During the night rain sets in. It’s the first time our tent is getting wet, as the sun was always shining last year. I sprint out again to collect a few things that we don’t want to get wet. Then we doze off to the gentle patter of the rain, thinking about the path to Rävfallsstugan the next day.
The sun is shining again in the morning, and our friends the mosquitoes are already awake. We have breakfast standing up because there are plenty of midges near the ground, in addition to all the mosquitoes. We feed Lando in the middle of the bridge because it’s a little shelter from the insects.
Bridge construction sites in the middle of the wilderness – road maintenance under difficult conditions
Then we set off, continuing a little further across the plateau where we had already hiked yesterday. We keep making good progress and soon reach the two bridges, which are close together and indicate that we are close to the forest line. A new bridge is being built next to the first one. The front loader is ready, but no work is being done. I have lost all sense of time and only in the evening do I realize that it is Saturday. Of course, no one in Sweden is working on such an unimportant construction site on the weekend.
As we get close to bridge number two, we can see that the bridge is broken and lying in pieces by the side of the trail. We use the remains of the bridge for a short snack break and wonder how the construction machinery gets up here. Then we wade through the river, which is easy to cross here. It seems like the bridge is more necessary for quads, which are taking the same route as us.
Just before we reach the tree line, we meet a young Asian woman who doesn’t speak much English. Her backpack is huge, and she can barely get it on her back by herself. She doesn’t make a good impression on us, and seems to be quite mentally and physically exhausted. We’ll find out why over the next few hours on the section to Rävfallsstugan.
Down to Vindelälven through a fjäll forest
The path now leads us steeply downhill through a rather overgrown primeval forest to Vindelälven. Stopping is out of the question because of the mosquitoes. Also, everything is muddy and there are dead birch trees everywhere on the path. It’s a good thing we only have to go downhill here and not uphill. At the bottom, the Kungsleden meets a two-lane quad trail that leads straight to Rävfallsstugan. We’ve only got two kilometers to go to the hut when we both suddenly feel exhausted. We’ve probably eaten too little and now there’s no energy left. We trudge slowly and on shaky legs to the hut, where we take a break for almost three hours.
Rävfallsstugan cabin
The cabin has a large open room with a kitchen, two seating areas and a bunk bed. Two other rooms with an additional 12 beds are locked. You can borrow the key at Ammarnäs Livs and pay the overnight fee there. This is somewhat impractical for Kungsleden hikers, as you can’t get back there. There is a sauna by the river about 100 meters from the hut.
More information: www.naturkartan.se
Loud roar of the Rävfall waterfall
Before we continue, we take a moment to look at the Rävfall, a nine-meter-high waterfall on the Vindelälven, without our backpacks. The Vindelälven is already a large river here, and the waterfall is pretty impressive.
With our backpacks, we head uphill again behind the Rävfallsstugan. With each step, we get closer to the tree line. On this side of the valley, however, progress is much easier. After just over an hour, the vegetation becomes smaller and sparser. We refill our drinking systems at a river, as we probably won’t get any more water until we reach Ammarnäs. Then we tackle the rest of the ascent and find a great spot with a unique view just before the summit!
A change in the weather and a broken tent
After dinner, we sit comfortably in the tent and I take notes about the day on my smartphone so that I can put together a proper text later. All of a sudden, a gust of wind comes up, pushes against the tent from the side, and also grabs under the floor. I support the tent wall from the inside, and Manuel jumps right out. As the weather was so nice, we hadn’t properly guyed the tent, which turned out to be a big mistake. The wind doesn’t let up, and a storm rages from one second to the next. I’ve never experienced such a rapid change in weather!
Manuel’s attempt to guy the tent now fails, so I rush out of the tent to help him. While I stand behind the tent and try to support it, I shout that we have to turn the tent so that it stands better in the wind. Manuel nods, and he too realizes that this is our only chance. But even before the first peg is pulled out of the ground, one of the three poles breaks, and only a moment later, another one.
Taking down the tent – there’s no other option right now
Taking the tent down, there is nothing else we can do now. We communicate with a few words, push the tent to the ground and sit on it. As quickly as we can and carefully, so that nothing flies away, we get the largest items of equipment out of the tent and stuff them into the backpacks. Packing up properly is out of the question right now.
Meanwhile, we quickly go over our options. I can already see myself walking the remaining 15 kilometers through the night over the mountain ridge to Ammarnäs, while Manuel obviously keeps cooler and makes the only logical suggestion: walking five kilometers downhill back to Rävfallsstugan.
In the meantime, it is raining and the storm is pretty intense, so we have to hold on to Lando for a while. We ourselves are staggering down the mountain and struggle to brace ourselves against the storm with our backpacks. Fortunately, things improve quickly when we reach the tree line again. About an hour later, we arrive at the hut. It’s still a bit windy there, but there’s little sign of a storm.
Happy End and great hospitality at Rävfallsstugan
Two Swedish couples having a fishing weekend in the cabin are eating dinner when we arrive. When they hear about our experiences, they share beer, lemonade, salami, and potato chips with us and clear one of the bedrooms so that we can get some rest. Still, that evening, the shock is deep in our bones. At the same time, we are grateful that everything ended with such little harm.
Bridge at Lisvuojuhka
Description
At the bridge at Lisvuojuhka there are many possibilities to camp. Due to the river, the water supply is assured. But there were a lot of midges sitting in the grass.
Day 5: Bridge at Lisvuojuhka - Rävfallsstugan
Profile
Description
The day starts with great scenery, then leads us through a section of forest to Rävfallsstugan, where you can take a break or spend the night. There are more camping options up the mountain.
Rävfallsstugan
Description
The cabin has a large open room with a kitchen, two seating areas and a bunk bed. Two further rooms with an additional 12 beds are locked. About 100 meters from the cabin there is a sauna right by the river.
Campsite with wind
Description
Great view, but be careful: the wind blew our tent apart here. Not recommended as a place to sleep.
