Saturday 8/8 – part two

I picked my way over to an old mining road of sorts that wound its way up Tverrfjellet, and I had not walked long upon it before I came to the remains of a building of some kind. I proceeded up close to a furrow with red rocks, and the higher I got the more clear it became that the road had actually been constructed at some point, but now it blended into the terrain in large parts. Eventually I left it and followed a ravine straight up; it was fairly shallow at first, but soon the sides grew steeper. Having reached above its start I went on up onto/past a series of small, uneven rises, and stopping on the highest one I had a good view of Låmivatnet and the intriguing hill landscape before it.

I turned back past a little pool and then started gaining height at a shallow angle in the rather steep slope of Tverrfjellet proper; I was currently beneath the precipitous southern wall. The ascent was somewhat tricky due to slippery low vegetation and loose stones, and at times I enlisted the help of my hands. After a while I came upon something which reminded me of a path, and walking became easy. Having thus defeated the worst part I turned more or less straight up, climbing relatively easily on stable heath. Looking off to the west it seemed as though rain was approaching, but after some time I decided that it was no more than heavy distance haze. The slope had turned more difficult, with passages meriting careful attention, and I even had to go back a few meters and try a different route a couple of times.

Distant Nourtta Sávllo again

Langvatnet below

Låmivatnet ahead

View south

Shallow ravine

Sluskhatten

Then the ground levelled out and I found myself at the elongated, gently curving summit – and the view of Sulidälbmá that greeted me was worthy of an "ooh!". From there the Norwegian Stortoppen (with its companion Vardetoppen) gave a very high and pointy impression, Sårjåstjåhkkå was a study in beauty, and the turquoise Storelvvatnan completed the scene in a colorful way (literally). Looking eastwards I could just make out Bieskehávrre on the Swedish side of the border, and far in the southwest some white, jagged peaks stood out weakly from the mists. While the previous rain warning may have been a false alarm, there were now definite dark clouds coming in from the west, but behind the massif it was almost clear, and on top of it all there was a considerable wind.

After looking around for a while I started the descent by going mostly due west, following natural routes in the bumpy slope, and it was not until I spotted Ny-Sulitjelma far below that I veered towards it. The west was lighter again but now the sky was all cloudy except for the north/northeast, although these clouds were not bringers of rain either. Suddenly I stood at the brink of another ravine, but since I was near its top I only had to go up perhaps ten meters in order to find a way down, and from there I aimed more or less directly for the red buildings through the low, dry vegetation. It was not even 14 o'clock when I came back, landing at the privy which I proceeded to use straight away.

Panorama from Tverrfjellet, over Storelvvatnan, Sårjåstjåhkkå, Sluskhatten, Vardetoppen/Stortoppen, Vagnatjåhkkå and Tjävrrátjåhkkå

Storelvvatnan

Closeup

Sårjåstjåhkkå

Vardetoppen/Stortoppen

Sulitjelmaisen

Waterfall across the valley

Ny-Sulitjelma far below

Having done so I went inside – the padlock was still in place so no one else had come – and relaxed in the common room, checking out some brochures and suchlike. After a while a car came up the road, carrying two Norwegian fellows who checked out the place before driving back down. I then changed out of my sweaty clothes (finally), upon which a car coming from further up stopped at the parking. This time it was a couple of Swedes, and they came inside for a quick talk before starting to pack their rucksacks, and when they were done they started up the same way I did a few hours ago.

I looked through the kitchen cupboards and finding some edible things I sat down for afternoon tea, and then browsed through the place's collection of magazines and books while more cars passed by in both directions. One of these stopped on the yard, and its driver went inside to see who was there; he was the caretaker of Ny-Sulitjelma, and we spoke briefly before he returned down to Sulitjelma. The clouds were now lighter and still high, and as the afternoon went on weather conditions very slowly improved – and they weren't bad at all to begin with. When the time came I had dinner while reading in Fjell og Vidde, DNT's member magazine, and now the sun had returned at long last.

The common room...

...and kitchen

It was very nice outside, so I went out and just sat at the nearby bench in the warm wind. After some time I got up and walked a little round, and when I returned a car coming from above dropped off a couple of people at the minivan that had been parked when I first came up – a Dutch one, I had gathered. After fiddling for a bit they drove off downwards, and I got back to sitting and/or reading. The high veils were being pulled back into the west, but lots of cumuli remained, and when the sun was hidden by a particularly large one I went in. I finished the Fjell og Vidde I was reading while listening to some radio, and when the sun came back I went outside again. The wind had lessened as well, and it was very, very pleasant.

After another short walk I got back just in time for the weather report, and it seemed less deplorable than the ones I had seen at home. I read some in the free-for-all guestbook and then made an entry of my own, and after looking through a couple of newspapers I stepped out once more to enjoy the last bit of sun. I then started reading in my own book and had an evening snack during. I also applied some ointment to some places which were beginning to show signs of soreness, and the effect was immediate. There were now almost no clouds left, and it was really a fantastic evening, so it was with some effort that I closed the door on it and went to bed with the book at 22:00.

Tinted Tverrfjellet

Old

New

New and old

Up the valley

Ny-Sulitjelma and road