Nordkalottleden 2021

Wind calmed down over night and so I could get some decent sleep. Until the very early morning when winds picked up again and started to rattle on my tent more and more vigorously. To a point where I got seriously scared. So I opted for a quick breakfast and started to pack up.
I made a plan. I had two options. Back out of this storm and go back to the last settlement where there would have been some sort of hikers retreat some kilometers away or push through. Go over the last pass and make it to the valley over at Torneträsk. A 14km stretch to the Norwegian cabin (which are all closed due to Covid), or 17 to the one on the Swedish side. That meant going all the way probably without a chance for a stop. I dressed warm, my fleece, a hat, gloves and waterproof socks, rain pants and jacket. Will it be enough? I have to keep moving, otherwise hypothermia would come at me fast.
The decision was already made, I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere when weather would get even worse the coming days, and so I got out of the tent just to see that two of the stakes had already loosened dangerously and were more like dangling than anything. The tent shaped like a banana. Seems I made the right call to leave early and tear down the tent myself before the wind does.

So I started hiking towards Sweden. Some kilometers in and I realized the conditions were just as bad as I imagined in my worst scenario. But I kept on hiking and soon I made it past the point where turning around would still have made any sense. Sometimes the wind was so strong I struggled to stay on my legs. Hard rain and hail followed each other and the wind made sure it landed straight in my face.
But then there were some corners where it was just completely calm miraculously. Sometimes the clouds would open up and allow me a glimpse of what I was walking through, a deep canyon, ravines, glaciers and sometimes even parts of those impressive mountains. Sometimes I could even spot some blue in the sky or even spot the sun peeking through. And just a minute later icy rain would slap me right in the face again.
After four hours and a while going downhill I spotted the first parts of Torneträsk and I knew I had made it. Hard to describe that feeling when a somewhat risky plan works out. A mix of relief, joy, pride and hope.
Seeing it from up there Torneträsk looks gigantic. It’s so big it’s hard to fathom. You feel like a tiny ant.

I stopped by the Norwegian hut but of course it was closed, so 3 more to the next. Pålmostugan is an old moldy, wet, cold and dark cabin. Not really inviting you for a stay. If you made a fire it sure would reveal its charm but not for me this time. So I didn’t stay longer than I needed. Just eat and rest my legs for a while. If I just made it to the highway I could probably make it all the way to Abisko. What’s 22km more if you just made 17, right? And so …

To my big dismay the trail down to E10 is just horrors. The Swedish maps I have are not detailed enough and so it looked like an easy walk on flat terrain. Instead you’re climbing up and down, up and down through steep birch forest. And everything you think this was the last effing hill there’s yet another waiting for you. No chance to camp anywhere around here. Except for one spot maybe.

Once I reached E10 it’s just another short stretch through the forest and you reach some sort of ATV track that more or less leads you all the way to Abisko. My feet burn, my heels ache but the promise of a fabulous breakfast next morning kept me going.Read more