Day 2: Gränsleden Sievgok – Akkajaure Västenden
100 steps and clattering Reindeer
When we wake up, we realize it’s not going to be our day. Markus has such a strong headache that he feels sick. We slowly dismantle the tent and at 10 o’clock we start today’s tour. We’re making good progress, the first section is mostly downhill.
The following picture shows our way today: On the left is Ruotjajávrre, on the right Sievgokjávrre and our destination of the day is at the very back visible end of Ruotjajávrre.
The following picture shows our way today: On the left is Ruotjajávrre, on the right Sievgokjávrre and our destination of the day is at the very back visible end of Ruotjajávrre.
Links der Ruotjajávrre, rechts der Sievgokjávrre: unser Tagesziel liegt am sichtbaren Ende des Ruotjajávrre., © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 35mm, 1/60s, Blende 8, ISO 400Again we see lots of reindeer, which makes us very happy again and lifts our spirits. We just love to watch these noble animals 🙂
On the Gränsleden we see surprisingly many reindeer this year, which is probably due to the fact that it is little frequented and they have more peace here than in the proximity of the more heavily used ways. Nevertheless, the animals are shy and keep a great distance.
On the Gränsleden we see surprisingly many reindeer this year, which is probably due to the fact that it is little frequented and they have more peace here than in the proximity of the more heavily used ways. Nevertheless, the animals are shy and keep a great distance.
Zwei Rentiere, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, 300mm, 1/500s, Blende 5.6, ISO 4000Now the path leads us alternately uphill and downhill, the soil is typical Swedish. I count the steps and announce: On average you can take a maximum of 100 steps before an obstacle appears, which hinders the flow, e.g.: Rock, mud, swamp, etc. It is impossible to wander ahead and give free rein to one’s thoughts. The way always demands attention, but at least we don’t get bored 😉
Gränsleden, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 24mm, 1/80s, Blende 8, ISO 250
The autumn colours shine beautifully again this year. We were already worried that the landscape would dry up after this year’s drought and be brown already. Due to the comparatively high temperatures and the low rainfall there were catastrophic forest fires in Sweden in July this year: 30,000 hectares of forest were affected – including areas north of the Arctic Circle.
Zeltplatz mit Aussicht in Akkajaure Västenden, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 28mm, 1/60s, Blende 8, ISO 800
Logo des Gränsleden, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 35mm, 1/80s, Blende 8, ISO 1600
Markus still doesn’t really feel better around noon and we take a break at 13:15 and eat some cereals. It is quite cold, cloudy and windy, which makes a longer break impossible. So we make several small breaks and Markus recovers slowly.
The heavy backpack clings properly, so that we are already quite tired in the afternoon, although we only make slow progress. We cross a stable suspension bridge before we reach the second rest hut Akkajaure Västenden at 17:30 after 12 km. It is situated in the forest and there are hardly any possibilities for camping. But going on is not an option either, so we squeeze a little below the hut onto a small flat place with a nice view of the lake.
Zeltplatz mit Aussicht in Akkajaure Västenden, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 28mm, 1/60s, Blende 8, ISO 800Here you can see the Gränsleden logo, in the traditional Sami colours blue, yellow, green and red, which can be found again and again on the signs.
Logo des Gränsleden, © Markus Proske — Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 35mm, 1/80s, Blende 8, ISO 1600
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