Wednesday 20/8
Sitasjaure – Ritsem (to Saltoluokta)
Horizontal distance: | 21 km |
Vertical distance: | -40 m, +120 m, -220 m |
Time: | 2 h |
Lunch break: | (none) |
Dinner: | Three-course dinner |
Night accommodation: | Fjeld station |
Stage classification: | Easy |
Map points: | Sitasjaure, Ritsem, Vakkotavare, Saltoluokta |
I again slept well, but was awoken in the early morning by water dripping from the roof down onto the metal hood covering the gas canisters. I managed to sleep some more, and got up at 07:15 to a sky that was filled with clouds, but they were high, light and not all-compassing. I had breakfast with the berries I had collected yesterday and then packed up and cleaned, fixing a bandage around the knee for good measure. I then went down to where the bike was waiting, and enlisted Nils-Arne's help in holding it steady while I fastened the pack in the front, which turned out rather well. It was warm and still, and the various bugs were swarming about, so after talking a little bit with my colleague I saw fit to simply start the ride, and did so at 09:15.
I began by leading the bike up from the lake to the main road, since there was no point in straining the knee needlessly right at the start. Once I had reached level ground I hopped up, and found that cycling was largely unproblematic, albeit not entirely painless at first. I picked up speed in the first downhill slopes, moderating it a bit due to the occasional bumps, and I was glad that I had decided to wear the wind jacket because of the headwind. I met a car before the sharp bend just north of Ávddajávri and then passed through a "gate" in a reindeer fence (see photo). As I pedalled past the lake a strong wind hit me from the side, but there was quite a bit of sun as well. Across the water the entrance to Teusadalen was covered in thick clouds, and on my right-hand side there were unsightly marks from the tunnel project.
I managed the first short uphill slope alright, even though it was a bit taxing, but when the longer one after Ávdaluokta started I got off and lead the bike again. There were a handful of reindeer beside the road at one point, and I saw a few parked cars and motorcycles, but other than that I was still alone. When the terrain flattened out again I got back on the bike, noting that everything around me was osier, and after Rijtsemjávrátja the view southwards started opening up a bit. Here the wind was back in earnest, and now the sun passed into a large cloud as well.
Then the long downhill slope started and I covered lots of ground in no time, meeting another car in the process. The sun suddely came back out and the clouds dissipated, and just as suddenly the gigantic reservoir Áhkájávrre came into view. The slant increased, and as I neared Ritsem the road turned to asphalt – which was actually in considerably worse condition than the gravel had been. I circumvented the boom barrier a bit further down and glided the last bit to the tourist center, arriving before 11:15.
One of the staff was sitting outside the reception with an elderly fellow belonging to either of the two Sámi encampments in the vicinity, and I talked a little bit with them as I sat down in the sun myself. Across the lake the clouds were denser and lower – a common state of affairs here in and around Ritsem. It was still rather windy, however, and I had to hold on to the loose stuff as I had my lunch. I took a little walk around the premises and then sat down to wait for the bus, which was running a bit late.
Once on it I noted that grass was growing here and there on the land revealed by the sinking water of the reservoir – and I thought it fitting that Nature was in some small way reclaiming what has been lost. The peaks of northern Sarek, which had earlier been mostly hidden in cloud, were now almost in the clear, but further east things looked thicker. There were quite a few people waiting to get on at Vakkotavare, but not as much as I heard there had been earlier during the summer. A shower passed just south of the waters, and another one just north of them as I was on the Láŋas boat. Once on the other side I sprinted on ahead up to the Saltoluokta fjeld station, arriving at 15.
I ended up getting a bed in the main building, in a room shared with a Japanese couple. Having dumped my stuff inside I booked a train ticket for my return journey, and while doing so observed several known STF faces in the present crowd. It was now raining on and off, and after having a little snack I went over to the sauna, which had better power than that of Kebnekaise. When I was done the rain had stopped, but there were lots of clouds about. The sauna had done wonders for my knee, but rather than pushing it I sat down in the lobby to wait for the communal dinner. There I met Birger from STF's cottage department, who was one of those I had seen before, and as expected a whole bunch of them were there for a planning meeting.
Since the station was pretty full, the dining room could only support about half of the guests, and I got to sit in the common room instead this time around. Here is the menu, presented by a very enthusiastic cook:
- Hors d'œuvre: toast with smoked reindeer mincemeat and lingonberry chutney
- Main course: elk casserole with fennel rice and beetroot
- Dessert: white chocolate and coffee mousse with strawberries and chocolate strips
Salto always excels at this sort of thing, but on this occasion I must say that the dinner in Kebnekaise was slightly stronger. The bread was nothing short of fantastic, though, and the whole thing was nice enough – or would have been, had it not been for a clumsy German who somehow managed to splash candle wax all over my last set of clean clothes (and arm). Growl. Outside it continued to rain intermittently, but things were still lighter off to the west, and it was another pretty evening.