Friday 1/1

Since it was still rather warm in the room I slept most of the night without cover, but in the end I did wake up and pulled the duvet up. When the others had arisen I did the same and looked outside, finding that it was windy and somewhat cloudy, but as of yet visibility was not much hampered, and it was also fairly cold.

After breakfast, which very nearly became a queue system, I waved goodbye to Frida and two of my other roommates, and then went over to Lars's to see if he had any plastic bags to spare – free from reindeer juice, that is – and to talk some. The weather had taken a slight turn for the worse, so after the last two roommates had departed I bided my time inside, moving down to a bottom bed. Soon Lars came in to check where everyone was going, and I talked some more with him before starting to prepare for a day tour myself. Outside conditions were shifting back and forth, but they were not particularly bad, although I did end up wearing two insulating layers and the thicker cap when I left just before 11:30.

I followed the snowmobile trail towards Dörrsjön, upon which there were quite a few ski tracks. I was mostly going against the wind, but it was not bad enough to be, well, bad, and soon I slowed down a little so as not to get too warm. Now that I had gained some height I saw that conditions were considerably worse in the direction of Vålådalen, but ahead of me I could just discern the fuzzy outline of Stor-Gröngumpen. After I had cleared the forest I proceeded up to a collection of rocks around which the wind had formed deep channels in the snow, and I climbed down into one of these to find shelter from the wind after 12.

Hint of sun

Clouds over the basin...

...and the fjelds south of it

The continuation of the trail

No change

Lunch shelter

After a while snow started to drift through the channel around the rock, and I shifted my position as I ate. It looked as though the weather had improved slightly, and I remained in place for a while longer, amply protected by my down vest. When I arose I noticed the presence of a group of other skiers who had taken up position behind one of the other rocks in the vicinity, and as I started climbing the north slope of Saanta they emerged, continuing along the trail. The snow was fairly hard and the inclination appreciable, and I wound back and forth, evading some jutting rocks here and a corniced precipice there.

Rather than aiming straight for the top I went around the western side, and as I did so Stor-Gröngumpen disappeared from view due to increased mist, and it was also getting worse below me, but further up conditions were rather good – I could even see clear sky. When I passed beneath the steep rise of the actual summit the wind died down, and I made my way up at a shallow angle, doubling back a few times, eventually coming to the top from the southwest. Up there it was entirely still, there was a very soft light and everything save the summit itself was shrouded in mist; in the near distance the faint outlines of other rounded peaks could just be made out, and this all conspired to create an ethereal feeling of extreme elevation.

Starting to climb...

...towards the light

The vague shape of
Stor-Gröngumpen

Misty

After absorbing it all for a while I continued southwards past a nearby crest and then turned around, coming to a snowfield that looked promising. However, since there was absolutely no contrast it was very difficult to judge the slope, and the snow was both loose and dense, so descending was not as straightforward as it could have been. I continued cutting across the slope, and even though there was very little in the way of visible landmarks the mist and the snow differed in hue, so at least the near horizon was clear enough.

After a bit I found better snow, and I could effect some telemark turns; the wind was also back together with a bit of snow in the air. I came down to the flatter lower parts which were strewn with stones, so I had to zigzag quite a bit, but there were also some very nice, turn-friendly snowfields here and there to enjoy. I ended up in a shallow gully from where I proceeded over to the next one, where a few low trees started appearing. Here I turned northwards, and going through the sparse forest down to the larger tarn was rather pleasant, and after that I followed the trail the last few hundred meters back to the cottages, arriving before 14:45.

The valley floor visible

Among the rocks

Below the rocks

Almost home

I my room there were unknown things but no people; everyone seemed to be in the kitchen. This included Lars, and almost at once he asked whether I would be willing to be the master of the sauna this evening. I poured myself some glögg and chatted some with the new arrivals before returning to my room, which by then had filled up with three guys. When the time came I chopped/gathered some firewood and went to light the sauna; this was not as easy as it could have been, for the wood was partially damp, but in the end I got it right. Before leaving I lit the gas lights, and then I turned to dinner, as did my roommates.

The sauna's wash room

After the meal I started preparing for another visit to the sauna – now as a user – and before going down there I amassed another batch of firewood. As I walked over I noticed that there were fresh footprints on the path, so some people had obviously used the sauna since I left it, which was good. Inside there were also sign of recent presence, but there was no one there now, and a quick peek inside the heat chamber confirmed that it was indeed good. Six other people arrived almost immediately, and we spent quite some time simmering with rolling-in-the-snow or sitting-on-the-porch breaks, the latter of which was made possible by the wind's having petered out for the most part. The clouds were also lifting, and from time to time moonlight could be seen.

When I returned to the main guest cottage I found three empty water buckets in the vestibule, and since I already had my boots on I thought that I might just as well go fetch some. It was rather warm both in my room and in the kitchen, so I stood outside for a while to cool off properly before lying down to rest. I then entered the kitchen where I read through the info binder compiled by a previous warden, and then entered into a card game with my three roommates; I ended up in third place in the first round and won the second, during which I took the opportunity to snack a bit. Outside it was now entirely still and cold, and the moon made sporadic visits; the sky showed some holes in the cloud cover, but the latter held sway yet. The cottage was warm and cozy, however, and by 22:45 everyone in the room was abed.