The original plan for this summer involved my opening up the Pältsa cottages right at the northernmost tip of Sweden after Midsummer, but after the world-changing events of spring this became impossible – getting to and from that place pretty much requires travelling through Finland and/or Norway, which border closures had put an effective stop to. After some back and forth I was given the opportunity to open the Kårsavagge cottage instead, with the same period length, so all provisions and suchlike already sent northwards could be easily repurposed.

For a long time there was great uncertainty regarding the conditions under which STF's tourist facilities could be open during this summer, if indeed they could open at all. The cottages had been closed since the end of March, and the fjeld stations since Easter, so the intervening time was used to draw up plans and procedures for safe operations. The most drastic of these was a requirement for advance reservations to prevent crowding, even in the cottages which have otherwise always welcomed anyone who shows up, but not so this year. There would also be no physical warden meetups, so everything that is usually covered then was like so much else handled online.

As summer drew near the pressure of the pandemic lessened, but it was not until well into June that the final word from the authorities came regarding the lifting of domestic travel restrictions, thereby making the summer season viable in the first place. The other possible hurdle was my own health, but as I had not fallen ill when the departure time came that too worked out.

Finally there was the question of how passable the trails and other common paths would be at the start of the season, since the Kiruna area had broken all snow records this winter, which combined with a late and cold spring that brought even more snow meant that there were quite a few meters of the white stuff still covering many areas in the end of May. Fortunately the whole country was hit by a great heat wave during the first weeks of June which had a considerable effect on the melting process, but conditions were still a bit uncertain, especially regarding water levels in bridge-less streams, so it was with some mild apprehension that I boarded the northbound train.

Here, then, follows an abridged account of the events during the four weeks I spent in and around Kårsavagge, illustrated by the usual range of pictures. Day tours have been placed in their own reports, which are linked to from the relevant pages.