Tuesday 28/9

I slept until it was already light, and stayed in bed till 8. Outside it was 0°C, still and perfectly clear, and I went for another terrific sunrise round. I packed up calmly and then cleaned the place thoroughly; it had obviously not been done entirely properly before. It was rather warm and nice outside, so I chose to walk without the jacket; the boots were very nearly dry too. I looked over the place one last time, and then departed at 10:15.

The rucksack, restored to fuller weight, felt good on my back as I walked the well-trodden but partially frozen path. I was of a mind to take the side path over Lill-Gröngumpen to Grönvallen, and when I reached a trail split with a sign pointing out this path I broke off, even though it came earlier than the map indicated. This brought me into the forest, and it was a nice one at that. There was a bit more snow there, but walking was not difficult, and before long I ascended onto more open ground where the view out over the basin and the surrounding fjelds was fabulous. This view grew in vastness and splendor as I walked across the flat summit, and I stood looking at it for a long time before starting to go down the other side.

Good path

Approaching the first mere

Glitter

Stony slopes

Zoom

The ravine from the other direction

Looking back towards Lunndörren

Forest and fjelds

Northwest

Helags closeup

Stensdalen closeup

Edsåsdalen and Åreskutan

Panorama over part of the Vålå forest and the surrounding fjelds

When the path turned I waded out through the snow to the edge to see how Pyramiderna looked from this direction, but did not see much. Shortly thereafter I came across some large tracks in the half-melted, half-frozen snow, and tracing them a bit I judged them to be those of a wolverine. Back down in the forest the air was chilly, and the snow deeper; at one point I almost lost the path, but there was but one direction to go anyway. Soon I came out onto the trail from Pyramiderna, which bore a good deal of frozen tracks of both boots and tyres. As I was drawing near to Grönvallen the landscape started opening up, and just before I arrived around 12:15 I saw a single man go off towards Issjödalen.

Going down again

Partial view of Pyramiderna

On the trail

Still on the trail

Opening up

The huts...

...of Grönvallen

I walked up to the "double-hut" and dumped my pack at a bench there, and then went to get some water in the nearby stream. I walked around the premises and found that the large privy had been nailed shut, but a smaller one had been erected at the nearby wind shelter. I sat down on the bench and had my lunch and then just sat still and enjoyed the sun. After walking around some more it was time to get going again, and I abstained from the jacket this time as well.

The icy path had thawed to the point where mud had appeared instead at places. The forest was of a very pleasing type, and at times I was offered views of the fjelds behind. When I emerged onto the extensive mires of Vargtjärnflätet these views expanded, and since the weather was clear everything was visible. These mires are crossed by way of wide duckboards, and at the far side, where the forest returned, I sat down at a strategically located bench since I would otherwise arrive much too early. Besides, it was much too nice not to enjoy the sunny afternoon with the still-wide vista before my eyes.

As I was sitting there I became aware of a faint sound, which after a while resolved into voices approaching upon the winter trail to Middagsvalen. It turned out to be a large group of youngsters, and they had some trouble navigating the wet areas (again, it was a winter trail they were on). I counted thirteen all in all passing me by southwards, and most of them were wearing both fairly heavy packs and warm clothes, so I imagined they must have been transpiring quite a bit. I stayed for a while longer and then finally left around 15.

Easy walking

More trees

Icy mire

Stor-Vargtjärnen

Middagsvalen ahead

Anarisfjällen

Zoomed in

Southwest

Blazing sun

Panorama over Anarisfjällen

Boards

Issjödalen over there...

...and Lunndörren over there

Passing group

Immediately after I had entered the forest the air turned cold, and the puddles on the trail were frozen. The path, which was getting wider, was pretty stony as I descended. After I had walked a bit I got more comfortable, even though my hands were still cold. I walked leisurely, noticing horse tracks in the dirt, and when the slope started levelling out the condition of the li'l road improved. I recognized the spot where I had turned around at the beginning, and soon emerged at the village, where all the snow had just disappeared. I went up to the little inn (or inns, actually) and sat down on a bench against the wall after 15:30.

There were some people about, as well as some easy-going equine creatures in a nearby pasture. When I started to get cold I put on the fleece jacket and walked over to the chapel, taking a somewhat roundabout route. In returning I took the trail across the field, and then moved to a table on the lawn beside the bus stop. No more had I brought out my book than the bus rolled up, and the tour – strange as it had turned out – was at an end.