Sweden Part IV: Kungsleden Day 3

Day 3: Mieskajaure to Alesjaurestugorna

Day three was a short day: only 10 or 12 kms to our next destination: Alesjaurestugorna (Lake Ales mountain hut; are you getting the hang of Swedish noun-making, yet?  We were!)

Unlike the previous two days, it was dry and almost hot.  Nic, anyway, stripped to only one layer.  I was still wearing two.

Much of our path today involved bog, although our shoes and the ground were protected by more duckboard.  I guess this was because we were walking beside one big lake (Mieskajaure) after another (Alesjaure).  At the top of Alesjaure, we had the opportunity of hopping onto a boat to take us the distance of the lake (about 5kms).  Not in the least bit tempting; staying still to wait for the boat would have meant that we were sitting targets for the mosquitoes.  In any event, the cost was exorbitant and we enjoy walking.  Catching the boat would have meant we missed out on more mountain flowers and vegetation, the long-tailed skuas soaring and screeching like tiny dragons over our heads, the variation in the landscape as the path weaved from bog to the rocky beaches on the edge of the lake and saying, “hej” to the very few other walkers out, many, oddly, with dogs. [Nic: Dogs wearing little doggie-jacket/rucksacks, carrying their own food!]

Looking back the way we came: Alesjaure in the foreground, Mieskajaure in the background. A lot of water.

We saw our first Sami village, across the other side of the lake.  It was mostly lots of houses and huts, and some teepee-like structures.

The “mountain hut” at Alesjaurestugorna is actually a mini-town of about seven large buildings and quite a number of smaller buildings, comprising kitchen, sleeping quarters, shops and ablutions blocks.  It felt a little like re-entering civilisation, but ever-so gently.  Other people seemed to have settled in because there were drying tents and clothes flapping in the wind.  We paused here to buy provisions, impressed by the shop.  It had gas canisters, lots of food, including pasta and two minute noodles, chocolates and lots of tubes of weird flavoured paste that northern Europeans who hike seem to like.  We did not buy any of the pastes (they include shrimp flavour!) but did buy some postcards and stamps [Nic: as well as a backup pack of matches, as insurance against the unlikely but unfortunate eventuality of our lighter packing it in].  Alesjaurestugorna has a post office, so we made grand plans to send everyone postcards from here.  Our plans did not come to fruition.

Alesjaurestugorna is pretty well positioned.

We decided not to camp at Alesjaurestugorna and instead walked on perhaps a mile or so further, where we spotted a lovely plain of spongy grass with a fast flowing stream nearby.  Our home for the night had as great a view as last night’s but was picturesque to boot [Nic: And we rapidly came to appreciate the convenience of having flowing water close to hand.  All of the streams in the area are disease-free, so it is safe to drink straight from them.  A major advantage of this is that we never carried more than about 1/2 a litre of water each — there were plenty of streams!  A disadvantage of this is that it occasionally meant having to make several trips to the nearest water source in the evening to collect enough water for tea, cooking and ablutions.]

The stream near our campsite.

We each lazed about, me, writing in the little notebook I brought along and Nic scampering about taking photographs.  We read our books some too.  After a cup of tea, we explored a few of the surrounding mountains.  Climbing up offered us some fabulous views of the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges, a bird’s eye view of a Sami village, some scenic bouldering problems, and a patch of snow to play in.

A lovely site for a Sami village.

*****

Sweden Part I: Hej Stockholm !

Sweden Part II: Kungsleden Day 1

Sweden Part III: Kungsleden Day 2

All of the photos on our photo gallery.