorite sections

The best memories were from the beach of Lake Peipus to where I recommend everyone go instead of the asphalt road, Kurtna lakes with the old and beautiful hiking trails, Ontika coastline with its impassable trail and Rabivere bog with its beautiful nature and less hiked trail.

It was my third long trail in Estonia and I’m quite confident already when walking here and how I deal with complications on the trail. Now I’m planning to finish the last RMK trail from Peraküla to Ähijärve in the fall and then hike outside of Estonia.

- Muidumatkaja