Tuesday 14/8

The main course of the stream was somewhat deeper than before, so I stopped to move some rocks into a more favorable position as I made my way across. Once I started the ascent the sun made me want to remove the wind jacket, so I did just that before continuing upwards at a quick pace. There was hardly any wind and as I walked the sky got clearer by the minute, with Tsähkkok just emerging from its local cloud collection. After the trail had turned left I broke off it, heading directly for the 1144 summit of Vájmokbákte across flat ground interspersed with stones. I reached the top cairn at 11:45, and since there was now both wind and a few drops in the air I put the jacket and gloves on right away.

Setting out

Passing the falls

Perspective

Higher perspective

Sulidälbmá partly in cloud

Flat top

Sulidälbmá was mostly visible, and looking west along the trail with the binoculars I had brought from the cottage I could see both the camping Frenchies and the slow-moving man. After looking around for a bit I sat down against another large rock and had lunch, and now the sun was mostly out again. I photographed in the shifting light and also read a bit while looking out over the extensive surface of Vájmok, and just before I left I spotted a single hiker slowly going up the trail on the western side.

Vájmokvágge west

Vistekjávrre (notice hikers)

Wee bit of powder on Stájggá

Sunnier

More of Sulidälbmá

Fierro in the other direction

Vájmokbákte has a very steep cliff wall on its southern side that plunges straight into the lake, but the summit is quite flat and the slant remains gentle for quite some distance before the precipice starts, so I walked out to the southwestern "edge" to have a look down over the western end of Vájmok and Vájmokvágge. The terrain consisted of grass with low rocky bluffs, so going was easy, and the view down towards the lake was as terrific as expected. I then turned eastwards, keeping above the steep parts and eventually coming out to the corresponding southeastern "edge", where there was more rock to walk upon or (mostly) between.

Colorful Vájmok

Colorful flower

Out-of-focus Sulidälbmá

Calm Vájmok and Nuortta Sávllo

Fuller view west

Going east

Vuoksákvahta in the distance

Cottage spotted

Edge

Having gone far enough to get a clear line of sight to the cottage I turned northwards, and looking down the slope towards the trail below I thought that even though it was rather steep it also looked passable, especially in comparison to the Tsähkkok descent. As expected it was not very difficult finding my way down, although the route was far from direct. What it was, however, was both still and warm in the increasing sun, so I removed both the jacket and the gloves. I passed around and across smooth rock faces, stony dirt, large pebbles and rock fields, and then came out onto a small heathy ridge that carried me down to better ground.

The way down...

...across the rocky slope...

...back to the grasslands

Having thus completed the trickier part of the descent I continued downwards parallel to the trail on grass, and came down to the shore right where the cloudberries I had seen earlier were now maturing, so I ate some. I traced the edge of the water back towards the cottage, easily crossing the stream right at its numerous outflows, pushing through some osier in the process, and was back before 14.

Rounded Suohttetjåhkkå

Ripe

Outflow

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