Back to Swedish Lapland: Trekking the Kungsleden and Crossing Sarek (page 2 of 2)

13/08 – Skierfe – somewhere above Rapadalen

Before starting our ascent along the mountainside while staying high up (as the Swede at breakfast in Saltoluokta advised us), we had to cross a depression. This depression turned out to be quite a hassle with quite a few wet areas.

Next, we had to climb back up and walk along the southern slope of Gierdogiesjtjahkka. And there, it was pure scree—progress was slow and tough. Still, there were a few cairns here and there that made navigation easier. Luckily, the view was breathtaking.



Fortunately, the rest of the hike was generally easier with softer terrain, as you can see during our midday break.



There were 3 river crossings—not too tricky, but one had a pretty steep descent to reach the water (I can’t remember which one). No more bridges now; time to put on the Crocs.

Below, Buovdajagasj.



We also saw some not-so-shy reindeer and, as always, landscapes that take your breath away.



Here I am at 3 PM, completely wiped out!



We were more than rewarded for this day by an incredible bivouac spot.



It’s still early, but I’m exhausted. This stage was really tough, so I’m going to take a quick nap in the tent—it’ll do me a world of good.

Then dinner in the sun with that view. Like every evening, it gets chilly as the day winds down.

We’ve got signal, and the weather should hold tomorrow. After that, rain’s coming back the day after, and a downpour the following day (yikes…).

Summary: 14.4 km – 485 m elevation gain

14/08 – Somewhere above Rapadalen – Above the Skarki hut

Not too many kilometers planned for today, so a relaxed morning with a departure around 9:30 AM.

Today, we need to head back down into the valley, where swamps and potentially mosquitoes await us.

After struggling a bit on the rocks, we spot a path that will easily take us down to the low vegetation we saw from above.



Here we are!



And now we’re in the swamps, where visibility is low and our supposedly waterproof shoes are reaching their limits (not easy when you’re sinking up to your ankles).





There are three rivers to cross, including one with a strong current and another with logs I’m not too keen on!



We gave up on the path the Swede in Saltoluokta told us about—the one closest to Rapaselet—because reaching it seemed like too much of a hassle.

The going is tough, and by lunchtime, I’m already exhausted.

The rest of the day is easier; we find a trail that’s simple to follow with no more fords.

We arrive at the Skarki hut (closed).

There’s a camping area, but it’s pretty enclosed by trees, and there’s already someone setting up their tent. After a short break, we decide to keep going, leave the valley floor, and start climbing again.

After about 1 km, the trail emerges from the trees, and we find the terraces the Swede mentioned.

We move a little off the path and set up the tent at the edge of the trees.

The view is breathtaking.



We head down to the stream below to wash up (the path to get there is steep), and feeling refreshed, we return to the tent. 5:30 PM—perfect timing for an apéro of seeds and herbal tea.

JM, always on the lookout for wildlife, suddenly says, "Uh, I think there are three plantigrades…" And sure enough! About 100 meters away, a mom with her two cubs is eating while coming down the slope!!





What a sight! I knew there were bears in Sarek, but I’d read they’re almost never seen. We stay very still, and clearly, they don’t notice us as they continue toward the river.

Tonight, we take advantage of the fire pit to make a fire and save on gas. As the water heats up, JM, ever observant, spots the bears coming back up!! This time, they stay in our field of vision for quite a while—it’s incredible, except at one point, the mom, who had moved away from her cubs (or rather, the other way around), gets closer to our camp. One of the little ones is climbing a tree just 20 meters from our tent!!

We back up to the trail leading down to the river, but luckily, the mischievous cub rejoins its mom, and they continue their climb.

What an experience!

So, no way we were sleeping at the edge of the trees—we ended up moving the tent to get it as close to the trail as possible. It’s psychological, since it’s not that far, but I feel much more at ease this way.



A lovely end to the day spent scanning the *rapasalet* (we spotted several moose coming to drink—too far for photos, though).



At 10 p.m., it was time to try and get some sleep... We’d hung our food in a tree, away from the tent, and the trash in another direction, also at a distance.

Needless to say, the night wasn’t great. First, it started raining, so we had to retrieve the food, and of course, I later heard some growling—thankfully, it didn’t last long!

Summary: 3 bears, 12.3 km, and 280 m of elevation gain.

15/08 – Above the Skarki hut – Skarja

Well, the bad weather is here—this morning it’s drizzling, and the panorama isn’t the same!



We quickly pack up the tent, and by 8 AM, we’re off in a light rain.

We soon have to put on our crocs to cross the Jilajahka, then it’s a long climb up to the Snavvavagge plateau, which must be much nicer in better weather.





Then comes the descent I’d read was tricky, especially in the rain—well, it’s still raining… The rocks are wet and slippery, but taking it slow makes it manageable.

No photos during the descent, but it’s basically from where the cloud starts and along the diagonal.



We then climb up to another pretty plateau. The rain has stopped, so we take a lunch break sheltered from the wind. We’re pretty soaked and getting cold fast, so we hurry.

The landscapes are stunning, and the trail is smooth.

But then come the river crossings. The first, the Bielajahka, shouldn’t have been difficult, but theory and practice are two different things—I really struggled. Given the cold temperatures, there’s no way I’m getting my pants wet. The solution? Take them off—clever, right?

For the second, the Tjaggnarisjahka, known to be tough, we were lucky to see a young couple starting the crossing ahead of us. That let us see it was doable and spot the deeper sections. Since the girl had water up to mid-thigh, I had to drop my pants again. It’s not long, but the current is strong!



Then it’s the end of the stage to Skarja, accessed via a bridge specially installed for the summer.



The hut is basic, but at least we can take shelter to cook. We check the guestbook and see only one French person has signed before us this summer.

Besides us, there are two other tents and reindeer hanging around.





Summary: 16 km – 575 m elevation gain

16/08 – Under the tent at Skarja

Rain all night, rain in the morning. During a brief lull, we start getting ready. But just as we have only the tent left to take down—more rain, and lots of it! It’s 11 AM, we decide not to leave, and we slip into our sleeping bags because with the wind picking up, it’s gotten really cold.

The rain didn’t stop until around 5 PM. We saw three young guys arrive at the cabin, soaked and shivering—big, tough guys who admitted it had been rough.

There’s sunshine in the valley we came from, but in the Ruohtesvagge where we’re headed, it’s pitch black. We’ll see tomorrow; we’ve used up our buffer day, so we’ll have to set off no matter what.

Here are two photos of the cabin—it’s not the Ritz, but when it’s raining and cold, we’re still really glad to find it!





Summary: 0 km – 0 m elevation gain / 6 kcal burned today :-)

17/08 – Ruohtesvagge

The day started in gray weather, and it felt really cold, but this Ruohtesvagge valley is stunning.









There’s a lot of mud due to the rain from the previous day.

We had to take off our shoes three times to cross fords, which didn’t help us warm up. The last ford was a navigation mistake—we could’ve done without it!



We took a quick lunch break, trying to shelter from the wind with our backpacks.

In the afternoon, it got really too cold, so we pulled out the last possible gear: gloves!

This cabin is in pretty rough shape...





Around 4 PM, we felt a few raindrops, and since we’d made good progress, we set up the tent and got cozy in our sleeping bags. Finally, some warmth! A quick 10-minute nap, then we relaxed waiting for dinnertime, which we also had in the tent.

After eating, the weather cleared up, so we went out to wash the dishes and enjoy our surroundings once again—stunning: Akkha and Nijak on one side, Gisuris on the other.







Summary: 19 km – 314 m elevation gain

18/08 – Ruohtesvagge - Padjelantaleden

The night wasn’t great—too cold to sleep properly. Given the weather, we thought about ditching the idea of going up a bit, but after 15 minutes, we just had to, and off we went for a short climb at the foot of Gisuris. Plus, climbing warms you up!

The view from up there was really nice!





On the other hand, catching up with the trail wasn’t as fun—we cut diagonally and ended up stuck in marshes and willows. It took forever to get out (and yes, I grumbled like a grouch 😏).

There are still 9 km to reach Gisuris, where we planned to go down for some supplies.







The last few kilometers were pretty tedious—we were back in the forest, and the trees looked sick, which felt a bit bleak.



At the junction with the Padjelantaleden, we decided not to go down to Gisuris but to keep moving instead. Oh well, no supplies. Then came the return of bridges and planks—signs we were back on a marked trail!





At 4:30 PM, we set up the tent a little below the trail. With the wind, there was no way we’d make the same mistake as two years ago, when I pitched the tent on a hill and spent the night battling the wind. We ate outside anyway—it felt strange to realize it was our last night camping.

But it was time to head back. We were starving, and our supplies were almost gone. We raided everything we had left, keeping just breakfast and a bit of tabbouleh and chocolate for lunch the next day.

Summary: 20.4 km – 540 m elevation gain

19/08 – Ritsem – End of the trek

Another really rough night! Very cold and lots of rain during the second half of the night.

In the morning, we set a record for packing up—we were on our way in just 1 hour and 15 minutes. It helped that it was raining, we had a boat to catch, and we’d run out of food for another night in the tent! So, major motivation!!

We were so happy for those wooden planks—they kept us from slogging through the mud that was pretty much everywhere after last night’s rain.



Too bad the visibility wasn’t great.

The Vuojatdno River and the bridge to cross it were still just as impressive.





At 11:15 AM, we took shelter in the empty Akkha hut to snack on our tabbouleh, and by 12:20 PM, we were at the boat dock.









Nice to see a little sunshine—we took the chance to dry out the tent.



On the boat, we were like kids in front of the snack bar menu—sandwich, ice cream, candy, soda, coffee, here we come!!

I’m so glad I booked a room in Ritsem instead of having to pitch the tent in the cold.

Tonight, it’ll be a little laundry, the bliss of a hot shower, chips, beers, pizza, pasta, chocolate, and ice cream from the shop—total compensation!

Summary: 12.6 km – 150 m elevation gain

Quick recap of the end of the trip

On the morning of 20/08, we took the bus back to Gällivare (9:45 AM – 1:25 PM). We wandered around there before catching the train to Luleå. I have to say, we didn’t get a great impression of the town—it felt pretty gloomy and deserted.

In Luleå (nice waterfront), we spent a night at a hotel and visited the old town church in Gammelstad (interesting). Then we spent two nights in a cabin at the First Camp Luleå campsite.

Turns out, that was a mistake. At this time of year, the season is clearly over—all the restaurants and activities were closed, and the shop was empty. We got pretty bored, and it was already chilly. Still, the cabin was nice, and the site itself was pleasant.

The 23rd marked our return to Stockholm on the overnight train, and on the 24th, we wandered around the city (still as interesting as ever) before catching our flight in the late afternoon.

Trek Summary

Despite the cold and the less-than-ideal weather at the end, we LOVED it!

On the Kungsleden, thanks to our alternative routes and bivouacking—which let us avoid the crowds at the huts—we didn’t suffer from overcrowding and were thrilled we did it.

Crossing the Sarek was a unique experience, a huge sense of freedom but also a certain kind of vulnerability: no huts, no resupply, no signal (so no weather updates), and hardly anyone around. Still, we had a PLB beacon for emergencies, which was really reassuring.

I’ll take this opportunity to mention that it’s absolutely essential to have trek experience, know your limits, manage wet conditions, navigate, know when to stop, or even when to turn back. And of course, be well-equipped. It might seem obvious, but it’s always worth saying (or writing, in this case).

The route we took is considered one of the easiest and perfect for a first-time visit. It’s made us really want to come back and explore other areas. However, maybe a bit earlier in the season because we got *really* cold toward the end. But almost no mosquitoes—which is a *huge* advantage if you’ve ever seen videos of what they can be like!!

And we still can’t get over seeing those 3 bears!

To wrap up, here’s a little distance breakdown:

Kungsleden first part: 127.5 km - 3,415 m ascent and 3,345 m descent Kungsleden second part: 35.6 km - 1,290 m ascent and 695 m descent Sarek: 82.2 km – 2,195 m ascent and 2,650 m descent Padjelantaleden: 12.6 km – 150 m ascent and 250 m descent

Including the walk to Saltoluokta: 270 km - 17 days – 7,500 m ascent and 7,380 m descent

That’s all, it's the end. Shout-out to anyone who checked out this travel journal!

Thanks so much, Laure, for this super-detailed report! I can’t get over that bear encounter—what luck! Did they end up seeing you in the end? If so, were they curious or scared? Anyway, congrats on the hike and the story! Hugs to you both! Marie

Moving forward step by tiny step through damp, lush, often welcoming nature—sometimes demanding. Under a sky that does as it pleases: rushing down, climbing up, clinging on, getting soaked, struggling... Collapsing, then starting all over again the next day.

Stories like these are rare here—those that ditch the plane, the coach, the 4x4, the car, the bike... to connect distant places on foot (in Crocs? ;-) ). To trace, one step at a time, dotted lines across the vast earth.

Thanks for this dose of nature—a revitalizing break in stunning, (still) preserved landscapes...

Thanks Marie, I finished it thinking of you! Yeah, we were really lucky—we hoped to see moose, but no bears at any point! They didn’t spot us on the way there, but on the way back, Jean Marie, who had climbed up a bit to get a better view, told me the mother had noticed him and moved off in another direction… Hope the weather stays kind and you can go ahead with the crossing. And good luck with the van on the way back. Hugs to you both too

Thanks for your poetic message—it perfectly captures what we’re all looking for when we hit the trail on foot.