So the big rain day was here. Especially in the evening, the weather would be awful with high winds and thunder. Not something to look forward to even more with the fact that the route goes over a high plateau without shelter. So the plan was to get up early (again) and walk the 25km as fast as I could.
Yeah, good plan. Still stand by it. However, my alarm didn’t go off….
So tired of the day before, I woke up at 7:30. It was still dry at that point, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until the rain came.
I was right when I packed my tent in at 8, the rain started and never stopped that day. So a soaking tent wasn’t the best start, but the knowledge that I would sleep at a hut tonight really really helped.
So I set off and soon the terrain became smoother with more dirt and less rocks. I used my hiking poles no more to speed myself up.
All in all the morning wasn’t bad. No stopping for breaks though. Just a hip-pocket full of bars. 6 bars for 25km. I did see a few tents that looked like they were going to wait out the weather there. Brave but possibly a bit stupid decision.
At the start of the climb to the high plateau, I saw two people coming down. Excited to see someone, because apart from the tent, I hadn’t seen/spoken to anyone this morning. They were NOT happy. Just coming down the plateau, they had headwind and rain. So they were soaked and cold. Thankfully I had a tailwind and my backpack blocked most of the cold wind plus my face was dry. I mean it was still awful, but the fact that it was less awful for me than for them, did help with the morale. Although I still had some ground to cover. So the views must have been great, but it was all in the clouds. I walked as fast as I could.
On the way down, just before the forest, I met someone hiking in the other direction. As it was already 1 o’clock I was puzzled what the plan was. So I asked. There wasn’t any plan. Wasn’t even aware that a storm would roll over. Despite my advice not to continue because it would be a long way to find a sheltered camp spot or a hut and you don’t want to risk getting caught in the storm (that’s my philosophy anyway) he continued.
So I did the same! Only ~7km left to the hut!! Whoop. Although there would be another forest section and indeed it was extremely slow going. The trail was a bit slanted in combination with wet rocks and roots, slipping was easy. Luckily it was only for 3 km (so an hour of walking). The last 5km was over a gravel toad and I loved it. Because it was fast and near to no wind, just rain.
At 3 I arrived at the hut. It was already so nice and warm! Hang up my wet stuff, including my tent. So it would all dry up. And had a good lunch. Plus many more snacks. I had still a lot of food left and tomorrow I will be in Ammarnäs where there is a supermarket.
In the gut it was nice and I met many new hikers. In the evening I asked around for interest to heat the sauna. Only four other people out of the 10 wanted to join. But this was enough to justify heating the Bàstu.
So lovely! Near the river for cold dips and my muscles were pleased. Plus this is more effective for getting clean than my 30-second baths because the water is so cold.
Back in the hut, made some dinner and went to bed the rain ticking on the roof and the occasional thunder made me very content with my choice
Zilla-in-the-wild 