+++ from Kvikkjokk to Abisko +++ Sarek Nationalpark +++ 208km +++ long distance trail Kungsleden +++ Kebnekaise Sydtoppen +++ aurora borealis +++ 13 days on tour +++ -3°C to -25°C +++ wind speed up to 75 km/h +++

We wouldn’t call ourselves experts yet, but the two previous tours had given us confidence to start our tour to Lapland more experienced.

Our base camp was established in Kiruna again at our friends’ place, where we packed our improved and adapted equipment on the pulks and left the travel boxes on the attic.

The bus took us south to Kvikkjokk, where we started or tour. We followed the Kungsleden Trail for the first 7km in north-easterly direction before we headed north into Sarek Nationalpark across the lakes Unna Dahta and Stuor Dahta. We came across valleys and followed several little creeks to reach Rapadalen, before we took a north western direction for one day on the frozen Rapaätno.

Due to the fog in the valley we could only imagine the beauty of praised Rapadalen. By the evening Thilo suddenly broke through the ice with one leg. Only with greatest caution and balance could he slowly withdraw his leg and ski through the hole. Not long after that Andreas also broke through the snow cover and ice with a leg. On earlier tours we crossed the ice covers of rivers primarily at spots where there were traces of elks or reindeer. Here, there were hardly any animal trails, so we could not rely on that and were therefore extremely lucky not to have cracked the ice completely- apart from the danger of hyperthermia the water might have sucked us under the ice!

On the five days that it took us to pass Sarek Nationalpark we didn’t meet anybody and enjoyed the silence and solitude. Leaving Sarek we went to Suorva via Jiertasuoloj Island and to Vakkotavare along the Akkajaure, where we rejoined Kungsleden.

As the long distance hiking trail is highly frequented in winter, too, it is marked with wooden poles to assist the right choice of track. Consequently, we encountered more people and left the GPS pocketed.

In the moonlight of the second night on Kungsleden we experienced amazing northern lights. They were dancing beautifully across the clear night sky in green and yellow and we were caught by their spell behind and in front of the camera.

On the way north Kungsleden passes Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest peak (2104m), which we climbed on our cross country skis and deprived of our heavy sledges. In clear weather we started the ascent along a beautiful little side valley which ended in a steep and strenuous slope. The grand view on the top made the effort definitely worthwhile!

After 13 sections we arrived in Abisko in physically good condition but in need of a decent hot shower.

Blissed and full of impressions we took the train back to Kiruna.