Friday 20/7

It rained rather heavily during the night, and traces of it still remained in the morning. It was also very windy and the clouds were low yet, so things did not look too inviting as far as a day tour was concerned. I had breakfast together with the same gang as before, and then decided to sit tight for a while and see where the weather was headed. It was getting lighter, but the clouds were very reluctant to let go, and the wind showed no signs of decreasing. After cleaning out the room – the Germans had left without doing much about it – I dumped my things in the basement in the main building and then went out for a shorter walk at 10:15, wearing the sandals rather than the boots.

I followed the dirt road down to the lake and then up into the Sámi encampment next door. In its upper parts I was greeted by a dog which at first only seemed interested in being scratched, but then it noticed my walking stick and entered into a contest about who could yank it from whose grip. A Sámi woman was watching, and eventually she assisted me in retrieving the stick, which now had a number of fresh bite marks.

I continued along the path up into the forest, ending up at the winter trail further up. A number of stream crossings went well, considering, and I followed a smaller path down past a reindeer fence back into the encampment just above its church hut. This I peeked into before taking the main path back to the station, where the sun finally broke through. I therefore continued up on the rises southwest of the facility, from where I had a good view of the valley – or would have had in case of lesser clouds and mist. The wind was also considerable, and I soon went back down on another path.

Struggle

Dry forest

Wetter forest

Church hut (outer)

Church hut (inner)

Up Sjöfallsdalen

Down Láŋas

Alep Gierkav

Main building

Back inside I relaxed in the common room, bought a little Lule Sámi book in the shop and then sat by the fire until the dining room opened up for lunch. I ate together with one of my previous meal companions, who was actually an STF guide who would start a newbie tour later that day. I also caught Emma, my second cousin, who had just arrived with her newly so-designated husband, and we talked a bit before they went out on a walk of their own. I continued to take it easy, while outside the sun showed itself on and off, and then treated myself to a waffle in the dining room.

Then it was time to pack up the last bits and go down to the afternoon boat, where the wind seemed stronger still. As a consequence the captain had to go rather slowly the first bit out, but once the waves lessened we picked up speed and kept the schedule – and the Gällivare bus hadn't arrived yet anyway. Just as it was to leave the sun broke through again, but in such a way that only the fjeld station and its immediate surroundings on the other side were bathed in the light, which seemed like a fitting farewell.

Waiting to enter...

...the dining room

Common room

Departure

Steep