Thursday 2/8

After another good night's sleep I arose after 8, to a fair morning with only some light clouds. I had breakfast in the service building and then went to the reception to check on the phone – which was still in its brick-like state. I ran into Leif again, who was headed for Lulep Gierkav, whereas I myself returned to the conference room to pack up my things. Having done so I made use of the pay phone in the main building to reserve a train ticket home – which turned into a bit of a hassle – and then I paid my bill before going out on a walk.

I went over to the small stage where an annual folk music festival is held and then proceeded upwards on a footpath, shortly reaching a bald hilltop with an even better view of the valley. By this time most of the morning clouds had dissipated and it was warm and windless. Feeling content with the acquired views I returned to the station to take another good look inside, and then I set out on a longer walk down towards Láŋas – I could have prepared to take the early boat and then the early bus to Gällivare, but that would have meant sitting around at the train station for five hours, so I would much rather spend those hours at Saltoluokta and aim for the late boat'n'bus instead.

Panorama over Sjöfallsdalen in the morning

Looking across Láŋas

Lulep Gierkav

Láŋas to the northeast

Another panorama of Sjöfallsdalen from a higher vantage point

Nieras...

...and again

Alep Gierkav

Station exterior

Interior: the common room...

...and two shots...

...of the dining room

I walked to the boat jetty first, and then followed the broad path to the Sámi encampment just east of it. It had been 15-odd years since I last sat foot there, at the time visiting one of the members of the village, and I was curious if my memory of that stay would be robust enough for me to identify her residence – I did note one building in particular the features and surroundings of which triggered some recognition, and from later discussions with my mother whose childhood friend that person is I have come to the conclusion that my recollective powers function well. There is also a somewhat well-known church hut built in traditional style that I granted a look, and then I took a circumventive route through the forest back to the station.

On the shore of Láŋas

Tent huts in the Sámi encampment

The church hut

Same

One of the regular houses

Hey there, cutie!

Park-like forest

I sat down outside reading a number of newspapers while the sky grew more overcast and a wind picked up; Leif also returned, having been not to the Gierkav peak but to the Sámi encampment at Bietsávrre. With the weather in steady decline I saw fit to go inside, and so I had my lunch in the service building. Following these proceedings I met my roommate from Sitojaure again and we chatted for a while before I went out on another walk, this time going through the forest down to the lake in a northwestward direction, and at the shore the first droplets of rain started falling. Back at the main building I sat on the porch for a while, but the growing presence of mosquitos eventually drove me inside, where I spent the time solving crosswords and reading another newspaper as well as my book – outside it was now raining in full. When the late boat departure time drew near I bade the Sitojaurer farewell and walked briskly down to the jetty.

I spoke some more with Leif on the boat before it left shore, and just as we had made landfall on the other side the bus arrived. The rain had subsided and the clouds were less prominent in the sky, but we didn't have to travel far before it was back to grey and wet. In Gällivare there was a steady rainfall, and after leaving my pack in a corner at the railway station I ran over to the adjacent burger place for a quick dinner. The homebound train itself was a whopping 5 minutes late, and after shooing away a couple of place-usurping passengers I get myself a 2-seat group, where I did my best to get comfortable for the night.