A good tour this was, albeit with some detraction. First, the routes taken – all days saw substantial portions off the trails, and I was all the better off for it. The snow was good, the views even better, and the feeling of (friendly) wilderness the best of all. I will especially recommend the high course upon Härjångsfjällen, and Stora Härjångsstöten is a very worthy target in its own right. The hills in the vicinity of Vålåvalen are also very pleasant, and one can spend quite some time winding between the hollows there. Stor-Stensdalen is, I suspect, better in winter due to the extensive mires and stony surroundings, and going via Kyrkstenen is an attractive yet simple alternative to the regular trail through the woodland, which I know more than well by now.

Once again my light pack was a blessing, and I received many comments and questions about it – usually with a tone of envy. This time of year, with this type of weather, is perfect for scaling back the pack, and I've grown proficient at it.

Now the detraction – painful ankles. I had acquired new skiing boots for this season, since the old ones were literally falling apart, and had used them with no particular problems throughout the Tjäktja stint, so it was surprising to have pressure sores develop now. At times it was rather bad, but at other times fully manageable, and all in all I could still do what I set out to do, telemark included. Also, as soon as I got out of the boots the pain stopped, and I only needed a few days back home for the tenderness to fade as well, so no real damage done. Hopefully I'll be more used to the things by next winter.

Due to the very nice weather and the time of year the number of people out and about was large, as expected, but even so I suffered no ill effects from this apart from some light queueing in the kitchens – not even in Stensdalen, with its reduced capacity. Others had had it worse, though – I heard from Sven that there had been 76(!) overnight guests in Lunndörren on Saturday, which is over three times the number of beds there! Whew!

So, chalk up another Jamtlandic success – surely not the last...