Ok, so how calm was it? Well, the tempo was certainly not high, but neither did I feel particularly isolated – at least not for very long – so activity-wise I'm not complaining.

Now, just like last year, more people than usual were trying out more off-side routes due to covid, which brought visitor stats for places like Anaris up noticeably, but they were still not very high in absolute numbers. The ratio between tenters and indoor guests also remained clearly skewed in favor of the former, so I spent more time speaking about campsites than beds this time around as well.

Visitor flows aside, I had had some debates with myself before applying and later accepting this posting about whether I would find the location satisfactory in the long run. To wit, I usually like to be in more "dramatic" places, or at least close to them, whereas Anaris basically sits out on a gigantic plain which is mostly flat, with all the more imposing stuff quite far off. That said, I did like the place as it was; it has a certain feel to it which I enjoyed, and the views were pleasant in both the near and far divisions, with the framing of Åreskutan to the north a constant source of evening beauty.

Another thing which was different was the easy connectivity, with full cell phone coverage and care-free access to power. That one is a double-edged sword: on the one hand it provided an "escape hatch" for really boring periods as well as simple practical solutions when it came to visitor management (on-site online reservations, for example), while on the other it lessened the feeling of being "out there", away from civilization. Still, this is something I had factored in from the very beginning, so I went into my sojourn fully aware of the fact that it was going to be of a different kind than usual (even though last year's stay in Kårsavagge had given a taste of it), and maintained self-imposed offline mode for longer periods at a time, often lasting days.

One exception to the latter rule was the daily reservation lists sent out by STF, but at least I had a separate phone for that and related work tasks. The thing about those lists, however, is that there is no guarantee that they are correct, since people can change their minds on short notice for a whole variety of reasons, not least among which are weather-related ones – and this happened several times. As such, it is shaky to plan ahead based on them, especially since several individual reservations may well belong to a larger group, which we have no way of knowing before they show up. And, finally, there are cottages with no connectivity whatsoever, so they cannot rely on lists anyway.

As for the weather, it started out very warm and dry, but then took several cold and wet turns, and those days of heavy continuous rainfall coupled with strong winds are among the worst conditions I've experienced in the summer fjelds. That kind of thing appears to be the new normal, or at least getting there, which places higher demands on visitors – case in point, there was a large rescue operation to evacuate a school class caught in the storm (in which there were hurricane-strength gales) during one of them. A direct consequence for me was that I ended up not being alone during those storms even though according to the abovementioned reservation lists I should have been, but such weather has a way of changing people's minds...

Speaking of weather, it was often the case that the heavier rainfall and especially the thunder moved around the plain rather than over it, so it was not unusual for me to stand looking at showers some distance away, or just feeling some drops around the edges. After the initial period of fairness there were also quite a few days when the clouds held complete sway, evidenced by the high number of image file names in the report beginning with "clouds", but that also made for more interesting sunsets – another near-constant I was particularly fond of. I will also say that I was lucky enough to get very nice weather during all three travel days, even though I could have used a bit lower temperatures and some more wind on day 2...

As usual I had made a mental list of possible day tours ahead of time, and managed to do most of them, adjusting my aims as I got a better feel for the place and its surroundings. I particularly appreciated the Kraapa, Stor-Anahögen and Sönner-Långtjärnen outings, as well as the double tracing of the waterfall streams both in and out of the forest. As for the Hosjöbottnarna visit, I was glad that I was able to do it, but I would also say that just stopping at (and climbing) Bredsjöhögen, with the highly interesting view of Stor-Slitingarna in full display, is a perfectly adequate outing with Anaris as a starting point if one doesn't have actual business that requires going all the way (and then back again). I must also mention the Issjödalen/Grönan area again, which is just so unique and enticing, so I was glad that I could take that detour on the way up.

What was surprising was that all my fishing attempts – ten of them in total – came to nothing; I typically get something, and Anaris is famous for its good fishing. It was extra frustrating that I could often see the fish, not seldom in active pursuit of the spinner, but they just wouldn't bite. At the start it was probably too warm, but even later on when conditions should have been more favorable I simply could not get a catch. As mentioned, the other fishers in the area, several of whom had been there before, also spoke of harder conditions than usual, so perhaps it was just one of those years. Well, I did got lots of berries instead – there were cloudberries and later blueberries practically everywhere – and thanks to Nina I was able to carry a full jar of cloudberry jam home with me.

All in all, then, I'd call this another success. What's next is up in the air at the moment, as after two summers with them I would like to see the covid-related restrictions and special solutions gone before taking on another assignment. And speaking of seasons, I haven't had a winter assignment since Tjäktja in 2013, and no less than four summer ones in a row since then, so I've started gravitating towards a snow-bound wardenship for next time, whenever it turns out to be. Also, I do believe that whatever it is, the location will be of the more dramatic kind again...