Tours › 2008 › Vålåvalen: Day Tours › 16/7

Wednesday 16/7

Kroktjärnarna

Horizontal distance:	9 km
Vertical distance:	-60 m, +60 m
Time:	5 h
Lunch break:	30 min
Dinner:	–
Night accommodation:	–
Stage classification:	Easy

I maintained a fairly high tempo as I followed the trail northwards, noticing promising tendences in the weather, with a bit of wind as the possible harbinger of change. Close to the point where the winter trail markers come close (but do not cross) I broke off to the right and picked my way across/around mires with patches of heath, reaching a smaller mere in short fashion where I decided to try my luck. The damaged rod was still functional, but as to luck I had none. The wind was also quite significant out there in the open, and soon I moved on. After some more careful trodding I found myself at the southern one of Kroktjärnarna, coming at it from the west and continuing counter-clockwise along the shore. Doing so involved crossing the stream that came from the first mere, and this was fairly easy at one spot where a good number of rocks traced a good route.

More reindeer

Towards Smällhögarna

Medium-sized avian close to the path

Smaller avian far from the path

Off to the east there was a localized shower, but where I was the weather was not bad at all; in the northwest things were steadily improving and the wind had died down. Some distance away from the stream I stopped and took out the fishing gear again and set to it. Glimpses of the sun could be seen in various places from time to time, and the whole thing was a tranquil experience – until the spinner got stuck in the bottom, that is. Being very loth to sacrificing another one I refused to give up, and after considerable effort involving much moving about I finally managed to save it. Having thus come to what appeared to be a more suitable location I continued fishing where I then stood, while the clouds broke apart more and more, and when I settled down for lunch at noon the sun came out.

Shower to the east

Good ol' cabin

Looking across...

...the mere

Having eaten I went back towards the stream, and just then a drizzle started, but it was too light for me to take any particular action other than go on with the fishing. After a while, however, it intensified, and I crouched down beneath a small tree which despite its size offered adequate protection. This bout only lasted for a minute or two so I picked up the rod again, but it was not long before a sudden hail shower struck and I quickly got back under the tree. This too was soon over, and while I was casting anew I saw that the fish were breaking the surface like crazy in a nearby bay of reeds, so I went back over the stream to the first suitable place. Sure enough, on the second cast I got a catch, but it was too small to be kept so I released it immediately.

I walked a little bit further to where the reeds grew denser, which involved some trouble in getting the spinner to shore safely, but also here I got a fish at once. This was larger although still on the limit of what was takable, both practically and legally, but it had bitten so deep that I only had one choice anyway. Soon thereafter I had on another which got away, but the next one stayed on all the way up, and this one was well above the limit. Now the weather was clearing for real, and having caught what I could eat I decided to call it quits – from the looks of it I could have stood there for a few hours more and built a mountain of fish, but as the Klingons say, Ha'DIbaH DaSop 'e' DaHechbe'chugh yIHoHQo'. I went on to gut the fish while the sun got stronger, and around 13:45 I was on my way again.

Catch of the day

Bay of the catch

I went due west from the bay, quickly coming to a cute little "side mere" which I rounded in a pleasant warm wind. I then made my way through a mire and crossed the winter trail just at a small brook, following which I started gaining height and then aimed straight for the little cabin which I knew well from three separate visits in the past. By the time I reached it the weather was fair indeed, and I remained there for a while enjoying the beautiful nature. I then continued diagonally up the slope and quickly reached the summer trail, which I followed back. Now more clouds were approaching from the south, and when I was passing the first mere a shadow fell on the land accompanied by a chillier wind, which made me increase my pace. At 15:15 I was at the cottages, but no one else was.