Saturday 19/7 – Wednesay 23/7

Saturday 19/7

I had to go out around 4 in the morning, from which time stems the panorama above. After sleeping some more I went up again around 7, finding the weather much unchanged. Two of the guests were to remain for another night, and intended to go check out Tronndalen in preparation for a longer tour in that area at a later date. Soon the only one who remained inside was the latecomer from Helags, and since I was about to go out myself he took the opportunity to buy a fishing permit before I left. Some more clouds were appearing high in the sky in the west and further to the southwest, but things were still most fair and warm when I set out on what I expected to be a rather long day tour at 09:30.

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Stepping inside I found two new guests, and soon one more came from Lunndörren and went in search of a suitable campsite while I executed a cleansing procedure in the water hole, which was as cold as ever. There was also another tent nearby, but it took some time before its inhabitants showed themselves, shortly after which the two Tronndalen visitors returned. After dinner three people came from Vålådalen, and then three others from Kläppen. A bit later a couple with a dog showed up, and they wanted to tent outside. By then the sky was entirely covered in clouds, but everything was still visible. On a whim I made some popcorn and put out a bowl to the guests, while I lay down on my bed with a bowl of my own to read. Now the sky was partially clear again, but dark clouds were drifting over the peaks. I made a round inside and found only one person still up, reading, so I saw no reason not to go to bed myself.

Sunday 20/7

At first it was mostly cloudy and especially off to the southwest those clouds were low, but when people started leaving bits of blue could be seen. Something else which could be seen was a couple of wanderers who had taken a seat around the point where one first sees the cottages coming from the north, and they remained there for quite some time before continuing, stopping only long enough to ask for news about the weather. I did some cleaning and the like, and then a camper came on the Gåsen trail; he at least stopped long enough for a conversation and a visit to the shop. When the cottage was empty I executed some more thorough cleaning while the clouds glided by above, gradually giving rise to unbroken blueness directly overhead. When lunchtime grew near I therefore brought my food outside and sat down at the table outside the old cottage, from where I had good views of all arrival routes – and of course of the surrounding fjelds.

Privy, main cottage and Gråsjödörren

Härjångsfjällen in cloud

When I was done I dumped some items inside and then went for a walk to the nice little mere I had found up among the hills on my way to Vålåvalen; there was even a faint footpath marked with pieces of blue string tied to branches that led there from behind the privy, so obviously it is not an unknown place. Having reached the water I made a complete circuit and then sat down on a strategically placed wooden pallet, where I remained until clouds passed in front of the sun once more. I then returned to the cottage, where I rearranged the shop's "candy table" and did some other things before it was time for afternoon tea. At that time the sky was clearing anew, and I went out for another walk.

First I followed another faint path from behind the privy, which lead up among the closest hills, but soon it dwindled and the undergrowth grew a bit too high and tangled for my sandals, so after taking in the view I returned downwards, taking to another little path that led off from the campsites beside the Lunndörren trail. After clearing the trees this path followed some low rises consisting of gravel and heath, coming to another little mere which offered far wider views than the other one. At one of the coves there was a more or less old campsite on a nice patch of grass, and going around to the other side I found a corresponding place at the far end, only one of gravel and not grass.

While I was standing there a medium-sized bird made quick circles around me under constant chirping; most likely it thought that I was too close to its nest and wanted to divert my attention from its young. I retraced my steps and then went to the pointed cove closest to the cottages, which to my eyes appeared to be rather a good place for bathing. From there I found my own way up over the heath, coming onto a reindeer path after a while which lead to the trail, which I then followed back home where no guests had arrived during my absence.

Stora Härjångsstöten free of cloud

The lower mere with Gråsjödörren in the back

The lower mere with Smällhögarna in the back

The noisy bird

Even though the sun was gone again it was rather warm in the air, and I decided to change into shorts for the first time. I then went out to the table beside the flagpole and sat down to read Fjällsmultron – a collection of trip reports and tips I had found in the "library" – which took place with some sun, some wind and some flying things. It was not until it was almost dinnertime before someone came, in the form of a lone man who had walked all the way from Storulvån; he had started early and upon reaching Gåsen felt that it was still too early to stop. After dinner there was a shower followed by increased cloudiness, and I relaxed inside with radio and book. As it turned out no more guests came that day, and by the time I got to bed the other man had already done so.

Monday 21/7

The one overnight guest maintained his practice of leaving early, setting out while I was just in the process of arising myself. Or, actually, I stayed in bed until after 8, feeling tired, and upon opening the front door a bit later I scared off another hare – or possibly the same one as on my arrival day – which promptly escaped under the building. Lifting my eyes to the sky I saw dense clouds but also a fair bit of blue mainly to the northeast. With morning procedures finished I went over to the old cottage to wash the windows there as well, during which the weather cleared with the exception of the vicinity of Stora Härjångsstöten – as usual. When I was done I returned inside to dig out a splinter that had lodged itself rather deep in my finger, at long last succeeding in getting it out. I then went back outside and just stood in the pleasant air for a while, considering whether I should make a lunch tour somewhere, eventually deciding on another visit to the wood mere.

There was a significant amount of wind as I walked, but down by the mere itself it was much calmer, and the sun was most warming. I had not sat there for long, however, when clouds obscured said sun, and from then on it only made brief visits. I continued reading Fjällsmultron and then had my lunch, noting that the sky was growing darker over the visible fjelds, and that the clouds were sinking. The wind was increasing too, and around 13 I went back to the cottages. Emerging from the little hollow I was surprised to see just how sharp a turn for the worse the weather had taken – clouds were now covering almost all of the slopes of Smällhögarna, and if anything they seemed to be getting even lower.

Promising day

Waterside osier

This mere I like

Not very promising...

...anymore

I saw this as an excellent opportunity to bake some more bread, which is precisely what I did. After I had finished a single Danish woman came in from Gåsen, and by then it was raining and the wind was stronger. I had an afternoon snack and then another single hiker came from Vålådalen, later followed by two trios from opposite directions, another pair from Gåsen, and then a total of six more people. Out of the latter four stayed outside in a tent, but as the weather was now really dreary the other two chose to come inside. When dinners were over and done with I conversed extensively with various guests in the kitchen, but mostly with the three women who had come from Ljungris – they had partly Norwegian accents to varying degrees, which I found most pleasant to listen to (what can I say; I'm ridiculously fond of Norwegian). The bad weather continued for most of the evening, but as I was going to bed after the late forecast the worst seemed to be over.

Tuesday 22/7

This semblance turned out to hold merit, for in the morning the clouds had lifted considerably and soon the sun showed itself intermittently. I waited for the inside guests to finish their packing up and such, and at the same time I did the same, intending to make a day tour somewhere. At 10 I went out myself, going over to the other building to check on the tenters, who had elected to use one of the kitchens there rather than share the one in the main cottage with the rest. They were in the middle of their breakfast, so I left them to their own devices and set off along the Lunndörren trail wearing both jacket and gloves against the wind.

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There were two people in the cottage to greet me when I returned, and they informed me of two more visits earlier in the day. Up there out of the protection of the forest the wind seemed undiminished, and my visit to Sturebadet was therefore not as pleasant as it could have been, but at least I was lucky enough to time it correctly with a short reappearance of the sun. Back indoors I had some fruit creme and then did absolutely nothing but listen to the radio. Later on two more guests came, and these turned out to have spent the night a few days before, and had now been to Anaris and back. Then a family of four arrived from Vålådalen followed by two more from Lunndörren.

In the evening another cloud front out of the west was passing overhead, and the formations it brought were astonishing to say the least. I have never seen anything like it, and the pictures below can only approximate what it looked – and felt – like. Speaking of pictures, I started going over the photos I had taken thus far, erasing a few here and there to make room, while listening to some athletics on the radio. I talked for a bit about tours in the area with one of the returning couple, and then I was glad to enter bed as I had started feeling the aftereffects of the day's excursion.

Wednesday 23/7

The following morning I saw no reason to get out of bed for quite some time, and while I idled the somewhat low blanket of clouds outside ascended somewhat, but it held together still. When everyone had departed I cleaned the kitchen, which looked a bit worse than usual, and then I walked around a bit examining the distribution of trails in the vicinity; the local map is as I have mentioned a very poor match for reality in this particular regard, which had led to several near-incidents already, so I thought it might be a good idea to make an approximate sketch of the actual situation and post it on the notice board for all to see.

The afternoon brought no change in the gloomy weather, but instead there came a bit of rain, and I dawdled inside until someone came from Stensdalen. After my afternoon tea two hikers came from Lunndörren, and then two from Gåsen; the latter considered their options for a while, and then decided to aim for the Vålån bridge beneath Vålåvalen, where pretty much the only campsite thus far is to be found. Two more people came from the north, and then another two from Gåsen, and all wanted to spend the night.

After dinner yet another pair arrived from Helags, and later on two Belgian guys also came in. Outside a light drizzle was falling but there was almost no wind. I then got a call from Gåsen, where a woman who had left the cottage in the morning had lost a pair of socks somewhere along the way, and wanted to know whether they had disappeared before she departed. I therefore searched through all the feasible places, but came up empty-handed, so no luck. There was no major change in the weather during the remainder of the evening, but forecasts spoke of very warm and dry conditions on the way, so it was with high hopes that I went to bed.