North of Sweden

Last Saturday we came back from our trip to Lappland and the north of Sweden and it was one my highlights during this stay in Sweden. I am so grateful that I have gotten the chance for this trip on my last days here. Friday night Patrick and I have taken the night train from Stockholm to Östersund and after short breakfast with coffee and Kanelbulle (oh, how I will miss this smell!) we headed with the Inlandsbanan towards the Polar Circle. We stopped several times along the way for coffee breaks, lunch and the Polar Circle, but a 14-hour train ride is definitely too long and we were happy that we have booked a flight for our way back. We spent the night in Gällivare and continued the next day to Kiruna where we met our travel companions for the rest of the days.
These remote cities far up in the north are really strange to me and some of my prejudices got kinda confirmed. Even when there is 24 hour of daylight in the summer months, the cities are very calm and lively for only a few hours a day. Interesting, but nothing for longer.
From Kiruna we took the bus Nikkaloukta which is somehow the entrance gate to the wildnerness of Lappland. With big backpacks we hiked in a few hours the 20 km long track to the Kepnekaise Fjällstation. The mosquitos were almost killing us and I was happy that I have bought a mosquito net. I guess, I looked pretty stupid but at least they didn't bother me that much anymore. This first hike was pretty cool, the weather was fantastic and I wanted to go for more. I got my chance already the next day, the weather was perfect and we started early in the morning for our hike up the Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden with 2114 above sea level. After strengthening 4 1/2 hours through snow fields, steep & rocky hillside I arrived totally sweaty and exhausted on the snow top of the Kebne. The breathtaking view compensated all the torture and the pains were forgotten. It is said that on cloudless days, like it was that day, you can see up to 10% of the entire area of Sweden and even parts of Norway and Finland. Well, the view seemed to be endless. We had 'Fika' (coffee & cookies, of course!) on the top while we were waiting for the rest of the group. The way down was in the same way exhausting, because of the rocky terrain, but on the snow fields we rode on our asses. Great fun. Late in the evening and after 11 hours we were back in the station, just relaxing in the sauna and having dinner.
The next days, as restless as I am, I have done some other hikes by myself or with some other guys to some glacial lakes or some water falls. The nature up there is still so pristine, intensive and rough, that sometimes it feels totally unreal to sit in something like that. These two picture were made at midnight while we were waiting for two guys of our groups who have returned finally after 16 hours (!) in the station. It was all the time so bright! The air is so fresh and the water in all the little streams is strongly recommendable to drink. I haven't drunken anything than that all the time.
After five days we headed back to Nikkaloukta and Kiruna, from where we flew back to Stockholm.
Good time!

Good:
Sleeping masks, Landscape & Ipod, Ice cream, moshparts, mountain tops, glacier water, Gore-Tex, sauna, lunch packages, vegetarian burgers with fries or mashed potatoes, mosquito nets, high-quality mountain gear;

Bad:
Poor-quality mountain gear, mosquitos, grammar & lost in translation, rocky hillsides, aching muscles, waiting for busses & trains, broken sunglasses

Music:
Metallica, SSS, Morrissey, Dog Eat Dog, David Bowie, Snapcase, Misfits, Hatebreed, Zero Mentality,

Interesting:
- Why do so many people think that I am from Finland when I start talking Swedish?
- Why do people climb on top of mountains? Is it just the view from the top or the battle of man/women against the nature and the human body?

Some figures...
- 100 kilometers hiked
- 2400 meters of altitude made
- 0 blisters
- 20-30 Mosquito bites
- 5 reindeers seen
- 1 elk seen (on our way back from the Stockholm airport to the city and it was standing next to the highway ... no shit!)

Thanks & greetings go out to Patrick, Magnus, Ann, Kenneth, Ann-Louis and Henrik for the good time. 'Thank you' also to Michi for lending me the backpack!

"Alles richtig gemacht!"