Saturday 16/4

One of my roommates turned off the gas heater sometime during the night; even though it was on its lowest setting all the insulating snow made it redundant, and they even opened the window. I slept rather well myself, and stayed in bed until 8 feeling very unhurried as I was to remain for another night. When I arose the sky was partially clear with high clouds, and a weak sun was shining every now and then. After staying outside for a while I had breakfast as the last man, apparently, and then all the other guests started leaving for their respective destinations. I had been of a mind to climb Stora Härjångsstöten, possibly making a "grand tour" of the full massif of Härjångsfjällen if conditions (terrain-wise and bodily) so allowed, and now decided to go for it, leaving at 09:45.

Things quickly got warm as I slowly descended into the shallow bowl west of Stråahpatjaerhvie. After passing a more pronounced (but still shallow) hollow hosting a stream in summer a small cloud cap appeared at the very summit of Stora Härjångsstöten, which then slowly grew while another formed upon Gåsen behind me. The snow started to grip my skis, and after a while it got really bad so that I had to stomp off the buildup. I then came upon an older ski track which provided better glide, so I followed that whenever I could make it out in the low contrast world I now found myself in.

Cap forming

Cap formed

Upon Gåsen as well

After passing by a smallish herd of reindeer on the slopes of Stråahpatjaerhvie I aimed straight for a snowfield leading up the base of Stora Härjångsstöten, and once there found climbing was easy. The cloud cap was still growing, however, and now reached about halfway down the mountain, so reaching the summit was probably out of the question – or at least doing so would not be worth the trouble. For the moment, though, I continued climbing on a larger field in a kind of shelf-hollow in the slope. As I approached the underside of the clouds – the location of which shifted up and down – I stopped to consider my options while having a bit of chocolate.

Quadrupeds

Above Härjångsdalen

Helags all white

Sylarna too

After a while I continued up and around to the western edge of the slope I was on, and stood there waiting for a bit longer. Suddenly the clouds lifted noticeably, but the path to the summit remained in the white, and the clouds that had formed around several other peaks also lingered. Instead of climbing further I continued around the bend; the slope there was rather steep, but where I was the snow was good and I could mostly follow small shelf formations, so it wasn't very difficult. I still had to be careful lest I skied over an unseen edge, and I was ever on the lookout for avalanche risks. After passing a promising direct route down I came around a corner and caught sight of Helags as intended, so I decided to stop for lunch, digging a little hole for myself in the shelter of a sizeable rock before 11:45.

Before the corner

After the corner

The wind had been quite noticeable earlier, but down in the hole it was entirely still. Unfortunately the cloud-related reprieve that had started earlier proved to be temporary, and soon almost everything was just white, with only a few tantalizing glimpses of distant (and not so distant) fjelds that briefly appeared at irregular intervals. I was accompanied by a few small birds that flitted back and forth, but other than that it was entirely silent.

Eventually I left my spot, and as the clouds showed no signs of lifting anytime soon I backtracked a bit to the passage I had seen earlier, which did indeed prove to be a good way down. It would have been even better if the snow hadn't been as sticky, though; as it was I had to work quite a bit to turn, and could get no rhythm going. As I descended visibility slowly got better, and after a few more fields the snow did too, and I could execute some more telemark-y turns when the inclination lessened.

Exiting the cloud

More large clouds...

...atop more peaks

Back down again

I then maintained my altitude as I aimed for Stråahpatjaerhvie, observing three people going westwards on the Vålåvalen trail on the other side of said rise. Curiously I could glide just fine on the open flat areas now, and I soon came back to the ski track – or rather this might have been another track than the one I had followed earlier, or at least a different section of it as the direction it now traced was different. I rounded Stråahpatjaerhvie on a semi-high level and then made my own way towards the trail, crossing the stream hollow high up this time.

Sun on Västra Bunnerstöten

Clouds on Helags

New trio

Helags closeup

The sun had started breaking through again in a few places, but clouds kept clutching the peaks, with no sign of concessions from the one upon Stora Härjångsstöten. I crossed the trail and approached the cottages from the northeast, passing close by the water hole while the other three skied up to the buildings along the usual route. I completed my circuit and came back from the northwest, going straight to the main cottage at 13:45.

After paying a visit to the buried privy I set about shovelling out one of the two rooms that also remained buried. Here the snow reached all the way to the eaves, and I quickly had to remove various garments lest I get heat stroke from the exertion. The end result about an hour later was a makeshift stairway in the snow leading down to the window, which could be opened fine, and even though I could make sure that the intake/exhaust for the gas heater was free of snow the size of the shovel prevented me from finishing the close excavation around it, but I figured this was good enough for now.

Before

After

Closeup

The sun had started coming out more and more while I was working, and now the clouds were shrinking back as well. I had afternoon tea inside, speaking some with my new roommate who was also a warden out on a solo tour. I then utilized the remaining buried and therefore unused room to have a wash, which was just possible in the gloom since the window was all but covered, and then took it easy in the kitchen while more people came in. Outside it was warmer, which clearly showed in the condition of the snow, and the influx of new guests was growing.

After dinner visibility was fully restored, and the cloud cover was breaking up more and more, but the sun still only played across select areas at a time, all of them far off. I spent the evening going back and forth between reading and going outside, which culminated in a perfect sunset outing with Gåsen's signature reddened peaks.

An evening snack followed, and then the (near) full moon rose behind the remaining veils to the east. It was almost 22 when I went to bed, and my roommate did so as well shortly thereafter.