Tuesday 29/7 – Sunday 3/8

Tuesday 29/7

Sure, it's nice with sun and warmth and all, but it was still a relief to wake up to a sky streaked with thin clouds, which brought ambient temperatures down to more endurable levels – especially as far as hiking is concerned. There were also some more tangible specimens parked over Gruvsmällen and the southern crest, but those soon dispersed. I started going through the shop, for the day before I had received a call from Helena at the STF office in Åre that a helicopter run was planned for the coming week, and she wanted to know if I needed to restock. I then started preparing for another bathing tour, the conception of which soon shifted towards fishing – I thought to pay Vålån a visit, and see if I couldn't do something about that spinner I had been forced to leave behind earlier. Everyone else was leaving or had already done so, except for two of the people from Lunndörren, who decided to rest for a day before continuing. I bade them farewell and exited the cottage at 10:15.

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I introduced myself to the assembled Germans – they had camped at the Vålån bridge (with two groups of ten, actually, which made me wonder how they managed to fit what with the lack of appropriate space), and were to go on to Härjångssjöarna. While the second group started filing in I went down to Sturebadet, which was now down to 21°C (terrible, no?). When I returned the girl who had come from Helags the day before was sitting on the porch; she had left for Stensdalen in the company of the unicyclist in the morning, but at lunch camp had decided that she did not actually want to go to Stensdalen after all, so she turned around for another night at Vålåvalen before aiming for Gåsen. All members of the other group had also arrived, and some of these rummaged through my shop before they all left. The rain that had poured down seemingly directly behind Roupe was now no more, and the sun had come out in full bringing increased warmth again.

I treated myself to some fruit cream, directly after which a tent-dweller came directly from Lunndörrspasset. Another shower had sprung into being over Gråsjöfjället, but only a handful of droplets were carried over to the cottage site by the wind before it dissolved. I picked up my store-related task and then talked for a good while with the girl, who had managed to find a somewhat fresh newspaper someone else had left behind recently. Now the sun had passed behind a rather large cloud, so it was cool and comfortable outside once more.

Suddenly I noticed that the cottage phone could no longer get a signal from the net – since the heavy thunder that had occurred earlier in the day had been centered around Middagsvalen where the antenna is I suspected force majeure, but I of course hoped that the issue would be fixed before long, as I needed to phone in the resupply orders soon. Then four people with a Great Dane came from Vålådalen at the same time as a young Dutch couple arrived from Ljungris, bringing large quantities of mosquitos with them.

Following the ingestion of dinner a trio came from Gåsen, and they had walked in pretty heavy rain towards the end; the cloud had appeared beyond Gruvsmällen and was now passing over Gåertiestjaerhvie, but not a drop had fallen up where I was. I read for a bit, noting that the phone was working again, and later five more people came from Vålådalen, having suffered a late start due to a train delay. I continued reading and then turned to crosswords and Sudoku; outside it was a great evening anew, albeit rather high in mosquito content. I talked for a bit with the new arrivals as they had a late late dinner, and then went straight to bed.

Wednesday 30/7

It was yet another perfectly clear morning, but it was not quite as warm as before. My shoulders now felt pretty good, but the outmost layer of skin had started peeling away. Early on I received a call from Ebba asking if I had cell phone coverage; in Lunndörren GSM phones had lost all connection during yesterday's afternoon, and it was still not back, but her cottage phone – unlike mine – had operated normally throughout it all. Strange, that. I went about doing this and that while people left one after the other, and when all was said and done I called Helena to convey the list I had compiled. I then swept the floors and packed the sack, leaving for yet another ascent of Roupe after 11:30.

Above the trees an appreciable wind was blowing and the effect was a pleasant one. Cumuli had started appearing in the sky as I walked along the path to the middle summit, and from that to the southern one with the large cairn, against which I once again seated myself. I had brought the newspaper and started reading that, which felt kind of strange given the nature of the situation, and I frequently had to catch the pages lest the shifting wind have its way with them. I had lunch and went on reading, noting that directly in my line of sight northwards thunder was building up, and soon enough a very local downpour started somewhere around Rekdalen. As this all seemed confined to that area I just relaxed, and not too much later the rain started petering out.

Eventually I packed up and went down the other side of the hill, to some cute little pools I had seen from above, finding my way through the undergrowth. Suddenly I heard renewed booms of thunder off to the north, and I returned upwards to the bare regions wherefrom I saw another hefty shower fairly close behind Uvberget. For a while I had considered returning to the cottages through the forest, but now that it was clear that the thunder was indeed approaching I decided to take the easy – and quick – path down. Just as I turned to do so there was another boom immediately behind Smällhögarna, and on my way down it crackled and rumbled uncomfortably close – or at least so it seemed.

Stora Härjångsstöten

Foreground

Lill-Stensdalsfjället on the rise

Off towards Trondfjällen

One of the many woodland pools

The main cairn

Rain close by

Another pool...

...and yet another one

There had been no arrivals in my state of non-presence. A flash appeared in the direction of Vålåvalen itself, and from counting seconds the actual distance was confirmed as about one kilometer, so it really was at Vålåvalen. Strangely enough the thunderhead seemed to have split into two, with one branch passing (south)eastwards and the other over Smällhögarna, and there were several anvil-shaped clouds in the vicinity of Helags as well. Back in the safety of the house I started a final baking session while the rumble went on in several directions – but still no rain fell. Then two people came from Gåsen, having been hit by a shower which was passing out of Härjångsdalen, completely obscuring the background. It did not take long before this rain reached us in turn – finally!

I had an afternoon snack and then a single camper came followed by a family of four, out of which the two children were to tent too. Two older women also came and walked straight to the older cottage; I went over to see what they were up to, and they absolutely wanted to stay there, so stay there they did. The shower was passing and giving way to shifting clouds, and I relaxed inside to the radio. Just before dinner two more people came from Gåsen, and then I got to eat in peace, which I did perhaps a tad too eagerly since I had to lie down afterwards to catch my breath, as it were.

A bit later another family arrived from Vålådalen, and they had found themselves in the midst of the afternoon rain in the slope up from the forest, where they had "waded through hail". Then I got a phone call from a man who had left a message the day before – he and his party would be coming to the cottages in late August, and wanted to know how best to go about doing just that from their planned angle of approach, so I told him what I knew of the most suitable route (which was actually quite a lot, as I had walked there just a few days ago). Another rain/thunder cell that had formed over Dunsjön (again) was passing eastwards (again), but we had a bit of evening sun ourselves; it was considerably nicer to be outside than inside, since the house seemed to store heat needlessly well, and the sunset painted the remaining clouds in warm colors as I slipped into bed as the last one at 22:15.

Thursday 31/7

In large parts blue sky again, but over Stora Härjångsstöten clouds were low; a westerly wind was blowing and the warmth was no longer pressing. I made no haste in getting up, and when I did I spent some time picking at the shoulder skin which was now peeling (and itching) like crazy. Everyone was leaving but the last family to arrive yesterday was to spend another night, and the father planned on taking one of the sons fishing so they bought fishing permits before leaving. I went around inside checking things, and made more curious discoveries in the store, where I started making notes in the item lists. By now it had grown fairly cloudy, but this was beginning to reverse itself; it was also fairly windy, but the winds were warm. After some deliberation I made a food pack and walked off to the nearby mere when the time was approaching noon.

There it was rather warm and I just sat in the sun while it lasted, for soon enough clouds started drifting by at speed. I read in my book and ate, and when at length a larger cloud took up position in front of the sun I returned home, where I found three people at the table in the yard. They had walked into Lunndörrspasset and then apparently climbed over a pass "to the next valley", and they were now headed towards Gåsen. They soon left on this endeavor, and the mother who had remained in the cottage was also on her way out to see if she could find any ripe cloudberries.

Myself I went down to Sturebadet where I waited for a suitably large area of blue between the racing clouds before getting in. It now felt noticeably colder in the water, and the thermometer read 19°C – which is still not bad. I proceeded to start another laundry project in the old cottage, and while the water heated I had a snack. The water level in the little pond behind the woodshed was appreciably lower now, which made rinsing more difficult, but I managed alright. The weather seemed to be improving again, and between the sun and the wind conditions for drying seemed good enough. The mother was also back and had found no more than ten berries, so no dessert came of it.

I then rested to the radio until five campers came, two of whom were considering moving on a little ways. This they later resolved on doing, following which the fishermen came back. they had tried their luck in Vålån close to the inflow of Gråsjöån, with a very fine result – a bag full of trouts, so their dinner was in hand. Dinner was also next on the schedule for me, and quite extensive it turned out to be too. In the early evening there arrived two fathers with a young son each from Stensdalen – also carrying a number of fish they had caught in Kroktjärnarna – and a trio from Kläppen.

After welcoming them all I read through another book I had been given earlier, and then I spotted two people moving beside the trail in the general direction of Gruvsmällen; they seemed to be going to and fro, but eventually they decided on a spot to erect their tent (such spots are far between in the area). I had received word from Ebba that four older ladies were en route, and fairly late in the evening the first of these finally showed up, leaving her pack to help her approaching weary comrades out. They all arrived safely, and after alotting them a room I sat down for an evening snack.

During this one of the "new" fathers came in and asked if there was any way to get a message through to Stensdalen, as he had just discovered that he had forgotten his son's sandals there, and he knew that Marta who was another temporary substitute would be returning to Vålådalen on the morrow, as were they. I therefore lent him the use of the cottage phone, which resolved the situation to everyone's content. After the weather forecast I went out to bring the laundry in, hanging the garments that were still damp in the drying room and lighting the heater in there. It was still windy and drifting clouds were still about in the higher regions as I myself drifted off to bed.

Friday 1/8

Th early morning was rather cloudy with some blue and some wind, but at breakfast time more and more of the sky started showing. Inspired by the others the day before I planned on going on a last fishing tour myself, so I made preparations for this. I also called Helena to report the guest figures for the month of July, and to my credit (or probably not, but eh) I could show a marked increase compared to the same period last year. I did some cleaning, emptying of garbage containers, and similar things as the overnight visitors gradually departed, while outside there was a bit of sun on and off but the clouds still dominated the scene. I therefore chose to wear the hiking trousers rather than the shorts when I left for Kroktjärnarna at 10:30.

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Two persons were waiting for me inside – literally, since they wanted to buy provisions; the rest of their party were in turn waiting for them at the trail split to Helags. After this purchase, which was rather extensive, I followed them down to Sturebadet where I remained for cleansing purposes. I then had a substantial afternoon snack, upon which an older Dutch couple arrived from Lunndörren. I went on to gut the fish and then talked with the Dutch man outside, where it was nice and sunny again.

I prepared dessert and started fiddling with the actual dinner, and was not surprisingly interrupted by two people from Gåsen, who elected to stay in the older cottage. I then got to eat the fish, which also not surprisingly was very good, but then I decided to wait a while before attacking the chocolate pudding I had heightened with fresh cloudberries. This still left quite a few berries, though, so I bestowed them upon the Dutch couple who graciously accepted. I then lay down and finished reading Narn i Chîn Húrin and listened to the radio until it was time for evening rituals. There were a lot of clouds about but straight ahead the sky was clear, and it felt kind of dark inside when I turned in at 22:15.

Dinner

After dinner

Before sleep

Saturday 2/8

This day saw the definite end of the fair-weather period, with a low unbroken cloud cover and cool temperatures right from the start, and I therefore accept no blame for remaining in bed almost until 08:30. After getting up and having breakfast I closed all ventilation hatches, which had been open around the clock for more than a week. I then continued making notes in the shop, and at times faint glints of sunlight could be seen upon Smällhögarna; in that direction the clouds were only low, whereas around Härjångsdalen and Gråsjödörren they were very low. Towards lunchtime there even appeared a smallish hole of blue off to the north, but other than that the only change was in the direction of the wind.

In the afternoon this hole grew in the direction of Smällhögarna, but everywhere else not much could be seen at all. I read some Donald Duck comics I found in the kitchen until a camper came "from" Gåsen, and we talked for a bit before he continued "to" Stensdalen. I then started packing up my stuff, upon which two hikers arrived from Lunndörren. Suddenly we were hit by a few stray rays of the sun, for above the clouds had temporarily broken apart, but it did not last for long. It did, however, bring into being a special light off to the south, which enabled the first photo opportunity of the day.

A wee bit of light beneath the lid

Fireweed, wall and nothingness

Following afternoon tea I started reading in the book Okända fjäll in the kitchen, but I had no more located pages of interest than Birgitta called to catch up on things while I was still present, and a rather lengthy conversation followed. During this Janne my successor also called, and as soon as the line was free I called back and we spoke briefly about the coming exchange; he at least would be arriving as planned. Then a couple came from Vålådalen, and they looked around inside before going on southwestwards to make camp – somewhere. Two more people from Gåsen also came around then, and they opted for the old cottage.

After the campers had left I made dinner which I consumed while reading Okända fjäll. I later observed that the two day visitors had managed to find a suitable spot well off to the side of the Gåsen trail, and were pitching their tent. The clouds were back to low all around and some droplets were also falling at times, and if anything visibility was getting worse with the passing of time, so it was a tranquil evening to say the least. I went to bed at the usual time after snack'n'forecast, for the last time in the warden's room as I would be moving out on the morrow.

Sunday 3/8

During the night it started to rain, and when day came there was no visibility at all in the western vale – and a fog was approaching rapidly from that direction. The two guests who resided in the newer cottage left for Stensdalen (after some hesitating) at 09:00, but the couple in the other building chose to wait a while yet to see if the weather would improve. While visibility in fact did so, the rain worsened instead and it felt rather good not having to be out walking today; on the contrary it was a perfect day to remain indoors and clean, which is precisely what I began doing. I moved all my stuff into one of the guest rooms, which took a good number of rounds, and then finished packing the box containing things I did not want to carry down myself.

The others finally left at 11:30, having accepted that it was going to be a full day of rain. I swept all the floors and went out with some things to the storage building, and then it was time for lunch. While my ravioli was being heated a lone woman came in, and she would have lunch inside too before finally deciding whether to press on or not. Just then I got a call from someone who was presently at the Ljungan shelter halfway to Helags, and through a good deal of static and broken words I understood that he wanted to know whether I could offer accommodation for his party, which included a dog – and I of course could do so.

Having eaten I started mopping the floors as well, during which a Danish couple with a wet dog arrived, and unlike the other woman who had decided to continue walking they wanted to stay. I finished mopping, and then the woman left for Vålådalen, but she came back almost at once because she had forgotten a pair of socks, and after some searching they were discovered in a dark corner. Visibility was now good but the rain was undiminished, and I relaxed with some comics in "my" room before turning to afternoon tea and some other texts in the kitchen.

Then three women came from Stensdalen, saying that the stage had been a very wet one (no?), and right on their tail came two people from Vålådalen. I spoke some with the trio, and as it turned out one of them had also been a member of the party with the "migraine girl" in Nallo this winter. Shortly thereafter Janne arrived, and I reported some brief pieces of information at once before he went to fetch his provisions from storage. Two more arrivals followed, and both were single middle-aged women, the second of which had been a warden in the Vålå cottages back in the 1970s, when what is now the "old cottage" had been the "new cottage", and the original cottage was still standing (it burnt down in 1978). I had a longer briefing with Janne, and then it was time for dinner.

When I had eaten the man who had phoned earlier finally showed up, and he had both a wife and a dog with him, so I sent them to the other cottage where the Danes resided, and then had a last dessert. After that Janne and I went through the shop properly – and just then the cashbox thought it a good time to jam! Luckily the act of RTFM revealed the existence of a fail-safe release switch that allowed the box to be opened, but subsequent attempts confirmed that the primary release had indeed broken, so Janne would have cumbersome weeks ahead of him if the fault could not be repaired.

In the midst of all this a group of six Finns came in, and while they had planned on tenting the deplorable weather had changed their minds – the rain had not held up for even a second during the day. This also created a problem, since they had a small dog with them and due to "canine mechanics" it could not be housed with the two large dogs already present – and there is only one room where dogs are allowed, for allergy reasons. In the end we solved it by letting two of the six sleep with the dog in what used to be the warden's room in the old cottage – not an ideal solution since that space is nowadays used for storage and so is stuffed with stuff, but under the circumstances it was the best we could do.

When everything had been settled I could finally sit down to count the money and write my economic report, which as usual took some careful rechecking to accomplish – especially this time around, what with the error in the register I had discovered right at the start – but also as usual it turned out OK in the end. When this was finished I formally relinquished custodianship to Janne, and went to have a sturdy evening snack in the kitchen as a "civilian". Outside the rain kept at it and the clouds were lower, but the evening forecast spoke of better conditions on the morrow. I packed up as much as I could and then went to bed in a comfortably cool room at 22:30.