Saturday 16/9
I slept really well and lay until 07:00, when a glance outside revealed a thick fog, but more careful scrutiny of the "sky" made it almost certain that it was clear otherwise, and that the mist would lift during the day. Due to the damp air everything outside was rather wet even though it had not rained, and it was also fairly cold. I went for a walk in the refreshing but somewhat dim morning before breakfast. After I had eaten I took out the swill bucket and fetched fresh water, observing that the fog was not quite as dense as before, and the world was a bit brighter.
I had discovered that I had miscalculated my bread allocation – probably due to my choosing a different type than during the preceding tour, the packages of which contain a different number of slices – so I bought some more in the mini shop and left the surplus thereby generated behind; it's not expensive to begin with, so I thought nothing more of it. I also obtained a bit of metal wire from the warden, which I used to fashion a more durable fix for the water flask holder, and then I packed up.
The warden had been in contact with the warden of the Syter cottages and learnt that the sun was shining from a blue sky there, and at Tärnasjö the fog was in the process of receding, leaving a thick bank to hover over the length of the lake. The sky was a bit cloudy overhead, but it was mostly clear to the west, and there was no wind. As I cleaned out the room a faint sun started showing, but it was still chilly enough that I wore both the thermal underwear and the wind dress when I left around 09:30.
The sun was, however, effecting rather a quick change temperature-wise, for it was not long before I started feeling a bit warm, but luckily a light wind alleviated things somewhat. The dense cloud was still hanging over the lake, and the fog was still present in the forest above me, around the base of Deärnnávárrie. There were some short portions of high, wet grass, but it was nothing to worry about, and after a while the forest grew less dense, becoming interspersed with mires more frequently. When I reached the lakeside cabin opposite Juobmuobákttie I decided that it had gotten warm enough, so I stopped to remove some clothes and have a bit of chocolate.
After that the mires in turn became interspersed with heathland, and by then the fog had dissipated all around, except for a little bit in the far north. More actual fjelds had also started appearing, but the distant ones were vague with heat haze. Walking was extremely nice, with the bright colors of autumn everywhere, and the sun shining from a clear sky – the experience was quite reminiscent of my autumn tour from two years past, actually. I encountered a few reindeer, and then I spotted the first of the many bridges by which Kungsleden crosses Tärnasjön. I reached the eastern landing around 11:45, sitting down at a strategically located bench off the trail to have lunch.
The sun...
...to the fore
Persistent cloud...
...out on the lake
Skijrátjåhkka and Rássjatjåhkka, with The Cloud below
Tärnasjön northwest...
...and further southwest
N Sytertoppen making its first appearance
Fjelds to the southwest
Rássjatjåhkka and Juobmuobákttie
Tärnasjön with Norra Storfjället in the distance
Båŋuonåjvvie far to the south
More of Norra Storfjället
Approaching the bridges
There was not a cloud in sight and no wind whatsoever – it was almost the peak of summer all over again. I relaxed in the pleasant warmth, looking over the map, and then went for a stroll along the shore. At first only the gushing sound of Rássjajuhka throwing itself down the steep slopes to the west broke the silence, but later on the clearly recognizable sound of a motorized aircraft filled the sky; it slowly passed me by, but I never saw its source. As I was getting ready to step onto the bridge a few small wads of cloud had started appearing above the peaks of Norra Storfjället, but it was clear that they were not going to obscure anything.
The gently curved span of the first bridge
Looking over the water to the southwest
Again, from a different location
Southwards
The second bridge with Skijrátjåhkka behind
More of the calm lake
A fjeld to the east
The southern end of Tärnasjön is home to a remarkable archipelago, a remnant of the last ice age. A series of seven bridges, five of which are suspension bridges, connect a number of the constituent islands, and they are often collectively referred to as the Golden Gate of Vindelfjällen. The bridges are fairly new constructions, so their condition was excellent, and going through the Gate was most enjoyable. The islets were nice and cute, and the larger ones had a number of camp sites on them; I also saw other traces of human activity on neighboring ones. Walking was very easy, and also very hot due to the complete lack of wind and shade. A very enjoyable couple of kilometers, they were.
Bridges: #1...
...#2...
..."#2.5"...
...#3...
...#4 & #5...
...#5...
...#6...
...and #7
Crossing an island
Looking back
On the other side there was a light wind, but the ascent through the forest up to the bare region beneath Stokkeklippen was a bit taxing just the same. Once I had cleared the trees, however, I could marvel in the views thereby rendered – the archipelago spread out in its entirety below, with rolling heights all around. I continued on to the actual crest, where the view toward Norra Storfjället opened up, and it was just as astonishing if not more. What followed then was a very agreeable stretch of heathland turned red by the waning season, and just where the trees restarted I passed a signpost marking the border between the Sorsele and Storuman municipalities. I came upon a few reindeer, and then I arrived at the Syter cottages at 14:15 in a wind that was on the increase.
Panorama over the archipelago in Tärnasjön; also including Båŋuonåjvvie off to the south
Båŋuonåjvvie by itself
Eastern peaks
Southern lowlands
Panorama of Norra Storfjället
Looking south...
...and southwest
First view of the Syter cottages
Norra Storfjället (grainy)
Reddened plant life
Crossing the municipal border
There were no other hikers around, and I found a note on the warden's door saying that she was away on a day trip. The high clouds in the west were growing larger, and the smaller of these had started obscuring the sun at times. I took off my rucksack and took a long walk around the area, enjoying the fair afternoon – it has been remarked that the Syter cottages are situated in one of the most beautiful locations in the Swedish fjelds, and I have no wish to challenge that claim. I spent some time studying the map, wondering if I should go any further, but in all honesty that decision had mostly been made already – as I was walking alongside Tärnasjön earlier in the day, seeing the fog lift and revealing the higher peaks to the west, I was struck by this feeling of ease, in the sense that I wished to forgo arduous undertakings in favor of simply enjoying the last few days.
One alternative I had had in mind before was to continue along the marked summer trail over Morhtetjåhke to N Sytertoppen, the highest peak in Västerbotten at 1768 meters above sea level, perhaps stopping at Mealhkoejohke to get a good starting position for a summit ascent the following day (proceeding to the Viterskalet cottages afterwards), but having already mounted Rierruogájsie I resolved not to pursue that course of action – perfectly in line with that newfound philosophy of mine. Furthermore, stopping right there and then simply felt appropriate, somehow.
My desire for comfort did, however, not extend to sleeping arrangements – with the fair weather and all, I was determined to spend the night in my tent, so I went in search of a good camp site. There were a number of grassy patches around, and eventually I settled for one a short bit upstream Svärfarbäcken, just beside a calm little "cove". There were some clouds in the east, and above the massif around N Sytertoppen they were converging en masse, but the south remained clear. I pitched the tent in a leisurely fashion, and then went back to the main cottage, which was still empty. I took out a magazine and sat down at a table outside, reading in the near-broiling sunlight; the wind had abated much as well. After a while I brought the magazine over to the tent and started taking out the things needed to prepare dinner.
Passing the old cottage
The larger cottage with Norra Storfjället behind
Trail junction
The smaller cottage
Svärfarbäcken and its bridge
Norra Storfjället and a cottage
N Sytertoppen
Upstream swift Svärfarbäcken
Nice camping view
The newer cottage and Båŋuonåjvvie
The ground on fire
The clouds on fire
Clouds over Norra Storfjället
The sun glinting in Svärfarbäcken
Just then the warden came walking down the northbound trail, having been to the top of Skijrátjåhkka as well as picking a few mushrooms somewhere along the way. We spoke together for a good while, and during our conversation I noticed a lone man arriving at the main cottage from the west. After she left to greet the newcomer I started making dinner – since I used my own camping stove I did not have to pay any service fee, and as there was a low hill between my camp site and the nearby cottage I could well entertain the illusion of seclusion. By then the sun had been clouded for real, and the wind had picked up again; it was actually a bit chilling sitting still outside, but I compensated by some extra clothing – and the great view of Norra Storfjället, of course.
I went on reading while I ate, during which the sun broke through partially. Just when I was finished another two people came from the west, and the obscuring clouds had crept over the peak and then mostly dissipated, leaving a considerably higher bank behind it, which was drifting in a general northeastern direction. There were also some other banks off to the north, and a few more high clouds to the southeast, but visibility was unhindered in all directions.
I then went inside, falling for the lure of another sale: this time I purchased a small bag of candy and a bag of peanuts. I brought these back to the tent, where I returned to reading the magazine while stuffing myself with the snacks'n'sweets, but I saved about half of them for the next day. I read some more outside, but the falling temperatures soon made me enter the tent. More clouds were approaching from the west, and the wind was back to light. I went into the cottage to return the magazine, and in so doing I noticed another group of campers who had chosen one of the other old camp sites below the bridge. The trio from Tärnasjö had also arrived and were having pancakes inside.
Light show over...
...Norra Storfjället
Dusk settling over the cottages...
...and the eastern lowland...
...as well as Norra Storfjället
Departing cloud bank
In the evening the overhead sky was overcast, but with a considerable amount of light seeping through the clouds, and the end of the blanket could be clearly seen to the south; there were some small clouds hanging around the closest peaks as well. I finished my crossword wrapped up in the sleeping bag, and then I had my evening snack. At that time the cloud cover above had grown more dense, but on the other hand the sky itself was in evidence to the northwest, silhouetting the massifs. There was no wind, and the temperature drop had halted at a level which was not too bad. Suddenly I thought I smelled smoke, and upon climbing the little hill next to the tent I saw what I had expected to see: the other campers were sitting around a campfire. Since I had no fire myself, I crawled into my sleeping bag at 21:00 to read some more and then sleep.
