Aktse - Skierffe - Sitojaure
- Distance: 24km
- Duration: (with breaks): 7h 40min
- Elevation gain/loss: 1020m/960m
I woke up to a beautiful sunny day. It was again a night of below zero temperatures, but this time I was luckily inside, tucked comfy under warm sheets. As the weather was supposed to be good, everyone in the hut was planning to summit Skierffe, which promised epic views from the top. I was no exception.
Besides Skierffe my goal today was to reach Sitojaure, which is on the other side of another lake, which means another mandatory boat crossing. The warden of Aktse warned all the north-bound hikers that today there might be strong winds, which means that the motorboat might not operate. The rowing boats will be removed as well. The forecast predicted strong winds the next morning as well. Only then I realized how optimistic I was with my planning. Strong winds might strand me on this side of this lake for an extra full day! And no, I had not planned any buffers for such setbacks.
Well, let’s see, maybe it won’t be that bad. Skierffe will be my first goal and we’ll see from there. One thing that the long hikes keep on teaching me is to worry less about things out of my control, like the weather.
After a short climb through boulders and birch trees, I’ve reached an open field with Skierffe looming in the distance. The warder of Aktse told to not follow the main sign to the summit but to walk a bit further and then turn towards Skierffe as the main path is a bit boggy. However, once I reached the sign, my navigation app also showed only one possible path, which was the one I was facing on my left.
On my right, I saw an open camp space with several hikers packing up. I’ve read that some hikers camp here and then walk to Skierffe and back, leaving their stuff on the camp. I assumed these guys are doing just that, so I went to double-check with them if that is the path.
It turned out that they indeed were about to summit Skierffe, but afterward they were going further into the wilderness. I found it out when I asked if they’re also following Kungsleden, and got a response “Nooooooo. Kungsleden is boring.” Outch! Ok, clearly these guys are more hardcore. And they were Germans, again. What’s up with Germans seeking the ultimate wilderness getaway in the North??
Anyway, they also confirmed the trail should be where my app is showing. I happily dropped my bag right next to their camp and informed them that I’m leaving my stuff here to hike to Skierffe. I was told that it’s quicker to walk there and back without stuff and then head towards Sitojaure, instead of walking with everything to Skierffe and then cutting a corner to Sitojaure. I cannot confirm whether it is shorter, but man, it was definitely a pleasant few hours to hop on the trail without an extra 12kg on my back!
By the way, I was not scared to leave my stuff just out there. It’s soooo remote and the only people on the trail are hikers with heavy backpacks. Nobody needs this extra weight. I did leave my bag shielded behind a rock and with a rain cover on top of it, just in case.
I was enjoying the weightless hiking until the path turned into a swamp. Ooooohhh, that’s what the warden meant… So I decided to hop as safely as I can upwards, hoping to meet this alternative route without getting wet. And indeed, after a few minutes of wading my way through a boggy slope, I was back on a dry path.
The more I was climbing up, the colder it got. At some point, I saw frozen water puddles and was welcomed by a crazy wind and snow. Yeeey! The path was a bit tricky to follow towards the end as there were fields of boulders and markings were not the greatest. I managed my way with the help of my app and occasional rock towers (cairns), made for navigation.
It took me a bit less than 2 hours to reach the top, which was ferociously windy, but also so damn spectacular. Multiple rivers snaking into a lake right below me, the different shades of blue and sun reflections – it all made this place truly magnificent.
The wind kept me from going closer to the edge, which was a steep drop of a few hundreds of meters, so I cuddled behind a rock with a few fellow hikers and we talked about the trail while admiring the views. One of the hikers was a local Sámi, who lives 20km away and keeps on coming back to this viewpoint for 35 years! He told us a bit more about the people living in the area and how the valley below us is used for transportation. Apparently, he’s one of the youngest left in his village and he’s 71! Honestly, he looked the fittest of all the hikers on the summit.
After more than 30 mins on the top, I could not feel my fingers anymore. I was freakishly cold due to wind and occasional snow gusts. I bid my farewell to others and almost ran down the mountain. I was so cold that my teeth started chattering and I knew I need to get moving. Before the hike, I took a Snickers bar to be eaten at the top, but as it was such a hostile environment there, I ate my Snickers on my way down, once I could feel and move my fingers.
When I came back to my backpack (yeey, it’s still there), I found a chocolate bar next to it. What a lovely surprise, such little things are the highlights of my solo days. Thank you, my fellow German hikers!
It was already 14:00, while the boat to Sitojaure was supposed to leave at 17:00, so I rushed towards the lake. The plateau was windy, which worried me a bit. Will the boat go?
Just before descending the plateau, I came across a wooden sign, saying that this is the last chance to book the boat as the phone signal will be gone (oh yeah, I had a phone signal the whole day actually). I was trying to call the people operating the boat during the day several times but without luck. Then I saw that the number on the board is different and when I called it, I immediately got connected to Anna, one of the boat operators.
Let’s just say that Anna was not very optimistic about the weather. I could feel that it was getting very windy and she also told me that I was the only person so far requesting a passage. That was a surprise as I knew at least 3 other people from the Aktse hut who planned to cross the lake today as well. She asked if I had a tent and said that she’ll do her best to come, but no promises.
This happened at around 15:00 and I had only one hour left of hiking. I could see the lake in the distance and the rest of the path was a descend, so I was in no hurry anymore. Close to the lake, I started searching for a camping place, just in case. Soon I came across a small shelter house, which meant that I reached the lake. The bloody wind was making the hike cold, so I looked forward to the wind-free shelter.
Once I entered it, it was packed. The French couple I’ve met yesterday was sitting there together with 3 other guys. Those guys were hiking in the wilderness for a week. Guess where they come from? Yep, Germany. Just saying…
Apparently, none of them called Anna, which I found a bit frustrating. If she only knew that, besides me, there are 5 more people, maybe she would consider coming more seriously?… Anyway, all we could do is wait for the boat. There was no heating, but at least we had no wind.
As we were chatting, I thought I heard a motor sound outside. All of a sudden the shelter doors opened and Aksel, one of my Swedish friends from the first day, came in. Wtf? Apparently, they also arrived at the shelter, put their bags in the corner, and left for a walk outside. That’s why I didn’t know they’re in the area. Aksel came quickly to pick up his stuff as the boat was coming. Wooohooo! A small panic broke out in the shelter as everyone scrambled to get their stuff and run for the boat.
At the pier, we had a bit of an awkward situation as Anna arrived with a small boat meant for 6 people max. She told that only me and my Swedish friends called her, so she was not prepared to take such a large group. If others wanted to cross the lake today, she’d have to charge them each 100SEK extra for a forced second trip. They could have waited until tomorrow, but as the weather was deteriorating fast, she could give no guarantees that the boat will operate tomorrow. While the rest of the group was not happy about the extra cost, they decided to not gamble and take the ride today. However, they had to wait for us to transfer first.
I wish I could have any footage of this boat crossing, but at that moment I was too scared to drop my phone into the lake. It was crazy. Our little boat was jumping through the waves created by a fierce wind, with us bouncing up and down in that tiny open boat. The path along the lake was crazy too. At some point you need to strictly follow orange waymarks as the lake gets shallow, so we zigzagged through this madness with Anna poker-faced all the time. Once on the shore, all three of us were like “Omg, that was insane, so rough!” while Anna merely replied “It was ok, better than I expected. I’m going for the others now.”
Anna also told us that the nearest decent wild camping place is at least a 1-hour walk, so we resolved to camp in Sitojaure. Although we had to pay, we could use the kitchen/dining area and that’s what we did. After quickly setting up our tents in a chilling wind, we headed for the hut, our glorious warm shelter.
The other hikers were in the hut too, in fact, they were all staying inside instead of camping. Their ride was way rougher than ours and they all came to the shore soaking wet. As the hut was barely occupied, they got beds without any problem.
Tonight I’ve spent my last evening with Jonas and Aksel. I was so happy to see them again and catch up on the impressions about the trail. Tomorrow our paths will split as the guys will divert from Kungsleden for an extra day, but tonight we were having a celebratory dinner. I even said yes to a glass of whiskey, wishfully hoping it’ll keep me warm during the night.
Once it was pitch dark, it was time to get back to our tents. The wind seemed to have worsened even more and it was very chilly. I put almost all of my clothes on and embraced for another chilly night. I’ll need earplugs too as the wind mercilessly hits my poor tent. It seems to hold on though, let’s see if we’ll get some sleep tonight. Not gonna lie, I was thinking about those warm beds just 200m away and wondering why did I sign up for the camping experience…
Day 3 tips
- An alternative path to Skierffe. If you follow the regular sign to the summit, depending on the weather, there might be a nasty stretch of a bog. To avoid it, you can still start the hike based on the signs but then turn to the next possible side path towards the north. That way you'll hit the alternative dry route. Those two routes merge at some point, so it doesn't matter which one you'll follow.
- If you want to use the shortcut route from Skierffe to Sitojaure, you could still leave your backpack at the junction of the two paths. That way at least the last hour of climbing to Skierffe will be easier.
- Call Anna for the boat. Anna and her husband cannot see the other shore, so they will never know that you're waiting if you didn't call. As they have two boats for different capacities, that also helps them to decide which one to take. As each trip is very expensive, they want to minimize the number of rides.