Monday 28/8 – Sunday 3/9

Monday 28/8

The campers had made an early start, with the tents already struck when I arose. The weather was somewhat cloudy, with worse visibility towards the massif, and a weak wind was blowing. After breakfast the latter grew strong, and a cloud plume appeared on Bávššatbákti. While I was cleaning the sauna three people and a dog came from the west, and continued eastwards along the winter trail markers after consulting the confusing signs (and missing the handwritten addition that said that the summer path goes in another direction), and a bit later a single man in camouflage garments stopped by for water.

The wind was still at it, with quick clouds racing across the sky, and the sun was veiled. Eventually the horse people arose and started readying their mounts, and as they were about to leave a single Swede had appeared on the porch, thinking things over. I waved goodbye to the riders and spoke some with this new guest; she had walked through all of Sweden (not in one go; "just" from Abisko now) to the Three-Country Cairn, sticking to the Swedish side all the way (including the last bit to the cairn, which involved wading through the water), and was now returning to Abisko using the more direct route of Nordkalottleden. Two Finns and a Dane also stopped by – the pair just to have a look and the single one to stay – and now the Swede had decided to stay the night as well.

Plume

Shade

Steeds

After lunch showers started appearing, and it was quite chilly in the incessant wind, so I finally fired up the gas heater in my room. Later in the afternoon the clouds broke apart again and the sun came out. Another Finn showed up, and he barely spoke anything except Finnish, but I understood that he also wanted to stay the night. Next up were a couple of more Finns who had a reservation for the next day, but wanted to take another night in advance due to the bad forecast for the morrow; these also weren't too adept at English, but at least communication was possible.

A single hiker paused outside the guest cottage while I had afternoon tea, and then I set about cleaning the remaining windows of the warden's cottage, which involved some application of force to get them opened/separated. Three booked Swedes then came from the north, followed by two pairs of booked Finns and Norwegians from the east – plus yet another three Finns after a while, but they were to camp out. I now had to make a sauna schedule again to fit everyone in, and as I was lighting the fire another Norwegian (of Finnish origin) arrived who also wished to stay, adding to the clientele of said schedule. Having thus set things in motion I sat down for dinner and dessert.

There was another passer-by from the east who moved on northwards without pausing, and there were no more overnight guests. I monitored the progress in the sauna and talked some with the Swedes, who had also looked at the forecast and reserved another night. The wind had now all but died down and it wasn't particularly cold anymore, but the clouds held sway in the sky.

Tuesday 29/8

As expected the rain moved in during the night, and in the morning it was continuous and the clouds were quite low. The camouflage guy paid another water visit early on, and as the morning progressed the rain intensified. There wasn't much to do but stay indoors, and the guests who were leaving were in no particular hurry to do so. There was another visit by a foreigner of some sort who just wanted to pause inside for a short while before pressing on, but otherwise no one moved outside.

Visibility was slowly improving but the rain kept on falling, and now low drifting clouds were forming. Two Finns came from the north and wanted to stay, and just as we were taking care of the payment a much heavier bout of rain passed by. All this precipitation did, however, refill all water buckets left outside, as well as a large collection barrel, which made sauna management much easier. As lunch approached all those who were to leave had left, and now things were getting a bit lighter.

This was only temporary, however, for in the afternoon there was more rain, so more indoor activities followed. Eventually two Swedes came from the east, one of whom was also a warden, and to the surprise of no one they wanted to stay inside. I spent most of the evening reading and solving crosswords and the like, and when I espied the last group exiting the sauna I went up to have another session for myself, which was very good indeed. As I was exiting myself I spoke extensively with my off-duty colleague while the light faded to darkness, and eventually entered bed drowsily around 22:45.

Wednesday 30/8

The clouds were mostly high when I awoke the next day, with some of them clutching the peaks, and it was mostly still. The owl perched on various poles in the vicinity as I did my morning work, eventually flying off. I then set about washing clothes, by which time most people had left. The air was fresh and held more than a tinge of autumn, which was more visible all around even though it hadn't quite taken off yet. A single hiker stopped by to use the privy before continuing westwards along Nordkalottleden, and I provided some tips.

Just after lunch a group of five Finns came from the north, and they were apparently affronted by my simple "welcome to Pältsa" as they were very quick to point out that they would certainly not be staying, and just sat down outside to have lunch. Bah. There were some drops in the wind on and off, but nothing to worry about laundry-drying-wise, and there was a haze around the massif, with the same qualification. Later in the afternoon I did some work in the woodshed and then changed the remaining linnen in the guest cottage before it was time for tea.

Two people were approaching on the northern trail just as a heavy shower from the massif was moving off in that direction, and after spotting a blotch of color along the southeastern trail I observed an ATV followed by a dog which drove onto the plain and then moved off along the winter trail. The two newcomers were Finns who wanted to tent, and having been subjected to exceedingly strong winds on Bárrás a couple of days before they were now mindful of shelter, so they checked out the water path patch as it was rather windy again.

The clouds shifted to and fro up until dinner, and then it was sauna time again, but only for the duo this time. The wind died down in the evening and the air was comfortably cool, with a stunning solar breakthrough over the massif. No one else arrived this day, marking my first night without indoor guests.

Thursday 31/8

The night was not as cold as expected, and when I got up at 07:45 it was 11°C and mostly still. The sky was also mostly cloudy, and the massif was disappearing. The tenters were out and about and there was an early visit from a single hiker in military greens, but what with the lack of other guests I didn't have that much to do this morning, except for a monthly fire safety check. The massif was emerging again and the sky was showing here and there as I packed for another attempt at fishing, leaving in the wellies at 10:15.

Go to day tour report »

No more had I reached my cottage than the rain hit, and it did so with quite a bit of force. I gutted the fish and then had a visit from two people (one Swede and one German) who had arrived in the downpour and wanted to have lunch inside before going on towards Abisko. The shower soon moved off and I could go down to the pool for another quick'n'cold wash, after which I spoke with the others in the main kitchen as more raindrops arrived.

Autumnal

Limelike

One afternoon tea later two Swedish-speaking Finns arrived from the west, and they took over the tent patch from their compatriots of the day before. Another two booked Norwegian runners soon came, carrying only light packs, and I talked for a good while with them in the warm sun which had come out once more. A bout of sun-rain hit just as I was lighting the sauna, and then I prepared a delicious fish meal with dessert.

Woods

Shadows

Dinner

Two people were slowly approaching from the west, appearing to pick berries, and they eventually turned northwards, still very slowly. I then exchanged a gas canister for my cottage that had run out the night before, which was considerably easier than the guest cottage one I had replaced earlier. The sky was now mostly clouded and the massif was being cut off, and it was getting somewhat dark. I prepared various reports what with the end of the month, and then went up for an evening check and some chat before hitting the sack as early as 21:30-ish.

Friday 1/9

I had trouble sleeping, but eventually dozed off and got up at 07:30 regardless. It was then wholly cloudy and no rain was falling, even though the ground bore traces of precipitation at some point during the night. The forecast which had previously spoken of quite a bit of rain during the day had now changed, and instead it looked like the next week would see much worse conditions.

After sending in my monthly reports I started to bake more bread, for which my remaining stores of rye flour were just enough. When I was done everyone had left, and I did some maintenance. There was now a clear feeling of autumn outside, but the colors had not quite exploded just yet. Shortly after lunch two Finns from the north stopped by for a pause before heading on towards the Cairn; one of the pair suffered from migraine and needed to sleep for a bit. This was also the first time I saw a small weasel darting between the nearby ditch and the underside of the main building, which was to become a repeated sight from then on – in addition to the small rodents which lived under my own building and were frequently seen as a grey-brown blur.

Then I had a "see the fall" visit from two Finns without packs; they had a tent nearby along the northern trail, and I surmised that these were the two slow ones I had observed the day before. Soon thereafter three cyclists arrived from Kummavuopio – two were Finnish, and the third appeared to be Swedish – and they were staying. I did various indoor tasks, and later on another three booked Norwegians came from the west, who were themselves later followed by three booked Finns from the east the voices of whom I had heard before catching sight of them. A haze was growing around the massif as another Finn arrived from the west, opting for the dog room, and then I could sit down for dinner.

Before long it started to rain, and when I looked out after a while I saw a thitherto unknown person making their way up from the water source, so I went out for a wider look – and found no less than twelve tents being erected out on the heath. These turned out to be a group of 15 Finns, plus a dog, and they all wanted to use the cottage for food due to the bad weather, with a few of them also pining for the sauna. This meant that I had to keep a watch over things since the place suddenly got much more crowded, but it seemed to work out alright.

Sudden arrivals...

...in the pouring rain

It was now raining quite much and it was also windy, so it wasn't very comfortable being outside. Still, the tenters went out gradually, resulting in a multi-colored light show on the heath, and calmness once again descended on the guest spaces. I lit the second candle of the season myself to fight off the growing darkness, and by the time I went to bed around 22 it was dreary indeed outside.

Saturday 2/9

This night I slept well, and arose to a chilly morning with a good bit of blue sky and some remaining wind. The bikers were the first to leave, having taken care to have ample power in their batteries (e-bikes again), and after morning procedures most of the tent group went to visit the fall. When everyone had finally left I went through the main cottage and did my thing, which was heavier than usual, and did some other admin tasks before it was time for lunch.

During said meal a helicopter moved up the valley and landed outside, dropping off a single Finnish man who inquired about space for him and his wife this evening, which the reservations said would be ample. He then hopped back into the chopper which took off again, leaving me with a much higher probability of a return visit than last time; this was also a different man, and he had a pilot with him rather than flying solo. Having finished my meal I observed improved weather conditions outside, and took the opportunity to start taking inventory in the storage shed. This involved a fair bit of reorganizing, with a palpable effect on order.

While I was at it I heard voices which materialized into a Norwegian sextet the oldest members of which were over 80. A bit later they were followed by a Finnish girl who was to camp by the bridge and mount an ascent in the massif followed by sauna utilization the next day, and I talked for a long while with her before she went off for the first stage of this plan. I went back to my inventory task while the clouds shrank back further, exposing the sun more and more, and the wind was also abating.

The earth cellar

Shifting forest

Just before dinner the helicopter came back, offloading the previously announced man and his wife. He presented himself as Pekka, the owner of the helicopter company, and upon hearing the name it became clear that he did know my previous airborne visitor, who had said something along the lines of "I know Pekka" at the time without further qualification. While the pair carried in quite an impressive haul a couple of Norwegians came from the east, having left another two behind along the way (who had turned around), followed by another foreigner who just passed on westwards. With everyone safely inside I could finally turn to my own dinner plans, by which time the sky was almost clear.

The bridge-girl then stopped by for a brief chat on her way to the fall, and now the clouds were pulling shut again. When I went up to check on my guests I found that the heli duo were, as expected, preparing a dinner on a level way above what is usually seen in places like these, complete with fancy table dressing. Soon thereafter a couple of Norwegian cyclists came from the north, and they took the dog room. It wasn't too cold when I turned in at 22, noting that people were still up.

Some time later I looked out the window and saw a growing light in the dark up at the guest cottage. Being always wary of fire hazards I sat upright and looked more closely, and, sure enough, it was clearly an expanding fire. Since everything else was just black I had no way of determining its precise location or extent, but it looked like something like curtains in the common kitchen was just starting to catch fire from a candle or something. After a few moments of "oh shit oh shit" paralysis I kicked into action mode and rushed out, where a better angle of view told me that it wasn't actually the guest cottage that was the source of the flame – which was very real and still growing – but rather... what? The outbuilding with the sauna?

It took another couple of moments before my mind had fully registered what it was that I saw, namely that Pekka had started a fire at the fireplace intended for the purpose a safe distance outside the main building, and that there was actually no emergency at all, for all the buildings were fully dark. Having ascertained this I had to stand outside just breathing for a while to let the adrenaline rush die down, and then with a final sigh I went back to bed. The whole episode had lasted no more than a minute or so, but what a minute it was.

Sunday 3/9

It rained a bit during the night, but no longer in the morning, although the clouds were quite low upstream. As the morning went on the clouds started to get thinner, letting through a bit of sunlight, and now there were clear autumn colors in most places. Everyone except the heli people gradually left, having communicated a pickup time at lunch which they extended a bit after negotiating the use of the sauna using the firewood they had brought with them; otherwise the strain on the cottage's own dwindling reserves would have been a bit too great. I thus left them to their own devices and instead went out to pick lingonberries.

I started out just beside the water path, but found the maturity level too inconsistent so I proceeded to the plateau across Bollošjohka's ravine. There I first went off to the left, finding better conditions, and then even better ones on the western side of the path after a grassy hollow. The plants were, however, much lower than in the forests of home, practically hugging the ground, which together with interspersed heather and the like made for somewhat tricky circumstances where I had to be mindful that I neither get too much crap in the picker nor spill its contents. While I was at it the wife passed by in the direction of the fall, returning when I had called it quits.

Colorful

Hollow

To pick

Picked

More colors

Down-valley

Back down...

...to the spring...

...and up home

The clouds were now breaking apart and it was getting warm with the entrance of the sun. I had lunch inside while the others were in the sauna, and then started planning how to allocate my remaining food stores in detail. A single Swedish woman came from the west, and we talked for a good while outside; she was out on a Green Ribbon-style trek without taking part in the official arrangement, and I provided some practical tips for the end of the journey. The wind was growing stronger and chillier, and soon there was also a bit of wetness in the air.

The helicopter arrived just as the Finnish girl came back, and we watched the former leave with the married ones before she went to pitch her tent nearby. A substantial shower hit just about then, and I retreated inside to start the lengthy and tedious process of rinsing the berry load. Later on a couple of Norwegians came from the west, but they were only passing. Right on their heel, however, came a Finn who also wanted to camp beside the cottage.

I continued with my inventory project in the storage shed, finding a few more items I didn't know were there, while the wind grew more and more gusty. Three Finnish women then came from the east, and after some deliberation they chose to stay inside. Another two Finns soon followed, but they were to continue northwards. I fired up the sauna after dinner and then waited for yet another two people from the east, this time in the form of Germans who also weren't staying.

I finished processing the berries and then turned them into jam, in larger quantities than expected. I also had to block the trio from fetching fresh water in the swill disposal buckets lest there be contamination (lucky catch when I happened to look outside and saw them passing). It was a windy evening, and cold to boot as a result, so I ran the heater on high power for a while before tucking in at 22:15.