Kungsleden – Day 8: Kvikkjokk – Campsite at Gállaktjåhkå

The good weather has lasted overnight, so that we set off for a new stage on the Kungsleden in bright sunshine. Directly after Kvikkjokk we start hiking a bit uphill. My body feels tired and I have to get back on track after the break day. We walk for quite a while through a mixed spruce and birch forest. Since forests are not so common on the Kungsleden, we enjoy this part of the trail especially.

Being on the move without time pressure is very special

The autumn sun is warming quite intensely today. We find a big stone directly at the trail’s edge on which we lie down and let the sun shine on our bellies. Gorgeous! Without any time pressure we can relax, because thanks to our generous time planning we could pitch our tent and stay any time. But after the break and the first ascent I do feel better again: walking on is easier now and camping is impractical here in the middle of the forest anyway.

It is not the first time I walk this part of Kungsleden

What excites me is the fact that I have hiked this section of Kungsleden before, in 2012. I look out for sections, landmarks or lakes that I could recognise everywhere. But my memory seems to be rather bad, at least it takes me until the afternoon to be able to put pictures of the tour from 2012 into the landscape again. At the lake Stuor Dáhtá we had a break back then and collected the first mosquito bites! Even today we cannot resist the great scenery there and take another break. We can’t get enough of the view over the lake with the gentle wooded hills and some higher mountains in the background.

On the trace of bear or wolverine

Later in the afternoon we find a big footprint on the trail. We are not sure which animal it is, but it could be a bear. Or a wolverine? Unfortunately, even after researching at home we are still not sure on whose tracks we were hiking. Do any of you know who it was? Please let us know in the comments!

However, the footprint shows us that we really are in one of the last wild regions of Europe. A sign, announcing the entry into the Sarek National Park shortly after Pårte, confirms this feeling.

On the Kungsleden into the Sarek – where nature is still almost completely untouched

Now we are in the Sarek! We’re just passing the edge of it, but it still feels special. By the way, dogs may be taken into the Sarek National Park along the Kungsleden. It is also allowed to stay overnight in the tent. Directly behind the bridge over the Gállaktjåhkå we find a good place to sleep. But my imagination plays a trick on me at night: Bears and wolves sneak around my tent in my mind’s eye, moose are about to stumble over it and bury me under them. I take Lando into my tent, not only to calm myself but also to warm my cold feet. Nevertheless I wake up the next morning feeling extremely exhausted.

Campsite at Gállaktjåhkå   

Latitude: 67° 03' 57"

Longitude: 17° 58' 43"

Description

After crossing the Gállaktjåhkå over a red metal bridge we find a protected campground a little off the trail. We easily can get water from the river.