Monday 7/8 – Sunday 13/8

Monday 7/8

After a good night's sleep I eventually arose at 07:15, finding that a bank of clouds was covering the sky from the southeast, rendering the sun weak. It was, however, still rather warm, and there was a wind blowing. I had a slow first breakfast listening to the radio – I could only acquire one Swedish channel properly, so that it was – and then started going through all things Pältsa with Soili.

It was very warm when the sun was out, which it was in between cloud banks. After forenoon tea out on the chairs affixed to the cottage's south-facing side Soili went inside to finish her paperwork and I started rummaging through the storage shed. Three people came to the guest cottage, and after having learnt that they consisted of three long-hikers – one participant in Gröna Bandet (Green Ribbon), the official Swedish hike-the-whole-mountain-range organization, one who had joined in Kvikkjokk and the last one in Kutjaure – who would not be staying, I went back down to have lunch while the wind grew in strength and the clouds in extent.

A total of four Finns soon arrived, two of whom would spend the night inside and the other two outside, opting for the sheltered spot halfway down to the spring as the forecast promised a fair bit of both rain and wind. Before long the first drops started appearing in the air, soon developing into actual but mostly light rainfall. I talked some more with Soili and went through various papers as the rain intensified, and after stocking all my provisions properly I sat down for dinner.

Avian

Here we go

The vanguard of a Finnish quartet arrived while I was eating, and a couple of French girls had stopped by earlier for a break. Once I had finished eating I learnt that the quartet was actually a spread-out quintet, only two of whom had arrived yet. I lit the sauna – the first time I've done that as a warden – and then had some belated dessert. Again I was interrupted by a partial quartet, this time in the form of three Swedish people whose fourth companion would be joining on the morrow.

It was now raining in full and the clouds were low with mists moving about. Another three people arrived later on, two of whom were old-timers in Pältsa who wanted to show the third the place, so it was a bummer that visibility was so bad at the moment. When I eventually hit the sack at 22:15 it was foggy all around, and I did not expect to catch Soili and Heikki before their planned early departure the next morning.

Tuesday 8/8

As it turned out I was wrong, for when I went out at 06:30 they were just on the move, so we spoke briefly before they disappeared in the heavy fog that enveloped everything. I went back to bed for a while and then listened to the morning news – the storm Hans was wreaking havoc further south, especially in Norway, but yesterday's afternoon of rain was all we saw of it up north – and after breakfast I went up to check on the guests and do the first sauna cleaning of many.

The fog was thicker than ever, and I could hardly see between the buildings. I did some maintenance work outside and then inside before it was time for a lunch omelette. By then only the Swedish trio and the tenters remained, but soon four people came from the north; they were Finns who at first thought they were going to camp out, but eventually decided to opt for beds, and they were soon joined by another single Finn.

Tee-pee

Water way

So dense

Drops

A bit later in the afternoon the fog finally started to lift, and once the change was underway it was rapid, with the sun's return imminent. I exchanged an empty gas canister up at the guest cottage, which was a very arduous affair what with the distance, slope and pressing heat, but I managed by rolling the replacement most of the way. It was now almost clear, with only a few clouds remaining around Bealčán. Two Austrians arrived from the west, followed by two German campers who were not staying. As I started dinner procedures a quite noticeable wind had picked up, but it was a very warm one.

Finally!

A reindeer...

...and her calf

Clouds remaining

In the early evening the peaks finally emerged in full, with a very pretty light around them. The clouds remained parked above the massif, however, so the sun soon moved behind them, giving rise to an even prettier light. A couple of Swedes stopped by for some water before moving on towards the Bealčánjohka bridge; they were headed for Abisko and had a third guy in their group, but he was moving slowly so they told me to expect him later in the evening. Once he did arrive I learnt that his knees were not working as hoped, so he pondered what to do, but would at least join his companions for the coming night.

By now the wind had died down and the clouds over the massif descended. Two of the four Finns had spent the afternoon/evening running up onto and down from Juoksavátnjunni, and were just returning. Frisky! The clouds spread across the sky and the warmth finally started to subside, and I was somewhat tired when I turned in at 22:15.

Wednesday 9/8

It was rather a windy night, and in the morning the massif was still piercing the clouds, which were now covering all of the sky. As I was having breakfast they started breaking apart, however, but the wind was still appreciable. The forecasts spoke of heavy rain the following day, and the Swedish trio (who never converted into the expected quartet) had decided to head back rather than make use of their third reserved night; the Austrians were also hesitating about where and whether to go.

After everyone had eventually left and I had finished up inside the three Swedes from the evening before stopped by again, the knee-afflicted one of whom had decided to rest for a few days and then head back to Kilpisjärvi, while the others were to press on towards Abisko. Having spoken with them I went out for the first little day tour of the period after 10:30.

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I went over to the guest cottage where there were four Norwegian cyclists, three Finns and two dogs. After talking for a bit with the lot of them I went for a bath in the pool, which was as cold as last time (surprise), and then had an afternoon snack. Two new Finns soon arrived, opting for the to-be-common tent+sauna combo, later followed by another two who were to camp by themselves. Another Norwegian cyclist passed by while I was making dinner – his father was actually from Kummavuopio, and he was on his way there to visit the family estate, as it were – but then I could eat undisturbed.

There were some more people in the evening, two of whom also did the tent+sauna thing, and I had another visit from the knee guy. I used the catch of the day both in a cake and to make jam; the latter was voluminous enough that I could fill a jar to bring home and have a good deal left for on-site consumption. The sky was semi-clear and there was once again a pretty light in the massif – also a to-be-common occurrence. I espied a group of five plus a dog off to the north, but they never approached, and there were no more guests this day. By bedtime the wind had abated, and the clouds were on fire.

Thursday 10/8

The next day started out almost clear, with some cloud banks off in the distance, and it was still still. One of the campers had come down with a headache and wanted to spend another night inside, and after some deliberation their companion decided to join. As the morning progressed the clouds spread to cover the sun, but it was still quite warm.

I started to bake bread, during which I got another overnight guest, and by the time I was done a light rain was starting. After lunch it held up for a while, but then returned on and off, still with light intensity. Two Dutch hikers arrived, followed by a Finn who soon moved on eastwards. Next up were two Finns from the north who had a reservation, and then it was time for afternoon tea.

The rain had stopped and things were growing lighter, but the massif was still cut off. This was just temporary, however, for soon a heavy rain haze quickly approached from the southeast. A single Swede then came from the west, and he decided to stay and have a sauna. It was now raining like crazy and visibility was quite bad. Later on a wind picked up as well, but the rain lessened more and more – until the conditions reversed, with less wind but more rain. A Finn with ultralight gear came from the east and stopped by to dry up for a while. While I was making dinner another two Swedes came from the west, one of whom was a Ribboner, and then I could sit down to eat, inlcuding dessert.

In the evening the wind had died down completely, as had the rain, and even less of the massif was visible. I dug through the various storage areas inside my room some more, finding a few items I had been missing, and then rested for a bit. I spent some time talking with my guests, giving the Swedes some pointers regarding their return journey, and then had my evening snack. The clouds were slowly lifting, but had not released the peaks when I went to bed after 22.

Friday 11/8

The clouds mostly dissipated during the night, but in the morning they were back around the peaks. It was now only 12°C and a cold westerly wind was blowing, which turned less cold as it became more southerly. Later in the morning a hiker came from the east, having camped somewhat nearby, and just took a short break before continuining towards Kvikkjokk along Nordkalottleden.

Having taken care of all morning maintenance tasks I sat down for Sweden's quarterfinal in the football (yanks: please learn anatomy) world cup, while the clouds lifted outside. The knee guy stopped by before braving the eastern slopes, leaving some chocolate bars behind to reduce weight. After "we" had finally won – it was a tense end – I set about doing some more maintenance I had on my agenda, after which a couple of booked Finns came from the north who planned on making a very early start (03:00, they said) to be sure to catch the early boat from Koltaluokta, followed by another two people from the west.

In the afternoon I set about cleaning the windows Soili hadn't been able to reach, during which another two Finns arrived. A bit later a Swedish cyclist came from the east, which was unusual since that route is much tougher than the friendly gravel ridge through the valley. The explanation was that he was on a tour from the Three-Country Cairn to Smygehuk, i.e. the full length of Sweden, and when he had learnt (on the boat, no less) that biking was prohibited in the Malla Strict Nature Reserve (clue in the name), taking the detour by Pältsa and then back out to the road via Kummavuopio/Keinovuopio became the next best option lest he cheat – which he was not wont to do.

While I was finishing up the windows a shower appeared in the massif, which spread with the wind to the point that I retreated inside while it passed. A group of four, consisting of two adults and two kids, took shelter in the dog room until it passed, and then came up for another pause; they were a Swedish/American hiking family on their last leg of the Ribbon, and now had the goal in (almost) sight. Later in the afternoon another family came from the north, this time in the form of a Norwegian constellation of all ages numbering seven in total. The clouds were now breaking up again, and the rain was long gone.

After dinner a single hiker came from the west, opting for the tent+sauna combo. There were some more quick showers, but they didn't hold very much water. When everyone seemed to be done in the sauna I went up to check on my guests, talking a fair bit when several of the groups, and then it was time for my evening snack. By then the sky was more clear and the wind had grown chilly, but the latter soon abated. A flaming sunset later it was time for bed at 22:15.

Saturday 12/8

The next day started out overcast and the clouds were low over the massif, but it grew a bit lighter as the morning progressed. After most of the guests had left I listened to the next quarterfinal, during which a single hiker came from the north and sat down for a break on the guest cottage's porch. There was a haze off to the north/northwest which gave rise to a continuous (partial) rainbow, and some drops in the air during the second half and extra time. I used the breaks to check/improve the status of the guest cottage, and then had lunch while listening to the riveting deciding penalty shootout.

The last quarterfinal started almost immediately after, so I switched to that. The haze had now gone, and with it the rainbow, and there were some visits from the sun. Later in the afternoon it was back to cloudy for the most part, but it was very comfortable outside. A couple of Swedish-speaking Finnish women then came from the east, having reserved two nights, and after I had lit the sauna for them an Asian couple (Japanese, I guessed) stopped by before moving off a short distance along the western trail to camp. It had now started to rain again, but the sun broke through giving rise to another rainbow.

In the evening a couple consisting of an Australian and a Spaniard came from the east, pausing under the porch's roof during yet another short but wet rainbow episode – the most powerful yet – before moving on. When it was over the air was noticeably fresher, and now it seemed to be just sun afoot. I read some and then stood outside in said sun until it passed into the massif clouds; it was quite the pleasant, still evening which continued thus until bedtime.

Sunday 13/8

The morning came with clear skies and almost no wind, but it was only around 11°C. It was my plan to make the first longer day tour of the period this day, and practical conditions were favorable. The two Finnish women were also going out, starting with the fall. By the time I was ready to leave myself at 09:15 it had grown quite warm, and there were some smaller tufts of cloud around the peaks.

Mists of night

Clarity of morning

Go to day tour report »

After dumping my pack I went up to the guest cottage, finding four Finns who were mulling what to do, but they would at least visit the fall first, plus a fifth who was just having a break before continuing eastwards. The quartet eventually decided to stay inside, and there were some other visitors who just stopped by. After dinner'n'dessert I had two more passers-by whom I provided with some tips for their continued journey towards Abisko, later followed by a Polish (I think) pair with the same goal and repeated tips.

To bathe

Fair

It was a great albeit windy evening which held two more arrivals in the form of two Danes who had made a late reservation, and they were sure that they were the last arrivals from Koltaluokta for the day. As it turned out they were wrong, for a bit later a couple of Finns came from the east, and as they were somewhat tired they decided to spend the night inside, opting for the dog room for some seclusion, and – of course – have a sauna. This represented the true end of the day's work for me, and it was with a tired feeling myself that I turned in after 22:15.