Kiruna with the world's largest ore mine is impressive. If you are not claustrophobic and not afraid of being deep underground, you can take a tour of the ore mine. We didn't do it because, on the one hand, we didn't want to leave Finja in the car in the warm weather and, on the other hand, I'm a little afraid of the depth and tightness. And Basti has already been to a mine so that he didn't necessarily have to go down there. Before it goes to Abisko National Park we wanted to go after Nikkaluokta drive and hike there a bit.
Nikkaluokta - a beautiful but also strenuous hike
After the city tour we are heading Nikkaluokta drove. We looked for several places to stay, but we spurned all but the last one because of the mosquito alarm. This was shortly before Nikkaluokta and had a few mosquitoes, but we were able to narrow them down with our vaporizer. In the evening we walked to the place and my heart opened up. It was such a beautiful view with the lake and the mountains behind it. I was looking forward to the next day when we wanted to hike to a lake.
The next morning Finja woke Basti quite early because she had to get out. The last few days she had stomach intestines every now and then, but this time everything was fine. So we got up around 7:30 a.m., had coffee and drove into town. You can't get any further by car. There are short-term and long-term parking spaces as well as camping and parking spaces. We then stood on the pitch because we wanted to stay one night after the hike. Set up, get ready and then off you go.
The hike was relatively easy this time. It used to be a normal path and hardly had any vertical meters, so we almost only walked straight. After 6 km and 1 1 / 2h we have it Lake Ladtjojaure achieved. On the way there were wonderful mountain views and we were accompanied by a few mosquitoes and horseflies. Since we sprayed ourselves, this time it went with the plague. Finja did a great job and on the last few meters she had a lot of fun because it was done over wooden planks.
At the lake we took a 1h break and ate at a campfire site. Since I'm no longer used to walking in hiking boots, I ran into 2 fat blisters. Stupid as I was, I also forgot to pack barefoot shoes. So I had to go through there now. In the hiking boots I also have stiff insoles for the feet, which I once got from the orthopedic surgeon. My feet are not used to that anymore. So my normal shoes for the next hike.
Basti then let the drone fly and took super nice pictures. You could even do that highest mountain Sweden, the Kebnekaise, see. Meanwhile, two young women came and sat on the other side. We started talking and also on the subject of mosquitoes. The two live in Lapland and said that this year it will be pretty extreme with the animals. That would be because it was a hard and long winter with more snow than usual. Only that the snow thawed too slowly and thus puddles could form, which are ideal for mosquitoes to multiply. Ok, so avoid wetlands.
We packed Finja in our rucksack on the way back, otherwise it would have been too much for her. She was allowed to run the last 2 km again. The mosquitoes became more clingy again, so our mosquito spray slowly gave up. We also sweated a lot. Around 4 p.m. we were back at the polar bear and we were pretty exhausted from walking. We slowly let the evening fade away and went to bed relatively early. The next day we wanted to go back towards Kiruna and then on to Abisko National Park.
Abisko National Park - midnight sun from Mount Njulla
The night wasn't so good for us then. A few mosquitoes made it into the car and Finja woke Basti around 7:30 am because she had diarrhea. We stayed up straight away. Since she had to do with it several times now, we will stop in Kiruna on the way back and go shopping. In the evening a Moro soup is cooked and we hope that it will be better then. After coffee, we left relatively early to go shopping and fill up drinking water.
The way to Abisko national area was breathtaking again. A large lake with a long road and mountains on both sides. We love this sight !! Since it was already late in the afternoon, the search for a parking space for the night started and wasn't that easy. Too mosquito-heavy, too crooked, too crowded, everything was there. Then we found a place that went and I started with the soup right away. It has to cook for just under 2 hours, i.e. too late to feed for the day. After cooking and eating we went down to the lake. Such a beautiful sight, just gorgeous !! Fishing huts, a lonely boat on the beach, an angler in the water and the "sunset".
After a few photos we went back to the bus. The night was then again short, as Finja came several times because she had to go out. It's good that the soup was ready, so we could start right away. However, we weren't quite as fit and quite overtired, as the hike and the little sleep we were left with still hung on our bones.
So we drank coffee a little longer and did not continue until late noon. Since we wanted to give Finja some time to recover, we looked for a place for 2 days. It wasn't that easy, though. But in the end we found one not that far from the Norwegian border on a lake surrounded by mountains.
This place also seemed very popular with more and more RVs coming and by the evening it was full. Half of them were Germans. The sun was shining and it was warm too, but there was always a light wind, so it was really pleasant. Finja didn't have any more diarrhea either, so the soup works quite well for her.
Since we were so broken, we didn't do much other than a little "house cleaning" and just enjoyed the view. Basti had seen on the Internet that you were at Abisko Naturum take the chairlift up the mountain in the evening and then see the midnight sun. We decided to do that after Finja's break. We also planned to hike in the canyon, if all goes well.
After 2 nights that Finja let us sleep, we drove towards the long-term parking lot at Abisko Naturum. At the Silverfallet waterfall we then stopped to take a few photos. It was really gigantic! What a lot of water came down and how loud it was, unbelievable. You could still walk down to the lake, where many sunbathed on the stone beach and were swimming in the lake. It was also incredibly warm that day, up to 30 degrees.
The Naturum itself was already closed when we got there, so we walked a little further to the river that leads out of the canyon. Again, an unbelievable amount of water, which found its way from a canal under the street. We didn't walk the canyon itself because it was too warm. In the evening we wanted to take the chairlift to the mountain station at around 9 p.m. and then another 2km to the top of the mountain Njulla to hike. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the bus and moved as little as possible because it was super warm.
Around 8:30 p.m. we walked to the chairlift. We started with tea, jackets, Finja's backpack and something to eat in our luggage. Since it was only a t-bar lift, Finja should be in her backpack for the trip. Nevertheless, we were curious to see how she does it, since it is high and a bit choppy when driving. The seats were very narrow, so we had to drive with 2.
I had Finja in my rucksack next to me on the bench and she wasn't quite so at ease. I petted her and talked to her the entire trip. In the end, she got a little nagging, but otherwise did it really well. When Basti came she was beside herself with joy and motivated to run.
After a tip, we walked around to the right and not the main path. Unfortunately we missed going diagonally to the left and then had to look for a way to the main path at a snow field. Our feet got a bit wet and the mosquitoes were there too. But we had a great view of the lake that we would not otherwise have had.
But here, too, we notice again that we are lacking stamina. The ascent was sometimes steep and we often had to take breaks. We finally got over the tree line, which made us very happy. It's not really difficult in Sweden either, as the tree line starts at a height of 700 meters.
Once at the top it was worth all the effort for this view. I would like to thank my world's best man for making my dream come true: see the midnight sun for once !! It was amazing!! The sun was surrounded by clouds a bit, but you could see where it was. And if you take several photos within minutes, you can also see that it is not going down, but is running along the horizon. Something that should really be seen if you are in Scandinavia at this time!
The mosquitoes were also represented up here and you had to make sure that you got a bit of wind so that they don't bother you so much. At 12:15 a.m. we made our way back and this time walked the main path. If only we were before that too. After 40 minutes we were back at the lift. I had really wet feet because the meltwater from the snow also wants to go down the mountain. We made the way back with the chairlift like the way there and this time Finja was a bit calmer. She had laid her head on my arm at the top of the backpack and closed her eyes. Apparently she was tired, it was actually bedtime.
At 1:45 am we were back at the bus and after a bite to eat we went to bed. When we woke up, we were already 20 degrees in the bus and it was super warm because there was no shade in the parking lot. It promised to be hot again. What did we go north for when it gets just as hot here in summer? Since I actually wanted to wash, we went to Kiruna to a campsite. The Abisko National Park was breathtakingly beautiful.
More information about Abisko National Park can be found on the official Swedish National Park website:
https://www.nationalparksofsweden.se/de/nationalpark-wahlen/abisko-nationalpark/
You can find more pictures in the Sweden photo gallery.
