Just think of how your knowledge of Swedish geography has grown over
the months of reading our blogging ramblings!
the months of reading our blogging ramblings!
It was quite a luxe trip as all the food was provided and we didn't have to carry any of it in! Ok, we had to carry our lunch with us each day, but that doesn't really count. This definitely made the trip much easier - 12 - 13 kg is plenty enough to carry on the back!
It was also really fun to pick up some Swedish hiking tips ... let me say that the packing list I was given included a 1L thermos, a sit-upon, and a cup for mixing hot soup and drinks on the trail! Talk about civilized. The first day I made tea directly in my thermos and did not take any of the soup powders offered to me (options included blueberry and rosehip soups in addition to potatoe leek and chicken noodle) - silly Jennie! True, I enjoyed my tea that day, but I will admit to feeling a bit envious of the spread of hot dishes others were enjoying. I quickly learned to fill my thermos with hot water and then mix up treats one cup at a time, permitting tea in addition to soups!
The weather forecast was incredibly grim going into the trip (five days of cold rain), but we ended up with three glorious sunny days, and only two incredibly foggy and rather damp days which made the trip all the better, to be sure.
I think I shall let the photos do the talking.
Day 1: Storulvån to Sylarna
Looking back towards Storulvån through the birch forest - the leaves had turned to a strong yellow but have come out rather flat here. I shall have to work on my autumn photographing skills!
First reindeer sighting of the trip ... stay tuned for a reindeer-intensive post, coming soon!
Sylarna Mountain Station
Day 2: Attempt one at reaching the summit of Syl Massif
Half way up the fog really started to block out our view.
This shot was taken about 30 minutes later. Note the ice on the rocks.
I failed to capture any pics from our fika (coffee) that we took amidst the snow and howling winds. I am sure you can appreciate why. It was, however, a great experience to be introduced to the wind sack, a light weight bag-like structure that you pull over a group of 2 - 4 people (depending on the size of said wind sack), and which does an amazing job of breaking the wind so some rest and nourishment can be enjoyed. We will definitely be investing in one of those before our next ski tour!
Day 3: Sylarna (Sweden) to Nedelshytta (Norway), via Syl Massif!
The next morning we awoke to MUCH better weather. And, after a wee bit of encouragement from yours truly, the guide and group decided to change the days hiking plans from going around Syl Massif to get to our end goal of Nedelshytta, to going up and over Syl Massif to get to Nedelshytta. But look at the day we had - can you blame me from wanting to hit the summit?!?
The final ridge to the top!
Looking down from the top over to the Norwegian side
And from the Norwegian side, looking back up.
I loved the colours and patterns of the greens and browns reflecting in the water. It reminded me a lot of hiking in Iceland.
2008 - Landmannalaugar trail, Iceland.
And one last shot of the first stretch of hiking on the Norwegian side.
This was a good, long day, and after 18,5 km we were glad to make it to our home for the night!
Note the thirsty hikers taking in a few cold ones and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine!
Day 4: Back to Sylarna ...
It was so foggy I didn't take a single photo. Our guide did an excellent job trying to describe the lovely vistas that were surrouding us, but we could hardly see 10 m ahead at times. What was cool was the use of GPS and some excellent orienteering skills to get us back on the path when we managed to wander astray part way through the day. After lunch the winds were blowing us all over the place, and I guess we managed to loose the path as we fought just to stay upright and move forward. I am quite keen on improving my orienteering and GPS usage, so this was a great learning experience for me! And there is the silver lining from that day :)
Day 5: Sylarna back to Storulvån
Breakfast buffet and sandwhich making.
They had two pots of porridge each morning - one straight up, regular, oatmeal porridge, and one 'experiemental' pot. This morning pictured above happened to be a quinoa porridge with raisins and sunflower seeds and some excellent spices: a definite hit with me! I wonder if they would be willing to share some recipes with the chefs at the UCPA kitchen in Chamonix?? When we were there over Christmas they (the UCPA chefs) attempted to make porridge to 'appease the Swedes' (as we were told), but routinely turned out some pretty grim gruel! Thank goodness we live in a country where they know there hot breakfast cereals!
Such graceful creatures
It really was such a lovely time of year up there and I thoroughly enjoyed thechanging colours and the crisp air. Autumn has definitely arrived! Heck, whilst sitting in a wind sack 3/4 of the way up a mountain trying to wait out a snow storm, I guess I can say I even got my first taste of winter. But, believe it or not, this winter loving gal had an underlying longing for snow on the trails and slopes: I am so looking forward to returning to these trails come winter for another round of top touring!
What everyone else saw ... (note the green 'kåsa' cup acquired mid-trip and thermos)
What I was dreaming about ...
3 comments:
spectacular scenery!
Great Reindeer pics! Glad you made it out and had a healthy and fun trip. I will look our for a vindsack with a window- maybe for my walk to work. :P
It sounds lika a nice trip. I need to test Jämtland hiking same day.
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