ROAD TRIP (Days 8 and 9) - Swedish Lappland Revisited

This is the second time this year I have been to Kiruna and I realised that the first time I was here, I hardly actually saw the town by daylight. I was last here in the dead of winter, so daylight hours were short. There was only the hike from the train station with all our gear in search of our hostel, and the mad dash from the hostel to the bus station to catch the bus to the Ice Hotel, again with all our gear. My mind, at that time, was not focused on taking in the surroundings. Kiruna is actually not a very pretty town. It has very little to offer in itself, as far as I can tell…which is probably why we hardly spent any time in town when I was here last.

After the visit to the Ice Hotel, we caught a taxi to the airport. The taxi driver was a nice chatty chap, who wanted to know about our trip and our impressions. He told us that we should return in the summer, because the area is much more beautiful then. Having in fact been back in the summer, and seen the area in all its green glory, I beg to differ. I would probably return to the area again in the summer, for the simple purpose that I hope to one day hike the Kungsleden trail which begins at the Abisko National Park, about 100km north of Kiruna. It is a 400 something km hike, which is unimaginable in the winter. Other than that for that reason, winter would be the only season I would return to the area.

Everything seemed almost magical to be when I was here in the winter. I was delighted by everything I saw and loved every moment out in the wild. In the summer, every moment out in the wild is preceded by 5 minutes of intense spraying of mosquito repellent, and the incessant taking off of layers when the sun comes out from behind the clouds, and the putting on of layers when the clouds shadow the sun again. The never-ending fields of snow and snow covered trees are replaced by trees blocking the view in every direction.

The visit in winter lit a spark in me. Even then, I was certain that I would return. That I wanted to return in the winter. More than that though, it sparked a desire to see more of the far north. Well, I suppose to the rest of the world, where I live now is already considered the north, perhaps even the far north. I suppose by those standards, I mean the extreme north. Taking the Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, for example, and a visit to Svalbard has become a must-do on my list, although these will probably have to be summer activities. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can feel the thought forming (although I am still denying to myself that the thought is forming, so I am actually not acknowledging that it is there) that I should perhaps see if I could find out about getting to the North Pole. Not that it is something I would undertake in the near future. At least, not without a job to pay for what will no doubt be a very, very expensive trip.

I digress. The point I was trying to make, was that this visit in summertime served only to make me all the more certain that I wanted to return, and only in the winter. The next time, I would perhaps go further up to Abisko. And I would perhaps come in December, while the sun is hidden from this part of the world. And perhaps I would spend more time in the wilderness. I have no such plans to return in the summer.

Not that we have not enjoyed our stay in the area. We rented a little cabin close to a lake in the evening of Day 8. Our big tent was still broken then, and I really needed a break from the lack of space that comes with living in a tent and travelling in a fully packed car. We had a quick glass of wine with our landlord who was Swiss-German and therefore no doubt quite glad to have people to speak German with. After that, we stayed in the cabin, lounged on the couch and watched television. I busied myself packing away the dirty clothes and bringing clean clothes to the top of the bag, repacking stuff in according to how often I have needed things in the last week, and such like. At Kiruna, we got our tent fixed and stocked up on alcohol at the last Systembolaget before the border to Norway. At Abisko, we stopped for a short walk to check out an unexpected canyon where we discovered people abseiling. 

Hunny Bear on the golf course

And finally, before we crossed the border into Norway, we stopped at Björkliden for a short round of golf.  The golf itself sucked, really. The rented clubs were horrible to play with and the course was more bramble and rocks than actual grass. As we were high up and quite exposed, it was also windy and cold. By the end of nine holes, my hands and ears were frozen. It is, however, undoubtedly the most interesting course I have ever encountered. The scenery was unbeatable. The course overlooks the Torneträsk (Lake Torne, from which the Torne River flows, from which the Ice Hotel gets its building blocks every year) and is surrounded by snow patched peaks. There were even patches of snow on the course. A round there is a combination of hiking and golfing, and I am not convinced that the latter was the main activity. One hole was particularly spectacular. The tee was on the edge of high ground, and the green was about 150 metres below us, surrounded by woods. My shot landed, of course, in the woods. It was definitely a worthwhile stop. It meant that we did not manage to cover the 164 kilometres between Kiruna and Narvik in a day, but it was a small price to pay for a very enjoyable experience, frozen ears and hands notwithstanding.

The trip so far:

Day 1(SE) –Visited with Anya and Daniel at Daniel´s parents´ place at Sandsjöfors. Stayed in the summer cabin at Uppsjön

Day 2 (SE) – Campsite in Stockholm

Day 3 (SE) – Campsite in Stockholm

Day 4 (SE) – Sala Silvergruva, Övre Hedesundsfjärden (the site of one million mosquitoes)

Day 5 (SE) – Close to Hällan (the imaginary horse)

Day 6 (SE) – Campsite close to Docksta

Day 7 (SE) – Via Ferrata, dinner at Bjuröklubb, camped somewhere along the E45 between Storforsen and Jokkmokk (broken tent incident)

Day 8 (SE) – Crossed the Artic Circle, Jokkmokk, Gällivaare and Kiruna. Stuga at Alttajärvi, about 20km south of Kiruna

Day 9 (SE/NO) – Kiruna, golf at Björkliden, crossed the border into Norway, camped on the edge of the fjord a few kilometres outside Narvik.