Saturday 7/7 – Saturday 14/7

Saturday 7/7

Not much remained of the peak-clouds when I got up, and it was warm and still, so I had breakfast outside. The mother-and-daughter had decided to remain for another night to rest, and the others had already left, so I packed for a day tour. I was just about to leave when the two Gáidumjohka campers came back; they were to climb Sáŋarčohkka and left their large packs at the cottage to facilitate this.

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The harmonica player was one of a group of two, and they were interested in knowing where best to set up camp in the neighborhood. The minishop baskets had been utilized, partially by them, and after I had had a chance to do the stream thing they bought some more stuff in the actual shop. The Sáŋarčohkka pair soon came back and rested a bit before donning their packs and going on. I spent some time planning how best to allocate my remaining food supply, and then had dinner out in the open.

I remained sitting in the sun for some time, until two Finnish runners came up the slope from the south; they had started in Vakkotavare earlier in the day and would now be staying the night before heading for Kebnekaise on the morrow. Not long thereafter a pair of Swedish women came from the opposite direction, and since the former were from the Swedish-speaking part of Finland there were no communication problems. It was now fairly windy, and without the sun also chilly. Up on the high rise bordering Čeakčajohka there was a tent, but not one I recognized, so apparently whoever they were they had come from the north and walked straight up there. The evening was both fair, chilly and windy, and it felt good to enter bed 22:15 after a long day.

Some shots of one of...

...the resident birds...

...which had a habit of posing

The runners

Sunday 8/7

After a very long, continuous dream I awoke just in time for the late weather forecast, and found that this day was also a fair one; the sky was entirely clear and there was a weak wind blowing. After letting the Finns shop a bit I therefore had another outdoor breakfast, and it was indeed warm. A Spaniard from Singi passed by, and after giving a letter to the mom-kid unit I started another session of laundering, which was needful. While the water heated two Germans came by, and these turned out to be the ones who had tented up on the rise. The two Swedish women went to hunt for white-throated dippers in the Čeakčajohka rapids (I had seen some before), and I finished (well, started, really) laundering. Having hung everything up to dry around noon I went for a little lunch tour in the very warm day.

I walked in light attire, wearing the sandals, following the closest path down to the huts. After raising a very poorly anchored winter trail sign I walked around the nice heathland, looking at the terrific tenting spots, and then chose one to sit upon for my lunch. A nice little wind kept both the temperature and the mosquitos at bay, and everything was just wonderful. Up at the cottages I observed the bird hunters return, but nothing else moved. I walked around some more and then sat down beside the larger hut looking out over the delta and the valley, during which the women left. Eventually I got up again and took the water path back up through the nice and dry forest, returning to an empty site just before 14.

Going down...

...to the old huts...

...down by the lake

For storage

For living

Different generations

That one

Forest flower

Fresh water supply

My room, being on the northern side of the building, was pleasantly cool, and I relaxed inside for a bit. Then I found a pair of Dutch with two dogs doing the same out by the table, and then more and more people started coming. A bit later one of those who had passed by – a Swedish-speaking German guy – returned; he had checked out the huts and found the campsites there great, but now that there were more people present he opted for cottage company. I also got another pair who chose to stay in the auxiliary room for the privacy it offered, and it was soon revealed that these were friends of Ellinor's whom I had met in Vistas when I took over there two springs ago.

After another outdoor dinner there were more arrivals, two of which turned out to be the father and sister of Tobias in Singi. I spent most of the evening talking to my various guests, who were of differing nationalities as usual, while outside the temperature dropped at the same time as a bank of high clouds approached from the north, blocking the nightly sun's rays.

Monday 9/7

I woke up early due to a hugely irritating mosquito, but managed to fall back asleep. When I woke up next time it was somewhat cloudy, but a lot of blue sky was showing, and it was warm with only a weak wind. The single German had decided to remain for another night, using this day to go up Sáŋarčohkka after hearing so much good about it (mostly from yours truly). The clouds were breaking up more and more, but they still clutched the peaks. After talking some with another group of Germans and checking the status all around, which included some shop visits, I went out for another day tour around 10:30.

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The German guy was just outside the upper cottage, so I talked some with him – he had had a terrific day and was very happy about the tip. There was another group of young Germans at and in the service cottage who were interested in the shop, and I asked them to wait until I had paid the stream a visit, but when I came back they had already left. More people soon started coming, including a Danish family of five who wished to tent for two nights, and they went scouting for suitable patches. The two Swedes who had camped nearby the previous night had decided to move on and came by to say good-bye, but there was also another pair (Dutch) who had erected a tent in the forest and kept to their own, apart from a visit to the shop.

After dinner I found another German outside, who needed both some items from the shop and some answers regarding transportation. The other German had originally planned on staying in the cottage, but had then changed his mind what with the nice weather and put up his tent, but now had had another change of heart and wanted a bed after all. I therefore needed to consult the cash register's manual on how to make this string of changes reflect properly on the receipts, which turned out to be pretty easy. It was still mostly clear outside, but also quite windy, and without the sun the chill was setting in. I went to bed around 22:15 but had trouble sleeping, especially since I had to go mosquito hunting first to get rid of that infuriating whine.

Tuesday 10/7

It was another warm day with shifting clouds, which a couple of the guests (Japanese, as it happened) meant to make use of by going up Sáŋarčohkka, so I gave them some tips. Once all the usual morning procedures were over and done with, and the people supplied and/or on the move, I went out for another fishing tour around 11:30.

I started out by following the beach path, passing the Danes' tents which appeared unoccupied at the moment, and after noting that the water level was the lowest yet I proceeded down to the usual bay. Also as usual I got nothing, and another session after a lunch break yielded similar results, so I continued downstream. The sun had passed into a dense, high cloud bank, but it was not uniform in its thickness so there were moments of sun as I proceeded down towards the outflow, where the current was much weaker now than before.

I went on to the end of the headland and made some casts before throwing in the towel, but when I packed up I discovered that I had dropped a strap somewhere along the way so I backtracked and soon found it. From there I aimed straight for the cottages, ending up on a faint path that led (past a hare) to the slightly clearer one passing the campsites immediately beside the trail, returning to a group of people outside the buildings at 13:45.

Not a bad spot

Stuor Ruška et al

At the beach

Below the beach

Colorful

Gushing

Low

Also low

On the heights

Most of these wanted to shop so I opened it up, and when all was said and done there were two campers resting down in the lower cottage and a young Danish girl whom I spent some time talking with on the porch. She had come from Teusajaure and was planning on going on to Singi, only to turn around the next day since she needed to get back to Vakkotavare and Gällivare. The Japanese guys soon came back, and after speaking with them the girl changed her mind and decided to go up Sáŋarčohkka herself and then spend the night; since the forecasts promised rain for the morrow it seemed better to do the ascent today. The rest of the afternoon saw the arrival of both more people and more mosquitos – often in conjunction – and the place started filling up.

After dinner the clouds began to thin out, and the sun showed itself again; consequently it was very nice outside, if you could stand the insects. I looked into the upper cottage, where the Danish girl was back from her climb; she had not gone all the way to the top, but was satisfied with what the slope had offered in terms of views (which is quite a lot). The Japanese guys had at first seemed too tired to go on, but after resting they felt invigorated enough to continue to Teusajaure, so they were already gone.

Then a group of five came from the north, and at first I thought they were Africans since they wore fine black mosquito nets over their faces. They were obviously not used to the little rascals, for in addition to the nets they had cover-all clothing complete with gloves, which must have been rather warm. They took the lower cottage for privacy reasons and part of the group remained to rummage through the shop and query about Saltoluokta. I spent some quality time outside until the mosquitos hit, and then turned in at 22:45.

Wednesday 11/7

The rain started on cue, but it was light and the clouds high. After most people had left I emptied the trash and lit up the incinerator, which was packed to capacity. This had the result that the fire went out before taking hold properly, so I reignited and tended to it for a longer time, putting on several logs to keep it going long enough for the actual burnable contents to enter into the self-sustainable phase. This worked, and soon a "healthy" smoke column rose from the chimney. The rain had stopped, so I took the chance to clean the remaining windows. Some people arrived in the meantime, as well as after lunch, but none were staying.

In the afternoon a light rain picked up again, but only the inner parts of the windows remained then, so no worries. Looking to the north I saw a tent near the closest crest which had not been there before, and soon thereafter I had an arrival in the form of Beatrice, the opening Nallo warden who had just completed her term (the first of two, as she would be returning in the end of summer) and was now on her way home. The rain returned in force, but the clouds were still high, and it was warm. I talked with Beatrice, who was just having a food break before continuing to Teusajaure, and I took the opportunity to send some things with her. There were a total of four overnight guests, plus a couple of handfuls of passers-by making use of the shop, but that was it for the day, and I went to bed at 22:00.

Healthy(?) smoke

Rain in progress

Thursday 12/7

I didn't get up until 08:30, which coincided with the departure of two of the guests, who therefore got to shop before leaving. The sky was cloudy, but there was also light and blue color to be seen; the wind was weak and the temperature warm. Everyone had left, so I finished up my tasks and then went fishing at 10.

I took the southbound path until the crosses of the winter trail appeared again, where I turned off across a mire and over a hill to the outflow of Gáidumjohka. Once again I cast over the current to the backwater on the other side – and this time I caught a fish in short notice. However, as I reeled it past said current the turbulence apparently facilitated its self-release, for also this time I lost it. Figures, doesn't it? I continued around the adjacent bay as I had done last time, but then cut across the land rather than attempting to follow the shore. Eventually I came back to the huts, which I bypassed and continued out to lower Čeakčajohka, and after fishing some there I had lunch.

I fished my way upstream, and at the beach I met a Swiss woman who turned out to be the owner of the tent I could see from my window. I continued a little ways longer, fishing some more, but the condition of both the ground and the stream left some things to be desired, so I soon started back over the rises, coming out onto the trail at the start of the Sáŋarčohkka path. I was back at the cottages around 13:30, where a couple of people were having lunch at the table.

At the Gáidumjohka outflow

Below the Gáidumjohka outflow

Starting point

The boat

Inner delta

Rounding the bay

At the rapids

Campsite on the rise

Later I found another pair there, and the Swiss woman also came by to shop, followed by a couple of Danes. A wind had picked up and it brought with it a bout of rain, during the lighter portions of which I emptied the ashes from the incinerator. A couple of Swedes also arrived in the meantime, and since they continued a long row of visitors who inquired about "the missing bridge at Kaitum" that Kebnekaise had a posted notice about (probably referring to that little thing just north of Teusa) I finally had enough and wrote a letter to Singi asking them to call up the station (they have a regular phone) and set the record straight, so that they could stop scaring people for little or no reason.

Rain that came...

...and went...

...and came again

Another pair arrived just after dinner, and these opted to camp outside. As I was reading in my bed three people stamped out on the heath immediately outside the window and forthwith started pitching a tent. This seemed quaint to me so I went out to see what they were up to, and when I told them that this close proximity carried with it a camping fee they quickly packed up and went on their way. Kind of cheeky, I thought. After a while a single Swede came from the north, and he decided to have a food break inside before going on to Teusa; that ought to have been a late arrival, given that it was already evening. I observed another hare outside my window, and also a frog at the sauna – and a boatload of mosquitos, of course. It was raining on and off, and the peaks were cut by clouds, but it was somewhat lighter than before as I entered bed at 22:30.

Friday 13/7

Again I was awoken by the whine of a mosquito, so I had to go hunting. Low clouds were drifting through the valley, giving rise to a drizzle, and out over the lake there was a heavy haze. After finally managing to hunt down that blasted winged beast I got some quiet time until I had to get up anyway. More mist was coming from the east, bringing light rain which turned into full-on rain later. One of the Swedes had managed to forget his brand new rain trousers at home, instead having mistakenly brought his old, mostly unusable ones, and was now feeling a bit anxious about all the wetness, so I brought him some large plastic bags and the like.

It was well before lunch when the first guests of the day arrived, having camped along the shortcut from Kebnekaise, and they would probably be staying for two nights. Soon thereafter there was a day visitor who said that there were a good many people on the way, the first eight of which soon stopped by a short while before going on. The first two had decided to go for the two-night plan, especially after learning that the forecast had very heavy raining slated for the entirety of the following day. The current rain was also rather heavy from time to time, and it was a very wet dog that soon arrived with its master.

Then Håkan and Ingrid, my two co-Republicans and co-wardens from the course suddenly showed up on the doorstep, having been on a long tour up past Sitasjaure and Hukejaure (but only from Singi today). They also had their mind on a day of rest, coinciding nicely with the deluge-to-come. Soon the STF group I knew was coming dropped in, numbering only six this time, followed by some more people.

Following afternoon tea there was a good deal of shopping and the like, and as I was at it again after dinner Håkan suddenly showed up on the doorstep again, this time holding a large trout – very similar to the one I had very nearly caught myself, and quite possibly even the same one. Again: figures. I did get a piece of it, though, since it was rather large.

I went over to the upper cottage and talked a long while with mostly Håkan and Ingrid, while the rain poured down through the immense haze outside – once one bout had passed another was ready to follow, all rolling in quickly over the lake. Two French girls came in while I was doing a storage run; they had a tent, but considering the weather they elected for a night indoors. I tried my French again, which mostly went well, and I was also rather proud that I had deduced the American origins of one of them from her accent in French before her passport confirmed it. More talks in the upper cottage followed – the dog-girl in the lower one had gone to bed already – while the on-off pattern continued outside right up until bedtime.

Heavy shower

Temporary respite

Full-on again

Etc.

Saturday 14/7

When morning came it had already rained enough to drown the elk grass completely, and Čeakčajohka was much higher; while there was a steady rainfall the "downpour" label did not quite fit, at least not yet – the weather service had issued an advisory due to the large quantities of water expected. The group was undecided what to do; they did have one extra day scheduled at Kebnekaise later on for an attempt on the South Peak, but now considered making use of it in order to wait the current rain out. In the end they took the middle road and postponed the decision until lunch.

Myself, I started another baking session to cover my final needs, and when I was done they had resolved to have a sturdy lunch and then defy the weather and aim for Singi, thereby keeping their original schedule. The French girls, on the other hand, wanted to stay for another night, but planned on using their tent to save some money. Just after I had discussed the availability of elk with one of the Swedes one appeared in the flooded delta, and everyone clustered at the window.

The elk...

...wading about

Right after lunch a couple of people came from the north, and soon Håkan came back from another fishing attempt in Gáidumjohka – one he had had to abort since the stream was so swift that it was now impossible to cast beyond the current from this side. Another couple came in to rest for a while before going on, despite the weather, and they also brought a pair of gaiters that one of the Frenchies had dropped along the way – and the latter had decided that they weren't going to pitch that tent after all. There were a bunch of additional arrivals during the afternoon, about half of which resulted in overnight guests (some in tents), and all the while the intensity of the rain shifted without ever dwindling down completely – on the slopes of Livamčohkka there had appeared lines of silver there had been no sign of previously.

Flooded outflow

Wider view

Having feasted on Håkan's fish I noted another pair of new guests who soon went on, aiming for the early Teusa boat. It was now only raining lightly, but instead there was a considerable westerly wind. Håkan had tried to fish in Čeakčajohka again, but there was too much debris in the backwaters for that to be feasible, and looking at the lake it seemed as though the water had risen even further. I had previously given one of the earlier Swedes some flour to complement his bread baking, and now I was paid back in the form of a finished piece complete with marmalade. I spent some more time talking with mostly Håkan and Ingrid before returning to my cool room – the common room in the upper cottage was warm indeed from all the drying fires going – where I slipped into bed at 22:30.