I knew before leaving for Nallo this winter that I had not been given an assignment for this summer, but upon coming home I phoned Staffan – the head of all of STF's cottages south of Norrbotten county – to see if there were any vacancies. There were, of course, and one of these caught my interest: the Vålå cottages from 12 July to 3 August. I had visited the place on three separate occasions before and liked it very much, but they all took place in winter, so I very much looked forward to seeing the area without snow as well.

Another welcome change was that this cottage site is located in Jämtland, where I reside myself, so logistically everything was easier than my previous assignments. Moreover I had started to feel that I had neglected the fjelds of home, having spent so much time up in northern Lapland lately, so this felt just right. Provisions were to be ordered from a local shop in Undersåker and then conveyed by helicopter to the cottages, and I sent a box from home as well containing this and that – my own rucksack weighed no more than 17-18 kg in the end, which was considerably more comfortable than what I carried to Såmmarlappa. Come the arranged day I stepped onto the morning train from Östersund to Undersåker, whence the regular bus carried me to Vålådalen where my hike would start.

Note:
The name Vålåvalen applies both to the cottage site described herein, and to the stony rise at the far base of which this site lies. To avoid confusion the cottages are commonly referred to as Vålåstugorna – Vålå cottages – but when an actual name of the place is required, "Vålåvalen" is the usual label.

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