homepage of mats irwert

Fjäll 2003
In late July of 2003 me and a few friends traveled to the northern parts of Sweden to go hiking in the Swedish alps. We spent a total of 6 days in the region SW of Åre, climbing different peaks. This is my diary of that trip.

If youd like to know the contents of my backpack try clicking here.

Day 1 - Göteborg - Undersåker
We started out from Göteborg on the 31-July. Mattias, Andreas, Fredrik and I. The plan was for Mattias and Andreas to pick me up at 8.45 and then we where going to get Fredrik at about 9.00. Unfortunately I woke up at 8.50 to the sound of my mobile phone ringing. I had overslept and Mattias was calling to check on me. I could think of about 3 words at that moment "damn, damn, damn!". Anyway, we got going pretty quickly after that and we left Göteborg at about 9.30 after having picked up Fredrik.

After about 15 minutes of driving made a stop in Lerum. Mattias and Andreas where trying to figure out why the turn indicators on the car weren't working and they had to make a phone call. I took the opportunity to go get some breakfast at a nearby "ICA butik". When I got back to the car with my breakfast consisting of 2 bananas and a "Festis" I was told that we where turning back. Seems that the windscreen wipers weren't working either and we had to get the car repaired. We turned back.

At 10.30 the car was working fine again and we start of a second time. 1.5 hours later we where 20 km further away from our destination than to begin with and we had about 90 Swedish miles (900 km) to go. Our trip through Sweden took us through Alingsås, Mariestad and Kristinehamn. The landscape was changing and I realized that there is a h-ll of a lot of trees in this country! Continuing on through Filipstad, Mora, Sveg and Åsarna before arriving at Undersåker at 22.30 where we spent the first night in a rented cabin.

Day 2 - Undersåker - Storulvån - Sylarna
We got up at about 9.30. We had breakfast and reorganized our backpacks a bit. This was Friday and the first day of real hiking. We had 17 km to walk between the mountain camp at Storulvån and the one at Sylarna.

Our starting point was "Storulvåns fjällstation" where we left our car. We took a quick tour of the local equipment shop and took the time to become members of STF, a Swedish tourist organization. This membership granted us discounts at the mountain camps where we were going to stay for the coming 5 nights. Before leaving we all decide to weigh our backpacks. I weighed in at 26 kg which is kind of a lot but as I'm used to carrying I wasn't too worried. The others weighed in at between 15 and 21 kg and I still wonder what actually made up for the weight difference? Did I pack that much extra?

We headed of towards Sylarna at around 14.00. Spirits where high and the path was fairly easy. The surroundings were made up of long grass, big and small rocks and a few small trees. The mountains in the distance made it fantastic scenery.

This was in the middle of tourist season and the Swedish alps where basically packed with people. Though mostly alone we did meet a few people along the way. Everyone we met was really nice and the custom of saying hello to everyone along the trail created a sense of safety and good will.

We didn't know what to make of the weather. Skies where gray and there was a light rain from time to time. The wind was blowing a bit and it was about 15 to 18 deg C in the air. Perfect for hiking.

We walked for about half the distance and arrived at a rescue hut where a few people had decided to stop for lunch. The rain had stopped some time ago but the wind seemed to be picking up. The wind meter inside the hut indicated a steady wind of about 15 to 18 mps (meters per second) with gusts up to 25 mps. We stopped for a few minutes observing the weather and discussing where to stop for lunch.

The wind picked up further and it started to rain. Everyone took out their rain gear and one of the people inside the hut (a man in his 30's with "Team Nilsson" written on his t-shirt) came out to take a look. We found out from him that it had snowed on Sylarna yesterday. We hoped for better weather the next day when we where going up there.

We continued on and it was now blowing steadily somewhere between 20-25 mps with gusts of up to 30 mps. The wind blew sand and rain into my eyes and skin so hard it hurt and it was sometimes difficult to keep your balance.

The rain stopped after about 20 minutes and we found a nice spot by a small stream where we could get out of the wind and make lunch. On the menu was soup and sandwiches.

After lunch we continued on and the weather got a bit better. The wind was still blowing hard and while walking I suddenly saw in the corner of my eye, a small white shape blow passed me at an enormous speed. I looked up and realized Andreas had lost his cap to the wind. What then followed was a once in a lifetime experience when Andreas tried to catch it. I can tell you I have never seen anyone run that fast with a loaded backpack before.

We finally arrived at "Sylarnas fjällstation" at about 20.30.
We found that the reception had closed but we were referred to a sleeping area where we could each get a mattress and a floor area to sleep on. Dinner that night was made up of pasta and meat sauce which we prepare in the fully equipped kitchen of the house we were sleeping in.

Day 3 - Sylarna
Woke up, made breakfast and packed our backpacks light. Though covered in clouds we where heading for the top of Sylarna. We came to the conclusion that the packs weighed too much and decided to repack them.

Still weighing too much the others decide to rent daypacks and finally, after having dumped 90% of our clothes and equipment in the reception area we where ready to go. The others weighed in at 5 to 9 kg while my pack weighed 13 kg. Someday I'll have to analyze why?

Weight wasn't the only problem though. The sole of one of my boots was coming loose and I had to get it fixed. The small store had nothing to offer but the receptionist referred me to the handyman and he helped me to glue the sole back on using a glue gun. I was very grateful but he warned me it would not last very long. It later turned out he was right but the repair was good for a trip to the top of Sylarna and back.

Following a small rocky trail we set of straight towards the top. The weather was good, 15-18 deg C, almost no wind and though skies where gray there was no rain. The top of Sylarna was covered in clouds and we had little hope of getting any good views from up there.

We followed the trail towards the glacier beneath the top. Passing a big lake on our left side and later crossing a small stream. Up to this point the trail had been easy to follow with almost no climbing. From now on it was getting steeper and rougher and you had to mind where you put your feet and use your hands from time to time to hold on.

The hillside was covered with large rocks of all sizes. We had to follow the side of the mountain upwards keeping the top to our left. We soon found ourselves inside the clouds and at this point it started to rain. We had about 100 meters of visibility and we could barely make out a small lake which we had been looking for. Continuing on we passed the lake keeping it to our right and it quickly disappeared into the fog.

After about 3 hours we had almost reached the top of the ridge. The rain suddenly stopped and the sun started to shine. We decided to make lunch and while eating the clouds opened up allowing us a magnificent view of the hillside and the valley below. The lake we could barely make out before was now clearly visible below us, only a few hundred meter away. Looking the other way we found ourselves being about 3 meters away from the edge of the mountain, dropping vertically some hundred meters down to the glacier below.

We ate our lunch and continued onward reaching the top of the ridge after about 10 minutes. The highest point, "Storsylen", was only a few hundred meters away though it was a hard path to take as the side of the mountain was steep. We moved on along the ridge traveling only a few feet from the edge of the cliff and after about 4 hours of journey we finally reached to top. This far we had seen only one other group of people but at the top we where far from alone. There where about 15 to 20 others up there already, signing the top book and taking pictures.

We too signed the top book, took some pictures and called/SMS'ed our parents and loved ones. From time to time the clouds opened and displayed a magnificent view of Norway.

Having been up there for about 20 minutes we turned back the same way we came. It was all downhill from there. The journey up had taken about 4 hours while the journey back took us only about 2. Back at the camp we made dinner. Mashed potatoes with meatballs and "Lingonsylt". After diner the others played cards while I decided to listen in on one of the mountain guides, who was telling stories that evening. His name was Håkan Eliasson and he told the most amazing story about how he had been requested to go to a small village in South America to help rescue a tribe of native Indians. I was fascinated and I have seldom seen anyone tell a story that well.

(And you all know I just had to include this photo of me making the mighty pose at the top of Storsylen.)

Day 4 - Sylarna - Helag
Day three in the mountains. Third day has a reputation of always being the worst. Woke up at about 09.00. Body aching from the strains of the previous days and I really didn't feel like getting out of bed though eventually I guess I had to.

We had Havregrynsgröt for breakfast before starting the long journey to Helagsfjället, our goal for the day. As it would turn out, the weather was to be fantastic. That is, if you where on a beach, wearing nothing but your swiming trunks. A lot of sunshine, around 20-22 degrees Celsius and very light winds. This day was to be the hottest one of the entire trip.

We started of from Sylarna at the record breaking time of 10.20. The first kilometer was uphill so we had to make a few stops along the way. Coming to the other side the trail would lead us downhill and cross a river continuing along the base of a mountain. The trail then continued downhill taking us through a rather flat and grassy landscape with a lot of bushes and small streams. Andreas took the lead and when measuring our speed later on we came to the conclusion that we did at least 5 km per hour over some distances. That's as close as you come to racing with a backpack.

Lunch this day was at the banks of a small river along the trail. We made soup as usual and had sandwiches. The weather was great and it even allowed for some sunbathing as there for some reason were no mosquitoes around. Strange.

After lunch we continued towards Helagsfj�llet. The trail was going slightly upwards from here but without any really big climbs and we reached our destination at about 18.30 that evening. About a kilometer away from the camp Fredrik picked up speed. I guess he picked up the smell of food in the air.

Once again I tried to repair my boot but without any success. By now the heel of the sole was completely separated from the rest of my boot and I was getting really worried about the situation. In a desperate attempt I tried to glue it back on using "Epoxy-Tvåkomponent-lim" but I was fighting a loosing battle. I failed miserably because the boot was to damp.

We made dinner; pasta and meat sauce, and then gathered in the cafeteria later that evening to play some cards. We played 4 man whist and for some reason the other team picked up on every kind of clue me and Mattias tried to give eachother during the game. I believe Fredrik was the cause of our defeat as he really made an effort to win and was counting cards the whole time. I guess we played for about two hours before we suddenly found ourselves being almost alone in the empty cafeteria listening to a man reading out loud from Mumindalen. We decided it was time to go to bed.

Day 5 - Helag
The day started out with very nice weather. Sunshine and a few clouds. We could see the top of Helagsfjället quite clearly and it seemed to become a good day. The weather report said there where to be thunderstorms at the top but as there had been warnings all week and none had come we descided to try anyway. We scavenged for some milk and had our regular "Havregrynsgröt" for breakfast. Once again we packed our bags light as we where heading for the top of Helagsfjället today. Mattias was having trouble with blisters on his feet from the days before but having bandaged them he decided to go along to the top anyway. I believe the quote of the day was: "It only hurts when i put pressure on it."

While Mattias was minding his feet and the others finished packing their backpacks, I decided to have another go at my boot. Using foot-tape I managed to outsmart it and I carefully attached the heel of my sole to the rest of my boot. It looked kind of weird but in the mountains I guess function outweighs appearance.

We got of to a good start but after about 0.5 km's the weather changed. Dark clouds came creeping very quickly and as we continued it suddenly started to rain. At this point we lost one of our team members. Mattias had left his raingear behind when we repacked our packs and I guess he felt alot of pain from his feet to, as he decided to head back to the station while we continued on the top.

The rain stopped just as quickly as it had started after about 10 minutes and the sun came out again. Though there were alot of clouds I dont believe it rained anymore that day. The trail to the top was really easy and you could walk most of the way except for the initial part which required some holding on with your hands. We traveled upwards and soon reached the clouds. Visibility dropped to about 10 meters and it suddenly got really, really cold.

The trail took us along the ridge of the mountain around a basin with a small patch of snow in the middle. The mountain was sloping gently downhill to our right and on our left hand it dropped vertically a few hundred meters.

I guess it took us about 3 hours to get to the top and when we got there it was covered in clouds for almost the entire time. It was blowing quite a bit but we decided to make lunch up there anyway as we found a quiet spot behind a man made rock shelter.

Fredrik made the misstake of taking out his phone and immediately got stuck in some kind of workrelated phonecall.

During our stay up there the clouds cleared a few times and we got a fantastic view of the landscape before we started our descent. We continued to the trail along the ridge around to the opposite side of basin, almost completing a full circle. Though the side of the mountain was rocky it was not steep and it was really easy going.

At the bottom of the basin was a small stream running down from a patch of snow. In the mud next to the stream there was some writings made by people who had been there before. Large rocks had been laid down to form letters and we decided to head down there to get a good view of the art before continuing back to the camp.

When we got back we had dinner. Mashed potatoes and meatballs. At this point we were running low on food and over dinner we discussed when and what kind of supplies to get. Though food was available up there the pricing was kind of extreme. We finally decided to get some milk powder and meat sauce for the next day.

Day 6 - Helag - Gåsen

A really, really, really crappy day. But with a nice ending. I was in kind of a bad mood though out the entire day. Almost. I guess it was the fifth day syndrome in combination with a lot of other things and I guess I got sick of just about everything. It really didn't help that the weather that day was a complete disaster. Windy, cold and wet. Nor did the fact that everyone offered to carry some of my stuff make my mood any better. I know they were just trying to be helpful but though I admit not being able to walk as fast as the others uphill the load was really no problem.

[Cut, cut, cut ... Alot of descriptions of how bad things got that day was cut.]

Anyway, we left Helag at about 11.00 and walked for what seemed to be forever through streams, grass and rocks. Uphill and downhill. Wind blowing in all directions all the time making the air icy cold. Im glad I brought my wind resistant Fleece Jacket. For some reason we seemed to stop at the most windy locations making the breaks really short due to the cold. My boot was thinking up new ways to break and halfway to our destination I had to take out the tape again to attach the front of my sole to the rest of my boot. The boot looked really upset as I had caught and stopped it in the middle of its master plan.

We walked for about 3 hours before stopping to make lunch at a rescue cabin called Hulkestugorna. At this point I felt a desperate need for something to eat and I guess so did the others. All in line with the spirit of that day I got to eat last which would have been no big deal had I not been as down and hungry as I was. I still have a lot of things I'd like to express about that situation but I really didn't want to get in an argument with anyone at that time as I knew things would turn out even worse if I had.

The food made all the difference. I slowly recovered from my angered state and the day became all better. My boot made several further attempts at breaking loose from its restrains but I kept an eye on it and managed to control it.

We followed the trail with Mattias and Andreas in the lead. Mattias blisters really didn't seem to bother him to much. Along the road we met alot of people going in both directions. There seemed to be alot of traffic that day.

Finally we reached the last part of the journey, 3 km's all uphill to the camp at Gåsen. It took us about an hour to get up there and we where most kindly greeted by the 2 camp hosts, an old couple from Halland. We where directed to a cabin where we shared a room and kitchen with 5 students from Stockholm.

The cabin was rather much more primitive than the previous camps. Water had to be fetched from a small stream outside. The stove in the kitchen was a gas stove and the room had to be heated by lighting a fire. There was a shower outside but as the water came directly from a mountain stream it was cold as ice. I think I was the only one not to use it. I had plans to but having felt the temperature of the water I quickly went for plan B; not to shower.

We had dinner and while finishing up a small party broke out in the opposite end of the room. Though invited to join I guess we were all to tired. We got some popcorn though and played cards with a girl by the name of Sofie who wanted to join in. While playing the camp hosts came running urging us outside. As we got out we could see a bright yellow light on the side of the mountain and we were told it was the reflection of northern light showing through a hole in the clouds. It was a truly remarkable and beautiful sight.

Day 7 - Gåsen - Storulvån - Undersåker
My first thought that morning was that someone had set their alarm clock really loud. While thinking further about it I came to the conclusion that it sounded a lot like a fire detector alarm and I could not imagine how anyone would like to wake to the sound of that every morning. Suddenly I realized id seen a fire detector mounted in the ceiling of the room the day before. I had the top bed and it was actually about a meter away from it so when putting two and two together (which actually took some time) I turned around and tore it down. The sound stopped. As I looked around a girl with a load of pancakes and a spatula in her hand came to my attention. Apparently the other group had decided to make pancakes for breakfast and that's what set the alarm of.

We got up, made breakfast, packed our bags and cleaned the room. Today's destination was Storulvån and we decided to take the route across the top of Gåsen which was a shortcut in distance but not in height. While the others finished their packing I tried out the shower and found it to be quite nice in temperature. The waterline had been exposed to the sun all morning and was about 30 degrees in temperature. It lasted about 10 seconds.

I washed my head and face and then returned to the cabin to tend to my boot. I'd asked the camp keeper about glue and a repair kit the day before. It turned out he actually had what I needed but when he wanted me to start bidding on it I gave it up. With one day to go I didn't think it was worth it. Instead, I decided to put the boot on and then secure it with foot-tape. It really looked horrible but it actually worked and I could walk all the way to Storulv�n without any problems.

We set of for the top of Gåsen and got to the top after about 40 minutes. It was more of a really big molehill than a mountain so it was really easy going. We took some pictures and continued on.

We walked for about half the distance before stopping at a small lake to make lunch. We suddenly realized we could see trees down here but there where still no mosquitoes. After lunch we crossed some wet bog-like patches and actually found both blueberries and cloudberries.

We crossed a river and came to a dust road where we must have set some kind of new record for speed. We actually walked 6 km during one hour. The road was going along a river, through a valley where there was a lot of trees and bushes. For the first time we saw mosquitoes and perhaps that was the reason for walking so fast.

Eventually we got to Storulvån. It was the end of an exhausting and fun week. We where all tired and pleased that we had come to the end of our journey. From here on we had only one more night in Unders�ker before heading back to G�teborg. We packed ourselves into the car and left for Unders�ker. On the way made a short stop at the Handölforsarna to look at some waterfalls.

Day 8 - Undersåker - Göteborg
Last day. Drove south through Sweden following the same route that we had come the week before. The journey was coming to an end and reality was coming closer as Fredrik's phone started to ring and he had to work. I for one was kind of happy that we had had no cell phone coverage for almost a week and been allowed to clear our minds of work. I guess others found it hard to not being able to reach us. We stopped a few times along the way to eat and change drivers and arrived back in G�teborg at about 20.00. All in all it had been a good trip.

Special thanks to
Fredrik, Mattias and Andreas for making it all happen.
The handyman at Sylarna for the glue.
The other hikers for the pictures.
Håkan Eliasson for the story.
The man at the top of Helags for the offer.
The shopkeeper at Helags for the glue.
The nice people at Helags for the milk and the food.
The Stockholm students at Gåsen for the popcorn.
Sofie for the game of cards.
The pancake maker girl at Gåsen for the wakeup call.
The camp hosts at Gåsen for the light show.
... God for the weather and the scenery.

Text by Mats Irwert - august 2003