Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 18km | Time 3.5hrs | Ascent 200m | Descent 510m

I slept remarkably well in the small cabin. It insulated me well against the minus 20 of the night. My clothes had dried and I was ready for a new day From the waist up anyway, my legs were not happy about having to perform again.

I got up at 0730 and looked outside. It felt remarkably warmer and there was even a freak snow shower passing. Beyond this light shower was blue sky everywhere so I could not see where it came from. I set off at 0900 in perfect weather again.

After crossing the the Tsielekjokk river I started up a gentle slope to the north. The Tarrekaise Massif dominated everything to the west. The valley beneath it is teaming with wildlife. Last year there was a licence to hunt and kill 3 bears in this valley. Such is nature conservation in Sweden.

There is also lynx in the valley. When I skied down it last year 2 helicopters flew over me. They were the equivalent of the Nature Protection Agency who had chartered the helicopters. They were en route to shoot this lynx with a tranquillizer, measure it and put a radio transmitter collar on it. Too many biologists chasing too few animals with too many resources. Such is nature conservation in Sweden

I soon reached a very shallow birch covered ridge by Lastak tarns. As I crested it Parte Massif suddenly unfolded across the entire northern horizon. Parte is one of the 10 of so massifs in Sarek National Park. It contains two mountains over 2000 metres, namely Parte and Palkatt. Parte is not particularly difficult but it involves a 2 day walk from Kvikkjokk to it. Palkatt is even longer with a 3 day walk and is more challenging with glacier crossings or steep ridges. I spent a week climbing these two mountains in unsettled weather in September some 4 years ago.

From Lastak tarns there was a wonderful descent down the tracks through the birch, then spruce, then pine forests to a small valley south of a nunatak called Nammasj. This nunatak was once covered in ice also and as the ice flow over the hard knoll it rose up the ramp on the upstream side and then ripped blocks of rock of the downstream side so it is very steep here. This is usual for all nunataks, especially in north Sweden here. A nunatak, incidentally, is a block of rock which wholly or partially protruded from the inland ice sheets during the glacial periods.

I passed to the south and east of this nunatak and then spilled out of the forest onto the blindingly bright surface of Saggat lake. It was then just a 3 km ski north through the delta of two large rivers which met here, to the charming village of Kvikkjokk.

This delta is laid down by the glacial silt from the glaciers of south west Sarek. The delta grows by at least a metre a year as silt is deposited at its drop off zone.

Kvikkjokk is a Swedish settler village. In the 1660s the government was giving incentives for Swedes to come and settle remote outposts in Lappland. People were encouraged to set up homesteads. Soon after silver was discovered nearby and at Alka to the west of Sarek. This forged its present identity somewhat and made it more significant than other settler villages.

Today Kvikkjokk, has a church, shop, many cabins to rent and a hostel run by the Swedish trekking club. It is the southern gateway to Sareks National Park and lies at the south end of the more popular northern half of the Kungsleden track. Carl von Linne (Linneaus) stayed here on his Lappland travels when formulating his theories on taxonomy.

There are 18 people who spend the winter here. The school children take the bus at 0530 every morning for the two and half hour,130 km, trip to school in Jokkmokk every day then return in the evening.

In the spring and summer the village lives of tourists. Snowscooter drivers, fisherman, some hunters, many outdoor enthusiasts and scientists all arrive here.

I checked into the trekking hostel and they kindly did my washing. I then had to do a lot of writing and emails. This tedious job took the rest of the afternoon. Still it was nice to sit down but a waste of great weather.

After supper I went to see my friend Bjorn. He is tenth generation Kvikkjokk, his ancestors being one of the original settlers. Bjorn ferries walkers across Saggat lake and show them the hidden gems of the delta land in the summer while his partner, Helena, is an artist with a gallery in the village.

Bjorn is an accomplished amateur naturalist is a library of information on the area. He knows where the eagle owls nest and when the moose will come and feed on aquatic weeds in the delta. Now his is almost a lonely voice drowned out in the scooter culture.

The scooters are an environmental nuisance. They destroy bushes, spew 2 stroke oil onto the snow, create a racket in villages and destroy the peace. Bjorn is fighting a campaign to keep them out of the middle of Kvikkjokk, like the village of Ammarnas, where they bypass the village centre. With the scooter culture the genie is out of the bottle and the Swedish government cannot put it back in again just limit the damage. This will jepodise the redneck vote.

I returned from Bjorn’s about midnight and slept well. It had been a short easy day with perhaps too much office work regarding blog and emails. I was still not finished and I had more to do tomorrow morning before I left for Parte cabin, and easy 16km. I had wanted to go to Aktse but the catch up with the blog put paid to that.

Distance 57km | Time 13.5hrs | Ascent 980m | Descent 780m

I got up at 0330 as I knew it would be a long day. Naturally it was still dark, the stars were out and it was very still but bitterly cold at around minus 20.

I had done Vuonatjviken as bit of a disservice yesterday by dismissing it as scooter culture. The couple who owned and ran the place, The Johannssens, turned out to be very good hosts. He had grown up on this homestead and knew every thing about the area. She did the catering and made a delicious smoked reindeer stew. She then gave me a bag of sweets for the next leg.

I recalculated the distance to Kvikkjokk after Mr Johannssen said it was nearer 80 km. Right enough it was 75 km. Too far for a day surely but I would try. It was 57 to Tsielekjokkstugan cabin as a fall back.

I eventually set off at 0500 when the light was just appearing. It was cold and my skis gripped firmly on the snow with yesterdays wax still on. I climbed very gently up through the pine forest crossing the occasional lake for an hour until the rich glow of the sunrise eventually bore the sun at 0600 exactly.

A little further I crossed the Arctic circle. This is the latitude where the midnight sun appears at the summer equinox. It remained very cold despite the sun. My route now turned east and followed the Arctic Circle east for 7 km. This was because the scooter tracks went this way as the summer route was too steep to follow. A necessary detour.

The route finally veered north again and climbed over a bare ridge. From the top of the ridge there was a tremendous view north with range upon range of bright white mountains rising from the dark forests.

It was a very gentle descent to two lakes strewn with a mass of small islets. Once the descent got a bit steep so I left the tracks and traversed across the side of Barturtte mountain. The generally hard icy surface had the occasional hidden trap where I would suddenly break through the surface into knee deep sugar. The result would be an undignified head plant as I ploughed head first into the snow. After a few of these I returned to the tracks before I broke my equipment or temper.

A scooter passed me, the first of the day, and he stopped and chatted. He had been ice fishing with no luck. After the lakes there was a sometimes steep descent down through the birch, then spruce and finally the comforting pine to reach the large Tjieggelvas lake.

On the lake the sun was working up a heat in the absolutely still day. I had to stop to strip down to my vest and ditch the hat and gloves. Something unthinkable a few hours before. It was a short hours ski along the northern tip of the lake under white mountains to reach the village of Vasterfjall.

This village was a Swedish settlers village, as opposed to a Lapp village. There were some 10 to 20 homesteads here. I could not see any sign of life but there was the smell of smoke. This village has no road and was probably just used in the summer, with the odd cabin rented out in the winter to scooter drivers doing some ice fishing. The village had a very quaint simple church and tower reflecting its simple Lutheran origins.

I had lunch here at 1330 and realized that at just under halfway I would not reach Kvikkjokk today. The next leg was the 11 km to the Lapp village of Parka. My route took me along the bumpy scooter track through the pine forest initially. There is some almost undefinable quality about Scandinavian light and especially Arctic light. Today it was crystal clear, crisp and bright. The simple colours of the pine trees against the white snow were brilliant.

The scooter tracks skirted round to the south of the scattered cabins of Parka hamlet. Nobody was here at the moment and the Lapps would probably only use it in connection with reindeer herding and hunting in the autumn. The last hurdle of the day loomed in front of me as I was resigned to stay at Tsielekjokkstugan.

This hurdle was a long high ridge well above the treeline. It was a big climb for my tired legs. Due to the steepness of it I put on my skins and set off. It was not a bad as it looked and I got a second wind, probably caused by an urgency to get to the shelter now the sun was low in the sky and it promised to be a very cold night.

The descent down the north side of the ridge was steep. Too steep for my tired legs to keep control so I walked a short half km section. Then it eased of for an easy 2 km run down to the cabin. I reached it as the setting sun dipped west below the Tarrekaise Massif illuminating it in a yellow glow. The temperature was plummeting.

The cabin was tiny. Just enough room for 2 sleeping benches and a tiny stove. Most importantly there was at least an evenings supply of wood scattered about. I lit a fire as my toes started to chill. Then fetched snow in the 4 battered pans of dubious cleanliness and closed the door.

Within an hour it was very cosy in the shelter and I could take of my duvet jacket and saw my socks were steaming dry in the torchlight. I had a dehydrated meal, a litre of hot cocoa and then got into my sleeping bag on a sleeping bench to write the blog. My eyes were way too heavy and I gave up after a few minutes and crashed out around 2030.

It had been a momentous day. I could not really fault any aspect of it. The scenery was wonderful, the weather was magnificent, there was the odd gem of settler and Lapp culture, and I ended up in a cosy cabin with enough wood. In addition it had been my longest day with 57 km.

Distance 26km | Time 5.5hrs | Ascent 290m | Descent 190m

Given I had a relatively easy day I did not hurry in the morning at all. I enjoyed a lie in until nearly 0800, had a shower and leisurely breakfast. I enjoyed the cabin and eventually left it at 1000. It was a glorious day outside with a bit of a cold wind, but a blue sky.

I headed down to the lake from the cabin and at once was on the scooter track heading east up a wide inlet. The wind was behind me and I was skiing fast. There were quite a few scooters about and nearly 20 must have passed me Just about all were joy riders and none were Lapp as they always carry skis.

Before long I reached the far side of the long lake. It stretched all the way to Arjeplog and must have been at least 50 km long. When I reached the small islet of Nammatsholmen the track left the lake and headed up through the forest. I had to rewax my skis for this climb.

I snaked through the pine trees to a small tarn. Here a reindeer herder had put out some silage for his animals. I was surprised to see about 30 feeding from it. I previously assumed all the domesticated reindeer were still down in the forests to the east. These reindeer fled as soon as they saw me.

I crossed the lake and then reached another lake. This was disconcerting as I should have been going north not south east. Eventually the scooter tracks doubled back and started to head north gently climbing through the pines, some of which were very old and venerable.

It was a delightful ski through this forest as I climbed gently for some 200 metres. There were many reindeer tracks so there must have been more in the forest here. Eventually the pine trees pettered out and the birch took over and remained the only tree until I reached and crossed the ridge.

There was now a gentle descent through the birch for some 15 minutes until I reached Riebnes lake. There were no pines here on the south shore. The tracks had taken me a bit south of where I wanted to go but they now crossed the lake to the pine covered north side and the headed north west for 3 km to reach a broad peninsular.

Although it was sunny there was a bitterly cold wind which cut through my clothing. I had to stop and put on my windproof trousers and warmer mittens. The mountain of Riebneskaise dominated the south side of the lake.

From this broad peninsular it was just another 4 km to Vuonatjviken. Quite a few scooters passed me. I suppose it was a Saturday and the weather was good so people were out. As a skier I felt quite rare. I had not seen another skier for days.

Vuonatjviken was not as quaint as I had hoped. There were many private cabins and a small enterprise which rented out pragmatic and uncharming cabins. I took one which was relatively expensive and compared to Baverholm poor value for money. Still I had a roof between me and the cold night to come.

I managed to finish my blog early then went up for moose stew in the main house come restaurant. I needed energy for the long day tomorrow and the very early start at about 0400.

It is remarkable how long the days are becoming now. The spring equinox is 21 March give or take a day depending on leap years etc. This spring equinox was in fact the 20th March this year. This is when the sun crosses the equator on its way north again. It is when the day become longer than the night in the northern hemisphere and shorter in the southern hemisphere. In theory it is when the sun rises in the north pole and stays up for the next 6 months. In reality this does not quite happen due to the wobble of the earth. For me in practical terms it now means I have about 15 hours daylight and this will increase by about 5 minutes a day at these latitudes. They call it the first day of spring here in Sweden but it will be minus 15 here tonight!

I am also just a few km south of the Arctic circle. The Arctic circle is the latitude at which you get the midnight sun on the summer equinox which is the longest day on the 21 June, give or take a day. At the Arctic circle the sun does not set on this day but just dips to touch the horizon and heads back into the sky again. In the very north of Norway the sun will not actually set for about a month each side of this summer equinox and just revolves around the sky.

It had been a very good day. The ski was great. The weather was great. It was easy, almost a rest day really. This was what I planned and needed as tomorrow would be a very long day to Kvikkjokk which is about 60 km. If I can’t make it I can stop after 45 km where there is a rustic unheated wooded shelter. Vuonatjviken was a bit of a disappointment with its scooter culture but it might improve yet.

Distance 28km | Time 8hrs | Ascent 550m | Descent 600m

When I woke at 0500 I was shocked to see the roofs dripping profusely. I opened the window and it was warm outside with a very strong wind and some drizzle. A warm front must have been passing causing havoc with the winter wonderland. It was a short day ahead so I returned to bed hoping it would improve and got up at 0730. It had improved as the drizzle had stopped and it was colder at zero.

I left at 0900. I was partially blown and partially skied down the rest of the delta channels until I reached the Iraft lake itself. From here it was about 4 km to Adolfstrom. I hardly moved a muscle for these 4 km as the wind blew me along the lake in about 20 minutes. It is very seldom one has such good luck.

I stopped at the shop in Adolfstrom. It was like a stage set for a 1920s period drama. Old scales and a hand operated cash register were on the thick wooden counters. Ornaments adorned the roof and everything was on wooden shelves or pigeon holes. The couple who ran the shop explained the best way to ski to Jakkvik over Pieljekaise mountain.

Initially my route took me up through the pine forest to the north of the village. After some km the pine vanished and I was in birch woods until I reached Lutjaure lake. There were a few friendly scooters which passed me. I occasionally ventured off the scooter track into the forest snow. It was impossibly deep and loose. Well above the knees. Perhaps when this short thaw refreezes it will support a skiers weight.

There was a route marked with branches across the lake and scooters were not permitted here as it led into the Pieljekaise National park. An old scooter track made by park authorities 2 weeks ago was barely visible and although covered in new and blown snow it was firm under the 10 cm of cover. It seemed no other skiers had been for a while.

The route then went through the birch forest for 6 km over a small ridge and across a shallow valley. The birch woods in this area are the reason this small, somewhat unglamorous, National Park was created in 1909. This area of mountain birch was as good as undisturbed 100 years ago so it was decided to preserve it. As I passed it today it was dormant in its winter hibernation. In mid summer however this would be a transformed environment.

The birch trees would host a huge amount of insects. Millions of migratory birds arrive from warmer climes to take advantage of this feast. The forest floor is covered in wild flowers and grasses hosting further insects. A far cry from today’s frozen winter wilderness.

One species of insect which inhabits these birch woods is a moth. Sometimes the lavae of these moths reach epidemic proportions, as last happened in 1957, when the lavae devestate the trees, sometimes irreparably. In addition to a rich bird life there are other mammals here too like hare, fox and even wolverine and bear occasionally.

I stopped at Pieljekaisestugan cabin. It was open so I went in. It was simpily furnished with a kitchen, stove and 4 beds. It would have been comfortable to stay here. But I had to continue.

It was a short trip through the remainder of the birch forest. Again I was lucky and there were some old scooter track to follow. Soon I was on the bare mountain side skirting round the side of the modest Pieljekaise mountain In an increasing wind I reached the highest point and started the barren descent.

As I descended the rounded ridge the valley which I was heading for appeared. Initialy the dark birch woods on the far side appeared then the west end of the vast Hornavan lake, and then finally the village of Jakkvik in a forest clearing. It was still a long way down.

The descent however was absolutely fantastic. It was not that steep, but steep enough to keep moving. I covered the 4 km in an exciting quarter of an hour. First through the birch woods and then the comforting pine forest again to arrive in Jakkvik.

The youth hostel was booked by a single group and was full, so I went to the shop. They phoned a cabin owner who had just one free. It was expensive but very comfortable. I had no choice other than camping. I bought food in the shop and returned to the cabin.

I had a comfortable evening with a inside shower and full kitchen. I ate a good meal, wrote the blog and poured over the map for the route to Kvikkjokk. Tomorrow I would have an easy day to Vuonatjviken, then a massive 60 km day to Kvikkjokk or which I could break in simple shelter some 15 km from Kvikkjokk.

Despite the wet warm start the day returned to winter. I felt tired today but enjoyed it, especially the wind assisted ski to the quaint Adolfstrom. The rest of the day was quite interesting but Jakkvik was a bit of a disappointment. It seemed to have a very strong snow scooter culture and there were many spoilt Norwegians here to take advantage of the cheaper alcohol and lax scooter laws.

Distance 50km | Time 11hrs | Ascent 910m | Descent 800m

I managed to get up at 0530. It was already light and there was a strong glow in the south east heralding the arrival of the sun. I had bought a lot of bread and spreads in the shop yesterday for breakfast. By 0630 I was ready and set off.

The scooter tracks seemed to go along the river near the shop so I skied down to it and followed it downstream for a short distance. When the river and scooter tracks reached a more residential area they detoured through the fields to the south. These fields had many hay barns scattered around them.

After the detour the scooter routes reached a signposted junction and split up. I took the one to Adolfstrom which was 55 km. The route headed across fields and onto the Vindelalven river. I followed it for a good km up to a bridge. The scooter path now left the river and followed the uncleared track beside the river for 8 km

It was a very nice ski up beside the river. No scooters passed me and the sun was out. It remained cold at about minus 15. I passed many more old hay barns and a very quaint restored homestead.

This homestead had a very traditional north Scandinavian stabbur which was Lapp in origin as it stood on one pole.

Soon after this homestead the road left the valley and headed up the east side of the valley for 4 km to a mass of corals and fences. This was an area where the reindeer where killed and butchered. All this happened in the open. Reindeer meat is therefore about as organic as you get as the animals are not transported to a slaughterhouse.

The route now climbed up through the remainder of the birch woods and onto the bare mountain side. The white rolling hills were covered in snow so hardly a rock showed. I passed two small lakes and a reindeer herders cabin where Lapps would spend part of the summer, especially during the marking and ear clipping in July.

The sun had started to started to disappear now behind a veil of mist and the wind began to pick up. By the time I was up on Bjorkfjallet it was strong enough to create spindrift. I had hoped it would disappear as I descended the north side but it got worse.

When I reached a steep mountain called Laddiebakte it was a gale. This was perhaps a bit of a wind tunnel caused by the steep sided mountain. The snow cover here was very thin compared to just 5 km further south. Thankfully when I left this area the gale dropped back to a wind.

Before long I reached a small cabin which was open at Sjnultjie. It replaced a proper cabin which burnt down a few years ago. This replacement cabin was just an emergency shelter really. It would make a nice alternative to camping. As I was leaving the cabin 3 families with infants arrived on scooters. They had been fishing. The infants were very well wrapped. We chatted a bit before I went.

The last 15 km to Baverholm was pretty easy. Initially there was 4 km across the very top of the treeline until the tracks crossed a frozen river. Then they climbed over a spur to the bare mountainside again. The wind was back for this stretch, wiping up spindrift.

Finally I began a wonderful descent. First down the bare mountain and then into the birch forest. It was not too steep so I could enjoy it in my tired state. Below me was the lake I was heading for called Iraft. Like many mountain lakes in northern Sweden it contained a delta where silt was deposited by the river flowing in. Eventually this delta will consume the lake.

As I descended the weather became more benign. Soon the first pine trees appeared. There is something very comforting about returning to the pine forest after a day being buffeted in the bare mountains. After a lovely couple of km in the pine forest I reached Baverholm.

Baverholm was a homestead which had been turned into a café come restaurant and had a few rooms to rent. It was rustic, cheap, friendly and had a nice vibe. I had not expected such a nice place in this remote hamlet. I took a cheap room and then went to the café. It was not even 1800.

The café was covered in taxidermied animals and birds. Moose antlers lined the old wood panelled walls. Pictures of fisherman with prize trout were posted everywhere. There was just me and 2 Norwegian ice fisherman staying. I had reindeer for supper and then tried to write the blog. It was very difficult to concentrate and keep my eyes open. At last I finished at 2100 and crashed out at once thereafter.

It had been a tremendous day. Apart from the wind it was faultless. The skiing was very good and the snow conditions near perfect. The descent was perhaps the best of the trip so far and the pine forest was as enchanting as ever. Baverholm was very nice and I had notched up another 50km day, the easiest of them all so far.