Saturday 21/3

I skied down the track past the boat jetty and then came onto the track leading into the delta, which now bore clear traces of dogsled activity. The snow was hard but good, and the wind was not bad either at first, but it increased as I went. Closer to the first shoals it was actually rather strong, but at least everything else was getting lighter all the while. I stayed on the track, which followed a smaller canal for a bit and then took to the northernmost course. The headwind was on and off, ahead of me the obscuring cloud seemed to be shrinking back slowly, and behind me the cloud cover was breaking up.

At Sáivva the dogsleds had turned back, but I of course pressed on, and before I had reached the western shore of the lake the sun had finally come out. A sharp turn brought me down to the mire/water system before Nammásj, at the end of which I suffered some powerful gales from behind the curious cube. At the park border I changed to the thicker cap, and with some discontent I also noted that the large valley cloud was now growing again. Ráhpaädno, which had consisted of pure ice here last time, now displayed bare sand banks and weak-looking refrozen ice, so I crossed over to the other side at once and continued over a mire there, coming back to the stream at the next junction. Here I went back to the central track, in which there were also some very nice wolverine prints for a good distance.

A growing...

...light

The cloud ahead

Passing Skierffe

Approaching Nammásj

Sun on Tjahkkelij

Entering Sarek

Sun on ice

Gådoktjåhkkå capped

Nammásj and Skierffe

Nammásj by itself

Around the following stream junction I left it again and went up the southern bank on a single ski track, and between the first trees I found a cap – in all likelihood the one lost by the man who had visited Litnok a few days earlier, so I picked it up and brought it with me. On the following open area the snow was rather soft, but back among the trees it carried better, even though the vegetation necessitated some indirect motion. I passed the measurements station belonging to the Litnok cabin, and soon I found myself at the latter. This is one of the outposts established by Sarek pioneer Axel Hamberg in the early 20^th century for scientific purposes, and it is a testiment to his design principles that it remains in almost perfect shape to this day.

From this place of living history I proceeded out to the brink of Ráhpaädno, which in these parts was open, and followed the edge westwards. When the bank grew higher I went up again but kept close in the forest, and when the stream split up once more I stayed with the southern branch. With visibility up the valley restored I saw that things were getting worse, and there was also a light haze before Niehter. The time was now 10:30, and when I reached the place where the course widens for a bit I sat down against a small snowdrift for lunch.

Nice and sunny

The Litnok measurements station...

...and the cabin itself

At the station

At the cabin

Original info sign

Panorama of the Gate from the back

Getting worse

Back on track (for there was an older track present) I found that the weather was slowly improving again, and the persistent cloud allowed for some peeks of the higher nortwestern reaches. In the track itself there was a set of lynx prints, rendered very clear by having been frozen in, but eventually they disappeared. Having passed all residual bumps extending westwards from Litnokvárásj I turned right over snow that was soft at first, but it got better soon.

In the main course of Ráhpaädno there was broken ice hanging over rocks, but I had no problem locating a suitable place to cross. I went past a clear sled track following the northern shore and entered the woods, where the snow carried surprisingly well. I headed for Alep Spádnek, and as I started gaining height snow conditions steadily improved; ahead of me the hole in the cloud remained as well. I ended up in a sharply slanting region of large rocks soon reinforced by tangled trees, and I picked my way through it with some difficulty. When I reached a clear but steep slope I took to climbing sideways, and then I could cut across the slope just beneath the rocky eastern face of Lulep Spádnek.

On snow that was nice enough I covered the final bit up into the saddle between the "Spádneks", where I was slightly disappointed that the view further up Rapadalen on the other side mostly consisted of white still. Here I left my skis and scaled the rest of Lulep Spádnek on foot; at first the slope was both somewhat steep and frozen, meriting caution, but then it changed to bared heath, and finally stones and snow. I held a high tempo across the mid-level flat, where a wind had picked up, and then conquered the last bit to the top, which was back to icy and locally tricky.

Lulep and Alep Spádnek

Tjahkkelij behind

Boarektjåhkkå

Lower Rapadalen

Lulep Spádnek

I stood at the highest point at 12:15, and immediately upon taking the last steps I was struck by a strong wind. The view back down the valley was partially shrouded by a light mist at the moment, and in the other direction only the valley floor could be seen. I walked around photographing that which was offered, and as I did so the mist lifted, and the effect spread to Gådokvágge as well. Of the many postcards I had for sale in the shop I was particularly fond of two, the images of which I knew from before, and having already realized the viewpoint of the first one from Amon Rûdh I was now very pleased to also attain the second, with Nammásj and Tjahkkelij "from the back".

Just when I started the descent the haze before Rapaselet started breaking up, and when I reached the flat portion I went out to the western edge to enjoy the show. For a show it was: before my eyes Låddebákte and Bielloriehppe emerged from the clouds, and even though the latter did not let go of the former entirely I was still awed by the scene. Back down at my skis I stood still for a while, waiting to see if more of Bielloriehppe was to appear, but as this did not seem about to happen I started down eastwards again.

Misty

Gådokvágge

Airborne scout

Further up Rapadalen

Mists parting

Gådokvárásj close by

Breaking up!

Still good!

Gådoktjåhkkå and Bielloriehppe still capped

I chose another route at once, going through a slanting rock-riddled hollow where the snow was ample but difficult – and immediately upon leaving the saddle the wind died down. I then crossed some snowy patches of heath, and when the gentle slope to my left started to increase I went over a low ridge and then found myself at my upward tracks. Going down through the forest was a quick matter, and I had to make some side turns to check my speed. Back down at the stream I found that the closer parts of Gådoktjåhkkå were now all out, for the first time this day. Rather than continuing to retrace my steps (or strokes) I decided to follow the sled track which hugged the shore for a while, but when the ice started getting worse – to the point of open water – it went up the brink and stayed there.

A bit later it went out to the center of the stream on a narrow bridge of ice spanning the dark liquid, and so did I. At the little isle before Ridok I followed the northern edge again after which the track seemed to go for the little side canal that starts there, but turned at the last minute and stayed with the main course. Through the following turn I kept to the center of the stream and then touched land to the west, returning to the northern shore at the confluence with the canal I had followed from Litnok. After some crisscrossing between the holes in the ice I came to my old tracks from the Nammásj excursion, and these I followed until I reached the weak ice close to the park border around 14:15. Here I crossed over immediately, just before the sand banks, and soon exited Sarek. I then skied over to a hillside at the first mere beneath Nammásj, where I sat down for an afternoon snack.

Starting the descent

Goodbye to Lulep Spádnek

A little bit more of Gådoktjåhkkå

Familiar pair

Another familiar pair

Ice

Water

Passing Litnok again

Drawing close to Tjahkkelij

Suobbattjåhkkå

Out of Sarek

I rested for a while, and when I arose again my right hip had gone very stiff – I had been feeling a dull ache in it for some time, but this was worse. I therefore did some stretching before setting off for the final stage of this long journey, and I just had to get moving properly to regain full control. I saw no reason not to follow the well established track, and while I was doing so the sun played hide and seek with a large cloud. When I reached Aktse at long last I just caught sight of four snowmobiles that had been up to the cottages, and now they were posing for each other's cameras down at the SNF cottage, with the classic backdrop of the profile of Skierffe. The time was not yet 16:15 when I stopped outside my cottage, observing no signs of present guests.

Colored cliff

Gierdogiesjtjåhkkå

Sunset

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