Day 51 – 17 Aug, Kvepsendalskooia Shelter to Sauvasshytta Hut

(24km, total 1267 km, 7h 50m, 0810 to 1600)

We all started getting up around 0700. I had my normal breakfast of the meal replacement shake, muslea and fresh blueberries and was packed quickly. Before heading in separate directions we took a photo which is a bit more unique than the others.

Great bunch of guys

It was quite cold when I started and though it wasn’t raining I had my hood up for warmth. Once again there were heaps of reindeer. My foot still felt good and I had good energy, probably as I was going downhill to start.

The trail continued down the valley with the track alternating between ok and boggy, with more today being wet boggy track. There were a couple of light showers but generally it was ok.

At the end of the valley the trail dropped into the trees with more swamps, some of which had boardwalks.

Huge mushrooms, shoe in picture is US Mens 10.5

I was stopping frequently to gorge on blueberries which were supplementing my snacks nicely. I had a few cloudberries but I still find the taste a little strange. There were also some red berries but I don’t know if they are edible so I am leaving the alone.

After a river crossing there was a really wide bridge then a final short section and I was at Kvitsteindalstunet Hut. There was a dog outside one hut that was barking and not happy at me passing. The guys had mentioned seeing a girl and dog an hour before the hut. I started walking off but the girl came to the hut door and it was the Norwegian girl I had last seen getting off the train at Katterat. Now she was finished with the Sweden trails she had picked up her dog to finish her trail with.

From the hut there was a defined track which headed across some swamps then started climbing quite steeply. To start with it seemed like the track was a stream but as I got higher it dried out a little. I was close to the Swedish Border so the lakes I could see to my left were mainly in Sweden.

Steep wet and muddy climb – great fun

After a slight drop and another climb it was a drop to an intersection and I turned right. Now I was descending to the side of swamps in an area full of blueberries so I was stopping frequently.

Missing bottom step makes this very difficult to climb for short people like me

There was actually blue sky above me and some sun so I took off my raincoat. Getting closer to the river it was swampy and I had my first fall in ages. I fell just on the edge of a wet patch so only the side of my shorts and shoulder was wet, very lucky considering how wet it was there. I couldn’t see what I tripped on but it was probably buried in the mud.
After crossing the river the frequent mushrooms were even more numerous in this section. I started climbing up though the trees and into the open. I thought being so high the track would be good but the next 4km were almost constantly in boggy trail or swamps. It was slow going and quite tiring.

I was just about to stop and have lunch when it started raining. I thought it would be a shower as there was still some sun, and a couple of rainbows, but the light rain stayed. I decided to hold off on lunch and had more nuts and chocolate bars.
There was a lake below and the track skirted around above this and then started climbing.

As I started climbing the rain got really heavy and stayed heavy for nearly an hour. The wind was driving the rain head on which was not pleasant. Thankfully though the track had disappeared the trail markers were good so I only had to look up every couple of minutes. The climb was much steeper than I was expecting and seemed to go on for ages. Once it flattened out a bit it was still climbing alternating between small patches of rock and lots of swamp or boggy track. Just as I was entering an area with snowfields the rain eased off. My shorts were soaked as my rainskirt bunched up due to the steep hill I was climbing. The rest of me seemed dry. While the rain stopped there was a bitterly cold wind. One of the snow patches had a channel and the snow was well over my head height, no wonder it had not melted yet.

Below the snow patches the ground was really soft and unstable so I hopped on the rocks, went up between snow patches then followed the ridge to the trail markers. I had to put on my gloves as my hands were freezing. Now it was 1 ½ km of descent, mainly on grass but with several patches of wide shallow streams. Lower down was big rock slabs which I weaved through, up a final hill and the hut came into sight, perched between two lakes.

I decided that even though I had not done many km I was tired from slogging on the boggy tracks and would stop now. The sign said only 12 km to Umbukta where I was hoping to get a hot meal and probably would not open until 1000 or 1100.
After grabbing some water and washing my socks of the mud I lit the fire and had some food. I set my tent up in the middle of the room to dry off as well.
I had the hut to myself and the fire quickly warmed the hut, to a temperature almost too warm. It was sunny outside for about an hour but then the ran came again so I was happy in a hut and not walking still.
At 2000 the Norwegian Girl arrived but decided to continue on a few more km and set up her tent as she was finding she started really late when staying at huts.
For the first time there was a book in english so I read. It was about a boy who was friends with a Grizzly Bear in USA. I was sitting on the couch with my legs elevated on cushions but I think there was fleas or some other insect in the cushion as I was bitten all over my ankles and calves.
I went to bed at 2230 but was woken by a loud bang at 2330 as two people arrived. They had dogs so went to the old hut to sleep but did use the kitchen. I was quickly back to sleep and had the best sleep in a hut so far.

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