Tours › 2009 › Aktse › 28/3

Saturday 28/3

Stage map 28/3

Sitojaure – Saltoluokta

Horizontal distance:20 km
Vertical distance:+120 m, -100 m, +40 m, -320 m
Time:4 h 30 min
Lunch break:1 h
Dinner:Three-course buffet
Night accommodation:Fjeld station
Stage classification:Easy
Map points:Sitojaure, Autsutjvagge, Saltoluokta
Morning 1

On an early-morning outing the sky was clear above with clouds around the edges, but after going back to sleep and then arising again at 07:30 these clouds had spread, leaving only patches on blue in the west. I made a fire in the kitchen and had breakfast, noting that there was some snow in the air, presumably coming from a thick southern haze as close as the other side of the lake. I packed up my things and then went over to Lars and Ulla, who were just on their way to say good morning to the Swiss people, and we took our farewells at the guest cottage before 09:45.

I went over the same hill to the trail, which was not an optimal route with a full pack, but the trail itself was good save for some waviness right at the start. It was a bit warm due to the lack of wind, and the clouds were splitting up; it was already clear off to the north/northwest. Above the trees the wind slowly increased, and I could once again hear rather than see the drifting snow. I skied alongside a number of elongated rises, and after a bend the wind grew strong enough that I pulled up the hood – it was still southerly, though, so it was of no concern. Following the next bend in the trail the near horizon took on a fuzzy look due to the moving surface snow, and then I turned straight northwards, aiming for the start of the noteworthy trough of Ávtsusjjåhkå.

At its edge there was very little snow, so I soon turned towards the trail again; the wind was now even harder, and I was really thankful that I was going with it rather than against it. The weather was otherwise very fair, and when the trail started going slightly downhill the wind abated somewhat too. I recognized a turn around a hill from my last passage, and then I caught sight of the Autsutjvagge shelter. I skied over to it roundabout fashion, hunting photo angles, and left my skis on the leeside of the little building at noon. The wind was now worse again, and shutting the door against it was actually difficult.

Trail 1
Clouds to the south
Tjirák 1
Tjirák
Mårskostjåhkkå 1
Måskostjåhkkå
Trail 2
Some bumps
Trail 3
Fair...
Trail 4
...but windy
Trail 5
Njalásjbákte
Sjäksjo 1
Sjäksjo and beyond
Fjelds 1
Drift
Ávtsusjjåhkå 1
The Ávtsusjjåhkå trough
Autsutjvagge shelter 1
At the shelter

I had lunch in the wind noise and then relaxed, noting another noise that resolved into two entering Germans. They were heading south, being on the last few days of a tour between Abisko and Kvikkjokk, and were very happy to get a break from the wind. Said wind had lessened somewhat by the time I got going again, and visibility was sharper as a result. Just as I skied back up to the trail a couple of more people were approaching the shelter, but then I was alone again. Soon the trail went up onto a plain where the snow was scant, but the following downhill portion was good. While I was following the base of a long rise the wind increased once more, and it was almost so that I could spread my arms and let it carry me forward.

Then the trail ascended a little bit again to Galmmagálldo, where it grew calmer quickly, and on the crest before the long slope down to Láŋas it was still. The view up Sjöfallsdalen widened, and it was sharp and clear in its entirety. The snow on the trail was very good, and doing short telemark turns was easy. Shortly before entering the forest the wind returned, and I also met a number of snowmobiles going up. In among the trees the trail got wavier, and under the pines the snow was rather soft. More snowmobile groups passed in both directions, and while I did not feel much of the wind it was evident from the sound and the motion of the treetops that it was considerable. Around 14:15 I suddenly came upon the welcoming signpost at Saltoluokta, and I skied over to the main building to announce my arrival.

Autsutjvagge shelter 2
Shelter and sub-valley
Trail 6
Open landscape
Panorama 6
Panorama of the length of the wall of Sjäksjo
Fjelds 2
Fjelds in the northwest
Lulep Gierkav 1
Lulep Gierkav
Sjäksjo 2
Sjäksjo
Fjelds 3
Rásek and Lulep Gierkav flanking Hállji in the distance
Rásek & Sluggá 1
Rásek and the pointy Sluggá
Trail 7
Ski the line
Lulep Gierkav 2
Lulep Gierkav as a lump
Sjöfallsdalen 1
Sjöfallsdalen entering view
Panorama 7
Panorama from the crest, showing Sjöfallsdalen and surroundings
Sjöfallsdalen 2
Sjöfallsdalen itself
Juobmotjåhkkå 1
Juobmotjåhkkå on the other side
Sjöfallsdalen 3
Zoomed in up the lake system
Nieras 1
Nieras
Panorama 8
Panorama over Sjöfallsdalen
Saltoluokta fjeld station 1
Saltoluokta fjeld station

Upon reporting to the reception I bumped into an STF tour guide I had encountered in Sälka two years before – now he was to lead a beginners' group on a shorter tour, and this group was just arriving. I got hold of the stuff I had sent with Birger and talked for a bit with the girl in the reception; she was one of a trio who had skied to Kvikkjokk before the season started, leaving their marks in the guestbooks along the way. I then went up to the small but cozy room I had been allotted, which had a perfect view over the lake and valley.

After getting back in touch with select parties phone-wise I walked over to the service building to have a snack, after which I looked through the shop. Johan the station manager had just showed up, so I caught him in his office for some business, as it were. According to him this was the worst winter season yet when it came to occupancy, and stats from the northern stretches were also bleak, so we hoped for a monumental "Easter effect".

Outside the wind had petered out but in its place came high cloudiness from the southwest. I had a sauna together with three Dutchmen and then three Swedes, talking about wardenship and hydroelectric regulation. Going back to the main building it was impossible not to hear the howling of a group of sled dogs – not Matti's, then – but indoors things were calm and quiet. I read some in the common room while I waited for the restaurant to open, and then entered it feeling rather hungry.

Ice 1
Ice sculptures...
Ice 2
...just outside the entrance
Saltoluokta fjeld station 2
My room
Saltoluokta fjeld station 3
Corridor
View 1
View from my room
Lulep Gierkav & Alep Gierkav 1
Lulep Gierkav and Alep Gierkav
Saltoluokta fjeld station 4
The main building again

I was placed at a table with two girls, one of whom (Sandra) was an employee of the station but had a day off – the other was her sister, and also the reason for the day off. We immediately launched into a fjeld-themed conversation that lasted the evening, going to get food in intervals. This food was fantastic and consisted of:

  • Hors d'œuvre: gubbröra (traditional Swedish mixture) on rye bread
  • Main course: elk mincemeat steaks, potatoes, morel sauce and lingonberries
  • Dessert: berry coulis with cognac cream
  • Also included: various salads, bread

I ate like crazy, but still felt fine. It was now half cloudy to the west, but above Lulep Gierkav a new moon was rising. The girls left after 20 to watch a football match, and I made the mistake of refilling the dessert bowl, resulting in a pressing feeling of fullness, so I had to lie down. I remained lying down as the feeling slowly subsided, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep, suddenly waking at 23. Upon coming to my senses I went up to brush my teeth, adjusted my clock to summer time (summer? yeah, right...) and then went to bed for real.

Evening 1
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