So, Pieskehaure at last! Did it live up to expectations?

Well, yes and almost-no. Starting with the location, it remains fabulous, and every visitor I had agreed. Fully as expected, the great lake with its many shades of green dominates the landscape together with the imposing massif, creating a most pleasing juxtaposition. Contrary to other alpine regions such as Vistas/Nallo or Sylarna, the feeling of sheer space is immense, and on the flip side the closeness to dramatic heights is much more present than in places like Stáloluokta or Abisko which also offer "lakes of light". Put simply, Pieskehaure may be the perfect combo.

I did also very much want to experience the area during full summer, since the plains and lake make for very pleasing surroundings during that season, and even though I had been assigned the closing period the lateness of the summer due to a cold start and large amounts of snow delivered upon this wish just the same – at the price of more mosquitos right up to the end. Add to that I got a taste of autumn towards the end as well, including powdered peaks, even though it was nowhere near the red-gold splendor of the final days of my Pältsa stay.

Visitors-wise it was about as expected, with a small but mostly steady stream of hikers from many directions, and also as expected most of these were out on longer tenting treks. This category was especially gratifying to receive, since the vast majority of them reacted very positively to the somewhat surprisingly "high" level of service at such a remote place, and of course the sauna was frequently utilized. The empty periods were also in line with expectations, but it was a bit of a bummer that it was so empty during the last days, where I would have appreciated some company.

On the negative side were, of course, the weather conditions. Given the aforementioned openness of the landscape I had held out hopes for many a shorter outing and/or running tour in the immediate area, especially during slower periods, but as it turned out the wind, rain and cold prevented much of both. Now, the two runs I did manage to carry out (on Stuor Varvvek and Adámvallda, respectively) were very rewarding, and that evening walk in the descending sun towards the end was simply fantastic – it was just that I had had my sights on more of both those things. Oh well. It was also often the case that the worst of it all went mostly around the lake rather than hitting straight on, an effect I know well from places like Ritsem or Abisko.

As for longer day tours, as usual I had a list of targets beforehand, and I managed to tick them all off to some extent or other. There's more I could have done, but I didn't feel cheated. The only little chink in the gilded edge is that on both of the occasions I dared to approach the massif there were some clouds that obscured parts of the view, but they were scant enough that the overall feeling was not overly impinged upon. On several other occasions when I didn't go up towards the peaks the sky remained clear, so it seems I was simply out of luck. On the other hand, the inclusion of some clouds in such an alpine landscape does bring a certain feeling of drama and mystique that a pristine outlook would lack, so there's that.

While those glacier tours were indeed great, however you wish to quantify it, I must say that it was in the lower parts that I really found unique experiences this time around. One of the high points was the walk along Labbájåhkå and its series of falls as I was returning from the climb of Labbá itself, and the two canoe outings were simply great – especially the longer one to Lájrrosläddo, which is a place I would otherwise not have reached – and I doubt many people have set foot there at all. This was especially gratifying since I only learnt of the existence of the canoe right before I was to leave home, so it was a very pleasant addition to my tour options.

Additionally, the Norwegian route worked out well in both directions, even though the pressing heat on the way up and the train debacle on the way down were slightly challenging. I was lucky that much of the snow had melted by the time I arrived, as I had heard stories from earlier in the season when walking had been much tougher. And, Norway is always Norway, with its inherently more dramatic landscape, and it's never a chore visiting our neighbor. Our mutual border remains but a line on the map – plus some yellow piles of stone – to the benefit of all, which is readily apparent in a border cottage such as Pieskehaure, where people from all walks and corners of life come together for a short while joined in shared admiration of the wilderness all around. In the world of today, that's something to cherish.

Finally, some pictures from the return journey from Mo i Rana:

Morning in Mo i Rana

Foggy...

...along the way

Skier statue in Harran

Better weather...

...further south

Back in Trondheim

Heading east

Clefty

Back in the motherland