Sunday July 19th 2015. Abisko, 7 km by boat and 28 km. walking

Very wet here

Cabin Abiskojaure. Was today’s goal. Nevertheless going on another 14 km. to Abisko.

Tosca stays enthusiastic, also after almost 30 km. trotting through the mountains.

No wifi, no dog food, no shower, no mirror to shave, no laundry machine.
Today to Abisko: back to “civilization”. The first mile was by a motorboat. The route is mostly downhill, so cardiopulmonary it is not tiring. Maybe for the knees, but mine seem of shock concrete. Peace of cake. A soldier may only conclude death if the head and trunk are at least one meter apart. I suspect that in that case my legs will still walk on, just like a slaughtered chicken.
In the boat there was a Swedish tamil couple, the skipper, Tosca and I. The skipper lived the summer months in the samen village, one or two kilometers away from Alesjaurestugan. Photo. He told lots about their culture. You know, he said, if rendeer swim, you see only their head and sometimes neck above the water. Yes I knew that. In Mongolia I saw yaks crossing a river. In the South of Spain my pony entered a lake, his back below the water surface, with the result that my electronics were ruined. Elderly, even older than I am, I see in the swimming pool lying vertical in the water, forehead-chin line (so not bikini line!) just above water, trying to swim to the ceiling. Well now. Reindeer, told the skipper , swim with their back above the surface of the water. Because … their hairs are hollow. They float. How glad we were to know! The bull with the largest antlers is on top of the social ladder. He sometimes has a harem of 200 women. The Tamil Tiger and I smiled at each other and wondered where we could get such antlers. He went on telling that the bulls were very impressive in the season, because of their swollen neck. Other than human beings. Talking about swelling, I remember from high school, where I heard about boys who when dancing put a roll of peppermint in their pockets to impress. True or False? I do not know.
And on the move again, downhill. Soon it started to rain. It was muddy, rocky, wet and slippery. So hurrying was impossible. I was warm and initially walked with rolled up sleeves, while the opponents came up hill well dressed. By now I am used to winter, they probably come from summer. I passed a so-called meditation site several times. Indeed beautiful points. Photo.

At cabin Abiskojaure I had lunch. And by the way, killed tens of mosquitoes, to reduce the number of bites a little. Next we followed the river until I heard the siren of the train in Abisko far away. Two hours before Abisko I meet a Swedish boy about 17 years old, who asked me where the (long distance path) Kungsleden returned to Abisko. He thought that the Kungsleden was one of the walks around Abisko. I told him that he would still have to walk 450km. Of course one can not know everything. About two hours before Abisko, it started: just like an old-fashioned LP with a scratch on it. At least 20 times the same melody of receiving text messages. Entering modernwestern culture. Etc. From German Jan, who asked where I was and if I had time to wait for him in Abisko. We’ll see.
At the Abisko Fjällstation there only was an expensive 4-persons room in the hallway where the rooms were for dog lovers. Tomorrow I could get a room for half that price. No choice except to tent in the rain and cold and then no electro, wifi or shower. Amehoela!
In the dining room I finish my bit of a meal and I hear a man telling with a lot of animo his sauna story. There are separate showers / saunas for the two sexes. Such a space is called bastu. If you happen to know to know. The man walked into “dambastu”, the ladies’ closet room and was surprised that there were only ladies in the shower and sauna. In Scandinavia there is “allemansrecht”. That means that everyone has the right to go or stand wherever he wants, as long as you do not come to someone’s private area. More or less live and let live. I doubt if it also concerns showers, but it seems that no one made any objection.