Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 23km | Time 5.5hrs | Ascent 500m | Descent 270m

I got up at 0700 to do the blog after a solid sleep. It had been a cold night down to minus 22, but the day looked like it would be good again.

I had quite a leisurely writing session interspersed with breakfast and a quick chat to the warden, Marianne. I also lit the fire again as it was somewhat chilly. I was physically still a bit tired and I suppose me dithering a bit was an unconscious way of preventing me going to Salka. I was eventually finished at 1100. I then tidied up and was ready to go at 1200 after fetching more wood.

Just as I was leaving a group of Swiss arrived. I recognised the guide who I had met up here last year. His group had just come from Kaitumjaure cabin which was a days journey. They had randonee equipment. Wide short skis, huge uncompromising double boots and binding on a hinge which could be locked down. For all but the downhill section they used full length ski skins.

I have seen loads of Germans, Swiss and Austrians on this equipment here. It is very suitable for the steeper Alps but far too cumbersome and heavy to use here. There must be magazine articles in these countries which propagate the myth it is sensible to go along the valley floors in Kebnekaise with randonee equipment.

I eventually left at 1230. The weather was still glorious. Initially I had a short steep hill to climb. As the snow was frozen hard I walked it. It only took half an hour and then I was up to the tree line and the terrain eased off enough for me to put my skis on again.

There was now a gentle climb up to the top of the saddle between two mountains before I could start my descent again. At the top I met the hut warden returning from a picnic in the sun. She must have been nearly 60 but was gliding quickly and easily in her Nordic skis. Her Teutonic counterparts were comparing blisters after their 9 km day when I left them in Teusajaure cabin.

There was a lot of snow on the mountains here and all the imperfections were smoothed of under large drifts. Kaitumjaure valley and cabin soon came into view as I crested the ridge. It was a short run down to this valley. The cabins were located in the birch woods well above the end of the lake.

There was no one staying here and the warden was cutting wood. She had a small shop so I bought some food for this evening of her, and some snacks for immediate consumption. As I ate we chatted. She was a keen paddler and was interested to hear about my trip. She had been at the cabin since it opened in mid February. It was nearly minus 40 then. She had heard a lynx just two days ago.

After spending an hour here I continued to Singi. It was just a two and a half hour blast up the valley for 14 km. I should be there around 1800. The route took me across two large frozen marshes which lay on the valley floor trapped by steep crags on each side. There was now ski tracks to follow rather than scooter tracks so it was faster still.

As I approached Singi I entered Tjaktjavagge valley. This huge valley cut through the middle of the whole Kebnekaise area. To the east of this valley were the highest and most alpine of the mountains. I could not see their summits from here but could see the bases of the ridges extending down from them. Singi cabin was at the base of one of the first.

The cabin here was surprisingly busy with about 15 people. I knew 4 were German speaking because of the wide randonee skis at the door. The rest it transpired were Swedes. I chatted with them while preparing and eating my dehydrated dinner.

The warden came to get payment in the early evening. We recognized each other from previous visits I made here. She even remembered my name. In the evening everybody suddenly went to bed at 2000. This was great as I could then write the blog undisturbed for an hour. I eventually crashed out at 2200.

It had been a nice easy day. Almost a rest day with just a few hours skiing The weather was again perfect. Every day the cabin wardens said the weather forecast indicated it would end that day and every day they were luckily wrong.

Distance 48km | Time 11hrs | Ascent 300m | Descent 220m

Saltoluokta lodge was a bit of a disappointment. The staff were very nice but did not know much about the vicinity. It had a reputation for good food but dinner was very poor. Dinner was mixture of nouvelle cuisine and cremated moose. I think the STF, Swedish Trekking Club, who own the place have lost the plot a bit here. It is an historic old rustic mountain lodge not the boutique hotel it is trying to be, complete with pretentious ice statues of love hearts outside the porch! Tacky and naff.

A rich Italian red wine was suggested to compliment the moose. It was so overcooked none of the Swedes at my table ate it. I was hungry though. Overcooked moose has the texture of dry liver and the tenderness of a suede walking boot. My recommendation to compliment the dinner would have been a pint of diesel with overtones of dubbin and a hint of sock.

No one at the hotel knew much about the routes and the managers forte seemed to be catering rather than the outdoors. He followed the party line and told me to take the scooter across the lake and thereafter bus to Vakkotavare from where I could ski to Teusajaure cabin. I knew this area better than he did having skied north and south along these lakes over the last 25 years and knew his adamant stance was not the best alternative.

As this “boutique hotel” only served breakfast at 0800 I got a packed one at 0630 and set off at 0700. I followed the marked route a km west from the lodge then straight across the lake. On the north side instead of continuing to follow the stakes east for 2 km to Kebnats as requested, I went north west along the shore for 11 km towards Vietas. The manager had denied anybody went here but there were good scooter, dogsled and ski tracks here, pretty much hugging the shoreline.

It was a very pleasant ski in the morning sun. The anticipated break in the good weather did not seem to be arriving and it looked another beautiful day. The craggy mountains each side of the lake were catching the sun and the pines on the north shore were a bright green in the light.

Just before Vietas I reached the small bay where tiny helicopters operate from in the summer. There is a scattering of cabins also here. The tracks all headed up into the forest beside the road now to avoid the area where hydroelectric water is discharged into the lake. A km through the forest is the leisure hamlet, café, pub, shop and petrol station at Vietas. I didn’t stop here as it was just 1000 but I had done 14 km. In hindsight I would have been better continuing to here yesterday for unpretentious food and a shorter day today.

From Vietas there is a small road which goes north beside the river for 6 km to Satihaure lake. This road is not cleared, but is a scooter track and easy to ski along in the winter. No scooters passed me and I was lost in thoughts as I skied up through the pines in the hot sun. Craggy mountains towered over this valley on each side. Just before the lake there was a large collection of fences and corals which was for reindeer herding.

An older Swede who was sitting at my table yesterday came zooming up to me. He had stayed for late breakfast and had not left until 0900. He had 8 huskies pulling a sledge on which he was standing. We chatted, moaned about Saltoluokta lodge and admired the day for 5 minutes. He had his snow break full on and the dogs as the dogs were straining. They were yelping with eagerness to get going and quivering with excitement. He would do about 70 to 80 km a day at 10 km per hour. He was out for a weeks tour along the entire Kungsleden from Hemavan to Abisko.

The ski along the side of Satihaure lake was extraordinary in that there was hardly any snow. It must have been in a severe rain shadow. Luckily it was only a couple of km but I had to walk half of it. Without a sledge this was no problem. Perhaps it was the effect of the wind on this open expanse.

I passed this open area and then went into the birch woods again where the snow had settled. There was a short ski now beside a frozen channel between Satihaure lake and Gagirjaure lake. When I reached the latter the tracks descended onto its frozen surface and turned north west again.

It was a very easy ski along the lake in the sunny windstill day. To the north was a long line of sheer cliff rising some 500 vertical metres. Small cascades of water had frozen into huge buttresses of ice like giant melted candle wax. An ice climbers dream. Even on the south side were steep crags but not cliffs. There had obviously been a powerful river of ice scraping down here in the glacial periods.

At the west end of Gagirjaure lake there was a marked route through the birch forest for 7 km to Teusajaure lake. This valley was something of a hidden world. I think very few people came here. The snow was covered in moose track and there was evidence of them eating birch buds everywhere. There were also hare, fox, weasel and ptarmigan tracks around.

There was also a few fresh wolverine tracks. The steep craggy mountains on each side of the valley were a good 1000 metres higher than the deep valley floor and these would offer superb places for the wolverine to find a lair It would be impossible for Lapps to drive scooters up from the valley floor in pursuit of these cunning animals. They are not allowed to hunt wolverine but occasionally do, discreetly hiding them once done. The wolverine is the number one enemy of the reindeer herder and has been for 1000’s of years. It is in the Lapps cultural DNA to eradicate these animals.

By the time I got to Teusajaure lake I was tiring. Luckily the weather was benign and I had an easy ski up some 10 km of lake to reach the cabin. Had I had the wind against me I would have struggled. Teusajaure lake is also in a deep valley with craggy mountains on each side of it. The sun was going down ahead of me producing a warm glow, but unmemorable sunset. Behind me though the higher mountains were turning bright yellow in the evening sun above the dark shaded valleys.

I reached the cabin at 1800. I was the only guest. The very nice hut warden came down to explain things. I lit the fire, unpacked and settled down for supper. Latter she came down for a chat. She had been in these mountains for some 40 years as a walker skier and now warden. She knew the Swedish mountains and its people and villages well. It was fascinating talking to her. By the time she left I was too tired and it was too late to be bothered with the blog.

Some people consider the northern Kungsleden between Abisko and Kvikkjokk to be among the worlds great treks. Its chances would be greatly improved of making the top 100 if it did not have the nonsense of the ugly Vakkotavare cabin location and then the bus journey down the industrial hydroelectric complexes at Suorva and Stora Sjofallet to Vietas or Kebnats. Perhaps the route I took today could be a better alternative, certainly in the winter.

It had been a very good day. It was longer than I anticipated so I was lucky the weather was kind or I would have been camping. It was minus 22 so I am glad I made the cabin.

Distance 20km | Time 4hrs | Ascent 210m | Descent 460m

I managed to get to bed early and slept well. I was awake at 0600 and up at 0700. The two happy, chatty Germans were already breakfasting and the admirable Austrian 70 year olds were soon to join. It had been a coldish night at minus 23 but it was now sunny again as I had almost started to take for granted.

After some chatting I was packed and ready to go at 0900. We pretty much all left at the same time after a final banter with the happy warden. It was now just minus 18 and rising fast.

The route followed the barely used scooter track north up the gentle valley My skis gripped too firmly to the cold snow as I skied up through the birch trees. There had been a lot of snow here and the hill on either side of the valley were plastered in a thick covering of snow.

The bruising in my bum after the heavy fall 2 days ago was not such a hindrance any more but I could still not put much power through that leg without feeling some pain.

I saw some wolverine tracks crossing the route here. They only weigh about 15 kg but have large paws. The paws are up to 10 cm across. These prints were fresh. With their large paws they can travel well across soft snow and sometimes catch their main prey, which is reindeer.

I continued up the valley for a good two hours until it flattened off completely. Not that it was ever steep. Here there was an emergency shelter which was about half way to Saltoluokta. I could see from the 2 sledges outside that the young Germans were lunching here. I did not feel like a break though so continued.

The very gentle valley I was following now veered to the north west towards Pietsaure lake. This lake was sandwiched between the craggy mountains of Rasek and Gierkav. I was not going down onto this lake but over a gentle spur to the north. I climb up the very shallow incline to the top of the spur seperating this valley from the larger, deeper valley to the north where Langas lake was.

From this spur I got a great view up the lake to the north west end. Here there was once a great waterfall called Stora Sjofallet. It was so spectacular and large the whole area was made into a national park in 1909. It was sometimes called Europes Niagara which was a bit of an exaggeration but not much as there was a huge volume of water which descended these falls.

However as soon as this natural wonder was preserved by law as a national park the government decided to overrule its decision a few years later and remove the vicinity of the waterfall from the park so it could be exploited for hydroelectricity. Today the falls are gone, the entire volume of water by passing them in pipes.

This means the ice on Langas lake is dubious. Not only is it dammed so the water level fluctuates due to the out-take, but two inflows at Vietas are subject to hydroelectric regulation. As a consequence the hydroelectric company is forced to build up an ice route between Saltoluokta and the north shore. They do this by spreading water on the ice at the beginning of the season. If they don’t then by law they have to ferry tourists across the lake by helicopter. Luckily for me the ice route was firm as I could not take a helicopter and the alternative was a long detour.

The descent from the ridge down to Saltoluokta lodge was wonderful. It was becoming a familiar pattern. First the descent down the open hillside to the birch forest. Then through this to the comfort of the pine forest where th lodge lay.

It was built in 1916 just before this beautiful valley was flooded. It retains much of its charm, with old log walls and rustic furniture. It seems slightly different from the STF cabins as most of the visitors come here and stay put doing day tours. It has built up a reputation for fine food and it looks as if most of the other guests come to enjoy the old comfortable buildings and fine food as much as the leisurely day skis.

I took a shared room knowing no one else here would probably share a room and then sat in front of the open fire and wrote the blog. It felt great to have it finished before supper which promised to be sumptious. Tomorrow was an early start and long day across various frozen lakes to Teusajaure cabin some 40 km to the north west.

It was an easy day. Almost a rest day. The pain in my bum was easing but I had a nagging pain in my wrist from the ski stick. The weather was easy although the fine spell seemed to be coming to an end. I would enjoy a bit of comfort and some polite, calm, middle aged and middle class chat this evening before crossing to the more frank, rugged northern quarter of the Kungsleden tomorrow. This northern quarter went up through the Kebnekaise area and was quite mountainous.

Distance 14km | Time 4hrs | Ascent 430m | Descent 320m

I slept quiet well and was reluctant to get up at 0730. My legs were quite stiff but the knock I took on my bum when I fell on the icy surface last night was sore. If I was not so well padded I could really have done some damage. The impact was just to the side of my coxis bone. As it was I was having to limp to walk around.

I had a slow breakfast resigned to the fact that Saltoluokta was not on and it would just be the 14 km to Sitojaure due to my injury. I chatted with the two Swedish ice fishers and also the two young Germans who had just come out of Sarek after a weeks trip through it.

Once they all left I had a lie down again to rest more and enjoy the sun streaming through the window. For the last week or so the nights had been down to around minus 15 and the days down to about minus 8. The weather had been great though, and it was to continue.

I eventually set off at 1200. Initially it was a steep climb up through the spruce forest. I decided to walk rather than put my skins on and the track was hard enough to do so.

Behind me Laitaure lake was slowly appearing through the trees. Its delta land was quite visible to the west. On the other side of the valley was the steep block of a mountain called Tjakjali. In the middle of the delta land was another nunatak, which was also called Nammasj. This one was a more classic shape and better known than its Kvikkjokk namesake.

To the north of the delta land was the well known and often photographed landmark of Skierffe. This peak overlooked the valley. The side facing the valley was vertical for some 600 metres in a great dark wall. I have once seen the winter view from Skierffe and the delta land looks amazing. Everything is white except for the gentle curves of the levees beside the river channels and lagoons which are covered in a thin dark line of birch trees like a giant monochrome paisley pattern.

Unfortunately I did not had the time or energy to climb it again as the view from here into the remote wilderness of Sareks angular hidden massifs would have been magnificent on this clear day.

After some photos I continued to climb up the steep ridge separating Laitaure lake from Sitojaure lake and after a laboured two hours made the crest. My bum caused me to limp slightly if on can do that with skis on.

The top of the ridge was 1000 metres high and well above the treeline. On my west was the white rounded curves of Njunjes while to the east was the vast forest and lake tracts which stretched many hundreds of kilometres to the Baltic. I was on the very eastern part of the mountains. These mountains had been thrust onto the bedrock to the east of me in the Caledonian Mountain building collision some 400 million years ago.

The sun remained warm and bright for the long mostly gentle descent down to Sitojaure lake. Occasionally I took my skis off and walked as I could not contemplate landing on my bum again. Down and down I went until I was in the birch forest which surrounded this 600 metre high lake. Too high for conifers.

There was a long 4 km across the lake to reach the cabin. I felt very lazy skiing along it. There was none of last nights vigour. Perhaps it was because there was no urgency in reaching it. I eventually got there at 1600.

Looking west up Sitojaure lake I could see some of the eastern massifs of Sarek, most notably Apar. Beside Apar was a deep valley called Pastavagge. It was renowned for its large avalanches which apparently spread out across the valley floor and then continued up the lower slopes on the other side.

There were the two nice young Germans who had been in Sarek and also left Aktse today. There was also a 70 year old Austrian couple who were very sporty still. They went to the Julian Alps a lot and we talked about the mountains there which I also found fantastic and beautiful.

The cabin warden was also a very nice retired army officer. He kindly gave me some dried bread, butter and cheese to supplement my dehydrated meals. The cabin itself was quite new, warm and comfortable. I was here in 1984 and 1986 but the cabin I stayed in then had burnt down and this was the replacement.

I then sent emails about the deteriorating condition of one of my skis. It was going to be a problem to change them due to logistics. They current ski would probably still do for another few hundred km.

The blog took up the early evening and despite heavy eyelids I persevered as I did not want to get behind again. As I started a red fox appeared outside the cabin. It must be a hard like for them in the winter here.

It had not been a great day by any means, yet it was not a bad day either. My sore bum prevented me from skiing to Saltoluokta. On the other hand the weather was perfect and the views great. Hopefully tomorrow I would feel more up to it.

Distance 41km | Time 7.5hrs | Ascent 450m | Descent 220m

I got up at 0700 to get started on my writing. Breakfast was at 0800 so I should have got a bit done by then. By breakfast however I had barely started as there were other people about who I ended up chatting with. The same thing happened after breakfast. By 1030 I still had not done much. Rather than return to my room I just ignored everybody, almost rudely, to get it finished which I did by 1200.

I then had to pack before setting off at 1230. It was another beautiful sunny day. The wax on my skis was perfect for the cold snow and it gripped well. I made fast time through the forest and up the hill. I hardly noticed the incline. The forest on each side was mature spruce and pine trees. Before I knew it I was a the Dahta lakes.

There is a summer route here which goes off here to the Lapp summer settlement of Parek and the Parte Massif beyond, but there was no sign of that now The mountains were looking splendid covered in deep drifts of snow.

Half way across the Dahta lakes I turned east and started heading along the very beautiful Rittak valley. It was sandwiched between the Parte Massif to the north and the crags of Kabla to the south. However the valley was gentle, calm, sunny and peaceful yet the mountains on each side were craggy and rugged.

I reached another lake, called Sjabttjakjavrre, soon after starting to go through this lovely valley. There were a herd of some 20 reindeer lying on this lake when I arrived. They got up and ambled into the forest while I was still a few hundred metres away. In another couple of weeks hooper swans will arrive at this lake. Landing on the ice they will wait for the first melted patches of water and then breed here and other similar lakes in the area.

At the end of the lake was Parte cabin. I was there at just after 1500. I had already done 17 km in a little more than two and a half hours. It would be ridiculous to stop so soon. Besides the snow conditions were very fast. I decided to skip Parte cabin and blast the other 24 km to Aktse cabin after all. I would probably reach there just after dark.

The next 6 km down the Rittak valley to Rittak lake were idyllic. The easy ski track followed the frozen river, crossing it regularly from glade to pine forest and back to glade again. This valley was once thick with bears a century ago. The sun was lighting up the trees in the warm evening colours. On each side to the valley were rounded mountains with occasional craggy spurs and knolls.

All this came to an abrupt end after a spur at the east end of Rittak lake. The next lake was Tjakjajaure and it was dammed. The water level fluctuated some 30 metres. This resevoir filled up in the summer months. Then in the late autumn it froze over to a depth of about half a metre. Then in the winter the resevoir was emptied to produce electricity. As the water level fell the ice fell with it. However where the ice rested on submerged knolls and slopes it stopped falling and broke into large angular slabs. The result was a barren wasteland of ice slabs lying across the floor of the empty resevoir.

Before the original lake was dammed to extend it over the ice slabs before me Rittak valley extended down here for many kilometres. Its beauty was fabled.

Luckily there was a scooter route over these ice slabs which had also been covered in a metre of winter snow to smooth of the edges. The scooter route went along the southern shore for 6 km before cutting across the lake to the north side. As I descended one of these huge slabs of frozen ice to reach the original valley floor I fell heavily on my bum. I am sure there will be a large bruise.

With light just starting to fade I reached the north shore. I left the surreal ice slab world and entered the forest again just to the east of the steep block of a mountain called Tjakjali. There was a kind of peninsular between two lakes here. It was a very gentle 4 km saddle.

I just had enough light to see the undulations of the scooter track as it weaved through the trees across this saddle. It was dark in the denser patches of forest and just before I considered the headtorch at 1900 I reached Laitaure lake. This lake was undammed.

Laitaure lake is home to perhaps the biggest and most well known of all the deltas in Lappland. The huge Rapaatno river which drains some half of Sarek and is fed by 40 glaciers flows into the lake. The sediments in the river settle as it enters the lake building a magnificent delta of lagoons, channels, embankments and marshes. The delta is 6 km long and 2 km wide. It has already filled half the lake, which is also squeezed between the mountains of Tjakjali and the sheer walls of Skierffe.

The Rapaatno river has probably filled in at least 3 lakes in the Rapadalen valley above Laitaure lake. The delta lands of these infilled lakes contain meanders and lagoons. It has allowed the development of a group of very large moose who feed on the vegetation in these lagoons. Indeed in the summer time the 30 km Rapadalen is a lush paradise of birch woods and wild flowers. It is bristling with wildlife.

After a short ski across Laitaure lake and a climb up through the woods on scooter tracks in the near dark I eventually reached Aktse cabin at 2000. I just avoided putting my headtorch on out of stubbornness. However the evenings will be getting longer very quickly from now on. I found a room in one of the cabins here. There were 7 of us all together in this large cabin. I reheated some reindeer meat Bjorn had given me and chatted with the others for a while. When they crashed out I did my blog wthout any disturbance.

It was a day of two halves. The office like morning where I was getting frustrated I was not getting things done and then the afternoon where I exceeded my expectatations. The highlight of the day must have been the pine forests, frozen tarns and sunny glades of the Rittak valley.