Saturday 28/2

I followed the Sitoälvsbron trail until I reached the side trail going up between Amon Rûdh and hill 711. Here the snow was untouched and ascending was easy, so it was not long before I found myself among the birches. There I turned towards the ravine, finding a place that looked passable as such, but the brink on the other side looked too steep for comfort, so I continued upstream. This brought me to the snow bridge the German lady and I had constructed some days before, which by this time had hardened considerably.

On the other side I took a new course at once, going flatly upwards. The snow carried well for the most part and also held a host of animal tracks – and after a while also those of the German. I took to climbing straight up for a bit and then turned east towards a bare rise where I stopped to look things over, seeing the dogsleds making their way across the lake. I then went on down to Tjårok, on the steep southern slope of which there was a fine drift I could dig a seat in at noon.

Clear

Tjahkkelij

Up-the-valley look

At the ravine

Hill 711

On the rise

Point

The sun was warming so I never bothered with the down vest, and instead just sat still for a while looking out over Lájtávrre and Tjaktjajávrre before digging into my food pack. I surveyed the tract with my binoculars and found nothing that moved, but shortly thereafter I spotted a snowmobile making its way to a couple of fishing people at Tjoalmmesuoloj. When the engine sound had died down everything was perfectly quiet – not even a faint hiss of wind – and I did not move myself for quite some time.

When I did I went almost straight up Gidátjårro as the vegetation off to my right was of the tough-to-penetrate kind. It was now warm indeed, so the cap came off, but when I reached a little brook in a clearing I put it back on. I was now headed for the sharp southeastern corner of the whole Njunjes ridge, but before reaching the stones there I turned up again, going parallel to the eastern edge in the direction of Nuortojvásj. Now it was warm again, and it only got warmer as I progressed – and the complete lack of wind certainly did not help any. I made a curve around a little hollow and then did some zigzagging up the final bit to the crest, where I left my skis and walked over the exposed ground to the northern end of the little plateau where the top cairn was. Here a pleasant wind was blowing, which I revelled in while photographing the scene; there was still not a cloud in the sky, and everything stood out in crisp clarity.

From Tjårok: Lájtávrre...

...Sarek...

...and Givkkijiegge/Guolleluoppal

Panorama over Lájtávrre and parts of Njunjes

From Nuortojvásj: east...

...and northwest

Panorama over Sijddojávrre

With my skis back on I set a course for Gådoktjåhkkå, going across the flat expanse that makes up Gidátjårro. I heard the sounds of snowmobiles, and once I had the trail in sight I saw two of them going south, but that was it as far as other people's presence was concerned. I turned slightly towards Nammásj, now finding the snow hard but good, but there was a cold drag coming at me head-on. As I neared the trees the crust started breaking every now and then – more "now" later – but when I started traversing the uppermost copses it got better. I crossed the side trail and came out on Kungsleden at the start of the forest, trying out a few turns on the side but the snow was not quite up to it now. Further down I had a somewhat hard time braking, and I had to make controlled falls several times in the deep snow beside the trail. Towards the end I dared to let go, and arrived safely after 15:15.

Flat Gidátjårro

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