It's the start of the trek! (For the check-in process the day before, click here!) We woke up at 5am to prepare and have our breakfast, before walking from our Airbnb to the base camp (it was 1.2km away). We checked in our luggage (they open at 6am) and started to queue for the bus to Nikkaluokta, which is the start point. The bus ride is about slightly over an hour or so. Many people slept but I was too excited so I busied myself by admiring the view.
At the start point, you can see the atmosphere starting to build up - people doing last minute packing, a lady making announcements, and live music! I went to the toilet (hey, last civilised toilet right) and just enjoyed the live music by this guy and his guitar. Due to the train delays, everyone was able to start as and when they arrived at the start point, so there was no need to wait for the 9am start time as scheduled. Remember to get your stamp at the start point! So, off we went!
The terrain at the start of the trek was rather nice and easy - a couple of rocks, but generally rather flat, and you're walking through this forest-like environment. The terrain opens up later on to a bigger plain in between mountains. We were clocking almost 5km/h.
About 5+km in, you will see Restaurant Enoks. It's situated next to a lake and they have reindeer burgers on the grill that you can order. It's slightly pricey for a small burger (150kr, which is about 15 USD) but we were kind of hyped up at that point so we went ahead and tried. It's pretty good quality food, but not worth the price honestly.
Reindeer Burger with cole slaw
View of the lake at Restaurant Enoks - also the pier you'll board the boat from
This year, there was the option of taking a boat from the lake at restaurant Enoks that will cut the trek by 6km. It costs 300kr per person though. We didn't even consider that option and continued walking, but for those who wish to chill and take a nice cruise, that's an option too!
We took short pee/water breaks every 4-5km or so and then the rain started to come in. It was a light drizzle that became slightly heavier, so we trudged on in the rain till we reached the Kebnekaise checkpoint at 1425h. We placed down our backpacks and got our stamps and found that there were free cinnamon rolls there (yay! I was starving by this point). We also managed to boil water for our lunch and rested there while waiting for the rain to lighten up.
We left slightly before 1600h and walked for another 5km before pitching our tent near a stream and not too far off from the trail at the foot of Tolpagorni mountain (on the map). We cooked dinner, chilled while waiting for the rain to lighten up before washing up and getting ready to sleep. The sun never really sets at this time of the year in Sweden so I would suggest bringing some form of eye mask/towel to cover your eyes if you need total darkness to sleep like I do.
Boiling water for dinner
Pitched our tent away from any chances of falling rocks, yet still near the mountain
The stream near our tent - extremely important!!
No comments:
Post a Comment