fatadapted

Tour of 2018 – Day 28, August 23rd 2018

Camp at Stuor Kärpel
Woke up already 5:30 and managed to go back to sleep until 7:00, had a few short and rather mellow rain showers during the night and early morning. After my first coffee the rain had stopped and I wiped off the tent.
Just after 8am I began packing up my stuff inside when drops started hitting the tent again and soon there was heavy rain going on outside. Nothing else to do than pack what I could to be ready as soon the shower was over, and then lean back and wait.
Roughly 40min later the rain had passed and after wiping down the tent again I managed to pack up reasonably dry!
I hiked the 3km to Unna Allakas, getting there just minutes after the next shower started and I stayed there for a good 2.5h. Eating fried mushrooms, nuts and jerky for breakfast and chatting with a nice couple, Eva and Joakim, who had a rest day in the cabin.
Side note: The last few days I’ve been ridiculously hungry, I think it’s the cold and especially the wind that takes a lot of energy. Anyway I’ve burned through a weeks worth of snacks in just two days, need to change things up a little so tomorrow I’ll have coffee only in the morning and then just go slower and see if that turns up the utilization of body fat more.
Turns out that by taking this long break I actually avoided most of the rain today, only got hit by a few short and light showers during the rest of the day.
I just love the stretch from Unna Allakas towards Katterjokk, and especially the part from the water crossing at Valfojåkkå to Stuor Kärpel. It’s so amazingly wild, remote and desolate, rocky and beautiful!
The trail separates from the one leading to Abiskojaure and climbs up the slope towards Shangeli, continues past the old mining area to the security cabin at Valfojåkkå. Soon after passing the cabin there’s a water crossing that needs a change of shoes.
Important to pass the winter trail crossing and continue around the first small lake to get to the safe spot. It’s a little tricky to get down the cliff and over to the first big rock in the stream, just take it easy – after getting into the water, the rest is easy.
Immediately after the crossing, the trail leads uphill into a wonderful landscape of rock and water.
So much wild beauty and fun hiking experiences here, as long as You like hiking on rocks and are comfortable with it.
If not, this is another area to stay away from, there are so many other places to get Your feet wet and learn the skills of rock hiking!
The rocks and cliffs continue until about 1km before reaching the cabin, last part of the trail is a pretty nice path and easy to walk.
Side note: Stuor Kärpel is another security cabin and overnight stay is only allowed in case of emergency. There are a few pretty nice campsites near the cabin and camping there provides a great opportunity for dinner and/or breakfast out of the wind and rain.
Please only make a fire if really needed, someone might need the firewood in a real emergency situation!
I’ve always used the same campsite here, this time I’m trying out a new location, closer to the lake and with a nicer view.

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 27, August 22nd 2018

Camp at the eastern shore of Cunojaure
What a joy to wake up without the sound of rain on the tent, it had been a few showers during the night, the last in the early morning hours, and none of them even close to the ones yesterday.
I woke up already at 5:30, getting into the cabin 30min later to make a fire in the stove and then broke down my tent to hang it inside to dry. Turns out it would have dried just as well outside in the wind, yet why take a chance when having access to a cabin, right?!

The wind had turned during the night, not longer coming from the west and bringing the weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Normally here that means an improvement in the weather conditions, and today was no exception!
After a few cups of coffee and tea with my neighbor, everything was dry and I packed all my gear to be ready to leave.
8:45 I said goodbye and left Gautelishytta until next time, and now, after finally trying out the sauna they built here a few years ago, that will probably be next year already!
The weather was so much more pleasant, no rain and a pretty mellow breeze, that also was quite a bit warmer than previously. Shortly after I left I had to stop and take of my jacket, later changing quite often between wearing it or not, depending on wind and the intensity of the hike. I’m happy to say that I must have hiked about half the day wearing only my t-shirt.
The trail northwards from Gautelishytta is wild and beautiful, quite easy to walk in the beginning, then, getting closer to the pass, very rocky and desolated. Frankly, if You don’t like jumping on rocks, this is the wrong tour for You. Unless You’re considerably good at moving on rocky ground, You could spend hours in frustration hiking this stretch.
That said, the marking of the trail is enormously better than I remember, someone has really put in some effort making the trail clearer and more visible. There are stone pillars at very close distances from each other throughout the entire pass!
Once on the other side of the pass there are two river crossings, both could be done without changing shoes this time. Always look for a wide spot in the river, remember that some stones can be stepped on under water with perfectly maintained safety, and, once again, get high shafted hiking boots!
I arrived at Caihnavagge in clear sunny weather and decided to take a break and have some tea and snacks as I still had some ground to cover.
Getting out of the wind really amplified the warmth from the sun and the place was really pleasant. Besides, I finally got a decent shot at charging my phone again as the sun was out so bright.
A good hour later i started the second part, as different in character from the morning stretch as night from day. Being so much lower in elevation the trail was mostly soft, leading over grass or low scrubs, mixed up with wetter areas. Shortly before the bridge over Caihnajohka there is a short distance that is rocky, muddy and bushy at the same time. Just take it easy and slow down and all is good!
The bridge is as reassuring as any of the Norwegian ones, I totally recommend to let one person pass completely before the next stepping onto the bridge!
The trail continues over the flat valley floor of Gallanbuolda, again mostly scrubs and grasses, some wetlands and bushy areas. And one real river where You might to have to change shoes, this time I got over there dry once again. It took some skills, experience and, once more, high shafts on the boots, to get it done, though!
Finally there’s another bridge to get to the north side of Cunojaure where the cabin is located and the trail continues around the lake and into Sweden and towards Unna Allakas.
About halfway between the Cunojaure cabin and Unna Allakas You find the beautiful beach where I chose to camp tonight. The weather was finally good enough to get back into solitude. As much as I love the comfort and warmth of the cabins, I missed being by myself in my tent!
Turns out that the Norwegian weather forecast workshop right, I just managed to get everything set inside the tent when I heard the first drops on the outer tarp. So far nothing alarming and very mellow compared to previous days and weeks. I’m kinda curious what tomorrow brings!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 20, August 15th 2018

Camp along the Kungsleden 5km North Sitojaure
Again I wake up early, and again to the sound of raindrops falling on the tent. Not very alarming at 6 am, I’m in no hurry to leave, yet looking out and seeing I’m literally camping in the clouds at 1100m was a little more disturbing. As I mentioned before, I really don’t like packing a wet tent and there’s no way to tell when clouds will move on. Just rain isn’t as bad, there’s always a half hour break somewhere between showers, and that’s enough to dry the tent reasonably.
Today I was lucky and just after 9, the rain got lighter and shortly after also the clouds started lifting and it made sense to wipe off the tent.
Just shy of 10 I was all packed and ready to go, though the visibility was still really bad and I was giving up on visiting Skierfe with its famous scenic view over Rapa valley. Staying higher up on the mountainside to cut some distance, suddenly the sky opens up and I realize there is a chance to get some view over the valley.
Instantly I change direction and chose the shortest possible route to the summit of Skierfe. Doubtful if it was also the fastest, as it took me through quite some bushwhacking areas and steep uphill slopes, yet it was fun and I got where I wanted.

The clouds not high above me, yet high enough to show the magnificent valley and let me get some photos and a video!

A cold wind drove me to continue my hike after just a shortstop up there. Using the trail down from the cliff, I soon abandoned it to get a better line of travel and, I have to admit, to avoid meeting all the people going on a day tour from Aktse up on Skierfe. I wanted some additional time of solitude before hitting the Kungsleden on my way north.
Crossing the Njunjes hill from southwest to northeast I came down to Kungsleden just before the descent to Sitojaure began. I followed the worn down trail downhill and through the woods, again finding more than enough mushrooms to supplement my dinner generously.
Reaching the lake I was lucky enough to catch a motor boat transport right away, it costs SEK 350:- to ride the 4km over open water. In my book that’s totally worth not having to row the distance!
Once on the northern shore, I passed by the Sitojaure cabin, got an interview for the Cabin Host Series, had a couple of coffees and some nice conversation before continuing just over an hour up the trail until I found this beautiful spot among the small lakes here!
I’m actually more than half a day ahead of my intended schedule and made the decision today to reach Saltoluokta already tomorrow, giving myself a real rest day on Friday and continue northbound on Saturday!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 19, August 14th 2018

Camp at the creek junction west of Gierdogiesjtjåhkkå
Finally, a day when the weather once more was playing nicely and invited both to a midday stop and going a little farther than I originally planned.
After the early stop yesterday I woke up already at 5 am, spending the next half hour or so in a state of meditation and contemplation before leaving my sleeping bag. Though it had rained some during the night, it stopped hours earlier and this morning the clouds looked friendly with a lot of blue skies visible between them. I started the day wiping off the tent to give it a fair chance to dry while I went through my morning routine!
Shortly after 7 am I started packing my stuff and, when taking the tent down, I found the bottom to be really wet still. Just a few minutes hanging it in the wind after wiping it off took care of that, and just after 8, I was all ready to go.
The same guy who told me about the campsite, also mentioned that there is a path following right along the river bank, and here also he turned out to be well informed. The trail was beautifully smooth and easy to follow, the only challenges being quite a few rivers that would normally have made me change shoes to cross. Today that was something I wanted to avoid as long as possible to protect the fresh bandage on my left heel. So, with fighting the bushes to get to more narrow spots and quite a few rather risky, and definitely not advisable, jumps, I managed to maintain dry feet throughout the day!
Passing through the wetlands next to the river when the time came to head uphill, I was immensely grateful for the high shafts on my boots, and all the layers of grease band wax I treated the leather too!
Following the stream Alep Vassajajågåsj uphill after crossing over, I found the expected trail. Just sooo much more distinct and easy to follow than I would have thought.
I also found an abundance of mushrooms, picking more than I actually would need for one dinner, planning for a delicious treat!
Once above the tree line, I continued high on the mountainside, aiming to cross the next major stream, Julep Vassajajågåsj, uphill from where it forms a really deep canyon. Another rather dangerous leap and some splashing of water, I reached the other side once again with completely dry shoes and socks!
From here on there is a marked trail leading eastbound along my intended route, though I still choose to stay higher up on the mountainside for the added benefit of better photo opportunities!
Lots of fun jumping on rocks and the last parts of today’s hike went by swiftly, arriving at this beautifully wild location shortly after 4 pm.
I did go a little farther today than I originally intended, tomorrow’s hike should generally be easier than today’s and maybe I add some extra depending on weather conditions and how I feel.
I still need to find out how it works out with crossing the lake to get to Sitojaure cabin and the continuing northbound trail. There’s a rowing boat system, yet the distance is about 4km and I’m not too keen on that kind of upper body exercise in the midst of this all.
Should be possible to buy a ride with a motorboat, tomorrow will tell!
Funny enough, it’s raining again now! Can’t say how grateful I am that it started only after I got settled here and can stay dry and warm inside!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 18, August 13th 2018

Camp at Rapa Ätno
I woke up rather early around 6 am after just 9 hours in my sleeping bag, no real rain during the night and I slept fairly undisturbed. Stayed still for some time to not disturb people nearby and a good half hour later I started my day with reading and a cup of coffee!
Turns out most of my neighbors were also early risers and as soon I was finished with my morning routine, I had a couple of good conversations.
Finally, I started the hike at 9 am heading southeastward towards Snawavagge and then Rapavalley. The trail was, once again, easy to walk and follow. There were a few stretches of wetlands where one has to find one’s own track, yet the trail is always there again on the other side. Just make sure You’re on the beaten track before continuing too far, there are quite a few reindeer tracks that might be a little confusing.
The first river crossing was covered by a huge step between two large rocks between a small waterfall. Looking a lot sketchier than it really was.
Coming up on the second crossing, just before the fork in the trail, there was no real alternative to changing shoes and getting my feet wet.
Shortly after I felt a slight discomfort at the back of my left heel, stopped to check it, and it showed that all the river crossings finally had gotten the better of my bandaged blister. Compeed and everything were soaked and coming off…
Great reminder to keep taking small signs seriously, especially when it’s about the feet. It just took a few minutes to get everything dried out and rebandaged, and I was ready to continue without risk of worsening the issue. This was one thing that, if ignored, could have jeopardized the entire future plan for the tour.
Now, after that second river crossing, You’ll find a bunch of different trail separating from each other. The right one is really well used and quite easy to distinguish from the reindeer tracks and soon You’ll also find the first stone marker. They are few and far apart, yet as long as You walk on a real clear trail and see boot prints regularly, You should be good.
The trail slowly turns southward after one more river crossing and after some time it gets rather steep on the west side of Bielatjåhkkå. I’d like to recommend against doing that stretch during heavy rain, rather wait for decent weather!
After that slightly sketchy part the trail ascends quite steeply up to Snawavagge where it passes by a few lakes and some really awesome campsites.
I had been recommended to camp right after exiting the valley at its eastern mouth, yet two considerations made me continue. One was plainly the time of day, it was just way too early to stop, and the other one was the rather heavy wind that made me prefer descending into the valley. A decision that was proven right by the gushes passing through the air later in the afternoon and evening.
Finding a really nice place close to the river, that also corresponded well with the description of the last descent site for the rest of the valley hike, I stopped around 3 pm and got settled. While still receiving some rain showers, I could dry some equipment outside and pitch a decently dry tent.
The weather looks a little friendlier now towards evening and I look forward to a calm night!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 15, August 10th 2018

Akka cabin
This has been a real rest day for me, slept in until almost 8am and, after taking down the tent, spent most of the am inside the cabin. Taking care of equipment, chatting with other hikers, drinking coffee and tea, and just resting. I totally needed this!
The boat left at 2 pm and I kept my promise to myself even after getting to the other side of the lake. Akka cabin is only 2km from where the boat lands, and that was as far as I went!
Turned out there were no other guests at the time and after chopping some wood I fired up the sauna and spent over an hour switching between the hot sauna and cold shower.
After dinner and some reading inside I’m going out to the tent early, there is a really strong wind blowing from the lake and falling asleep might be a challenge!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 7, August 2nd 2018

Camp at Unna Allakas
The rain had stopped just after midnight and the sky looked a lot more friendly when I got out and shaked most of the water off my tent at around 7 am. Ashleigh was already awake and we ended up chatting for a couple of hours having several cups of coffee while Cornelia slept in.
Altogether a very pleasant morning that led to a rather late start just shy of noon. The girls decided to make it to the campsite 3km (2 miles) before Abisko and aim for breakfast at the tourist station tomorrow morning.
So we agreed that I take them up to Kungsleden, make sure they recognize the markers and then move on westwards towards Norway, aiming to end the day here in Unna Allakas.
After spending a week with them and having a lot of adventurous experiences and fun together I have to admit getting a little emotional when we parted.
I’m confident that they make their way just great and will enjoy that breakfast immensely.
I, on my part, looked forward to the sauna in Unna Allakas and to clean up thoroughly for the first time in a week.
Didn’t make any real breaks during the hike, and didn’t need any, just stopped for water a few times and ended up being on the trail for almost 6 hours straight.
Feels so great how the body adjusts itself and has moved into hiking mode again. Of course, it’s also helpful that I’ve been using up some of my food and the weight of the backpack goes down.
I’m still amazed, though, how much less food I need than anticipated. My guess is that my body is well aware of the extra body fat I intentionally put on before the tour, use that first and that my hunger will increase down the road.
Obviously, we can’t fool nature and my trick to lessen the load a little by putting on some weight seems to backfire slightly as less food leaves my backpack.
Anyway, the sauna was wonderful, as expected, and the lake was warm enough to actually swim around for a while. The first time that happens up here!
After cleaning up I enjoyed a nice dinner inside the cabin, chatted with the other guests and got down to my tent just after 10:30 pm.

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 6, August 1st 2018

Camp west of the crossing between Radujavri and Miesakjavri
The day started very relaxed, all woke up rather early and we got going at 9:20 without any rush in the morning!
Continuing the trail up valley at a pleasant pace we reached the meadow where we originally planned to camp after just 1 hour and 20 minutes, stopping for a longer snack break.
After another hour we reached the northwest ‘corner’ of Bajip Cazajavri and Cornelia wanted to stop for lunch.
That taken care of we followed the trail through the Sami village Alisjavri and continued on the east side of the lake. Soon we heard thunder in the far and looking back the clouds were building up closer and closer.
During a short water break we all changed into rain gear, anticipating to get wet soon.
The first rain shower was surprisingly light, yet the thunder storm came closer and moved around in the area. When the first heavy rain hit us we found shelter under a protruding rock formation, moving on as soon as it lightened up.

Not long after we got hit by the next, even heavier shower and reaching the crossing over Godujohka we had to wait a while for the rain to get lighter before we could attempt to cross.

Crossing the river was rather sketchy, I’ve never seen the water flow that high and the current was stronger than I was really comfortable with. At one spot the water was knee high with very strong current and I had to ask the girls to wait in the cold water while I went all the way over to the other side and could come back to help them through the roughest part.
After everyone of us was safely on the other river bank we continued down to the crossing between Radujavri and Miesakjavri. And You really need to love irony as this crossing, that was planned to be an adventurous end of the tour before reaching Kungsleden, ended up being a pretty easy anticlimax after the river crossing right before!
We made camp right on the west side of the crossing and used my gear shed to have dinner after killing off the mosquitoes that already found their way in. The rain had started again just shortly after we got our tents set up and I’m so grateful we could still sit together for a meal. Totally worth carrying around those extra 900g!
During dinner, we heard voices outside and later they got disturbing enough that I got out to check what was going on. Turns out some family had pitched their tent just about 30m (100ft) away from us, having loud conversations among themselves.
I asked them to quiet down a bit and after that, it was possible to sleep.
Side note: In just short of 30 years up here this is the first time anyone has been inconsiderate enough to pitch a tent that close to my camp when away from the cabins. So most people actually behave very well and enjoy their own privacy as well as respecting others.
We could still hear thunder far in the distance through the early hours of the night and it rained on and off

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 5, July 31st 2018

Camp across from the large boulders in the middle of Vistasvagge
Great night at Vassajavri, woke up with morning sun and a light breeze and enjoyed a slow morning. Got started towards Vistas (one of the girls wanted to visit the shop) and got further delayed as I found service on top of Vassanjunnji ridge and got some messages sent.
The descent to Vistas was pleasant and without any challenges, we arrived at the cabin shortly after 12:30 and left over three hours later. The girls went down to the river for lunch, sunbathing and a dip, and I chatted with the cabin host and a couple of other guests while enjoying a cup of coffee!
Once back on the trail we all enjoyed the ease of the hike up the valley, the sun was shining and it was rather hot so we took it easy and made many short breaks for water.
Originally we aimed for the meadow right after the bridge over Moahrmannjohka yet made the decision to stop early at another beautiful place as the long stop in Vistas led to it already being 6:30 when we got there.
We enjoyed a very nice evening, bug-free due to the wind and a small campfire, and kept chatting for some time. Finally, around 10 pm we split up and went to our tents!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 4, July 30th 2018

Camp at Vassajavri
Turned out none of us slept any good at that last camp, personally, I woke up repeatedly and in the first half of the night never went deep enough to notice I actually slept at all… Only a look at the clock told me how much time had past.
It rained rather heavily around 1:30 am and this again interrupted everybody’s sleep.
Still, I woke up at 5:40 and felt rested enough to start my day with some reading and a couple of coffee with coconut oil!
We had agreed on waking at 7 and I made sure everyone was up, from that on until we could finally dry our tents and get packed up, we got another two rain showers.
The first half of the hike up to the security cabin at Mårma was very pleasant, easy walk, nice temperatures, and a welcome breeze!
Then we started catching some rain again, light showers at first, yet then some heavier rain that not only made us wet but also made the rocks pretty slippery and slowed us down quite a bit. Nearing the cabin the rain stopped, still, we decided to have lunch inside to escape the cold wind!
Side note: The cabin at Mårma is in a horrible state, it’s doubtable if it would even do much good in an emergency situation. There’s no firewood in the shed, people have used the stairs to the outhouse and parts of the floor of the shed for firewood.
Trash has been accumulating for God knows how long and nobody seems to take responsibility for the place.
Upon coming home I’ll send an email to the organizations who are supposed to care for the cabins and ask who’s actually in charge.
During our break, the sky started to look friendlier and we decided to give it a go!
I must say that the girls did great, totally overthrew my wildest expectations and behaved like seasoned hikers on the whole stretch. Tons of respect and a big shoutout for them, I’ve never heard of anyone doing a tour like this on their first time in Lapland, or even the second or third for all that matters.
And they handled every part of it equally well, ascent, descent, river crossing, etc.
I’ll take these two on a hike anytime!!!

Finally, we chose to stay up here in the ‘Lost Valley’ instead of continuing to the planned destination. We’d been delayed several times during the day for different reasons, it was already 7 pm when we got here and the evening sun was so inviting!
I treated myself to a (very short) swim inVassajavri, super cold and very refreshing, before making camp and cooking dinner.
By 9 pm we were all inside our respective tent and looking at an early night.
Hopefully, all of us get some good sleep and wake up rested tomorrow!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes