Day 11 – 30 Jun, Lake Ruhkojavri to Bojobaeskihymtta Hut

(19km, total 232.5km, 5 h 5 , 0810 to 1315)

Video: Video Day 11

I had a really awful sleep last night and surprisingly it was not the wind that caused the issue. When I got into my sleeping bag my calves were on fire and it felt like people were repeatedly poking them with pins. My thighs were also a little sore. Then I started shivering uncontrollably. For a change I was actually warm in my sleeping bag so I was confused about the shivering. It was full body uncontrollable shakes. Eventually I fell asleep only to wake at 0200 roasting hot. I threw off my hats and ventilated the sleeping bag but I was on fire. I then proceeded to wake approximately once an hour, with a raging thirst which I could not satisfy.

Then at 0730 a quad bike rode up the hill behind me. I finished my morning routine and was about to pack up my tent when another quad bike rode up and we had a short conversation. The reindeer were about 3km back on the lake edge so I would not see them unfortunately. The Sami said they have 1200 reindeer but I don’t think they are all in one herd. That would be impressive to see if it was.

Once I was packed up I headed around the hill to the trail. As soon as I left the shelter of the trees the freeing wind slammed into me and I put my wind shirt under my rain jacket and my gloves on with hood up. There were no trail markers which was strange but it was pretty obvious that the track climbing the hill beside the lake was the correct track so I continued heading up the climb.

After about an hour there was another Sami on quad bike looking for the two others and he did not seem happy they were so far ahead.

As I was getting near to the top of the hill looked across to the right and saw some cairns going down the ridge parallel to the track I was on. I headed across and was cross country following the cairns down to a crossing between two lakes.

There the trail followed a vehicle track and I saw my first reassuring flash of red for the day. Now the trail became monotonous with wide open landscapes and on and off vehicle tracks up gentle rolling hills with lakes to the left and right, continuously.

I was feeling tired and happy I was only having a short day today. I am not sure if it was tiredness affecting my mood or just the unrelenting wind and similar looking terrain.

Finally there was a descent ascent and 360 degree views from the top.

There was a good descent and now the track was up and down through streams and frequently through small groves of trees. There was no vehicle track an I stated enjoying myself a lot more.

While it is faster following vehicle tracks it is not as interesting I was stopping frequently for breaks as the sun had made a appearance and when in the trees the wind eased a little. I put more sunscreen on to protect my legs. I first noticed a rash on day 6 after I put sunscreen on and sat against a rock. I am not sure if I reacted to the sunscreen (unusual as it is my normal brand), brushed against something on the rock or was just extremely sunburnt. The skin on the back of my calves is bubbles and very sensitive, especially when scraping against shrubs. Maybe the sun was getting through more than I expected on the overcast days.

Strange rash on my calf

The track started dropping into the trees and I warmed enough to take off my gloves and raincoat off for the first time in days. I passed a sign for the hut but it was then another km to get there.

Toilet with polystyrene seat

Emergency shelter I ended up sleeping in

Main hut

Entry room

There were three buildings, a small one that looked locked, the toilet block, complete with polystyrene seat to stay warm in winter and the main building.

I used my DNT key for the first time and entered a tidy entrance way and then the hut itself. It was lovely with 5 bunks, one almost a double, a table, bench, gas stove and cupboards with cutlery and pots. It smelt a little like cigarette smoke so I opened the door and tried to open the windows. They have solid iron shutters over them and I could not work out how to get them open. I tried to prise the middle locking bar off with no luck. I then opened the window from inside and felt around for a catch but noting.. Finally after walking in and out to both windows several times I saw a bolt behind the curtains. Once that was undone the locking bar outside lifted off and the windows opened.

After taking my shoes off I decided a hot drink was next. There was a propane bottle with an attachment I had not seen before. I figured out how it worked but could not get the gas working. There was a folder with instructions for the gas which talked about a valve in the cupboard but there was no valve. Finally I gave up when I saw there was a cooking stove gas canister I could use instead.

I headed outside loving the sunlight examining the ugly site of my legs. I put some Manuka Balm on them. I was getting a little cold so I lit the fire with the previous persons rubbish. Now I drank hot drinks and read the hut book, of which there were a couple of entries in English. I filled it in and was relaxing when I heard boots clumping out side.

Looks like I would have company for the first time on the trail. A man walked in and said there were 6 of them so I would have to move to the other hut. I was a little taken aback but as the evening progressed realised they were lovely people, and the comment was not meant in the way it came across – language mishaps. I had good chats with the Uncle and the wife learning heaps about Norway. I finally have the name for the really annoying bird. It is a Vipa. And what I thought were ptarmigan were actually Rype. There was even a picture of it in the hut.

There was absolutely no pressure for me to move until bed time and they were very welcoming. I found out they even lit the fire in the other hut to ensure it would be warm when I moved across.

I had dinner while they prepared sausages, bread an some Real Turmat, the equivalent of Backcountry Cuisine in NZ. I should have been smarter and not chosen a flavour that I had previously thought was really nice when the smell of sausage permeated the cabin. The flavour actually wasn’t nice. However I was given a chocolate bar for desert which tasted fantastic. As I left to the other hut one of the girls gave me a Real Turmat to try. It was an enjoyable evening and I even got to do a little show and tell, which doesn’t need much encouragement for me to do.
The other hut was roasting and I enjoyed a good sleep.

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