Back in 2020 I was given the summer assignment to open the Pältsa cottages up near the Three-Country Cairn where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet – where I had never been – but then the border-closing pandemic happened and I ended up in Kårsavagge instead. This year I got another chance, and like with Anaris last time around I aimed for the autumn rather than the start of summer – and this time I got it.

Speaking of the pandemic I had had two consecutive wardenship periods with restrictions lately, and I now looked forward to being without them once more. One vestige of said corona procedures, however, is that reservations are still a thing, but not for the whole range of beds, and I would also have a full network connection on site with access to arrival lists, e-mail and the like.

Another thing I looked forward to was having a sauna, which would be a first for me; no less than four of my previous cottages (Aktse, Unna Allakas, Kaitumjaure and Vistas) have seen one built only after I last looked after them (i.e. after 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014, respectively). Finally, I definitely looked forward to all the autumn colors I expected the high latitude and September end date to bring.

Getting to Pältsa from the Swedish side is a bit of an adventure in itself, especially if one relies on public transport, and in the end I planned for a roundabout route going through Norway around the northernmost parts of Sweden and then back down into Finland to Kilpisjärvi. From there I was to pass back into Sweden via boat, then walk back into Norway and finally return to Sweden and arrive at Pältsa from the north, as this would be the route most resilient to logistic setbacks along the way, despite its indirectness.

Thus, in early August I boarded the train for what was to be quite a long journey northwards, meeting Louise from STF for a quick handover in Kiruna along the way.

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