Igloo camping - Part one - Construction time

After long period of gestation I finally got around to do my first backcountry skiing trip. Ever since I got my Grand Shelters Igloo tool I have had an irresistible urge to go out and actually sleep in an igloo instead of just playing in it (which is great fun for with the kids as well.). The first winter camping trip couldn't be a simple hut-to-hut affair, no, it had to be the whole shebang with igloo, ski pulk and a tent as a safety net.

We decided to go to Vålådalen in April in Jämtland as it is easily accessible from Stockholm and I'm familiar with the surroundings since I've been there twice in summer already. Luckily I also had Jesper as a friend who was willing to share the adventure. Big plans were made up looking at the map fantasizing about how much faster I would be able to move using my Paris pulk on skis instead of walking. These plans were then significantly modified after consulting the personnel at the Vålådalen fjällstation. I have a habit of making over-optimistic plans. In the end I think we moved somewhat slower than when I walked the same stretch in summer. We decided to rent skis at the Fjällstation. Wide waxless ones with steel edges. They worked well enough. Directly after getting the skis we packed the pulk and were on our way towards Smällhögarna.

Excited and ready to go next to Vålådalen Fjällstation

In the beginning things went smoothly on the flat bogs next to Vålådalen. The weather was good and skiing was easy. We had lunch in a convenient already prepared snow pit. No need to bring out the shovels. We had Korean spicy noodles with sausage. One of my favorite hiking lunches. Noodles just by itself is not too much fun, but with a good sausage thrown in, Montorsi Napoli Piccante in this case, it's great.

Jesper smiling - before the uphill stretch started

Jesper not smiling as much - but exercising very well

After Skaftet however the trail started to go uphill. As you might have noticed I try to pack light, but I'm a novice at winter camping and winter equipment is heavier. The weight of our shelters was also doubled since I wanted to bring a tent as backup should the Igloo building fail. My winter sleeping bag is also an old synthetic heavyweight from the eighties. I wouldn't be surprised if the pulk weighed around 20kg. Just the sleeping bag, tent and Icebox Igloo tool weighed in at around 7kg. Lots of kilos to be saved there. Going uphill this extra weight was surely felt.

Pulling the ski pulk uphill close to Skaftet. Heavy work.

The altitude difference between Skaftet and the tree line is scarcely more than 120m, but it was
enough to make us feel tired. Even during this heavy exertion I found that my Paramo Velez anorak worked very well. It has excellent zips on the sides and in the collar and with just an Aclima Merino Net underneath I didn't feel a need to take it off. Good stuff Paramo.

Jesper is happy to make a break at the designated igloo spot

A bit tired after the ascent to the tree line we decided to look for a spot for the Igloo about 4km earlier than I initially thought. Jesper also commented that it looked like there the snow coverage looked pretty thin higher up the mountain. It seemed safer to find a place with good snow further down. It was already 16H as well. We had a short look around and soon found a reasonably flat spot close to where the trail forks west towards Stensdalsstugorna. We dug a small pit and it seemed there was enough snow. It had piled up on the lee side of a an elevated part of the ground. On the flat parts the wind had left only a few centimeters. We also decided to put up the tent to have a place to rest during the building, a traditional three-person Bergans Compact Light that I bought to use as a winter camping tent.

Jesper carefully moves the Icebox form to the position of the next block

In the beginning the building work went very well. Even though Jesper hadn't tried it before he soon got the hang of it and I mainly worked with shoveling the snow. I had decided to try building a 9-feet three-person Igloo since I found the two person to be a bit small for my 193cm. Shoveling snow is the main work when building and I soon regretted not having taken the time to buy a bigger shovel. A twice bigger shovel gives you around four times as much snow volume for each round. The person who packs the snow is almost always waiting for the person shoveling, so the speed of shoveling is essential to the construction time. This time another complication also arose from the conditions in the field. The snow coverage was layered and it was just the top centimeters layer that was powder snow, the other layers were packed harder snow. This meant that the snow had to be crushed by trampling before packing in the form. A time-consuming task, but if not done well enough the blocks would break apart. Something that happened several times during the building.

3 1/2 hours later . many levels of blocks still left

I had estimated that we would put around 3-4 hours on the building. As it turned out it would take around 7 hours. I was indeed very happy to have brought the tent as a backup. Even though I had already constructed four Igloos this year there is obviously plenty more to learn about the technique. Part of the challenge I would say.

The reindeer also took an interest in the igloo

We continued the construction work for some more hours after sunset. We just wanted to get it done. It was getting colder however and after awhile I was starting to feel pretty cold and almost dizzy despite moving around shoveling all the time. Without really noticing we had worked well past dinner time. Not a good idea. By this time we had been physically active for almost 12 hours. We decided to retreat to the tent to get something to eat. Now I realized just how exhausted I was and it was somewhat difficult to do the cooking. I was very happy for all the insulating clothing I had brought (A Klättermusen Liv downsweater, a synthetic ITAB jacket and a pair of synthetic thermal trousers.). I've had the same feeling before and when reading Allen and Mike's really cool backcountry ski book I wonder if my condition could not be classified as early stages of hypothermia. I certainly felt cold and clumsy and interestingly enough shivering is not a prerequisite for hypothermia. This is especially true when people has exercised more than usual. Just my case.

Fortunately we had everything necessary to remedy the situation: A shelter, hot food and drink and lots of insulating clothing. After a hearty dinner of hoummous tortillas for starters, fried rösti and merguez sausages for main-course and rosehip-soup and almondcakes for dessert, I was starting to feel a lot better.

Before retiring to our sleeping bags Jesper went out of the tent and came back and said: "You've got to see this! The sky is amazing!"

Wonderful starry skies with a possible touch of Aurora borealis in the bottom left corner
(20s shutter time at ISO 3200, Sony Nex-5N, Sigma 30mm/2,8)

Using some of the last bits of energy I got out and set up the tripod for some long exposures. I think there was even some aurora borealis going on. I was too cold and tired to have a better look however. Too bad, who knows, I might have missed the Aurora of my life.

As usual the first nights in a tent I slept intermittently and was sometimes awoken by the flapping tent or the pleasant sounds of chirping Ptarmigans passing close to the camp. A portent for the day to come.

Close but no cigar - the last difficult blocks

The next day we awoke to a beautiful morning. The sun was shining through the tent fly and the tent had warmed up considerably. I slept very well through the morning hours. Slowly we ventured out of our sleeping bags and made breakfast. The usual oatmeal/blueberry soup/hazelnut mix. Now we were ready for finishing the roof of the igloo.

The last levels are the most difficult, especially with powder snow. The chunks of hard snow from  the hard layers did not make it easier. Several blocks broke and fell apart. Jesper did not have the same experience as me with this packing and maybe this also played a part.

Delicate snow packing at the last level

In the end we were a bit fed up with failing blocks so I decided to try something unorthodox: Why not close the hole with a traditional igloo block? The opening was so small now a small block would be enough to cover one side and then placing the Icebox form vertically we would be able to cover the other side to seal the hole. From the now packed snow around the igloo it was easy to cut a nice block. It worked nicely, although not beautifully, as it gave our igloo a big wart!

Necessity is the mother of invention - combining new and old igloo techniques creates an igloo wart

Finally the main construction was finished and we could now finally move on to some nice backcountry skiing and bird watching, but that's for part two. Stay tuned.

The Bushbuddy as a multi-fuel stove

Heating water for coffee on a hot summers day in the Stockholm archipelago

The Bushbuddy is a superb wood-burning stove. This is a well known fact. However, what is less known is that just the pot-stand can work well with alcohol burners and Esbits too. The big advantage of this is that you can have a backup solution if the rain is just pouring down and you don't feel like testing your fire-making skills just at that moment.

The Bushbuddy pot-stand

I've read that some hikers used the Trangia alcohol burner with success. I have only tried with a homemade Pepsi-can stove and that worked very well and also has the advantage that it is extremely light.
When using either alcohol or Esbits, a windshield becomes much more important than when using just wood as fuel is not unlimited (I tend to use a windshield with wood as well to decrease the boil times.). I simply use a folded piece of aluminium from a take-away dinner package. Those who find that too simplistic can probably find themselves some nice titanium at a premium.

 Setup for Esbit use - note the use of the stone and aluminium foil to get the flame at a good distance from the pot

For the Esbits to work best it is important that the burning base is at a good distance from the pot. I don't know what the exact distance should be, but around 3 cm seems good. See this review of Esbit stoves for more info. In order to achieve this I put the Esbits on a stone and a piece of aluminium foil. A more sophisticated solution would be to use something like a Gram Cracker, but frankly this is such a simple thing to build yourself.


Esbits or Alcohol?
What fuel to take as a backup system is a tricky question. Alcohol is easy to find, but it is a more complicated setup and can also add quite a few grams if you have a heavy burner. The Trangia burner, and I guess others as well has the advantage that they can be used for simmering though. Esbits have the important advantage that you can use an Esbit tab as a firestarter in combination with wood. You can also fly with Esbits checked in as far as I know (I have asked and done so on an international flight with the Esbits in the checked-in luggage, but that is no guarantee that all airlines will accept it.).

Field testing?
When it comes to proper field testing on real hiking trips I'm afraid I have to leave that as an exercise to the reader. Even though I bring Esbits on my hiking trips I haven't needed them yet, but I haven't been on any longer trips either. So far I have always found wood even above tree-line in wet conditions. Nevertheless my backyard testing seemed to indicate that the boil times for around 5dl of water was about 6-7 minutes with four small Esbits and probably something similar for alcohol. Perfectly acceptable for solo use I think. It would be nice to know what other peoples experiences are.

Scandinavian Blogger Meetup 2010 trip report

It's bit difficult to say how it all started, but the Bushbuddy wood-burning stove was clearly involved. Searching the web for information on Bushbuddy fuels I landed on Hendriks blog. A few comments later this blog was born and sometime later Hendrik started the discussion and all of the sudden I was involved in the Scandinavian outdoor Bloggers Meetup. It all sounded a bit too improbable, but here I was walking briskly into the Vålådalen wilderness with a bunch of merry lightpackers. That's the positive power of Internet and Social media for you.

The first kilometer I often feel a bit excited and a bit nervous, did I bring everything? are we on the right track?  Jörgen seemed to know this area like his own pocket and I soon calmed down and started taking in the early spring landscape.

Spring - the end of the beginning. In general very few flowers were in bloom.

Tibast (Daphne mezereum ? A poisonous plant.)

Our intended route did not really involve any difficult navigation though. In brief we would just cross Vålån south over the bridge, pass Blanktjärnarna, and then follow Vålån right up to the trail between Vålåstugorna and Lunndörrsstugorna. Then we would follow the trail past the Pyramids and Issjödalen (The ice lake valley). The last part would be through the forest past Grönvallen and end in Vallbo, a village near east Vålådalen where the sauna would await our arrival. One big obstacle worried me however, this path would require us to ford Lunndörrsån which promised to be full of water since it had been raining almost constantly the last few weeks.

Prepare for fording!

At first sight the stream really looked daunting, but looking closer you could see that it was not more than knee deep in any place. The current wasn't too strong either, but it sure was cold! A common dangerous beginners mistake is to try to ford at the narrowest point. A friend of mine did this on Kebnekaise and was swept away several meters and hurt himself quite badly on the rocks. It was not a pleasant experience. With patience and good judgment as to when to turn back there is seldom much to worry about. Having two trekking poles is also really great. I would never ford without at least one stick in faster water.

Hendrik feeding his Bushbuddy Ultra

After the ford we continued through the forest to the Blanktjärnarna tarns where we had lunch. Although I'm normally quite happy being the eccentric guy with the wood-burning stove, it was very nice to share experiences and the air was soon thick with smoke from no less then three wood-burners!

When it comes to food I had almost achieved my goal of not bringing any commercial freeze-dried food (I brought one bag of Knorr Spaghetteria which costs less than 2€ and I quite like it.). For the first lunch I had Ramen noodles and some gourmet Italian salami. It tasted great and was easy to prepare. Add enough salami and you should get plenty of calories too.

Joe "Thunder in the night" enjoying his new super light Evernew Titanium stove - The smile faded somewhat when the substantially longer boil times of the stove became apparent

After lunch we soon reached the banks of Vålån again. I must say I had some doubts as to the scenic qualities of our mostly forest bound route, but Vålån proved to be every bit as magical as Jörgen had portrayed it when we were planning the trip. Waterfalls, rapids, old growth forest and a nice backdrop of snow covered mountains created a great feeling of wilderness. Several times I thought to myself that this scenery reminded my of pictures from Alaska. No need to long for far and distant places, world-class wilderness was right here, right now, only a nights train ride from home. Even the persistent rain that continued throughout the day couldn't wash away those happy thoughts.

Alaska? No, Vålådalen!

Vålåfallet

Hendrik trying out the Gossamer Gear Murmur pack

Bushwacking through the forest off-trail can be hard on ultralight gear. I can admit I was slightly worried that the Sil-Nylon Murmur pack Gossamer Gear lent us for the trip would be damaged when brushing against spruce boughs and pushing through willows. Luckily I didn't find any obvious signs of wear after the trip even though I made no effort to baby the pack. Switching from the Spinnaker fabric used for the previous Whisper G6 pack to 1.3oz. Sil-Nylon was a good choice I think, even though it makes the Murmur twice as heavy! I suppose most people can live with a 36l pack weighing 224g.

When it was approaching dinner time we started to look around for a good campsite. There were plenty of alternatives around and we soon found a nice spot next to some rapids which provided a nice noise curtain which would later lull us to sleep.

The dining room - Conveniently located close to water and with a nice moss and heather "chaise longue" for Jörgen

Cooking with a mini cheese-grate borrowed from my children (photo courtesy of Jörgen Johansson, fjaderlatt.se)

For dinner I decided to prepare my most advanced meal - Barilla cheese tortellinis with grated Parmesan cheese and a delicious piece of heavy-weight bell pepper generously donated by Martin. It tasted great, but the cheese made it hell to clean the pot afterwards. Large amounts of earth and heavy scrubbing with moss was needed. After dinner there was much fun and rejoicing around the campfire and I suspect my good sleep was not only due to the rapids, but some destilled beverages might also have been involved. Hendriks Minttu and chocolate combo was especially appreciated.

Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape hung from a tree branch - I really like to pitch it this way as it makes for a huge living area since the center pole is not in the way

I went to sleep happy and content with the day under my Gatewood Cape. The air was very humid and I felt a bit cold in the middle of the night and had to put on my down sweater. At some point I was also awoken by the sound of Ptarmigans passing through our camp. After that I slept like a baby.

Still raining

The next day started with some hope of the rain receding, but alas that was not to be. The campfire made for a nice, albeit slow, morning start and after awhile we were on our way again along the bank of the stream. After an hour or so we started to gain altitude as we left Vålån to our west and made our way towards the trail to Lunndörrsstugan.

Hendrik posing in front of the Jokk (stream)

It was nice to change views for the more open spaces above the treeline, but I must say that in bad weather the forest definitely has it's advantages. The rain had picked up again and the clouds obscured the views. When planning the trip I had a wild idea to run ahead of everybody else and do a 5km detour into the Lunndörren U-valley. In this weather it didn't seem very tempting since the cloud base was lower than the valley anyway. So we just plodded on and forded a couple of cold streams. 

Up into the clouds 

For lunch we decided to use the facilities of the Lunndörrsstugan hut so that we could be sheltered from the rain and wind for awhile. This is possible to do even off-season when the huts are not attended and you pay later by bank transfer (The price was around 5€ I think.).

The hut was a bit too cosy I thought and I decided to try to prepare my lunch outside in the rain just to get some realistic training with the Bushbuddy. All the vegetation was really soaking wet, so it was a real challenge. With liberal use of birch bark, some dwarf birch branches and a dead mountain birch branch split into smaller shavings the fire actually caught on. Splitting the branch was really key in this situation. It was precisely for this case that I had brought my full size Mora knife. The water actually reached the boiling point just before my clumsy cold hands tripped everything over and the precious warm water was spilled on the ground. Clearly more training is needed. I had planned for a triumphant entry with hot food, but this time the warm hut and pleasant company was too tempting and I made a tactical retreat inside. My Ramen noodles and salami were prepared inside on the hut stove. 

The hut was as nice and comfy as only a welcomed warm shelter in bad weather can be. Our hardened hiker souls were exposed to the temptation of staying inside also for the night, but luckily we persevered and continued the hike towards Issjödalen. The weather stayed miserable and we had to posthole a bit across the snowfields that still blocked the trail, but nevertheless morale was high.

  Hendrik smiles under his borrowed umbrella. Maybe because he seemed to float on the snow when Joe was postholing

Above treeline between Lunndörrsstugan and Issjödalen (Photo courtesy of Joe Newton)

Wet cold feet (Photo courtesy of Joe Newton)

For the first time since I started hiking with wet feet my feet actually got cold even sometime after the fording. I suspect this has to do with several factors, one being the bad weather and relatively low temperature, but also that we postponed eating dinner and I was running out of energy (despite my Runekakor snacks.). I have also been told that if your feet and hands are cold it is often because your torso is cold. Maybe I should have put on my Ullfrotté shirt which I bring exactly for this purpose. After awhile I put on my Gator fleece wet socks and then my feet got warm again pretty soon.

Having passed the Pyramids we soon reached Issjödalen and the Kings hunting lodge. We considered putting up camp next to the lean-to in the valley, but it was still full of snow! After some deliberation we decided to continue walking and find some more sheltered spot in the forest. We lost the good views, but gained warmth as the forest sheltered us from the wind. Jörgen shared an old sentence that seemed apt for the situation: "The forest is the poor mans coat". For sure we could have stayed higher, but I doubt that dinner conversation would have been as long and happy as it was below the spruce branches. After all, chatting in front of the campfire was a goal in itself on this trip. It seemed there was not a single hiking topic you could not get an expert opinion on and there was hardly any piece of gear that had not been tested by at least one in the gang. Especially Roger of Nielsen Brown Outdoor fame was extremely well informed about all the cottage manufacturers and could provide good advice on almost all gear topics.

Joe watching bush-TV while drying his socks

After dinner I again retired to my Gatewood Cape castle under a large spruce. A woodcock bid as good night as it flew over with it's characteristic "phee-phee --- knorrrp knorrrp". I had a good nights sleep, although a bit hot and clammy in the morning since I chose to put on all my insulating clothing.

Pitching from a tree again - A bit awkward to creep in, but very comfy inside

The next morning we didn't have too many kilometers left and could walk with ease towards our finishing point in Östra Vålådalen. Near Grönvallen the path was completely flooded though so our feet got wet again right away. Soon the weather started improving and you could actually feel spring in the air for the first time during the trip. Around lunchtime the sun even started to make an appearance now and then. It was almost a surreal experience when you've had nothing but grey skies for the last two days. Resting in the sunshine after lunch was pure pleasure. Mindfulness is all the rage these days, no need to read books or take expensive courses, just go out in nature and feel the elements and you get loads of it.

Bushbuddy cooking the last lunch - the smoke is included for free (Photo courtesy of Joe Newton)

As we walked the last kilometers the weather improved even more and it was even warm. It felt a bit stupid that the nice weather would come just at the end, but better late than never.

Middagsvalen

Farmhouses in Vallbo and Ottfjället in the background

View from the bar - Anarisfjällen

Finally we reached our goal, Vålågårdens camping. A bit too soon really as I wished the trip would not end already. The owners provided excellent service even though the camping wasn't really open yet. The sauna was warm, beer and snacks were waiting and all our stored gear was still there. The shower and sauna after the long hike was a pure pleasure. More than one beer was consumed, and sitting chatting on the porch in the sunshine was a perfect ending for a superb trip. I haven't had so much fun in years. 

A lightweight solo trip to Vålådalen

On September 18, 2009 I went on a solo trip hiking trip to Vålådalen nature reserve in the north of Sweden. I have previously written a short post on the trip, but this was mostly to show the pictures. As I will soon be going there again with some blogger colleagues I thought I will would everyones appetite a bit before the hiking season starts.
A big advantage with Vålådalen, and most of the other mountain areas in Jämtland for that matter, is that it is easy to reach from Stockholm. There are very good train (and flight) connections to Östersund and then on to other destinations (with connecting transports) to the nearby destinations like Vålådalen, Storulvån and Åre. This means you can quite easily arrange for a 3 day trip and still only take one day off from work. Fortunately for me I also happen to have a friend in Östersund who very hospitably not only put me up for the night in Östersund, but also lent me his car during the weekend. I took the X2000 express train from Stockholm at around 16H and at 21H I was in Östersund after a comfortable journey. The next morning I took the car and drove 1,5 hours to Vålådalen. At around 10H I was on the trail (somewhat delayed by a work related call. I'm glad there is no cellphone coverage in the wilderness.).
The route
One of my main goals of the trip was to practice landscape photography. This meant I wanted to climb at least one high point to get some good views. I also wanted to walk as much as much as possible off trail. After reading Tore Abrahamsson's excellent book, "Okända fjäll" ("Unknown mountains"(in Sweden)), I knew that Storådörren and Lillådörren provided some nice scenery so I choose to set my sights on the peak Saalvantjahke which overlook these valleys. On the way there from Vålådalen mountain station I would also pass the Pyramids, Issjödalen and Lunndörrsstugan (a hut). From Saalvantjahke I would slowly get my way back to the trail and continue past Vålåstugorna (also a hut) and then back home to the Vålådalen mountain station. The total distance of this route was around 60-70km. A bit on the far side perhaps, but this was my only chance of hiking this year, so I wanted to make the most of it. Most of the trip was on trail, but that was the price a I had to pay in order to be able to get so far into the area.

Through the forest
The first part of the trip was the most uninteresting as it passes through old forest and you don't get many views. The weather wasn't too good either with a light rain and an overcast sky. I met two women who commented that the ground was very soggy. Funnily enough I hadn't even noticed that, despite the fact that I was wearing trailrunners and thin trousers that get wet in an instant. The forest is still nice though since it is old and untouched. You also pass close to some nice moors.

A dead pine tree on a moss 

Almost at the end of the forest I reached the Saami camp of Grönvallen. Here I met a nice swiss couple who where out for a day-hike. I decided to have lunch here, although it was a bit early. It's always nice to have company, and at Grönvallen there is also lean-to with already prepared dry wood which made the Bushbuddy cooking a breeze (This is definitely cheating though.).

A atream near Issjödalen

About two kilometers after Vålådalen the scenery starts to open up a bit more when you enter the gorgeous Ice lake valley. Luckily the weather also improved at this stage. This valley was shaped by water during the ice age. This is true of almost all places in Sweden, but here it so visible since an old river of meltwater has left a nice moraine. You can clearly see how the water was running if you look at satellite photos.

Issjödalen - The Ice lake valley

Another interesting formation, also clearly visible in Google Maps, are the "Dead Ice Pits". These are pits formed by leftover ice in the sand. From above the terrain looks almost like a moon landscape with craters.

A dead ice pit in front of the kings hunting lodge

The Swedish king also has hunting cabin here. Ptarmigan hunting is very popular in this area. This year however there was no hunting, since there were not enough birds due to a very cold spring and otherwise poor conditions. The amount of Ptarmigans is mostly dependent on the temperature during spring and the amounts of rodents available, not hunting. Rodents, mostly Lemmings, are the staple food of the Ptarmigans predators: birds of prey and foxes. If the predators can't find enough rodents, they will eat Ptarmigans instead. Luckily, despite the scarcity, I saw six Ptarmigans on the trip.
After the Ice lake valley I wanted to see the famous "Pyramids". These formations are also creations of the great ice cover.

The pyramids

The path to the pyramids was a very pleasant plateau overlooking the valley. It felt great to be on the mountain, especially since the sun started to appear here and there.
After this plateau the trail towards Lunndörrsstugorna follows a nice ravine. Which I failed to get a nice shot of. Why didn't I take the time to get a good shot? That stupid branch is really annoying. I was probably in too much of a hurry to reach the sauna in time.

The ravine between the pyramids and Lunndörssstugan

Not far from the mountain hut a flock of migrating geese flew by. It was the end of the season for them too. Not long after I arrived at the hut and decided that the lake and the sauna were definitely worth a visit. A bit too luxurious, but the place just looked to inviting.

The lake at Lunndörrsstugan in the evening sun

After the sauna it was time for dinner. Despite the rain during the day, it was no problem to find suitable dead twigs for the dinner fire.

The Bushbuddy with all the fuel needed for dinner

The evening sun made scenery even more beautiful. I had never been to the mountains in fall before. I had heard that the colours are nice, but I hadn't imagined it could be this good. This nice time slowed me down however and when I started on the trail again I noticed I was behind schedule. It's seldom a good idea to look for a good campsite when it's dark. My initial plan was also to set up camp near the treeline at Tväråkåtan and it was now clear I would not have time to reach that spot.

Getting dark and still some way to go

Luckily I did not have too much difficulty in finding a site and soon my Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo was up and the Bushbuddy was put to work again to make me some hot blueberry soup. It's always nice to get a hot drink and some extra energy in the body before going to bed. The evening was a bit on the chilly side and there was also a slight cold breeze. The Lunar Duo is a single skin tent and as such it is a bit colder than a double skin. I had decided to pitch the tent pretty high to avoid condensation, but in hindsight I should perhaps have pitched lower to avoid some of the cold airflow through the tent. I could also have used the bivy bag I had with me. I slept fairly well anyway though. But I could not say I was completely warm all the time.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo set up for the night

When the morning came I made breakfast consisting of oatmeal, minced hazelnuts and blueberry soup. I had a small plastic bag with the mix already prepared for each breakfast. Having devoured this hearty meal I was ready for the climb up to Saalvantjahke. I was now completely off-trail and I enjoyed every minute. Finally I was making my own way. My chosen route on unknown ground, as the motto is for orienteering in Sweden. I was afraid that solo hiking would be boring, but I found that there was always something interesting to think about. How is the weather going to develop? Where will I put up the tent? What's the best way up the slope? What was that sound, etc etc. Near Tväråkåtan I saw the remnants of an old Saami Lavvu (Teepee) site.

Stone ring from the firepit of a Lavvu

Near this place I also caught a short glimpse of a female elk. It ran away as all the other elks would later do this hunting season. Soon I was above the tree line and the views started to open up.

Mountain birch

As I was approaching the top I started to think about finding fuel for a lunch break. Now was a particularly good time to practice Bushbuddy cooking in alpine surroundings (Well, a bit too easy really since there was no wind and rain.). At first glance it did not look very promising. Very little vegetation was to be found.

Above the tree line on Saalvantjahke facing west

A closer look however revealed an abundance of dry wood. The ground here is also so well drained that these crowberry roots dry very quickly. I only needed a few minutes to gather enough fuel. In rainy conditions things could be more difficult and you need to search for branches that have been sheltered from the rain.

Dry crowberry roots - Excellent and abundant fuel

Now it was time for a photo session. The view from Saalvantjahke was every bit as good as I had hoped. Both the Lillådörren valley and the Storådörren pass where well in view. Luckily for me the sun had also chased a way most of the clouds.

Lillådörren

Storådörren

Unfortunately I had forgotten to fill my waterbottles, fuel might have been abundant, but water not, so the lunchbreak was transformed into a less substantial snack break consisting of blueberry soup. It turned out I was not the only one to have enjoyed this spot for eating. Some bird of prey, likely a buzzard, had left parts of a Ptarmigan here. On my way down I was lucky to actually see four live birds (Ptarmigans).

A Ptarmigan foot

Going down from Saalvantjahke you could say that I reached the peak of scenic satisfaction. The valley with the Tronnan-stream was just too beautiful; the colors, the calm, the wilderness, the warm weather, at this point I even needed to curl up the arms of my shirt. I needed to take a break again in order not be afflicted with the hillwalkers equivalent of the Stendhal syndrome.

Resting among blueberries

After having rested comfortably on my Jysk foam pad on the heather and feasted on the ripe blueberries I gently strolled down to the stream and started to think about the upcoming ford. The water was very shallow so fording was a piece of cake. My feet got wet of course, but after five minutes I had forgotten about that. Some walkers put on gore-tex socks or SealSkins before fording, but I must say I find that completely unnecessary as long as the temperature is not too far below 5C or so. When walking my feet get warm so fast anyway.

The Tronnan stream

A few kilometers downstream I started to get hungry again and it was time for a proper lunch. I brought commercial freeze-dried food of different variaties on this trip for all major meals. I cannot say I was happy with any of the bags though. They were all edible, but all of them had some artificial flavor. The next time I will try to prepare my own dried food. The meal was made a lot better by the company though. A flock of reindeer joined me for the meal. A trip to the Scandinavian mountains is never fully complete without a reindeer encounter.

Reindeer as lunch company

My last few kilometers of off-trail travel provided for more photo opportunities. It's no wonder that many artists like to paint pictures of the mountains in the fall.

A good motive for Helmer Osslund?

Having passed through the Helmer Osslund painting I soon arrived on the marked trail again. It was with somewhat mixed feelings. On the one hand I was happy to have navigated correctly, but it also meant that due to time constraints the rest of the trip would now be almost exclusively on well-beaten paths. One day of bushwacking in the wilderness was all I would get this year.

The bridge over Vålån

Now there was not too much time to stroll around anymore. I needed to keep up the pace in order to have some safety margin for the next day. I put the long leg ahead of the short one as we say. When I arrived at Vålåstugorna I was actually a bit tired. Although going off-trail is more enjoyable, it also a lot more taxing. Especially when you gain and lose altitude.

Vålåstugan mountain hut

At Vålåstugorna I had a short rest and stocked up on some fruit soup. The rest stop would be short however, and I got some exercise of another kind here as I was kindly asked if I could chop some firewood for the winter.
Now it was getting a bit late, but I anyway wanted to push on a few kilometers more. I set my sights for the slope of Smällhögarna which seemed to provide a nice scenic campsite. On the way up I was lucky again and saw another flock of Ptarmigans which took off just a few meters from my feet.

Campsite above Kroktjärnarna

I wanted to camp high to try out my new tent a bit. There was not much wind to talk about, but still enough to get the fly to flap around. The Lunar Duo takes a bit more time to set up correctly compared to a tunnel- or dometent. I think the weight savings is definitely worth it in the summer though. 1,3kg for a roomy two person tent is not much. This time I pitched the tent with the fly all the way down to the ground to avoid draft. This was probably a wise choice as I felt warmer during the night and the small breeze removed almost all condensation anyway.

Even though I was toasty in my sleeping bag, I did not feel all well anyway. A flu had started to set in. I couldn't really sleep well. The upside of this was that I didn't oversleep the sunrise. I had the longest photo session during the trip and had some fun playing with different exposure settings.

Sunrise

In the morning I packed up and set out in the ultralight style without a real breakfast. This way the hike quickly got my body warm and when I sat down for breakfast a kilometer later I could enjoy the meal better.

Breakfast

The rest of the hike was pretty uneventful and I just hiked as fast as I could in order to have plenty of time to relax at the mountain station in Vålådalen. It was a real pleasure to have a hot shower after all the hiking. After eating lunch in the restaurant I was back in the car towards Östersund. As happy and content as a man can be.