The subheading pretty much came of its own accord this time. Firstly, it has been remarked by many that Vindelfjällen represents a cross-section of the Lapland fjelds, with everything from deep lowland forests, via mires, rolling hills and heathland, to the alpine grandeur in the Syter region, and secondly, I think I experienced every kind of weather except for a snowstorm during this tour. Certainly if variation was what I was after – and I will assert that that is true at least to some extent – I could not have asked for much more, even though of course I would have liked a bit more sun and a bit less wetness. And speaking of water, I was somewhat surprised with how saturated the land was in many places – the Kvikkjokk tour had been so dry that I did not expect that the intervening rains would have had such a large effect. Well, perhaps these regions are wetter to start with. Another difference to a previous autumn tour, the one around Kebnekaise last year, was one of much higher temperatures and lack of snow, which I was naturally happy for.

When I have visited cottages before they have usually been those belonging to or cared for by STF, so the county administration's ones outside of Kungsleden here felt somewhat new to me. The Rävfallet cottage is rather a popular retreat for hikers as well as "regular" tourists, being situated fairly close to Ammarnäs (especially if one goes by car to the bridge below Höbäcken and walks down in Vuornavagge), and having been there I can see why. I was told its rooms were reserved during all remaining weekends of the season, but during weekdays wanderers such as myself might well find themselves alone.

I must also put in several good words for Dalavardo – as I remarked previously it almost feels like a mirage finding a place like that in a place like that, so to speak, and I have a strong feeling this was not the last time I visit it. Speaking more generally, all these cottages and cabins I peeked inside of were in mint condition, clean and whole and with no shortage of firewood – apparently that has not always been the case, which I learnt both from reading the guestbooks in Dalavardo and from speaking with the Syter warden, but the county administration has made a pronounced effort to improve the state of their buildings during recent years. Quite obviously this project ended in complete success, so here's to ya, lads and lasses.

So, no Sytertopp, but Rierruogájsie was most satisfactory in itself – all that day was one long stretch of joy, actually. Furthermore, while Syterskalet did not show itself from its very best side when I went through it, it more than made up for it with the glowing display the last day. Oh, and the Golden Gate was a very nice experience as well, and I really liked the location of the Syter cottage – like everyone else. Apart from these experiences (and all the others) themselves, one cannot escape the eerie conclusion that one coincidence after another conspired to make things fit almost too well. In chronological order:

• The rain stopping and the sun coming out at precisely the moment I stood at my elevated observation spot on day 2, enabling a fantastic view of Vindelälven, staying that way just long enough for it to be really worthwhile, with complete deterioration immediately following
• The rain starting for real just as I reached the shelter of Framakkåtan
• Having the Wet Day® when Dalavardo sat at the end of the stage with its promise of rest and dry clothes
• The weather drastically changing character for one day between two very bad ones – namely the very day I aimed for Rierruogájsie
• The clouds lifting and the sun penetrating them at Tärnasjön, and specifically during my sauna session – fulfilling another beforehand hope of mine
• The following day being perfectly clear, lending extraordinary views of the archipelago and Norra Storfjället – and, heck, everything else! Wow!
• Not choosing the route over N Sytertoppen – had I taken that route I most likely would have found myself walking inside clouds most of the time
• Seeing the abovementioned Light in Syterskalet, which I had a much better view of coming out of Viterskalet than I would have had had I stayed in or near the cottage below
• Having no more snapped the last shot before the battery indicator flashed on the screen when I was going through the recorded images
• Ample rain starting to fall just when the bus left Hemavan, and finally...
• ...the weather taking a drastic turn for the worse just a day or two after I got home, with low temperatures and even snow; timing is everything, they say...

There were probably a few more, but these are more than enough, eh? Anyway, I can now add Vindelfjällen to my track record, and I do so with pleasure. The region is vast, and I only visited a "small" part of it this time – the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve, which covers most of the fjelds constituting this region, is one of Europe's largest protected areas with its 5600 km² (more than twice the size of Luxembourg) – and with its varied landscape it offers enough possibilities for different treks (or ski trips) to last for many a season. Consequently, I'll surely find myself exploring other corners of the huge reserve in the future, be it in summer, autumn, or winter. Speaking of winter, I'm curious to see what the oncoming one has in store...