On the Nordkalottleden to the start of the Kungsleden

The campsite in Kilpisjärvi was really nice and I had everything I needed. There was a supermarket, a kitchen and even a sauna, which I used every day.

I met another German on the first day who was in a hike as well and we hit it off right away. Since it was her birthday the following day, we celebrated it with sauna and snacks.

The pain in my thigh, which I still had from the last stage, did not really want to get better and after the fourth night I decided to continue anyway. My gut feeling told me that movement was better than too much rest. And I was actually right!

I met a few other people on the site, mostly hikers, who I struck up a conversation with, but overall had a very nice time there and was able to recharge my social batteries a bit, since I otherwise spend most of my time alone.

Since I left only at noon and then it also started to rain, I did not walk very far on the first day and decided in the early evening, when I no longer felt like it, to call it a day. But before that I passed the point where the country borders of Norway, Finland and Sweden meet. This is located in a lake, which even in bad weather, or perhaps because of it, offered a mystical and very beautiful backdrop.

Treriksröset - Where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet

The fog the next morning made navigation partly difficult, because the markings were hardly visible and once I lost them, so I crossed a river in the wrong place and thus got water in my shoes again. But since they were still wet from the day before, it didn't matter.

In the fog I also crossed the border to Sweden. Already the day before I had crossed the Norwegian border and left Finland.

Morning in the fog at the border

It went quite a bit uphill and just when I was over the highest point, the sky began to show itself more and more, so that I already enjoyed full sunshine on the descent.

The following valley was surrounded by mountains and lakes and glanced in the sunrays.

About five kilometers before the next hut I met a German girl and we then walked together for a bit before I started the second ascent that day and went one hut further.

Still a bit foggy, but no less beautiful

The next day there was a strong wind that stayed for about half of the day.

However, the trail was much busier that day than before. So quickly a total of about fifteen people feel "busy" throughout the day...

The next morning started with sunshine and a camp spot that could hardly be more beautiful.

The sun stayed unfortunately not too long and was quickly replaced by drizzle, which should then remain the rest of the day. Since the hut where I had camped was already a little higher, the climb in the morning was not that long. At the top the path was again over large rocks and demanded concentration and coordination.

The terrain is not always easy - the last kilometers on the second day

At the next hut I took a break and talked on the phone with my best friend for quite a while, because I suddenly had reception again and the rain didn't exactly invite me to keep walking.

At some point, however, I pulled myself together and hiked quite a bit further until I set up camp in the evening by a river in the still drizzling weather.

And the next day should already be the last on this section, because I had planned to hike through to Abisko. The anticipation of a supermarket and chocolate really makes everything possible!

With gorgeous views, but also again and again swamps and in the middle many hills, the day dragged on a little.

But at some point I reached the first road and knew that the chocolate was within reach.

Sun and swamps

After the supermarket was plundered, I went, for lack of a campsite, to a hostel and made the final preparations for the start of the Kungsleden.