Monday 24/3

A bit of wind came at once, and in the cold shadow this made me stop after just a few hundred meters to put on the balaclava. I followed the well-used tracks upwards around 1333, noticing that a couple of people were on their way from Vistas, and when I reemerged into sunlight there was nothing to do but lighten up the attire. I caught up with the dog-augmented trio a bit up the slope to Unna Reaiddávággi, and after passing them by I spotted a speck off to the south that moved rather quickly; I suspected that it might be some kind of animal, but taking into account the long distance and the broken binoculars I could make no judgment on the matter. Instead I followed the randonnée tracks from the Swiss group into the valley, and then up onto a forerunner of the rather high moraine ridge in front of Vaktpostglaciären.

Following...

...the tracks

The southwest

Čeakčačohkka and others

Reindeer on a line

Nearing Vaktposten

On the crest

Closeup of Unna Räita

Panorama westwards from the crest

I left my stuff at a sizeable rock and then walked up onto the actual ridge, finding the views thereby opened up stunning. I walked around on the crest in different directions before going back down, and upon doing so I encountered a lone man coming up in my (and the Swiss') tracks at noon. He was out on a day tour from Sälka, aiming for a circuit via the pass between Pyramiden and Knivkammen, or over Reaiddáglaciären as an alternative. He and the speck I had seen previously were also obviously one and the same, and while he continued on in the tracks I settled down for lunch against the rock. Even though there was a bit of wind this rock provided full shelter, and the weather was just swell in all other respects, so I remained in place with no thought to the passing time.

Eastwards from the crest

Vaktposten major

Panorama over Vaktposten from the crest

Another, weaker track broke off from the main one just about where I had made lunch camp, and this I followed when I put on my skis again. It soon went down the rise, skirting its base eastwards before starting to ascend towards the larger glacier. That is where I turned around, taking yet another set of older tracks that led out towards the middle of the valley. There I came upon a rather clear track coming from (and/or going to) Unna Räita; it was pretty deep as it was, but a group of reindeer had made it even deeper – and decidedly less ski-like.

At the watershed I broke off on an old track going up a bit on the northern slope, taking it easy as it was a perfect day for leisurely skiing. I had gained quite a bit of altitude by the time I exited the valley, upon which I saw the others sitting in the snow halfway up the southern slope of 1333. I found my own ascension tracks from my last visit which I for the most part used in going up to the summit, from where I could detect movement neither at the cottage nor in either direction down Stuor Reaiddávággi.

Going down I took a southwestern course; the snow held some surprises in the beginning, but then things turned fairly good. Once again I rounded the bend with a good deal of height to spare, and the view on the northwest peaks was most pleasing as a skiing backdrop. When I reached the traces of an unknown set of old turns I started going down, making an 8 out of it, and then I encountered my own turns from the last journey; also this time the entire run was great. I made some slight detours on my way back home, where I arrived around 15.

Closing in on Reaiddáglaciären

Čeakčačohkka rising

Mini-panorama of Unna Reaiddávággi

Sealggá major

Those northwest peaks

Nallo in the valley

Towards the Bossos pass

Stuor Reaiddávággi etc.

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