Jämtland Day 3

Now it is time for the first leg of the hike around the Jämtlandstriangeln. We are setting off for Blåhammaren, a mountain lodge one can only reach by walking or, in the winter, skiing. This first day will be relatively short, only 12 kilometers (7.4 miles), but it is an uphill hike, especially the last half before reaching Blåhammaren , which is located at 1086 meters (3560 feet) above sea level.

The good news is that you do not have to carry any water in the Swedish mountains. There are plenty of streams with clean fresh water to drink.
The weather is beautiful and quite warm.
Picture by Harald

And the views spectacular. There is still a lot of snow left. In the background you can see Sylarna - a mountain range between Sweden and Norway. This is where we are supposed to go tomorrow.
This was the only place we had a bit of a hard time to follow the trail. We had to take off our boots and walk across in the ice cold water. But it was no big deal since we were half way and getting ready to have our lunch at the ''vindskydd,'' a little hut set up for the hikers and skiers.

Inside it was quite cozy, and if you got stuck here, you could light a fire in the fireplace and sleep over.

As you can see from these pictures, it is easy to follow the trail - as long as it is not snowing.

Picture by Harald

Picture by Harald

We are getting higher and higher up the mountain, and the sky seems to get darker and darker.After about five hours, including the lunch break, we reach Blåhammaren. It was not a very strenuous hike. If you are in reasonably good shape you can do it, too.
The view from Blåhammaren is fantastic. On one side the Swedish mountains, on the other the Norwegian mountains.
The view from our bedroom. Sylarna are in the background.

A toast for a successful first day!
After the sauna it was time for the evening meal, a three course meal with smoked reindeer heart as an appetizer, char (a kind of salmon) with shrimp sauce as entree, and a vanilla pannacotta as desert. In addition, there was homemade bread and an assortment of salads.
The chef came out and presented the menu and the waiter presented the wines he had picked out for the meal. Do I have to add that everything was delicious?


However, checking out the window after the dinner, the weather did not look very promising. Not only was it snowing, but the wind was picking up by the hour. Storm winds were to be expected the next day.


It is not possible to see very much anymore!