Pårte - Aktse
- Distance: 18km
- Duration: (with breaks): 8h 30min
- Elevation gain/loss: 490m/420m
I woke up to rain drops softly tapping my tent. Damn, it was supposed to be a sunny day. My first opportunity to wear the legendary rainpants. Why legendary? I took them to both TMB and Walker’s Haute Route and didn’t wear them a single day. It became as a sort of token of dryness – if I carry this extra dead weight, it’ll never rain. I’ve read about the inevitability of rain on the Kungsleden, so this rain is no surprise though.
My first wild camping night went really well as I slept like a baby. In the morning I appreciated the vestibule feature of my tent as I could cook my breakfast safely without getting wet. For those who wonder what I mean with vestibule, imagine that you have a roof over the door of your tent, that’s what it is. A fellow hiker taught me how to set it up when I hiked in the Pyrenees (on my last night there), so now I was a pro.
The rain was more of a drizzle and I could even shelter below a huge tree and pack all my stuff without any problem. I didn’t know if it’ll turn into a torrential rain, though, so I’ve put on the rainpants and started my hike.
It was so quiet, that I could hear only the swooshy sound of my rainpants. A great signal to anyone or anything else on the trail that I’m coming. The trail gradually climbed through a foggy forest with a mysterious mood in the air. Soon boulders replaced a forest path and the climb was much slower and more sliperry. Even through the fog the vibrant autumn colours kept on entertaining me, so I was almost sad to climb higher as it meant leaving the forest and getting deeper into the cloud.
Above the tree line the views are indeed limited. I bet it looks nice on a clear day, while to me the main view was the red bushes/grass covering the ground everywhere.
While marching through a boulder field I met a fellow solo hiker from Germany. He followed the same path only for a bit before turning into the wast wilderness and navigating his way based on the objects on the landscape without any established paths. Now that’s what I call hardcore. He was the first of quite a few of that type of hikers I’ve met here. This wild-hiking is a lot more popular than it might seem. Besides, this part of Europe is perfect for it. Here you can really walk for days without meeting anyone.
The low clouds seemed to give in when I reached the highest section of the day and could see a beautiful Rittak lake below me. There will be a lot of water on this trail and this is my first major lake in sight.
The highest section also surprised me with a phone signal. Soon after I bid farewell to the German hiker, I heard the ping of Whatsapp. I know, it’s been only one day, but I felt so happy. I have a connection! Well, it lasted a minute and then no signal again. I continued walking for another 15min until I saw that I don’t have internet, but a pretty decent phone signal, so I called my boyfriend. It was so great to hear his voice, how he’s doing, and tell about my adventures so far. A little boost of energy.
In fear of losing the signal again, I didn’t move anywhere while having the call and soon I knew I need to continue as it was getting too cold to sit still. It wasn’t raining anymore, but even a slight wind was chilly. I moved faster to get myself warm again and hoped to reach the Jågge shelter soon. I had no idea what to expect from it, at some point I was sure I missed it as it was supposed to be halfway through the day and I believed I passed that milestone already. So when I came to a clearing in a birth forest with a dark-brown house in it, I was a bit dissapointed in my speed, but curious to check it out.
I didn’t know what to expect from a shelter, which turned out to be a room with a few benches/beds a table, and a wood stove. Most importantly, this place was warm as someone put a few logs into the stove. Hallelujaaaaah! I was pretty cold when I arrived there and now I could have a dry and warm lunch inside a cozy room. What a luxury.
In a couple of minutes I was joined by a French couple who appreciated the stove as well. They were doing a similar hike as me, so I guess I’ll meet them more often. After a warm lunch break, I continued towards Aktse. Once I left the birch forest, a magnificent view of a massive lake with distant peaks slightly covered in clouds opened up in front of me. Now that’s exactly the landscape I was looking for when embarking on this trip.
This part of the section was truly the most spectacular today. From Jågge, there is a slight ascent for a bit while walking around a nearby mountain. Once the mountain is passed, the other side of the trail opens up to a beautiful valley with lakes dotting the bottom of it. What a place. I didn’t know where to take pictures, everywhere it was amazing.
After countless pauses at the top, I descended slowly into the forest for the last leg of the hike. Easy forest path continued for another 2 hours before I reached the shore of Lájtávrre lake – my first mandatory lake crossing. Before the trip I didn’t know what to expect and I considered maybe using the option of (free) rowing boat, but I didn’t want to do it alone and definitely didn’t want to row three times. Now as I was actually on the scene, the lake looked much more daunting and there was only one rowing boat on the shore, so no, let’s wait for the private motor boat.
I had one hour to kill and was soon joined by the French couple and a solo Ukranian hiker, who was very kind to share his tea with me while sitting on the shore and waiting for the boat. Time flew by chatting about Kungsleden and other hikes and soon we all sat in a boat taking us to the other side. So fast and comfy, I might opt for it on every mandatory lake crossing.
Once on the other shore, I sped to my final destination – Aktse Fjällstuga. Yes, I’m staying inside today! And I must day, Swedish huts are soooo cute and cozy. I was sharing a common room with the French couple, while having the whole sleeping room for myself (4 beds). The end of season has its perks for sure.
The hut has no electricity or heating so you need to use candles for light and a wooden stove for warmth. I felt like I’m back in time, in my grandma’s place. She also didn’t have heating and so every evening she would put fire in the stove. It’s because of the hundreds times of watching her do it, now I could do it myself. So proud of myself once the fire was burning strong! I sound like a total city girl, I know.
I really enjoyed my stay in this hut. Even the chores felt like a meditative action. You’re back to basics, where simple things are enough to make you happy and an amazing landscape is waiting for you outside the window.
Day 2 tips
- There is a weak phone reception around the highest parts of this section. I managed to have a decent phone call while sitting on the campspot next to a huge metal bridge.
- Be responsible and really assess critically if you can row across the lake yourself. While 3km rowing may seem not that long, it is definitely not for everyone. There are strong currents, which will turn a straight line row into a U-shape. When the winds are strong, you might be even swept away. You may also realize mid-way that it's too tiring, especially if you need to return a boat to another shore (you always need to leave one boat on each side, which can mean rowing three times!). If you're on your own, just take the motor boat. Yes, it's expensive, but it's definitely worth peace of mind.