Seven Days of "No Service" - Abisko to Vakkotavare
Tuesday, July 11: Georgeoaivi - Singi +2km, 20.6km, 332m ascent
I may repeat myself, but I woke up to yet another gorgeous morning with sun and blue skies. Especially, after yesterday's hard work I was simply blown away by what I saw when I peeled myself out of the tent around half past 8. This was easily the most amazing wild camp spot ever!!! I'll just post a picture here. Says more than any words.
I busied myself washing some more underwear in the crystal clear stream we had pitched next to and laid out all our boots and socks and wet stuff in the sun. Filled up all our water, got the stove ready to boil some of it and chilled sitting on a stone taking it all in.
Rich eventually woke up and we left the spot after a lazy breakfast around 11:15am walking further down the valley. The walk to the next hut - Sälka - was absolutely amazing with the snowy slopes so close and more mountains just up ahead. It was warm and sunny and we were in good spirits.
We crossed quite a few snow patches, but none of the shit-shit type and reached Sälka around 2pm.
The huts were probably in the best location possible with 360 degrees of awesomeness around. Time for lunch with salami, cheese, nuts, dried fruit and a biscuit or two. So far our lunch food was a great mix and rationing it, we were sure to make it last pretty much all the way to the end.
We topped up at the small shop. 4 Bla Band dried meals, 1 medium gas canister and 2 munchies cashed in at £50!!!
The sun had quickly vanished once more behind gray cloud and soon after we had left the huts rain set in again. Head down we ploughed on. The path was very rocky and bouldery and whilst it was fun at first, it got ever more strenuous and exhausting.
Quick breather outside a busy shelter and then pushed for Singi, hoping to be able for another break under a bit of roof maybe. My shoulders were aching more and more and I was desperate to get rid of my backpack for a bit.
As soon as we arrived - once more pretty soaked - we were waved at by the Stugvard (cabin manager) before we could even sit down on a bench. Bummer. She waved us over and we had a brief chat with her just inside the porch of a hut being handed some apple juice and a home made biscuit. We chatted a bit about where we've come from, where we're headed and how to best dry food.
She was so nice and sweet, but we were exhausted and couldn't wait to pitch and get out of our wet stuff, so we said our goodbyes and moved on. She recommended camping by the river bank about 5km ahead. We thanked her for the advice knowing perfectly well, that we were not going to walk another 5km.
It took us another hour and 2km to find a suitable spot for a camp. It wasn't perfect, but under the circumstances absolutely fine. Almost even and a bit above the path we were not going to be disturbed. At least not by hikers. We pitched quickly as the rain took a break and fighting off mosquitos we soon crawled into our tent just as the rain picked up again.
We had the first of our Bla Band meals which was very tasty and chilled a bit with the rain drumming onto the tent, before falling asleep very soon.
I busied myself washing some more underwear in the crystal clear stream we had pitched next to and laid out all our boots and socks and wet stuff in the sun. Filled up all our water, got the stove ready to boil some of it and chilled sitting on a stone taking it all in.
Rich eventually woke up and we left the spot after a lazy breakfast around 11:15am walking further down the valley. The walk to the next hut - Sälka - was absolutely amazing with the snowy slopes so close and more mountains just up ahead. It was warm and sunny and we were in good spirits.
We crossed quite a few snow patches, but none of the shit-shit type and reached Sälka around 2pm.
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| Hiker with a backpack |
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| Salka huts ahead |
We topped up at the small shop. 4 Bla Band dried meals, 1 medium gas canister and 2 munchies cashed in at £50!!!
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| 360 degrees of awesomeness! |
Quick breather outside a busy shelter and then pushed for Singi, hoping to be able for another break under a bit of roof maybe. My shoulders were aching more and more and I was desperate to get rid of my backpack for a bit.
As soon as we arrived - once more pretty soaked - we were waved at by the Stugvard (cabin manager) before we could even sit down on a bench. Bummer. She waved us over and we had a brief chat with her just inside the porch of a hut being handed some apple juice and a home made biscuit. We chatted a bit about where we've come from, where we're headed and how to best dry food.
She was so nice and sweet, but we were exhausted and couldn't wait to pitch and get out of our wet stuff, so we said our goodbyes and moved on. She recommended camping by the river bank about 5km ahead. We thanked her for the advice knowing perfectly well, that we were not going to walk another 5km.
It took us another hour and 2km to find a suitable spot for a camp. It wasn't perfect, but under the circumstances absolutely fine. Almost even and a bit above the path we were not going to be disturbed. At least not by hikers. We pitched quickly as the rain took a break and fighting off mosquitos we soon crawled into our tent just as the rain picked up again.
We had the first of our Bla Band meals which was very tasty and chilled a bit with the rain drumming onto the tent, before falling asleep very soon.
Wednesday, July 12: Singi +2km - Kaitumjaure, 10.8km, 123m ascent
The rain stayed with us all through the night. At least I wasn't woken early by a warming tent. We both got up around 9am when the rain stopped for good. We left our camp around 11, not in a hurry really. We were both a bit tired and decided to have a shorter day and only walk to Kaitumjaure hut and stay over there to rest and dry our stuff.Clouds were low, but we still had good views and we were glad for some dry weather. The path was fairly easy and the valley opened up as we got closer to broad and fast flowing Tjaktjajakka river.
Having a lot of time today we didn't rush it. I marvelled at the numerous tiny arctic flowers and we saw a moose on a mound! Another tick off my list. Yeah!
We had our lunch break on top of a small rise with superb views to catch as much wind as we could. Funny that, in the UK you always try to find a spot sheltered from the wind, here we were desperate for some as it kept the mozzies away.
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| Good morning Sweden |
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| Not bad for a pick-the-first-halfway-decent spot |
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| Walking along Tjaktjajakka |
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| Kaitumjaure lake, 1km before the huts |
We settled in, did a stock take on food and money, chilled in the common room, played cards for a bit, had eventually dinner (nice to have some space and not sit in a tent). Just then it started to rain.
Great day after all. Relaxed walking, no rain whilst outside and a nice atmosphere in the hut. At £32 per person per night still quite pricey, but totally worth it for us.
Thursday, July 13: Kaitumjaure - 5k before Vakkotavare, 20km, 728m ascent
We got up as early as 7:30am (at least for Rich it was early) to have enough time to walk as close to Vakkotavare as we could in order to catch the 9am bus the following day. It was still raining outside as we finished our breakfast and we were not too keen on getting outside. To make things worse, the Stugvard came in and told people what the weather forecast was for today and tomorrow: Rain all day today, heavy rain and snow showers tomorrow. Marvellous.
We decided to wait out the heavier rain that was now battering the windows. I went out to the loo and came back soaked. Meh. Around 11am the rain eased off a bit and we thought "We might as well just go now." And so we did.
All geared up we left the hut with the remaining guests wishing us a good day, good luck and safe travels. After all we had a boat to catch today at 4pm at Teusajaure hut and then walk on as far as we fancied toward Vakkotavare. The further we got, the later we would need to get up the next day for the mentioned 9am bus at Vakkotavare.
Balancing over a lot of wet rocks we made our way through the rain along the wild Kaitumjakka river. After 4km we reached a high valley and thankfully the rain eased off before it stopped completely. Clouds were still hanging low and views limited, but we were glad for only one hour and a bit of getting soaked. In fact, our waterproofs started drying as we walked on.
We spotted some more reindeer, saw a big brown frog and had a short break with biscuits and Haribo. The huts were another 5km away with a very steep descent at the end. Arrived just before 3pm, bought our boat tickets and waited in the warm hut, glad we had become STF members the day before. Had lunch, gave our boots some time to dry and Rich had a nap whilst I was writing down some notes of the day so far.
The boat was bang on 4pm and only took 5mins to the other side of the lake where the Kungsleden led steeply uphill through dense birch wood, a nice change after a few days of almost tree-less mountain landscape. Eventually we hit open heather moorland again climbing all the way up to 900m before the gradient became a bit less steep.
Passed a sign saying "Bro", wondering what it ment. Kept on walking for a bit more, before we were stopped by a broad, very fast flowing river. No bridge in sight. What the...? Wading? Again? Had the water not been icy, even then it would've been a difficult crossing.
Looking for a way to cross via some of the numerous scattered stones we made our way downstream along the bank. Whenever we found a way to some small island of rocks in the middle, the second part was even deeper. Nothing seemed obvious and we were almost accepting the fact, that we had to wade again and this time in knee deep icy water rushing down at speed.
That's when we spotted a fairly new shiny metal bridge further down. Relieved we realised that "bro" very likely meant bridge. Duh!!!
Crossed it, walked back to the trail on the other side and made a mental note of "bro". If we remember one word in Swedish, it's that one.
Scenery and path changed into something very UK-like. Rocks, bog, heather, grass and surrounding hills in cloud. We saw some more reindeer, this time up close, passed a very bouldery bit and generally really enjoyed this part of the Kungsleden, despite increasingly aching feet and shoulders.
Spotted a very nice camp spot when we hit the 20km mark and decided to call it a day. It was already 8pm and the spot was flat and had quite a few clear streams nearby.
Another nice day, with less rain than anticipated, which is always a plus. We both really liked the last 5km or so with such a varied landscape. My boots and socks were still wet and wouldn't dry over night. One of the things that was a bit annoying but nothing I could do about it.
Rain had set in around 10pm last night just before we closed our eyes and had been drumming on the tent all night. Got up at 6:30am and without much faff had breakfast and packed our bags inside ready to go by 8am. 30mins later than planned, but at least now we knew how long it takes.
I unattached the inner tent and stowed it away in a drybag. The wet outer was simply strapped to the outside of my backpack and off we went down a very rocky and wet path to Vakkotavare.
The last bit led steeply down through birch wood again and after just 4.5km we reached the single hut that is Vakkotavare. I had estimated 7km to the hut and was glad I overestimated and not the opposite.
We we're welcomed very warmly, let into the hut to rest and dry out a bit and even got some coffee offered. Very nice! Being next to a road for the first time in seven days and having seen a mast nearby we thought, we might actually have a signal. One minute later our phones started vibrating manically after having been switched on and soon our eyes were glued to the small screens reading the news, looking at the weather forecast and catching up with friends and family. We had made it through seven days without electricity, phone signal or water on tap and we hadn't really missed any of it apart from a shower maybe.
Our bus to Kebnats was bang on time 9am and our host even saw us onto the bus and said goodbye to every single hiker getting on it. Only about 15mins into the journey the bus stopped at a service station with a restaurant/cafe and small shop for a break of 45mins. Alright then. We went inside for a coffee and ended up buying two loaded sandwiches along with it. Proper food!!! It was nothing special really but we eagerly sunk our teeth into the soft bun.
At Kebnats the boat was waiting for us and thankfully it was a rather big one so we could sit inside, out of the rain. Big and bustling Saltoluokta Fjallstation was only a 300m walk away on the other side.
We claimed two seats on a long table in the common room and helped ourselves to lunch! Real lunch! SEK100/£9 (now that we were members we got the respective discount) got us a nice veg curry with rice, some bean salad and crispbread with butter. We loaded our plates and dug in once more. For the first time in seven days we we're full once we had finished.
Having wi-fi (!!!) at the station we had a look at the weather forecast again, made a plan for the remaining days, did our last top up shop (no Bla Band meals, boo) and booked a night at Kvikkjokk Fjallstation for the following Thursday.
It was still raining outside so we played some cards hoping the rain would ease off. And indeed it did around 3pm. Left the station 3:30pm walking through mixed wood, then birch wood and eventually the open Fjall once we had gained height again.
The late afternoon sun was breaking more and more through the clouds, putting spotlights onto the surrounding mountains. The impressive and steep crags of Sjaksjo loomed to the right, as did the bulk of Lutep Gierkav which we decided not to climb the following day, hoping to have a better chance of good weather for Skierffe two days later.
Pitched with fantastic views, had a light dinner with salami, nuts and dried fruit, played some more cards and snuggled into our sleeping bags just before 10pm, our usual time.
Despite having had wet boots, socks and feet for two days now (Rich's boots were still holding up), we were in a good mood. The day had turned out really nice. We'd had decent food, quite a bit of downtime and a good end to the day with sun and the prospect of fresh clothing the next day.
We decided to wait out the heavier rain that was now battering the windows. I went out to the loo and came back soaked. Meh. Around 11am the rain eased off a bit and we thought "We might as well just go now." And so we did.
All geared up we left the hut with the remaining guests wishing us a good day, good luck and safe travels. After all we had a boat to catch today at 4pm at Teusajaure hut and then walk on as far as we fancied toward Vakkotavare. The further we got, the later we would need to get up the next day for the mentioned 9am bus at Vakkotavare.
Balancing over a lot of wet rocks we made our way through the rain along the wild Kaitumjakka river. After 4km we reached a high valley and thankfully the rain eased off before it stopped completely. Clouds were still hanging low and views limited, but we were glad for only one hour and a bit of getting soaked. In fact, our waterproofs started drying as we walked on.
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| Kaitumjakka |
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| No rain anymore |
The boat was bang on 4pm and only took 5mins to the other side of the lake where the Kungsleden led steeply uphill through dense birch wood, a nice change after a few days of almost tree-less mountain landscape. Eventually we hit open heather moorland again climbing all the way up to 900m before the gradient became a bit less steep.
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| You can vaguely imagine how awesome it must be in good weather |
Passed a sign saying "Bro", wondering what it ment. Kept on walking for a bit more, before we were stopped by a broad, very fast flowing river. No bridge in sight. What the...? Wading? Again? Had the water not been icy, even then it would've been a difficult crossing.
Looking for a way to cross via some of the numerous scattered stones we made our way downstream along the bank. Whenever we found a way to some small island of rocks in the middle, the second part was even deeper. Nothing seemed obvious and we were almost accepting the fact, that we had to wade again and this time in knee deep icy water rushing down at speed.
That's when we spotted a fairly new shiny metal bridge further down. Relieved we realised that "bro" very likely meant bridge. Duh!!!
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| Bro means bridge |
Crossed it, walked back to the trail on the other side and made a mental note of "bro". If we remember one word in Swedish, it's that one.
Scenery and path changed into something very UK-like. Rocks, bog, heather, grass and surrounding hills in cloud. We saw some more reindeer, this time up close, passed a very bouldery bit and generally really enjoyed this part of the Kungsleden, despite increasingly aching feet and shoulders.
Spotted a very nice camp spot when we hit the 20km mark and decided to call it a day. It was already 8pm and the spot was flat and had quite a few clear streams nearby.
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| Just another good wild camp |
Friday, July 14: 5k before Vakkotavare - 6k after Saltoluokta, 11km, 360m ascent
We were now a week in and today was the last day for our first set of clothes. We only had two sets plus a few extra layers, but you're simply not carrying 14 shirts, 14 pairs of socks etc. with you. At least not, when you're going lightweight. We had washed our underwear in the rivers and streams, but the rest was too risky to get dry at all. So with the two of us inside the tent it wasn't smelling very fresh anymore. Especially when hanging our wet smelly socks on the line we have so conveniently in our tent. But just one more day and we were so looking forward to fresh clothes.Rain had set in around 10pm last night just before we closed our eyes and had been drumming on the tent all night. Got up at 6:30am and without much faff had breakfast and packed our bags inside ready to go by 8am. 30mins later than planned, but at least now we knew how long it takes.
I unattached the inner tent and stowed it away in a drybag. The wet outer was simply strapped to the outside of my backpack and off we went down a very rocky and wet path to Vakkotavare.
The last bit led steeply down through birch wood again and after just 4.5km we reached the single hut that is Vakkotavare. I had estimated 7km to the hut and was glad I overestimated and not the opposite.
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| Very British scenery |
We we're welcomed very warmly, let into the hut to rest and dry out a bit and even got some coffee offered. Very nice! Being next to a road for the first time in seven days and having seen a mast nearby we thought, we might actually have a signal. One minute later our phones started vibrating manically after having been switched on and soon our eyes were glued to the small screens reading the news, looking at the weather forecast and catching up with friends and family. We had made it through seven days without electricity, phone signal or water on tap and we hadn't really missed any of it apart from a shower maybe.
Our bus to Kebnats was bang on time 9am and our host even saw us onto the bus and said goodbye to every single hiker getting on it. Only about 15mins into the journey the bus stopped at a service station with a restaurant/cafe and small shop for a break of 45mins. Alright then. We went inside for a coffee and ended up buying two loaded sandwiches along with it. Proper food!!! It was nothing special really but we eagerly sunk our teeth into the soft bun.
At Kebnats the boat was waiting for us and thankfully it was a rather big one so we could sit inside, out of the rain. Big and bustling Saltoluokta Fjallstation was only a 300m walk away on the other side.
We claimed two seats on a long table in the common room and helped ourselves to lunch! Real lunch! SEK100/£9 (now that we were members we got the respective discount) got us a nice veg curry with rice, some bean salad and crispbread with butter. We loaded our plates and dug in once more. For the first time in seven days we we're full once we had finished.
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| FOOD!!!!! |
It was still raining outside so we played some cards hoping the rain would ease off. And indeed it did around 3pm. Left the station 3:30pm walking through mixed wood, then birch wood and eventually the open Fjall once we had gained height again.
The late afternoon sun was breaking more and more through the clouds, putting spotlights onto the surrounding mountains. The impressive and steep crags of Sjaksjo loomed to the right, as did the bulk of Lutep Gierkav which we decided not to climb the following day, hoping to have a better chance of good weather for Skierffe two days later.
Pitched with fantastic views, had a light dinner with salami, nuts and dried fruit, played some more cards and snuggled into our sleeping bags just before 10pm, our usual time.
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| Looking back down, almost a nice view |
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| Mighty impressive Sjaksjo |
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