Wednesday 28/2

I started out by going to the scales at the service building to weigh my rucksack, the result of which was a manageable 14 kg. I then took the route between Mastberget and Kaipak, which quickly turned out to be a bad choice – the snow cover was very thin and I had to navigate with great care so as not to hit too many stones, something which was not particularly easy since the terrain had a non-trivial slant. Eventually, though, I found myself at the marked trail down on the valley floor, from which I also had a good view of a trio of elks who were meeting among the scant trees.

Once on the snowmobile trail I could pick up speed, and visibility was good even though the light was very flat, with no contrast whatsoever. When I reached Lillberget I lost the snowmobile track I had been skiing in, so I followed the trail markers instead. On the flat region between Lillberget and the narrowing of Láddjuvággi between Siŋŋičohkka and Skárttoaivi there was once again fairly little snow, but here the underlying ground consists of mostly heath. Once "inside" the passage I came upon the track anew and made good progress. It was completely windless and rather warm, and it seemed as though it was slightly less cloudy further ahead. When I had passed Liddubákti a wind picked up and grew in intensity all the way down to the cottages, where I found myself before 16:15.

Going down...

...the slope...

...to the elks...

...on the valley floor

Kitteldalen

The ruote ahead

Duolbagorni rising above Lillberget

Looking back

Passing beneath Siŋŋičohkka...

...the frosted Skárttoaivi...

...and Liddubákti

The trail behind me

Passing the striking shape...

...of Liddubákti

Last look back

Stuor Avrrik

Unna Avrrik

The Singi cottages, in front of Neasketvággi...

...Unna Avrrik...

...and Stuor Avrrik

I talked with Ida, one of the wardens, for a bit before seeking shelter from the fairly hard wind in the yellow cottage. There were no other guests, and neither had there been any the previous night, so it was pretty cold inside. I therefore started a fire right away, and when it had reached sustainability I went out to the woodshed to replenish the firewood supply. Before making dinner I also fired up the heater in the small room I had chosen to reside in, and in the common room where I sat it was slowly getting warmer. Outside the weather took a turn for the worse, but I could see a weak moon, and later in the evening the nearby mountains were also within sight, despite strong winds.

I read for a while and then put as much firewood as I could safely manage in both stoves, following which I went over to the wardens' cottage in answer to an invitation I had received earlier. There I found Ida and Ludvig, as well as their borrowed dog Dodge, who was a total patting junkie. We had a snack together and spoke of many things, while the outdoor conditions saw no change at all. When I returned to "my" cottage I found that the bedroom was still acceptably warm, but the common room was decidedly colder, so I burned some more wood before turning in at 22:15.