Sunday 13/8

I passed a tent duo beside the trail right after leaving, and then a second at the bridge. On the other side I followed the path(s) that lead upstream, coming onto an ATV track which I left again when it turned back across the stream. Instead I crossed a smaller brook and then found myself in an extensive thicket, but there were often (but not always) swaths to follow. It was, however, also fairly wet at times, and when I came to a larger wet section I went up the slope a bit trying to get around it where it met the base of a somewhat steep hill. Since I had now had it with the shrubs I continued upwards to avoid the rest of them, in which I was largely successful.

Clouds dissipating

Across

Side channel

Dense

The clouds on the peaks were growing at first, but then gradually and slowly shrank back again. At times there were reindeer paths to follow as I made my way uphill, but the ground was easily trodden anyway. I passed several more cute little brooks and then continued out to the edge of upper Bealčánjohka's ravine, from which came a steady noise created by a long series of rapids and small falls. From there I kept close to the edge, walking mostly on heath as I entered Bealčánvággi, and now the sun was passing into the clouds.

Tower

Simple passage

Purple

The Ridge

Falls...

...in upper Bealčánjohka

Yellow

Patterned

Bealčán laterally

Moskkugáisi niche

Further upstream

When I reached the first milky glacier stream from Juoksavátnjunni I went upstream for a bit to find a better crossing point, and the next one shortly after that flowed in many courses which were fairly deep but also narrow enough not to present much of an obstacle. After that the ground was wetter overall, and past a grassy (and still wet) section I came upon another glacier stream which was wider, but just as milky. The last bit up to the central lake of the valley was also somewhat wet, but I soon found myself at the outflow which looked quite fordable had I wanted to mount an ascent of Bealčán.

Another rocky passage

Glacier stream

Open land behind

Next glacier stream

Grassy

Bealčán NW

Panorama of the lake from the outflow

This I couldn't much say that I did, however, so instead I went up a bit to drier land and sat down on a rock after 11:30. The sun soon came out again as I had my lunch, and I sat still watching the play of shadows on the mountainsides arising from the still present clouds overhead, which together with the dominant green hue of the surroundings made for a pretty show.

Low bells

Light on the lake, ...

...Moskkugáisi, ...

...and the surrounding slopes

I had put the jacket on when I stopped moving, and when I started again I kept it on since there was a wind blowing. I continued diagonally up the slope in a southerly direction, soon coming to a ravine where the closest glacier stream from Moskkugáisi fell in steps. I could easily get across just above that section, though, and then I found myself on a shelf beneath the main rises above. Here the ground was very easy to walk upon, and the next glacier stream presented no problem whatsoever.

Leaving

Lake from above

Valley mouth

Twin Peaks

The ravine

Above the same

Downstream

Approaching...

...the next li'l stream

I then arrived at the second lake of the day, namely the glacier lake marked 893 on the map (or 896 on older ones). The "glacier" that fed into it could hardly be called a glacier anymore, for it consisted of only a few small patches of ice and/or snow and the niche which used to host it was now mostly a slope of dirty gravel. Still the sight was one to behold, with this fairly large body of water squeezed between very steep walls of rock.

The glacier(?) lake

Furrowed wall

Outflow

Having looked at it to my heart and mind's content I crossed its wide and shallow outflow, and since it was now almost still and quite warm I saw fit to remove the jacket. I stayed close to the stream the first bit down, but then started cutting across the slope eastwards, passing above a steep section. Soon I came down onto grassy ground, and I spotted the cottages far in the distance. It was mostly grass from there, and I kept to the drier parts as I aimed directly for the bridge, utilizing reindeer paths at times. There was a bit of wind again and the sun was breaking through now that I was passing out from under the massif clouds.

Slopes

More falls...

...and another ravine

Valley end

Sunlit lowlands

Many-colored pair...

...with sun spots

Out of the valley

Closer to the bridge wet patches started showing up, but they could often be circumvented. There were a few low shrubs, but nothing to worry about, and also a couple of suspiciously large solitary trees. Some more low shrubs later I came onto a very clear reindeer path, and after a simple brook passage I found the main path some distance from Bealčánjohka I had seen on the way up but not taken then (unfortunately). The rest of the way home was simply transportation, and I was back at 15:00 noting the presence of new visitors up at the guest cottage.

Northward zoom

Trees and home

Singular

Dual

Nearing the confluence

Sharply defined brink

More ridges

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