Introduction
For the better part of the past year, I had held the idea of celebrating the New Year in a fjeld cottage. Namely, one of the three in the Vålådalen region; reportedly, they've been open for a scant fortnight around New Year's since 1988 – as a cotrast, Helags only started its all-inclusive arrangements at Y2K. I felt more inclined towards the "classic" environment and circumstances of the "proper" (non-electrified) cottages, however, so I struck Helags off my mental list of alternatives early on.
The next step was to choose between the remaining three: Stensdalen, Vålåvalen, and Lunndörren. The first and the last have firewood-powered saunas, which felt awfully nice, so that narrowed it down to two. My ultimate decision to go for Lunndörren was in large part due to my having visited Stensdalen more recently, and also that going to Lunndörren would provide more opportunities for varying the route travelled, both during the tour itself and in relation to previous journeys in the area (as I've stated elsewhere, I dislike retracing steps/glides in full).
My packing list was as follows:
| Object(s) | Brand/type | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| To wear | ||
| underpants | boxer shorts | 100g |
| socks | polyester/cotton mix + wool | 110g |
| thermal underwear | wool | 400g |
| micro fleece suit | Touch9 | 375g |
| anorak with skiing pants | Everest GoldFlexSystem | 1750g |
| cap and gloves | thin skiing cap and gloves | 150g |
| skiing glasses | – | 20g |
| 2905g | ||
| For skiing | ||
| skis | Fischer BCX Europa 99 Crown | 2900g |
| ski poles | Swix Powder | 450g |
| ski boots | Alpina Back Country | 1475g |
| 4825g | ||
| To carry | ||
| rucksack | McKinley Crestone 70 + rain cover | 2725g |
| shirt | large, warm cotton shirt | 540g |
| sweater | knitted sweater | 1675g |
| spare cap | thicker knitted | 75g |
| spare gloves | large fur-lined leather gloves | 300g |
| spare underpants | (see above) | 200g |
| spare socks | (see above) + wool | 160g |
| leisure clothes | soft pants + T-shirt | 675g |
| sleeping t-shirt | – | 190g |
| light shoes | sandals | 670g |
| Food related | ||
| thermos | 1 liter | 615g |
| tableware | camping set | 75g |
| food and drink |
1 Blå Band Outdoor Meals freeze-dried package 2.5 dl oatmeal 6 Varma Koppen/Cup-a-Soup instant soup packages 4 Ögonblink instant chocolate packages 4 tea bags 10 ready-made sandwiches 1 package of biscuits 3 small chocolate bars 1 beef package 2 dl bulgur wheat 1 spicy bearnaise powder package 1 strawberry mousse powder package 1 can of cider 1 large box of crackers 2 soft cheeses 1 La Vache qui rit cheese cubes package 1 small bottle of sparkling wine |
4950g |
| Camping related | ||
| sleeping bag | Ajungilak Kompakt L synthetic filling | 1700g |
| sleep mat | – | 350g |
| Other required stuff | ||
| towel | light medium-sized towel | 320g |
| flashlight | LED headband | 90g |
| medical stuff | bandage, anti-chafe adhesive | 125g |
| hygiene stuff | toothbrush, toothpaste, mini-shampoo, toilet paper | 250g |
| "Survival" | ||
| map and compass | fjeld map (Z6: Storlien-Ljungdalen) + Silva | 100g |
| knife | personally handmade | 150g |
| windsack | Ajungilak | 440g |
| shovel | Life-Link | 700g |
| matches | – | 20g |
| payment, recording | cards, bills, paper, pencil | 30g |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| book | Donald Duck comics | 175g |
| deck of cards | – | 80g |
| home key | – | 15g |
| Electronics | ||
| camera | Canon PowerShot A75, batteries, memory cards | 455g |
| mobile phone | Ericsson T65 | 110g |
| 17960g | ||
Add to that a liter of hot water in the thermos, and a half-liter bottle of cold water I carried in the anorak's chest pocket.
New Year's Eve was a Saturday, and I extended the weekend by taking the following Monday off – considering the expected late night together with short daylight periods and just a general desire for calmness and lack of abruption, an extra day felt like a good idea. I also took Friday afternoon off and went by train to Undersåker, where I was picked up by my mother, whom I was to visit at Köja fjeld hotel in Edsåsdalen before the actual tour.
Here, then, is the full account of what transpired during the subsequent three days. Each section has a header consisting of a short overview of the stage in question, complete with a map showing the route travelled. A ring marks the starting point, a square the lunch break location, and a star the destination. Vertical distances have been calculated from the map and have an accuracy of 20 m. Cottage breakfasts consisted of oatmeal porridge, tea and a sandwich, and all lunches of two cups of instant soup and a sandwich.