Wednesday 13/9
Abisko
I got up at 06:15 and found the ground to be wet from fresh rain and the sky covered in clouds, but it did not seem to be raining at the moment. I had a sturdy breakfast as soon as it opened at 06:30 and then packed up and checked out. Outside the clouds were breaking apart in/from the west, and the air felt fresh. The southbound bus arrived on time and it was a double-decker this time where I took a seat on the upper floor.
The journey to Narvik was riddled with construction works resulting in elongated pauses due to the narrowness of the roads, but there was enough space in the schedule that the arrival time wasn't affected by more than a couple of minutes. I was prepared to walk from the regular bus stop up on the main road, but as it turned out the bus drove down to the train station and stopped right outside the door. Going outside was a relief after three hours without (much) ventilation in (frequent) direct sunlight, and I remained there for a while before boarding the train.
A sequence...
...of shots...
...through the window...
...of the bus...
...on the road...
...to the sea...
...and Narvik...
...and the train
The weather was fairly nice but there were also a good deal of clouds around, so not all peaks were visible. My carriage was the last one in the train so I could use the back windows for photographing – something which would have yielded better results had they not been so grimy. At Riksgränsen autumn was in full force, and it was a joy to travel through the multicolored landscape. We were a bit early in arriving at Björkliden so everyone got out for a while, and we also reached Abisko a bit earlier than planned where it was more summery again. I was among very few to disembark, while a whole boatload (or trainload) of people were waiting to embark instead.
High above...
...the fjord...
...of Rombaken
Approaching...
...Rombaksbotn
Steep sides
Norddalen
Leaving Rombaksbotn
Bjørnfjell
Riksgränsen
Further into Sweden
Lakey
Platform in Björkliden
Lapporten between the wagons...
...of an ore train
Crowd in Abisko
I walked over to the tourist station and up to the cottage division's office straight away, where I officially reported in and relieved myself of various items I was to turn in. After that I went down to the restaurant and had a very good and very extensive lunch, just before several school classes blundered in and choked up the place. Then it was time for the obligatory walk around the Ábeskoeatnu canyon, which was as imposing as always, but the wind was cold bordering on freezing. I went down to the water on the eastern side and then returned up over the bridge to the western side, trodding the wooden walkways there. The weather was nice, apart from the wind, and there were a number of people out and about.
Njullá
Remote fjelds
Ábeskoeatnu's outflow
The tourist station
Swift Ábeskoeatnu
Calmer Ábeskoeatnu
Rocky
Canyon up
Canyon down
From the bridge
Upstream
Bridge from above
National park marker
Tunnel outflow
Power plant of old
I proceeded to take the tunnel to the start of Kungsleden, walking a short distance along the trail before returning over a wooded rise. I walked back to the tourist station via the border defense museum and the Abiskojåkka cottage, passing through the Kungsleden entry (or exit) portal and then continuing on to the national park's visitors' center. As expected I found Lo there, and we talked for a good while.
Road tunnel
Ábeskoeatnu on the other side
Old remnants
Kungsleden itself
More cliffs
Tunnel inflow
Abiskojåkka
The Kungsleden portal
After a circuit of the low rises lining the road, observing the fresh snow atop the cloud-capped Abiskoalperna, I paid a visit to the shop and then went over to the self-service kitchen where I prepared a food pack for the remaining train journey. It had started to rain on the other side of Torneträsk, giving rise to the signature "lake light" of the place. The train was announced to be slightly delayed, but I went over to the station around the original time anyway; in the end it actually did arrive shortly before the announced adjusted time and I could commence the last leg of a very long trip.
Abisko tourist station
Abiskoalperna in clouds
Rainbow on Torneträsk
Fresh snow