Discovering is not something that happens planned. So we often decide on a destination at very short notice, book flight and rental car and everything else is done spontaneously on the spot. Especially the light and the landscape in the far north invite you to let yourself drift.
Already the flight from Stockholm on to Kiruna was extremely satisfying. The view out of the window of the almost endless landscapes of forests and lakes was simply dreamlike. Three and a half weeks are ahead of us and no day should remain unused. So we left the same evening after 9 pm with the car in the direction of Abisko – on the road to Norway. We stopped at a beautiful river, did our first little hike and let the kids make their discoveries in the forest. And since it never gets dark this high up north either, the sunsets have their own fascination every day anew.
Our destination for the first few days was in Arvidsjaur, 400 km south of Kiruna – at Wildact Adventure’s husky farm with Simone and Jürg. The two emigrated to Sweden fifteen years ago and run various programs for guests and explorers, from easy to challenging – all year round. A wonderful place to explore and experience Lapland at its best.
Whether it’s hiking, fishing, picking berries, preparing food outside and cooking on the fire… outdoor life definitely knows no bounds there. The beauty of living in Lapland is that when you go off the beaten path, you’re always experiencing something. Not that catching fish there is guaranteed, but the chance to catch your own dinner is very big. And because the chances are so great, the children (and parents) inevitably have to get involved in preparing caught fish. As a side dish, there’s whatever you like… from potatoes, vegetables, pancakes and desserts with the self-picked blueberries.
Pike became breaded fish crispies, Egli were fried or prepared on a skewer over the fire. In addition, there was homemade tartar sauce… and everything served on a roof shingle made of coniferous wood. The highlight were the chars, which were fixed with wooden nails on a wooden board and prepared on the fire – Flamm char. Unforgettably good!
In order to test all the skills we had learned, we went on a two-day, 30 km long canoe trip. With us: two canoes, tents, sleeping bags, cooking materials, some food and a fishing rod. Still on the canoe, our youngest (9) cast out on the lakes and rivers every now and then and caught three perch for our dinner in no time. He also did the preparation. These are the special moments, all alone in nature, on their own, somewhere in a small forest to pitch the tents, on the shore the canoes, close to the water burns the fire and although the sun has gone down, it remains reasonably bright. Did I mention that there are no noise sources? It takes some getting used to when it’s so quiet that you can’t hear anything but the crackling of the fire, the buzzing of the mosquitoes (yes, it does) or the jumping of the hunting fish.
These days in Arvidsjaur we will not forget so quickly. Every day there was something going on. But we also wanted to go. So we drove further southeast with the goal to reach the east coast – but before we got there, we stopped at two impressive rapids and spontaneously also camped one night at one of them.
The coastal towns of Umeå, Skellefteå, Piteå and finally Luleå we explored rather at a faster pace. We used these places to order food again and not have to cook ourselves. Of course, we had to get new bait for the fish and when you see Nordic clothing brands on sale, you have to strike.
It quickly became clear to us that although the campsites on the east coast certainly have their charm and the sunsets, while facing east, are extremely fascinating. Fascinating because you can spend a good three hours sitting on the shore at night watching the sky change over and over again. From blue to orange, to pink. Far on the horizon, clouds probably coming from Finland provided more wonderful formations in the sky.
And yet, we were quickly drawn back inland… to the forests, mountains and lakes. We decided to take the long way to try salmon fishing in Jockfall.
Jockfall; what an impressive waterfall – the power of the water can be both seen and heard there! But according to the locals, the water level is usually four meters higher. On both sides of the river they stood, the fishermen. On one side the fly fishermen, on the other side those with spinners and spoons (spinners and spoons are both lures made of metal). It quickly became clear, salmon fishing is a different league. When you got into conversation with the Finns on the spot, you quickly saw that they had other rods and much stronger material with them. But hardly anyone caught a fish. We could observe salmon biting, but the fishermen did not manage to pull one out during our presence. “Salmon are very strong fish” (spoken in a strong Finnish accent… very sympathetic in any case).
To stand on the shore for days and try our luck is not really our thing. We belong more to the variety “fishing for food” and not fish as a sport or pastime. So from there we went on various hikes and explored the woods on trails. Firs and birches – and everything remarkably dry. Every now and then you see tracks of reindeer or walk past very large anthills. What is striking, the ground is soft, the trails extremely narrow, everything is very natural. Towards evening, when the sun slowly disappears, the forests turn into a dark orange and the many trunks cast their shadows – is there a moose watching us from somewhere?
Waterfall Jockfall
For our last evening adventure we drove via Jokkmokk into the mountains to Saltoluokta. Norway is not too far away. We left the car for a few days and took a boat to the other side of the lake to the hostel – one of the many stops on the famous Kungsleden (King’s Trail). The Kungsleden is Sweden’s longest and most famous hiking trail. To hike it completely, you need about a month. But for our last days we still wanted to go high up and went on the day hike to the mountain peak of Lulep Kierkau. A total of 14 km, so 7 up and 7 down. Since the way up the mountain is not part of the Kungsleden, we were alone except for two other hikers, a whole day. We catered on the way up, stopped here and there and enjoyed the view of the, as seen from the airplane in the beginning, endless expanses of Swedish Lapland!
On the way back to Kiruna we took a detour to see the big waterfall Stora Sjöfallet. The impressive thing about it is that the lake at one narrow end virtually just disappears from the face of the earth – at least that’s how it appears. The water flows with enormous force a good 20 meters down the rocks.
Waterfall Stora Sjöfallet
The three and a half weeks went by so fast. We have experienced a lot and even more will always remain in good memory. Family vacations in this form mean a lot to us. This is because we can occupy ourselves with ourselves, do many things together, learn many new things and enjoy and experience nature to an extent that we are probably no longer aware of. Taking time for the essentials has not necessarily become easier in our often very hectic society. “The essential is invisible to the eyes”, the fox already told the little prince, “one only sees well with the heart”. Quote from Antoine de St. Exupéry.
Frédéric Diserens
More information about Frédéric Diserens travelogues and his projects at:
www.fredericdiserens.ch
