DAY 25 - 29
Day 25 – Kilpisjärvi
The closer I got to my destination, the more impatient I got. I could see Kilpisjärvi way down below, but I knew it was at least 2 more hours to walk. But since I was closer to civilization, I had a signal on my phone, so I then talked to my dad and Liv for an hour, which made the distance way shorter.
I met two Finnish men, Heikki and Esko, heading in the opposite direction. We stopped for a talk and they were very interested in my journey, so they gave me their business cards and told me to send them some pictures when my trip was done. When we said goodbye, they thanked me for confirming that Norwegian girls are both intelligent and beautiful. Well, my pleasure.
Heikki and Esko out celebrating Finland’s 100 years of independence (6.Dec 2017)
Arriving in Kilpis, the first thing I did was buy myself the yummiest thing I could find on the menu: Entrecôte. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! No words can describe that experience…
After a trip to the supermarket, I then headed off to the camping site Kilpisjärven Retkeilykeskus. Here, I could strip off all my dirty clothes, put them in a washing machine (!) and take a loooong, hot shower. Then talk to my mom and my boyfriend. Then eat some candy. Then go to sleep.
Steps: 35870
Day 26 – Rest day
Aaaaaah
Steps: 3199
Day 27 - Norway, here I come
With my backpack on maximum weight again, it was a tough start. But once I was on the trail, I felt strong and ready.
My camera is working again! JOY!
A steep climb up the mountain led me to a breathtaking view. After almost 4 hours, I was at Treriksrøysa, where the three nations of Finland, Sweden, and Norway meet.
The mosquitoes lingered here, so I took shelter in a Finnish cabin nearby. Sadly, the insects were lurking inside as well so I didn’t get much of a break. I had to walk around while eating.
My plan was to walk to Pältsastugan, a Swedish cabin 13km away. But I was both tired and desperate to be insect free, so I redirected my route into Norway to the closest cabin, Golda, only 3km away.
Here, I spent a social evening with Eirik from Tromsø (whom I had met earlier on the trail) and Isak from Sweden.
Steps: 28755
Day 28 – The Sound of Music-feeling
I know I talk a lot about mosquitoes, but that seems to be my life right now… Another super-warm day and the insects were ever-present. After 13km, I came to the Gappo cabin, where I could go inside and make myself some lunch.
The location of the cabin was insane! Perched on a rocky cliff, surrounded by green vegetation and with snow-covered mountains in the background… Enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I was ecstatic that my camera started working again. After 48 hours in a bag of rice to attract moisture, it seemed to be in perfect order. I told the sad story of the trip with my camera underwater to Henry, a Finnish guy I met at Gappohytta. “Put it in a bag of rice and it will attract a Chinese guy who will fix it, ” he said with a grin.
This is what I look like climbing mountains on a warm and sunny day
It was tempting to stay in the cabin, but I wanted to reach a little further that day. I was actually quite nervous for the next stage of my trip. I had heard rumors that it would be both challenging and quite dangerous, with a lot of snow and several river crossings. Earlier, I had the opportunity to take a different route, a safer one, but I decided to follow my intuition and walk there anyway.
I’m so glad I did.
I’ve walked through three national parks so far, Dividalen in Troms being my absolute favorite.
It went really well. The warm weather had dried up a lot of water, so the rivers were easy to cross. As for the snow… I’ve faced worse! So with the warming sun upon me, and the light breeze caressing my face, I could just enjoy the view.
At 10 pm, I was too tired to carry on. Even though I was only 3km from the next cabin, I had to stop. Suddenly, I found myself standing by a turquoise lake with a small waterfall, the most epic place to camp!
Steps: 42066
Day 29 – And then we were two
Because of the midnight sun, it has been difficult to find a spot in the shade for my tent. However, since I was in a valley protected by the surrounding mountains, I could wake up to a beautiful morning without burning up.
After battling with the mosquitoes for an hour, I arrived at the Rosta cabin. Here, I met Marit, who became my hiking companion to the next cabin.
It was so nice to walk together with someone for a change. I love being on my own, but some variation is always good. As Marit said: “It’s like hiking with a friend”.
It was a challenging climb we had in front of us, but the time flew as I had someone to talk to. We were very heartened by seeing the Dærta cabin, standing on top of the mountain looking down the valley. 2 more kilometers and we could finally throw off our backpacks and settle in the nicest cabin I’ve been in so far.
With our feet on the sofa, we both enjoyed a Real Field meal and a hot cup of coffee before going to bed.
Takk for turen Marit! Man møter de man skal møte.
Steps: 34358
