Friday 17/8

Another wet morning

There were some very strong gusts during the night coupled with on-and-off rain. In the early morning it first seemed (sounded) like it was getting better, but then the gusts and heavy rainfall resumed, and the clouds remained almost at lake level. I got up at 07:15 and started packing up, noting that the wind had pushed a fair amount of water through the wall over the skirting-board. After breakfast I gave away what little remained of my food, and by then the weather was in fact improving, although showers still passed by from time to time. Having finished up inside I went up to the warden's cottage with a box of things to be sent down in winter and went through some final things with Eva. At 09:45 I was ready to leave, and since what rain there was was fairly light I opted to only wear the rain jacket and let the hiking trousers handle the rest.

The rucksack felt really good; I reckoned that its weight was now only around 10 kg. I set rather a high tempo, but still proceeded carefully across the wet and slippery rocks where I had to step on them. On a trailside campsite there was a tent, but other than that I was alone on the path as far as I could see – which was quite far most of the time, since the rain still only came in short bouts. The first stream was fairly swift what with all the recent celestial additions, and I employed the help of a plank someone had put out further downstream, but the second one was still little more than a rill.

Beams

To cross

Having passed the beach I was now in "unknown" territory, which at the start was somewhat wet and bumpy, but soon turned drier and more heathy as the trail slowly ascended. The rain had now stopped completely, and behind me the sun was breaking through in places, giving rise to a rainbow around the cottage which was still quite visible. Sulidälbmá remained hidden, however, but I had looked upon it often enough in the preceding weeks anyway. Soon wetter ground took by again and there were extensive duckboards to compensate. The portions beside the first lakes were back to stony, and as I passed the second one there came another shower out of Sarddávágge, but it quickly passed and left a bit of sun in its wake – and the clouds atop Stájggá were also slowly lifting.

Bow of rain

Rain sans bow

Lighter in Sarddávágge

Stájggá in cloud

Sun behind...

...and in Sarddávágge

Rain on my tail

Pass ahead

Sun comes

It was grassier as I passed the threshold and caught sight of Darregájsse on the eastern side, but – lo and behold – also the next lake passage was a stony affair. There I overtook one of the other men from Vaimok, who had elected not to take the Sarddávágge route as he had planned. A couple of sunlit showers passed and the wind – which was now westerly – increased as I neared the Kurajaure shelter, which I reached after crossing a rock field. Outside there were two tents and inside three men, who were just preparing to start the day's fishing; they used the shelter as, well, shelter from the wind as one of their tents had suffered damage during the night's hard gusts.

More of Stájggá visible

Sun-rain

Passing Gurájávrre

Spotting the Kurajaure shelter

Tarn and stream...

...next to the shelter

The shelter itself was in good condition and looked refurbished compared to my last visit, but five's a crowd so when the other man arrived I went on my way. Another rock field followed after which the grasslands of upper Gurávágge took by, which however looked somewhat less green than usual as the sun had passed into cloud. I walked for a kilometer or two until I reached a place where Gurájåhkå passed close by the trail, just after a waterfall-equipped pool, and stopped there to have lunch before 12:45.

On I go

Behind I look

Green it is

Vuogá et al free

Stájggá and tarn

It was still somewhat windy, albeit not as much as at the shelter, so I did my best to angle myself next to a smallish standing stone right by the water, which wasn't entirely comfortable. As I ate the sun started to come back, veiled at first, and when I got moving again it felt warmer. I met another hiker and then the terrain got bumpier as it slowly started slanting downwards. Soon I reached the crest beneath the outrunner from Bajep Gurátjåhkkå, and here I was able to establish contact with the mobile net for the first time, but the signal was weak enough not to allow calls or data traffic, so no travel arrangements then. On my way down I met Klara, who had just started a two-week lead-out tour, which together with her double wardenships would add up to quite a trip, and we "compared notes" for a short while.

Walking through Gurávágge

Hiker ahead

Hiker behind

Opening up

The part of the valley before me was very pleasant, even more so due to the growing sunlight. The two streams coming from the north were easily passed, after which the ground changed from heathland to blueberry bushes, low shrubs and grass. As it was now quite warm I stopped to remove the rain jacket and rain cover, and took the opportunity to munch on the adjacent berries as I did so. The view over lower Tarradalen was now growing with each step, and it was a joy to walk across the amiable land around and before me. As I rounded Gurátjåhkkå the views enlarged even more, and the perspective on the dark fortress of Darregájsse was especially impressive. Next up (or, rather, down) was a series of gravel ridges, and after a somewhat steep incline I was enveloped by forest for the first time in weeks.

Nice weather now

Nice valley, too

Even nicer

First look at Darrávrre

Patterned Darregájsse

Darrávrre in full

Ravines and ridges

Reaching the forest

Tarradalen up

Searching

Said forest also gave a welcoming impression, and it was quite dry. A female reindeer and her calf bustled down through the trees right beside me, but save for that (and some birds) there was no movement. Down in a clearing there was a sign pointing out the "old settlement Gurra" 200 m away, and since the weather was good I thought I might just as well check it out. The path had obviously been cleared recently, but it was not particularly well trodden and before long it degenerated into a series of animal tracks where the ground grew wet. I looked about for a short bit but found no signs of habitation, past or present – well, I did find an actual sign speaking of Sámi life of old, but nothing else in the immediate vicinity save for high bushes, so I decided to head back since I still had an appreciable distance to walk to Tarrekaise.

Back on the trail I almost immediately reached the side path to Tarraälvshyddan, which I of course had to check out. It, too, had seen some superficial restoration since last, together with a new information sign speaking of its old origins – to be still standing after 129 years in the wild is not to be sneered at. The rest of the way to the Darrhaädno bridge was fairly wet and showed clear signs of approaching autumn in that most flowers and herbs were starting to wither.

Tarraälvshyddan (exterior)

Tarraälvshyddan (interior)

Darrhaädno (upstream)

Darrhaädno (across)

Darrhaädno (downstream)

Tarradalen (north)

Bridge (over)

After a series of well-utilized campsites on the eastern side I walked on drowned duckboards and then passed the first few arms of the Bádurgårsså stream on small bridges, but the main courses were still fords that my boots were just high enough to handle. The trail markings were not too clear at the last one, but at least coming from this direction it wasn't difficult to find the path again. The last bit up to Padjelantaleden was dry, and now I was beginning to feel worn.

After the junction the path got stonier, followed by more leafy and muddy conditions – and quite obviously the duckboard crew had yet to reach this part. I met a single woman heading north and then the trail climbed a bit onto drier ground, and I got a very nice view over Gurávágge, Tarradalen and the marshes around the inflow of Darrhaädno into Darrávrre at a spot where the trees parted on a crest. I now just wanted the stage to be over, and after more verdancy I finally reached the Tarrekaise meadow at 16:00.

Gurávágge over there

Tarradalen over here

Arriving at...

...Tarrekaise

There were two Germans in the main cottage, and after I had relieved myself of my pack there I went down to the warden's cottage to check in. Since the whole region changed periods at the same time there was a new warden there, and I talked a bit with her before taking up residence in the main cottage, in the opposite room to the Germans as I would be leaving early to catch the 13:30 boat from Bobäcken whereas they had no such plans. I then went down to the lake to have a wash at the little beach intended for that purpose, beside which a camper was erecting her tent. Back up on the meadow the Swiss guy had arrived, but he soon pressed on a bit further, whereas an older Danish woman pitched her tent on the grass.

By the shore

Hut still standing

Darkening over Gurávágge

Darregájsse rising

A quick shower out of the west passed by, and after that it was back to sunny. After a sturdy dinner, which felt quite needful after a somewhat arduous day, I went back out and spent some time with some other visitors who were having a break outside. I then rested for a while inside, feeling tired, and after a subsequent snack I went down to the lake to photograph in the amazingly still and beautiful evening. There were some cloud banks west of the valley, and a few off to the east, but overhead it was mostly clear, and I hoped this advantageous weather would extend over the next day as well. I prepared what I could for my departure and contentedly hit the sack around 21:30, still alone in my half of the building.

Passing rain

Result of passing rain

The warden's cottage