Sunday 6/7

I woke up at some point in the early morning to the sound of rain falling outside. I remained in a state of not-quite-sleep until the time was almost 07:45, when I arose to look at the source of the sound – it was actually raining quite heavily by then, and clouds were low all around. I sat down in the kitchen and looked out the window, feeling no particular hurry. More people were getting up and several sets of breakfast were soon being prepared and consumed. The warden also came in and related the latest forecast which said that the rainfall was to stop "during the day", but exactly when was anyone's guess, and it sure showed no signs of diminishing. I returned to my room to pack and then had breakfast myself, still taking things easy. I then spent some time talking with the warden – between colleagues, you know – and as there was still no change whatsoever in the weather I thought that I might just as well set out, which I did at 09:45.

I started by following the trail to Gåsen, where the packed dirt had caused fairly deep puddles to form everywhere, necessitating frequent circumvention. When the trail started climbing Tobbege the weather deteriorated further, and looking across Lill-Stensdalen I could see that there was even some fresh snow upon Lill-Stensdalsfjället. Soon enough the rain turned to sleet and the wind increased, so things were truly bad. I spotted a couple of people ahead of me on the trail, but rather than chasing after them I veered upwards, picking my way between the multitude of stones to the crest extending westwards from the summit of Tobbege to have a look at Stor-Stensdalen and Ö Bunnerskalet. And a look I had, for just then the clouds passed away from the steep southern outrunner of Östra Bunnerstöten, and the valley stood out not in clarity, but at least in some detail.

I stopped to consider my next move – should I proceed according to plan, or choose the easier route of Tjallingdalen? Weather conditions were as bad as ever, and still no change was in evidence; through Ö Bunnerskalet I could see very little but low clouds, which was hardly enticing. I had of course no way of knowing if these conditions would remain in place, or even worsen more, and the prospect of a possibly snowy camp at Bunnersjöarna followed by a foggy high passage westwards did not seem very inviting. In the end I contented myself with at least having seen the most interesting portion of the intended route, and opted for a sheltered lunch at Sjtäntja. I made my way back to the trail, upon which I soon saw a different pair of hikers in front of me, and these I did chase all the way to the shelter. The clouds now seemed slightly lighter, and Tjallingklumpen was discernable further ahead, but it was a great relief to enter the little hut just after noon.

Not much to see

Leaving...

...the woodland

Lill-Stensdalen

The crest of Tobbege

Ö Bunnerskalet

Snow on Lill-Stensdalsfjället...

...and beyond

Arriving at Sjtäntja

Inside I found both pairs I had observed, and which had of course also been present in Stensdalen. We all had lunch together and talked things over, not surprisingly concentrating on the weather – some of us fared better than others, clothes- and equipment-wise. Later on the rain subsided and the clouds started to lift somewhat to the west and the east, but things were still very dreary. I bade the others farewell and walked along the trail to Gåsen for a little bit before breaking off, catching sight of three people coming from the other direction as I did so. I made my way between, over and around the small hills making up the landscape in those parts, soon finding myself at a somewhat major stream.

Since I did not at all fancy switching to sandals and doing the whole "proper ford" thing I walked upstream in search of a place where I could cross anyway, which was quickly realized by way of a surprisingly thick snow bridge. I continued on this higher level for a while before allowing myself to drift towards Tjallingån again, enduring another bout of increased rain and cloudiness. I came upon a scattered herd of reindeer, and then another stream not immediately passable, but this time I tried my luck downstream instead. After some investigation I managed to get across, and then I kept about the same distance to Tjallingån as I passed into the valley proper.

Goodbye to Sjtäntja

Hello to Tjallingdalen

Looking for a snow bridge

Lighter to the north...

...and the east

Ornithoscopy

Tjallingklumpen

Västra Bunnerstöten

Here the hills increased in size and number, and I tried my best not to walk longer than necessary. The rain had now stopped and visibility was better, but the cloud layer was still unbroken, and just under it a helicopter passed by heading in the other direction. At the western end of Tjallingklumpen the slopes of the hills grew steeper, and I took to walking higher up to avoid the worst of it. Now some trees had started appearing, and another change was that off to the north a bit of blue sky showed, and it even seemed as though the patch was slowly growing into the northwest.

With no advance warning I then found myself at Gåsbäcken, which threw another obstacle in my way. I followed it upstream for a bit, not particularly liking the look of the splashing water, but eventually I came to a place which looked vaguely promising. It was no simple matter, however, and it took a couple of daring leaps to land me on the other side (notice that I did not write "safely"...). I then had to wind my way past some wet areas, during which more and lower clouds started coming in from the east. I passed the winter trail from the Gåsån shelter and after many more wet and non-straight steps I finally reached its summer counterpart, which saw the end of a rather tiring stage. The walk was not fully over yet, however, but when I reached the bridge over Tjallingån it was – just before it lies a large stretch of heathland offering very good conditions for tents, and at 16:15 I selected a spot for mine.

Eyes back

Eyes ahead

Snowy Västra Bunnerstöten

Flat yet not flat

Poolside view

Snasahögarna

V Bunnerskalet

Västra Bunnerstöten again

Even snowier Gåsen

Another shot of Snasahögarna

Cloud-piercing fjeld

Owls in the area

After having a sandwich I started pitching, which was a bit tricky as the wind was not that interested in picking a direction and sticking with it. While I was still at it a large group consisting mainly of kids of different ages and sizes came over the bridge, walking straight by my position. Now the clouds were noticeably lighter, and at times there was even a bit of diffuse sunlight seeping through. Having completed the pitching process I started preparing dinner behind a sizeable rock, and soon the amiable smell of open-flame cooking lent me serenity. Most of the clouds were slowly passing out of the east, leaving blue sky in their wake, which brought sunlit mountainsides off in that direction – a very nice change to say the least. While I was eating the sun finally broke through and warmed my back, but it did not last long; soon more clouds (some low) started appearing around Gåsen et al. I saw this is a good time to enter the tent and change into some other garments, which was followed by map-scanning and book-reading.

Sun at last

Interesting...

...sky look

The tent...

...close to Tjallingån...

...and Handölan

Overhead the clouds chased each other across the sky, with the effect that there were always several regions of blue in view somewhere, and the wind wavered between almost nonexistent and pretty keen. Later on I went outside and found that it was now partially clear, with clouds "around the edges" and furher off to the southwest. The warming sun was out in full, the wind had all but died down, and life was good again – who cares about past snowstorms when a fair evening seizes your soul, even if those snowstorms occurred but a few hours ago? After a while another batch of clouds approached from the east, but I could see that 1) they could not cover the entire sky at once, and 2) they would all pass in a while, just like before. When the sun was obscured again I returned inside the tent to play some solitaire, during which there was a quick shower accompanied by stronger winds.

Afterwards the dark clouds had all gone on their merry(?) way into the west, the wind had petered out completely, and now even Helags was emerging at least in part off to the south. I read some more before the sun returned, noting that a number of mosquitos had appeared, but for some fine reason they all remained outside the inner tent, even when they had the chance to slink inside. I had a sturdy evening snack while another light shower sounded on the canvas, and eventually it too went away, joining a collection of similar occurrences in the northwest. I then prepared for the night, reading a few pages in my book after slipping into the sleeping bag at 22.

Very good, this campsite was

More clouds over Snasahögarna

Tjallingklumpen and Gåsen

Tjallingklumpen by itself

Self-portrait

The Tjallingån bridge

The "food rock"

As I said: great campsite

Getryggen (Goat's Back)

Part of Helags

Looking out

Nice evening