August 1, 2023, Kungsleden day 10
We woke at 00:30. A fisherman was plying the river and smoke was coming from the hut's chimney. The rain had stopped but the sky was 100% overcast. We made coffees, I took an Advil, and we packed up.
Being north of the Arctic Circle it was light enough to walk at 1:40. My shoes and socks were soaked so I switched to Neoprene socks.
There was still a chance of thunderstorms, and we had to traverse a high plateau. I couldn't move fast because I was in pain from yesterday's fall.
The plateau was enshrouded in mist/fog making it eerie. Patsy thought it looked beautiful. A herd of reindeer approached, then ran off. We made it down to the nominal end of the stage at 9:15 and set the tent next to lake Gistojávráti.
There are five stages between the Fjällstations at Kvikkjokk and Jäkvikk. We'd just finished the second stage.
Shortly after setting up the tent, it started to rain. We drank coffee, then fell asleep. I woke around noon and requested a forecast from the InReach. It didn't look good. More heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast with the best window being between 21:00 tonight and 7:00 tomorrow.
We started hiking at 19:30. The trail led through woods and then alongside a big river, the Pite, connecting two large lakes.
We crossed the river on a bridge and followed the wet, marshy trail along the river bank. It was raining again. We arrived at a camping area with a toilet and bench at 10 pm. I suggested camping here but Patsy wanted to continue, a decision she would regret.
From here on it was miserable. The marshy trail wound through wet trees before veering off to the right and climbing up to the high fell. We passed a solitary tent set up beside a lake enveloped in fog looking really forlorn.
We began to ascend the wooded hillside on completely sodden ground.
It was 2:00 by the time we reached a suitable flat, dry spot for our tent. Fortunately, there was no wind. We set the tent up and called it a night, or a morning. Whatever. We fell fast asleep.
August 2, 2023, Kungsleden day 11
We woke at 6:00 and it was still dead calm.
We packed up to hike along a rocky plateau in the middle of which was a Kåta, a traditional wood and turf structure with dirt floor used by the Sámi while herding reindeer. We thought it depressing so we kept going until we reached the general area in which was situated a lake, Gásakláhko.
No sooner had we set the tent up, at 11:00, than it started to rain. Only then did I realize I'd chosen a poor location and couldn't stake one of the side guy lines out because of a large underground rock. The rain and wind were increasing in intensity but we had to move the tent or we wouldn't be able to close one of the side flaps.
We moved the tent a foot to the side while the wind and rain was whipping around us. Moving heavy rocks on top of the stakes I tweaked my back so now I had a new pain. I could hardly move. It was horrendous.
I was in so much pain that I couldn't inflate my Thermarest. Patsy did this for me. I got relief by lying flat on my back on my Thermarest but suffered acute pain whenever I shifted position.
Patsy made hot water for coffee then we both crawled into the sleeping bag and slept. Upon awakening, Patsy suggested we eat something. The notion of dinner and breakfast was meaningless.
August 3, 2023, Kungsleden day 12
The rain actually stopped at midnight and the current InReach forecast said it wouldn't start raining again until around 8 am.
Patsy looked outside and said the water's edge was just a few feet from our tent. We decided to make a "run" for it. I took an Ibuprofen+Codeine, plus an Advil to blunt the pain. If I couldn't walk I'd have had to use the InReach's SOS button.
It wasn't raining, but it was still very windy.
We had a hell of a time packing up the tent with it flapping all over the place, but we managed to fold it up and began walking at 1 am.
The red-painted marker rocks are easy to spot in the distance in good, sunny weather, but we had some difficulty locating the trail when the path traversed rocky sections. It was fairly dark but still light enough to walk without flashlights.
We crossed the Vilitjånkå river on a bridge at 2:40 before crossing the Arctic Circle, defined as the northernmost point at which the sun appears above the level of the horizon on the winter solstice.
The path was a miserable swamp, many of the boards were broken and underwater. I had to be careful where I stepped because any unanticipated movement caused me a lot of pain.
Patsy wanted to stop and have a rest break but I just wanted to keep trudging on. The transition from sitting to standing caused me the most pain, consistent with a contusion of the right gluteus maximus.
We reached Vuonatjviken, the end of the stage, at 7:30. A Sámi family lives here and rents out a few cabins. We rented one for 2 nights.
Music by Eli Lev - Water - thmatc.co/?l=390CD7F1