I did this in the month of May last year and was told I was the first person that season. In places there was a metre of snow. Often up to my thighs in swamp water as the duck boards were all covered with snow. But enjoyed it immensely. Only problem it was the month where the skiing had stopped and hiking had not started so public transport was very sparse.
July is a good time to go but the cabins and lean to shelters could be quite busy if you go over the weekend. So Monday to Friday would be better. Great facilities in the cabins. Wood burning stoves compost toilets water nearby. For public transport there is the train to Oulu and the bus to Kuusamo or you can fly and get a transfer bus in the summer months.
There are some very good finish websites in English with loads of information. Can't remember them all as the bookmarks are on the old computer which no longer works, but try www.kuusamo.fi and www.metsa.fi they should have further links.
You can get the 1:50 000 map of the route in Helsinki when you get there and I found it very good. One last thing take a tent just in case, there is an unwritten rule that the LAST person to arrive always gets a bunk and if it's full somebody has to sleep outdoors.
I was hoping to go in May this year, I have cross country skis, should i take them? What were the snow conditions like? Please help, I don't know whether to be prepared for ski touring or trekking.
At that time of year snowshoes would be better unless you are thinking of going further north. In many areas there was very little snow and others up to 1.5 metres but quite slushy and not good for cross country skiing. In some places I met some locals out for the day and no-one had skis which is a good indication.
