Sunday 1/8 – part two

The rucksack felt pretty good on my back as I started along the trail to Norway at a good tempo. By then the sky was cloudy in full, but as of yet only Storsteinsfjell hit the ceiling. There were some wet parts at first, but after that the ground was mostly dry. I felt a few drops in the air, but nothing came of them, and there was a pleasant wind blowing. At the border cairn I took the lower path, bursting through the osier to the alluvial cone of Rádjejohka. There were some glimpses of the sun behind me, and right above the clouds broke apart for a while, but soon it was back to grey. Waves were rolling onto the shore of Čunojávri, and the wind was also bringing a mist to Nuorjjovárri/1727, which I hoped would remain there.

Bye-bye!

Norway lies ahead!

Mine rubble

Storsteinsfjell touching cloud

Border in sight

Light on Unna Allagas

Lake in sight

Leafy

Windy at...

...the shore of Čunojávri

I crossed the "red brook" at the same downstream place as last time, and then followed another smaller path for a bit before going back to the trail. It was now clear that the mist was a shower in progress, and the clouds at Storsteinsfjell were sinking, so it did indeed look like worse weather was afoot. The ground I was walking on was again wet at times, but the wind was lessened. I turned my attention upwards for a moment, bringing out the binoculars to see if I could spot any of the cavemen, but that I did not. Had I had more time on my hands, as well as more promising weather conditions, I might well have left the pack and gone up to see if I could locate the cave, but as it was I just walked on.

I came to the Sealggajohka ford as before, and found it to be of quite a similar nature, so rather than switching to sandals I made my way upstream, keeping my distance now that I was clearly aiming for the bridge. Here the mosquitos were quite a hassle, and I tried to be as quick as possible. As I was climbing over the bridge another shower passed in front of Ristačohkka/Bálggesvárri, moving on almost immediately. The final portion was rather wet but simple, and as I reached the cottages precisely one and a half hours after starting I was greeted by some kids.

Growing mist

Not passing here

Going upstream

Light mist before
Ristačohkka/Bálggesvárri

At the bridge

Sweden behind

North

Arrival

As it turned out there was quite a large group present, consisting of both Norwegians and Britons (or at least the former having turned into the latter). I was in luck, however: there was one (1) bed left in the larger cottage, albeit the highest one. It was very warm inside, so I opened a window equipped with a mosquito net – something which was extremely necessary, for outside copious amounts of the little fliers were swarming. I still managed to walk around a bit, and after installing myself I went down to the lake for a light wash. From there I saw movement both in the water surface (fish) and at the ford (human), as well as in the air, of course (insect).

The cottage temperature had now reached bearable levels, and I relaxed inside while the group relocated to the smaller cottage for dinner procedures. As I was reading through the guestbook two people came from the north, but thankfully they were already residents of the place having been out fishing during the day. Moreover, they were also Swedish, and after they had settled in again we talked a bit while I prepared and ate my dinner. As chance would have it, they were acquaintances of Ossi, who had been the warden of Unna Allakas for ten years on end, and they too had spent a lot of time there. I also learnt that apparently someone had nicked the Čunojávri boat that I had seen from up high only a week before, which was a bit surprising given the relative remoteness of the place.

On site

Main cottage

Abiskoalperna in the distance,
mosquitos close by

Ice

After seeing showers all around for some time it was finally time for one to hit, but soon it moved on eastwards, obscuring Abiskoalperna from view. In its wake the clouds broke apart partially and it looked pretty fair albeit with clouds around the peaks, so I went out for a photo round which was as full of mosquitos as before. Back indoors I read a somewhat fresh Norwegian newspaper as the group started slipping back in, and after the kids had gone to bed the rest of us spent the time reading our respective choices (for me, a Norwegian comic book). Outside the clouds had lifted a bit so that all the peaks were in the clear, and I went out for another, longer photo round across the wet grounds. I then had an evening snack and talked a bit with one of the other Swedes, and after another outing I felt it was time to retire. The others had other ideas, however, and it was a good while yet before the cottage grew quiet. My elevated position also meant that I had to endure a fair bit of warmth, but I could still find peace in the end.