Kungsleden – Day 8: Kaitumjaure – Vakkotavare

The night was starry and freezing cold. Landos water is frozen in his bowl in the morning! We pack up and walk the short distance back to Kungsleden. Today we first hike towards the hut at Teusajaure, which is only nine kilometers away. There the last lake crossing awaits us and we definitely want to row over to the other side today and then find a nice spot on the way to Vakkotavare.

On the horizon we can see the snowy peaks of Sarek

From Kaitumjaure we follow the Kaitumjåkka for a while. Then we ascend to the Muorki plateau. Here we have a very wide view. Especially as we approach the Teusedalen we see some snowy peaks of the Stora Sjöfallet National Park to the east. I just can’t get enough of this vast landscape out here in Lapland and I am still fascinated.

A steep descent leads down to Teusajaure. The path winds in serpentines through a birch forest down to the hut. Next to us is a small stream that flows into the valley in small waterfalls. We always have a great view into the valley and onto the lake. On the other side of the lake we can already see where the Kungsleden will lead us up to the next plateau. This will probably be quite a challenging climb!

Rowing or not rowing – that is the question here!

Arriving at the lakeside Manuel persuades me not to row but to take the comfortable crossing by motorboat. By the way, the subject of “rowing ourself” will continue to haunt us on our hikes in the coming years. Manuel has a distinct aversion to non-motorized boats. So we knock at the hut keeper’s door and find out that he can bring us over the lake only about 10 minutes later, since on the other side there are already hikers waiting for him. That fits perfectly!

STF Mountain Cabin Teusajaure
This hut is located beautifully directly on the beach of Teusajaure. By the way, you can jump into it after a warm sauna session, if you are not scared of the cold water.
Beds: 26-50
Store: yes
Sauna: yes
Payment: Cash or credit card
More information: swedishtouristassociation.com

We spend the minutes until our departure on the beautiful pebble beach of Teusajaure, which has a very special atmosphere in the twilight of the few sunrays that shine through the thick clouds.

When crossing the lake it is quite windy

Before the departure, we ask if the host of the hut has seen Alexander and since he denies it, we assume that he must have rowed to the other side. At least the weather was great yesterday. We really enjoy the crossing. It’s surprisingly windy on the lake and secretly I’m maybe a little grateful that we didn’t spend at least an hour rowing across the lake.

Arriving on the other side of the lake, we discover that it is not possible to pay for this boat passage by card and that the warden has forgotten his wallet with the change at the hut. We only have 500 SEK bills with us, and luckily he waives us the costs of the trip. Since some hikers had already raised the canister on the other side, he would have gone anyway.

Where do all these mosquitoes suddenly come from?

The trail now leads us steeply uphill again. Quickly we are sweating and are surrounded by mosquitoes. It’s time for a little bit of mosquito spray again! The higher we get, the better becomes the view back to the lake. And we often stop and enjoy it, partly to catch some breath.

On the plateau itself it is surprisingly humid and swampy. The density of mosquitoes is increasing and becomes a real plague. Despite mosquito protection we can hardly stop. Our plan was to find a nice place to camp up here. While we keep walking we look out for suitable places, but we don’t really like it here.

Straight ahead or turn right? A signpost in the middle of the vastness of Lapland

Suddenly a sign points to the west with the text “Bro”. We are a little bit confused, straight ahead the path seems to go on. A look at the map tells us that we have to ford the river straight ahead or that we can take a detour of about 500 m over the bridge. The old route of the Kungsleden fords the river, the new one leads over the bridge. If the river coming from Guolbbantjåhkkå has meltwater, it can be difficult to ford. But since we are on the trail late in the season, the water level is low. We therefore decide to walk to the river first and try fording. Otherwise we can still take the detour to the bridge.

The river is deeply dug into the landscape. We find a nice place at the edge of the river, where we think about setting up our camp for the night. But first we take a little break and the mosquitoes are already bothering us again. We leave in a hurry and want to move on a bit more.

And then it happens: Manuel slips in the middle of the river

To ford the river without getting wet requires good surefootedness and some dexterity. We look for a good crossing place and find it. The river has formed two streams here, in the middle of which there is a small island. We easily make it to the island. There we find a cooking spoon that looks familiar: it is Alexander’s spoon! Oh no, now the poor soul is also without a spoon. We pick up the spoon and head for the second half of the river. While I already arriv dry on the other side, Manuel slips on a wet stone. Suddenly he is standing in the water up to his knee and of course his shoe is really wet in a matter of seconds.

Now our decision has become clear: we are walking the 10 kilometers to Vakkotavare today. There we can spend the night in the hut and dry our shoes at the oven.

Sentimentally we walk towards the end of our tour

With the view to the peaks of Sarek we walk across the plateau leading to Vakkotavare. The path is easy to walk and takes us through a meadow landscape. From time to time we cross smaller scree fields. We are overtaken by a Swede, who is also on his way to Vakkotavare. His speed motivates us to hike a bit faster ourselves, although we are quite tired after the long day. Finally we reach the descent to Vakkotavare, which drops steeply into a birch forest. Next to us a small creek accompanies us into the valley.

In Vakkotavare we are suddenly back in civilization

Shortly before Vakkotavare you can already see a wind turbine and a power line. When we arrive at the hut, the road and the car at the parking lot feel completely surreal to us. After the loneliness in the mountains we have to get used to this view again. We are proud that we have reached our goal. But a little bit of melancholy is mixed into this feeling, because as exhausting as the tour was, it was also something very special!

STF Mountain Cabin Vakkotavare
The hut is located directly at Akkajaure and has road access. From here you can catch the bus to Gällivare and Saltoluokta.
Beds: 11-25
Store: yes
Sauna: no
Payment: Cash or credit card
More information: swedishtouristassociation.com

In Vakkotavare we reunite with the Swede who was walking in front of us a earlier. Manuel names him the “Protein Swede” after he has told us that his only food on the Kungsleden was protein bars. However, he is as happy as we are about the reindeer sausage, which the hut keeper offers us as a welcome present at our late arrival. The hut is small and cozy with the burning fireplace. At a proper table we prepare our dinner and then fall into the warm beds in the dog room!