Lapland- the Great North Pt I

Sweden is a stunningly beautiful country from north to south. Lucky for me, Ashley and I were in total agreement to see the far North, she totally read my mind when she said she wanted to see northern Sweden. In fact it was something we had considered back in 2010, but were already spread thin on destinations. It was a unique coincidence that we would have the opportunity to come back. The far North is a special place and it was absolutely the highlight of our trip. While it came at no small expense, it was a truly priceless experience.

The Lapland refers to the most northern province in Sweden with the upper part inside the arctic circle, it is roughly the size of Portugal. Lapland is sparsely populated and home to native Sami people and reindeer herds. It began with 2 flights from Malmö to go a distance as far as Milan, Italy. We arrived to chilly air and a steady mist and it felt like we arrived in an entire other country. It was easy to get into downtown Kiruna from the airport to pick up our rental car. We got a Toyota Avensis and it was a terrific diesel mid-size wagon with a manual transmission. Ashley drove it and really got the hang of it too!

The landscape was somewhat similar to Iceland, but vastly more forested. The forest was almost entirely birch and unfortunately when we arrived, a caterpillar had defoliated almost all of the trees in the valley. Consequently the landscape was pretty brown, but a recovery was underway and new leaves could be seen sprouting up. Trees are so resilient! 

We drove about a hundred kilometers west from Kiruna into the mountains towards Abisko National Park and the Lapporten region. The view from our room was actually directly east into the Lapporten valley, seen beneath the clouds. The sad, leafless birch trees can clearly be seen too. We stayed at a fantastic hotel in Björkliden, which is a few kilometers west of Abisko. The town is actually more of a ski village and is actually a few kilometers up the mountain. As at all Scandinavian accommodations, the breakfast was a huge buffet within the restaurant. The restaurant served excellent meals and there is a bar which serve you even in the lobby. All the windows face east to give a panorama over the lake and towards Lapporten. I want to make a shot out to Jonas, the friend we made at the front desk who helped us a lot during our time there!

The local action in Björkliden is all about the outdoors. Winter time brings huge skiing opportunities and the summer hiking tours. The start of the world famous Kungsleden or "Kings path"trail starts at Abisko and goes south 270 miles long, this trail is considered by many to be the premiere trail through Swedish Lapland. It also passes by Sweden's highest mountain Kebnekaise (6,926 ft).

Ashley and I chose a trail that started in Abisko and followed a stream corridor towards an alpine lake and a small hut called Kårsavagge. Of course I underestimated the walk distance and time, but we made a solid attempt to reach the lake within the day. The stream was a deep blue and looked great at the start of the trail as it ran through a ravine.

The weather started out a little foggy and misty, but this soon gave way to a steady breeze and clearing skies. We stopped periodically because the vegetation was changing so rapidly as we went higher up.

After hiking for several hours, we elected to stop for lunch and rest out weary legs. The trail followed closely along the stream and so we paused for lunch at rocky step along the bank and ate a nice small lunch. This presented a unique opportunity for me, Ashley did not know what was soon to follow!