The mosquitoes buzzed around the Sjnulttjie hut all night. I thought that mosquitoes had to sleep as well, but as it’s not really getting dark at the moment, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It warms up quickly in the tent in the morning, but we definitely don’t want to go outside. So we make a battle plan first: We start by packing as much as possible into the tent, then Manuel flees into the hut with his backpack while I stay in the tent. That way, I have enough space in the tent and Manuel can sort out his backpack in the hut. Finally, we quickly fold up the tent and bring it into the hut. There we can pack it away properly before leaving.
Comfort eating? Oh well, a good breakfast in Sjnulttjie lifts our spirits!
We eat our breakfast in the hut, where it is more cosy and comfortable. As our mood is still depressed due to the many mosquitoes and bugs, we each take a really tasty breakfast out of our backpacks. We eat semolina and rice pudding and our mood slowly improves.
As we set off, we walk through another huge swarm of mosquitoes. But we have taken precautions and sprayed ourselves well with repellent. The forest soon thins out, as indicated on the map. After about a kilometer, we refill our water supplies at a small stream with a bridge. They were completely used up, so we take a big sip directly from the clear, cold stream. Wonderful!
Mosquitoes gone – and suddenly everything is perfect again
Far ahead of us, we can already see the striking steep face of the Laddievardduo. We approach it for quite a while as we circle the mountain at the foot of this steep face. The path is easy to walk, the weather is perfect, there are hardly any mosquitoes and the view is wide. What more could we ask for? I can’t think of anything and simply enjoy it to the full.
The next bridge is even more picturesque than the first. It hangs somewhat crooked and dented over the gently flowing river. We’ve now been on the road for 2.5 hours and take a long break here. Manuel takes out his camera and I treat Lando to some lard.
Alternative route across a terminal moraine
On the rest of the way, we deviate slightly from the Kungsleden and climb up a terminal moraine that runs parallel to the trail. At first I moan a little because we have to walk cross-country through a few willow bushes and I get my feet wet in the muddy ground, but Manuel doesn’t let himself be distracted from his plan. And it’s worth it. We make rapid progress on the moraine and have the best view!
Finally, the Kungsleden joins us again and the trail climbs uphill steeply. At the end of the climb, we also reach the border between the provinces of Norrbotten and Västerbotten. And we are quite surprised: suddenly the Kungsleden is marked orange instead of red. It’s a strange feeling for us at first, as we were only used to red markings. What banal things you get used to.
A race on the plateau
We are now on a plateau where we are making very rapid progress. After a while, the carcass of a small reindeer at the side of the path catches our attention. The fur has been pulled off and a hole suggests that the animal has been shot. We stop briefly and take a closer look at the animal. It’s rare to get this close to a reindeer. It saddens us that the reindeer had to die so young, but there was probably a reason for shooting it.
We continue at high speed. Contributing to this is a couple with a dog walking ahead of us. Manuel picks up the chase and tries to catch up with them and Lando is highly motivated. We finally overtake them when they stop briefly at a junction of the trail.
Great flat campspot, river and a view – but where do the mosquitoes come from?
Shortly afterwards, we pitch our tent and realize that there are mosquitoes everywhere again. Lando is the first to enter the tent and shortly afterwards there must be about 200 black flies sitting on the fly screen from the inside! They had been hiding in Lando’s fur and are now unable to get out of the tent. We spend the next half hour trying to get them out of the tent. Fortunately, they fly out willingly when given the chance. The only thing we can’t let in are the mosquitoes on the other side of the mosquito net.
Later, while eating dinner, we think again about the many mosquitoes that have come from Lando. On closer inspection, we realize that the dog is quite bitten. We decide to buy more mosquito repellent in Ammarnäs, especially one that can be rubbed into Lando’s fur.
Sjnulttjie
Description
Inside the Sjnulttjie hut we find the typical furnishing of Swedish shelters: a table with a bench, a fireplace, some firewood and a broom. Right next to the hut we find a reasonably plain campsite.
Day 4: Sjnulttjie - Bridge at Lisvuojuhka
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Description
A great stage with fantastic scenery and wide views. The Kungsleden crosses now the border between the Swedish provinces of Norbotten and Västerbotten. There are plenty of campsites everywhere.
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.
