Monday 4/1

I slept well for the most part, and the room kept the heat better than last night. The morning weather was similar, however, with strong wind and snow, so I fired up the stove in the kitchen around 07:30. The others came in as I was having my breakfast, and as the light grew it was clear that it was far from clear, so the previous day's stage had been well-timed. I chose to wear double layers against the cold and wind, and after waving goodbye to Camilla I set out on the last stage before 09:30.

The way down to Övre Bruddtjärnen was mostly good, but a few diversions were necessary for the usual reason. Almost immediately the wind decreased, as it is wont to do there, but it was still strong enough that I made my way across the ice with it straight in my back rather than aiming obliquely at the trail marker on the other side. Just then I spotted a bird of prey riding on the wind, and when it got closer later on I identified it as an eagle. Once in the forest things were better, and the stream that is pretty much never passable where the trail goes was now fully frozen for a change.

Not very inviting

Frozen

Slightly better behind

The wind was now fairly weak, so I changed to a thinner cap in order not to overheat. The open mires had fared only marginally better here, so I often skied on the side – sometimes just a few meters, sometimes longer detours – finding snow all the way. Things were getting lighter behind me with some patches of sky visible, and it was no longer snowing, but that was as fair as it got this day. Around the trail split to Grönvallen it had started snowing lightly again, and on the next mire I met a single man heading up. I passed the spot where I had stopped for lunch last time around, but decided to press on a bit further. The mires were better here, and when the (veiled) view towards Ottfjället opened up on the last one before the slope down Vålåsen I broke off onto the summer trail, finding a good place to sit off to the side at 11:30.

On a mire

Beside a mire

Shrouds

Stopped around here

Here it was mostly still, and I sat looking out over a pleasantly snowy expanse disturbed only by a couple of skiers with lighter equipment. When I got going again it was noticeably colder, so I went with the thicker cap again. The slope started almost at once, and the first stream passage was trickier than usual, so I took it slow. The next portion was easier, though, so I let myself gain more speed and was down at the bottom in short fashion. Just after the trail turned sharply right I was hit by a strong headwind which together with the low temperatures here in the valley really dug into my exposed skin. I crossed Vålån on the bridge, even though it seemed solid enough to carry appreciable weights, and met another two people (without skis, this time) on the last bit up to the field at the trail start. I went on up to the Vålådalen fjeld station where I took my skis off on the well-utilized parking lot before 13.

Winter again

Crossing Vålån

Back

I went inside at once, taking it easy on the cozy upper floor since the weather was not very inviting, and had in fact taken another turn for the worse. I met the other two from Lunndörren a bit later and also saw some of the Swiss, so everyone appeared to have made it down safely. The taxi-bus was running a bit late, as it usually does, but at least it did run (as did the afternoon train), and before long it arrived and carried me away from this my sixth New Year's celebration in the fjelds.