Thursday 3/8

Another wondrous morning

I slept soundly through the night, awaking at 07:15 to a clear sky, no wind and a comfortable 15°C, and everything felt just swell. I had breakfast, stuffed my stuff, and sampled the air; it promised a very warm day, so I decided not to wear any shirt this time. I left the cottage at 09:15, just as the warden went for her morning swim.

I forded the stream running by the cottage easily enough, and the first part of the ascent by the waterfall(s) was also easy. There were a few somewhat trickier sections, and a rock field, but going up was largely uncomplicated, and not hugely taxing. My having discarded the shirt also proved to be a wise call, as expected; the sun was hot, but the wind – which increased with the altitude – kept me comfortably cool. The higher I got, the farther my field of vision expanded, until at the summit I could see all the way to Sarek in the east and Sulidälbmá in the west. Passing over the crest meant a bit more stones, but the descending path on the other side was even enough.

After the bridge down in the western part of Vájmokvágge, the trail rose again up to Vistekjávrre, and this portion was rather stony, and not going in a straight line between the painted cairns often proved worthwhile. The path then shifted between being level and stony for some time, and as it started to descend the western slope of Vistek, the wind, which had been light for a while, grew stronger. I then noticed a fleck of color a good bit ahead, which upon my approach resolved into a group of twelve, who were just about to get going again after pausing at a stream. I had heard this group being mentioned both in Njunjes and Vaimok, so it was most likely an arranged tour of some kind. Since the spot they had chosen was an impeccable break location, I "took over" as soon as they had left, settling down to have lunch right at noon.

Going against the flow

Nice view of the cottage

Further up

Fierro rising to the northeast

A titillating view of Sarek

Tjievrak, Juovvabuollda and Stájggá to the east...

...Sulidälbmá to the west...

...and Tsähkkok to the north

The peculiar shape of Nuortta Sávllo

Down in Vájmokvágge again

Playa del Vistek

More of Sulidälbmá

First glimpse of Bieskehávrre

Sulidälbmá with Stuorrajiegŋa

The group departing

I had a long, calm pause in the sun, enjoying the view of Sulidälbmá (and everything else, of course). I put on the shirt, though, since the wind was appreciable. Once I got going again the trail consisted of nothing but stones for a while, and there was not much of a path. The stones were mostly small and flat, however, so proceeding was not difficult, but the wind increased the farther along I got. When I reached the crest of Muorannjunnje, I could see the Pieskehaure cottage far away; there was still about a third of the way to go.

The descent down onto the plain of Adámvallda was very easy and enjoyable, as the stones had given way to heath and grass, and I was struck by another pleasant feeling of "typical fjeld". Soon I reached the point where the old Varvek trail continued on to the north; while that stretch is no longer maintained, the old cairns still stand tall. Having left the slope behind, I came out onto a perfectly flat heathland, which I had not seen the likes of during the tour. The little bridge in the eastern end of this region was broken, as can be seen below, but there was so little water in the brook it once spanned that I hardly needed to get even my soles wet.

I then came onto another large field, and immediately spotted irregularities in the ground texture. Upon closer inspection these turned out to be plastic meshes fixed to the ground – it appeared to me as though they were there to protect ancient remains of some kind, as there were patterns of stones and mounds underneath, but always with half the area outside the mesh. This I could later confirm – the area is under active research conducted by the Silver Museum in Arjeplog, the archeologists of which have catalogued over 500 remains dating from 800–1050 A.D. at the site.

The map included a marked ford of a significant but unnamed tributary to Varvvekjåhkå in the midst of some osier thickets, which I soon started approaching. However, just before reaching the actual stream (the ground was humid all around) there was a low, weathered sign blocking my course, with a newly cleared path marked by colored stones going off at an angle. The path I was on continued straight ahead, though, but after some struggling I managed to make out the much deteriorated markings on the sign: "New trail course", and an arrow pointing in the direction of the new path. So, I set off through the low vegetation, and reached the stream at a well-chosen place, where I could walk almost straight across in my boots; I wondered why the ford had been moved, though. On the other side, the new trail continued its detour in a long arc, going through some rather boggy regions, and it was quite some time before it reached the old course again.

A small waterfall by the lunch camp

The Varvvekråhto marsh

Bieskehávrre showing itself

Jiegŋáffo to the north

Distant fjelds to the southwest

Again, further down
(and more to the south)

Maintenance needed

A few low hills on the plain

Enmeshed remains

Which way to go...?

To ford

Closer to Sulidälbmá

The wind, which had abated down there in the lowland, picked up anew as I rounded Dälbut and reestablished visual contact with the beautifully green Bieskehávrre. This lake has actually been dammed for hydroelectric purposes, but the dam is placed quite a long distance to the southeast – the lake is rather large – which means that unless one knows about its existence, one would never guess that the water is not untamed from its appearance near the cottage. Still, it's a reminder of the frailty of what little wilderness there is left in our world of today. Returning to the business at hand, there were a few trees about, which was another thing I hadn't seen for a while, and then the cottage and the surrounding structures appeared behind a low rise. I reached the main building at 15:15.

Panorama over the large turquoise lake Bieskehávrre

The buildings before Sulidälbmá

I found one man inside, who later turned out to be a member of a party of three, who had flown there by helicopter from Vuoggatjålme some days earlier and spent their time fishing. The warden was present in his private little building, so I went there to deliver the letter and fire detector. I relaxed for a while, and then went for a walk. The area where the cottage lies is very open, giving very nice all-round views, with Sulidälbmá framed between Lájrro and Labbá as the natural main attraction. I decided to tent beside the cottage rather than staying in it, so I started pitching, and then went inside to have a snack; the others had "reserved" the sauna for 18:00 and were happy to let me in on it, so I postponed dinner till afterwards.

Before proceeding to the sauna, however, I went over to the warden's building to buy some provisions. Since Pieskehaure does not rank among the top locations in regard to visitor numbers, the available selection in the "shop" is not at all broad, but I could find what I needed. Paying was another matter, as the machine used to create bills of exchange so that one can pay with a credit card was not functioning properly. The last warden of the previous winter season had filed a notice asking for a replacement back in April, but this task had somehow gotten lost somewhere along the line, so the current warden had to make do the best he could with the equipment at hand. It took a few tries, but eventually a bill readable enough was produced and I could continue to the steamy place.

The sauna building was of similar make as the one in Teusajaure, and was certainly hot enough. The others had been at it for a while, not having been held up by faulty machinery, and we all took turns sitting on the porch in the quiet, sunny evening. I also made a run down to Varvvekjåhkå for the mandatory immersion; that felt very good, but it was a bit of a shame that the sauna is situated so far away from the water as it is. I noted that the skin on my left upper arm had started to sting a bit from the heat, having been exposed to direct sunlight for the better part of the day. There was no actual rawness, though, so no worries. After finishing the session, I gave my walking clothes a semi-proper wash with soap, thinking that I had better take the opportunity now.

Evening over Sulidälbmá, ...

...the cottage, ...

...and the tent

I prepared and consumed dinner inside the cottage, while the trio (who had eaten before going to the sauna) played cards. I then read for a while, and later on the warden came in; he wanted to see if any of us was using a privy compartment. Since clearly we were not, he concluded that one of the doors had jammed in much the same manner as the door of Tarraälvshyddan had for me two days past. How very quaint. He also brought a weather forecast, which seemed favorable enough. The late evening was fair and cool, and with the searing sun gone the mosquitos had come back. Since my dinner had been rather late, I contented myself with a biscuit for an evening snack, and then went out to the tent, where I lay down after another lovely day at 22:30.

Nice sky

Nuortta Sávllo...

...and Sulidälbmá in the last light