Stamp of the day: Muddus National Park, Sweden

Muddus is not a National Park made out of mud, if that is what you think as an English-speaker.  I think it is a Lapponian (Sami) name, and I am not sure what the original meaning is... but it is a land full of bogs, low hills, and waterways and taiga forests in northern Sweden.  Once when we were children our parents took us there, and we kayaked (all five of us, and two Labradors) into the park and into the wilderness for an overnight hike.  It was summer, so the sun barely set at night, and I remember the light at 3 AM in the morning.  It was a magic place, and I remember seeing beavers swimming ahead of the kayaks, unafraid, and a moose or two just glancing at us as we paddled by.  Unusual northern birds, both the singing and the raptor kinds, showed themselves, and we have heard that were was a rare, white falcon ('jaktfalk') at a cliff side nearby but we never saw it.

What we did find though was an abandoned bear winter den, that had been dug out inside an old ant hill (the ant hill are giant in Sweden), with blueberry plants on top.  Near the bear den was a thick stick that stuck out of the ground, and my brother (I think) pulled it out and it turned out to be an ancient ice pick (first we thought it was a bear spear!), with an about a foot long metal pike on a wooden handle over 6 feet long.  The metal was rusted and handsmithed, and the wood was old and grey, but it could still do its job.  Who left it in the forest, hours away from the nearest road?  Who knows.... and we found it.  I wonder where that is now, I don't remember us bringing it.  Or maybe we did, and left it at the local history museum... memories are strange, some things you remember so well, others are in a haze of uncertainty.  But that bear den, that I remember.  It smelled funny and was dark inside...

The stamp shows whooper swans flying over Muddus National Park in Sweden. It was published in 1990 by the Swedish Postal service.

Stamp of the Day: Vattenvägar ('Water Ways')

A Swedish stamp from 2001 on the rivers of northern Sweden illustrates all the water that has fallen and now is on its way to the oceans again.  On the map above, the mountains are on the left side, and the Baltic Sea are on the right side. Vattenvägar, literally 'water roads', are the term used for old traveling routes on water in Sweden, and includes lakes, rivers, streams, brooks, and canals.  A lot of timber was moved along these rivers in Sweden, from the inland forests to the saw mills along the coast of the Gulf of Botnia in the Baltic.

Day 7 in Abisko: Gone fishing

More from OK and his iPhone in the northern Swedish latitudes:

Idag planerar jag att ta en tur med tält några dagar. Tills dess jag är tillbaka får ni hålla tillgodo med följande (mycket) lokala sevärdheter.

(Today I am leaving for a hike with a tent for a few days. Until I am back, you will have to be satisfied with these (very) local sightseeing items.)

Bastuns omklädningsrum. Som en norrlänning skulle säga: "Å här häng man använda handdukar som ska bli ren." (The dressing room in the sauna. As a northerner would say: ".. can't translate.. but the point is that reindeer and clean is the same word in Swedish :) [LS noted])

"Any frolic in your pocket?" [Frolic is a kind of dried dog food]

Den verkliga bossen på vandrarhemmet är dock Murre. (The real boss at the hostel is Murre.)

Långväga gäster har med sig sina inhemska specialiteter. Vad det är? Krylli-Cola kanske? :) (Far away guests are bringing their own cultural specialities. What is this? Cyrrilli-Cola maybe?)

Day 6: These boots were made for walking, and swimming...

Another day in the Swedish Arctic from OK's iphone diary/camera (posted and translated by LS):

Idag tog vi bilen västerut till Kopparåsen, där jag klev av och mamma fortsatte med bilen för att hitta ställen att skåda och måla på.

(Today we took the car to the east to Kopparåsen (= The Copper Ridge), where I got off and mom continued with the car to find some nice places where she could bird watch and paint. )

Kopparåsen heter inte så utan skäl, på berget Koukkel inmutades 1897 en stor yta för brytning av just koppar. Detta var innan järnvägsförbindelsen mellan Kiruna och Narvik var byggd, men planerna var storstilade trots detta. Man planerade brytning och viss anrikning på plats vilket skulle ge arbete åt 500 man, och transporten ned fram fjället skulle ske med linbana.

The Copper Ridge isn't named that without reason, sine a large area was claimed on the mountain Koukkel in 1897 for mining of said copper. This was before there was a railroad between Kiruna and Narvik was built, but the plans were grandiose regardless. They planned mining and some concentrating right there which should give jobs for 500 men, and the transportation down from the mountain should be done with a cableway. )

Man kan på många ställen se var de brutit i grunda dagbrott, och invid har de staplat malmen i snygga rätblock. Detta gjorde man för att mäta hur mycket malm som brutits, lönen var nämligen 4,50 kronor per kubikmeter.

(You can see in many places where they mined in shallow open areas, and next to each pit they have stacked the ore in nice cubes. They did this to measure how much ore they had collected, since the wage was 4.50 Swedish kronor per cubic meter).

Det hus som gruvadministrationen använde finns kvar, med fin snickarglädje och strålande utsikt. Idag var dock molnen ganska låga och när jag fortsatte stigen norrut mot Vadvetjåkka nationalpark så gick jag upp i molnen och regnet. Molnen lättade efter ett slag och plötsligt fick jag en strålande vy mot udalen mellan Vadvetjåkka och Njunjes. Tog fikarast på en kulle nära Njuoraluspi.

(The house that the mining administration used still exists, with nice gingerbread work and gorgeous views. The clouds were a bit low today and when I continued the trail north towards Vadvetjåkka National Park I walked up into the clouds and the rain. The clouds eased up after a while and suddenly a fantastic view opened up showing the U-shaped glacial valley between Vadvatjåkka and Njunjes. I took a break on a little hill near Njuoraluspi.)

Vände åter i mina fotspår på den måttligt använda stigen, de enda skoavtrycken jag såg var mina egna. Stigen var trots bra rösning svår att hitta bitvis då den gick genom snölegor och över hällar ristade av isen. Per telefon avtalade jag med mamma att mötas vid Björkstugan, men stigen ned dit visade sig vara mycket vag och svår att följa. Väl nere i dalen fann jag bara brofästen men ingen bro över den forsande jåkken som jag behövde passera för att komma till E10:an.

(I turned back into my own foot tracks on the ligthly worn trail, and the only tracks i saw where my own. The trail was hard to find despite good stone markers [those stone mounds in the photos], since it partly went through snow and over large rockslabs engraved by the ice age glaciers. By phone I talked to Mom and we decided to meet at Björkstugan (The Birch House), but the trail down to there turned out to be very vague and hard to follow. When I finally got down into the valley I only found the remnants of the foundations of the bridge but no bridge over the rushing stream that I need to cross to get to road E10.)

Med hjälp av telefonens GPS visade det sig att jag kommit ned en km för långt österut och fick ta mig zick-zackandes genom tät vide och krokiga björkar till den bro västerut som faktiskt skulle finnas. Nästan framme hade jag nästa lilla äventyr, jag skulle kliva ned mot en forsande bäck för att sedan passera den. Då brast min vadringsstav och jag fann mig strax sittandes mitt i bäcken med vatten över naveln! Tur i oturen så klarade kamera, telefon, karta och annat inte så vattentåligt sig precis över vattnet. Numera vet jag att sarekstövlar rymmer mycket vatten! :)

(With the help of the phone's GPS I found out that I had come down one kilometer too far to the east, and had to get myself to the west zig-zaging through thick willow shrubs and gnarly birches to the bridge that actually should exist. Nearly there I had my next little adventure. I should step down into a little streaming creak to cross it, when my hiking pole broke and I found myself sitting in the middle of the creek with water up to my belly button! Lucky for me, the camera, map, and other not so waterproof things kept themselves right above the water. Now I know that Swedish Sarek rubber boots can contain a lot of water. )

Jag hittade rätt bro strax därefter och mötte mamma, som fick bistå mig att med stor ansträngning dra av mina stövlar. Väl hemma igen åt vi en välförtjänt middag bestående av renskavsgryta smasatt med messmör och färskpotatis.

(I found the right bridge soon thereafter and met Mom, who had to help with all her force to pull off my boots. Back home in the cottage we ate a well-deserved dinner consisting of reindeer stew with 'messmör" and new potatoes.)

Vy mot Tornehamn från Koukkel. (View towards Tornehamn from Koukkel.)
Historien om Kopparåsens koppargruva. (The history of the mine [LS note: Sorry, I won't translate it all])
Snyggt och prydligt staplat. (Beautifully and neatly arranged.)
Ett lite djupare brott, med snö på botten. (A little deeper mine, with snow at the bottom.)
Gruvhuset. (The mining house. [LS note: Try to locate this at coordinates 68.4166718, 18.4833336, it is out in nowhere])
Kopparmalm. (Copper ore.)
Veranda med snickarglädje och fin vindflöjel som sig bör. (Porch with gingerbread work and nice weathervane, just like it should be.)
Vy från trappen. (View from the porch.)
Tjohoo, jag hittade rost idag! Rester efter decauvillebanan. Det var länge sen nån smörjde dragbanan. :) (Yipee, I found rust today! Remains of the Decauville cableway. It was a long time ago since anyone oiled the gears.)
"Näfveqvarn 1270 kilo" ("Näfveqvarn 1270 kg")
Fjällbjörken håller en låg profil. (The birch is keeping a low profile. [LS note: Det är en liten dvärgbjörk, inte fjällbjörk :) )
Mot Vadvetjåkka! (Towards Vadvetjåkka!
Gammal snö. (Old snow.)
Uppklarnande mot Vadvetjåkka. (Nicer weather towards Vadvetjåkka.)
I de många småsjöarna fanns vigg, sjöorre och alfågel. (In the many small lakes were Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, and Long-tailed Duck.)
Fint flyttblock. (Nice boulder.)
Finare udal än Lapporten? Vadvetjåkka nationalpark. (Nicer u-shaped glacial valley than the Lap Portal? Vadvetjåkka Nnational Park.
Jag trampade nästan på en ruvande alfågel, vi blev nog lika förskräckta båda två. (I nearly stepped on a nesting Long-Tailed duck, we probably got equally scared both of us.)
Grönt te i det gröna. (Green tea in the green.)
Snön kalvar. (The snow is making babies in the lake.)
"Vintage Lapsang Souchong". Det var te i burken. Eller om det var en sten. Svårt att säga... :) ("Vintage Lapsang Souchong". It was tea in the jar. Or maybe a rock. It was hard to tell... :) [LS note: Definitely vintage!]
Rosling. Särskilt för LS. (Bog rosemary. Especially for LS. [LS note: Thanks! I love this wonderful plant in the blueberry family. Its Latin name is Andromeda polifolia. It must be a treat for a plant to have such a nice star-like name as Andromeda.)
Vy mot Tornehamn på nedvägen. (View towards Tornehamn on the way back.)
Någon sorts lav. (Some kind of lichen.)
Var är bron??? E10 är så nära men ändå inte. (Where is the bridge??? E10 is so close and still far away.)
Här är bron! Och telefonen fungerar fortfarande efter mitt mindre frivilliga bad. (Here is the bridge. And the phone still works after my unplanned bath.)
Louktatjåkka.

Day 5: Flow

Another entry in the Abisko iPhone photo diary from OK:

Dagen har gått i flödets tecken. Regn och låga moln, så vi höll oss nere vid vattnet. Vi gick ned längs abiskojåkk mot deltat för att kikarspana. Mamma satt och målade där ett tag. Vi gick en sväng på stranden, för att därefter åka till Björkliden och titta på silverfallet bland annat. Det var betydligt högre flöden i jåkkarna idag.

(The day has been in the theme of flow. Rain and low clouds, so we stayed down by the lake. We walked down along Abiskojåkk stream towards the delta to look for birds with our binoculars. Mom sat and painted there for a while. We walked for a while on the shore, then went to Björkliden to look at Silverfallet (The Silver Fall), among other things. It was considerably more water flow in the streams today than yesterday.)

Långfil, en norrländsk specialitet. (Long yoghurt, a northern specialty.)
Abiskojåkks utflöde, här ligger ett fågelskyddsområde. (The mouth of Abiskojåkk, this is an area protected for nesting birds.)
Inspirationen flödar. (The inspiration flows.)
Lummer. (Club moss.)
Nu vet jag varför det kallas istunga. (Now I now why it is called a tongue of ice.)
Högt över Abiskojåkk sitter mamma och dinglar med fötterna. (High over Abiskojåkk stream Mom is sitting and dangling her feet.)
Bra fart i jåkken. (Good speed in the stream.)
Strandsvall. (Beach waves.)
Svallad sten. (Polished rock.)
Ett vårtecken: Sälgen blommar. (A sign of spring: the willow is flowering.)
Silverfallet föll långt. Inte ens hälften fick plats på bilden. (The Silver Fall fell far. Not even half could be shown in this photo.)
Molnen flöt ned för bergen. (The clouds flowed down the mountain sides.)
Fjälltätört hittade vi idag. (We found a butterwort today, Pinguicula alpina, a carnivorous plant)
Klarar ni tipspromenadens frågor? (Can you answer the questions for the quiz?
Children: Why are there so many moose in Abisko?
1: They are curious and want to see tourists.
X: There is very little snow in Abisko, so it is easy for them to get around.
2: They like the off-pist-skiing on Njulla mountian.
The adult question was about the weight of a newborn baby bear, not as interesting. )

(Photos and text by OK, post and translation by LS)

Day 4. Three peaks

More adventures from OK and AnS from northernmost Sweden, with text and photos taken by OK on his iPhone (posted here and most translations by LS):

Idag passade vi på att ta stolsliften upp på Njullas östsida, 900 möh. Norska väderlekstjänsten förnämliga hemsida, som lämpligt nog finns på www.yr.no :), har nämligen lovat betydligt sämre väder i Abisko de kommande dagarna. Väl däruppe strosade mamma runt och filmade, skådade och målade i ett antal timmar för att sedan ta liften ner igen.

(Today we took the chair lift up on Njulla mountain's eastern side, to about 900 meter above sea level. The Norwegian weather service website, which has the fortunate name of www.yr.no [yr = stormy, dizzy), has promised considerably worse weather for the coming days in Abisko. Up on the mountain, Mom walked around and photographed, bird watched, and painted for a few hours before taking the lift back down again.)

Jag stegade upp på Njullas topp, 1169 möh, och skådade ut över torne träsk och ned mot Björkliden. Sedan bar det av upp på nästa topp, Slåttatjåkka. 1191 möh. Därifrån var det fin vy mot Keronmassivet i öster. Slingrade mig ned till Kårsajåkka som jag korsade vid en hängbro, och gav mig uppför branten mot Njunjesgakki. Väl uppe på toppen där, 1150 möh, var det fin utsikt över abiskojaure på ena sidan, och kårsavagge på den andra. Isen låg ännu på kårsavaggejaure. Sen var det det bara den långa vägen tillbaka. Drygt 28 km blev det idag och några meter upp och ned därtill.

(I walked up to Njulla's peak 1169 meter above sea level, and looked out over Torne Träsk Lake and down towards Björkliden. Then I continued to the next peak, Slåttatjåkka mountain. 1191 meter above sea level. From there it was a great views towards the Keron mountain massive in the east. I wiggled my way down to Kårsajåkka creek that I crossed on a suspended bridge, and hiked up the slop to Njunjesgakki peak. On top of this, 1150 meters above sea level, there was a nice view of Abiskojaure Lake on one side and Kårsavagge mountain on the other. The ice was still on the surface of Kårsavaggejaure Lake. Then it was just the long way back. At least 28 km I hiked today, plus a couple of km up and down. )

Utsikt från Njulla mot Abisko. (View from Njulla mountain towards Abisko.)
Kargt på 1000 möh, men likväl finns där humlor. (Not an easy life at 1000 m above sealevel, but still, the bumblebees are there. [LS note: The flower is a 'lapsk alpros', Rhododendron lapponicum.])
Vy mot Torne träsk. (View towards Torne Träsk Lake.)
Från Slåttatjåkka mot söder. (From Slåttatjåkka mountain to the south.)
"Glimmer och granater!" som Kapten Haddock skulle ha sagt. ("Mica [shimmer] and garnets [grenades], as Captain Haddock would have said. [untranslatable pun])
Utsikten rockar. (The view rocks!)
Picknick i det gröna. (Picnic in the green.)
Fjällvandring är väl bara en fluga... (Hiking is just a fly... [LS note: untranslatable pun, the plant is a flowering willow])
Typisk vattenväxt. ;) (Typical aquatic plant. [LS note: This is purpurbräcka, Saxifraga oppositifolia.])

Bridge over river Kårsajåkka.

Troubled water.
Kårsavagge.
Mot toppen! (To the peak!)
På andra sidan Abiskojaure, Keron och Kartinvare. (From the other side, Abiskojaure Lake, Keron and Kartinvare mountains. )
Stopping for a quick drink on the way home.