The whole Sonfjället for us and the reindeer

An overnight hike through Sweden's oldest national park

Our original plan had been to hike the Jämtslands triangle a bit further north, however the unsteady weather during our few days in Åre made us change our plans a bit further south.

Some research revealed that Sonfjället fit what we were looking for: Fairly remote, above the treeline (the fjäll itself is 1000-1300m above sea level), good potential to see the local wildlife and not too hard to get to. Getting to the trailhead for the northern approach involves a 15km well maintained dirt road - no problem with a normal car. The route we chose was a moderate two day affair of 19km and 800 meters of elevation split evenly between the days.

After packing our things (in a duffle bag that I lugged around on my back) we set out in the afternoon along the eastern slopes of Sonfjället. Slowly climbing up through the small birch wood trees and crossing many marshy areas and small creeks we spotted a reindeer from afar. The final climb brought us up onto the fjäll and towards a small lake where we planned to camp. Alas our spot was already occupied by two reindeer stags who let us get very close. Still we did not want to disturb them too much and pitched our tent a bit further out.

Having had a fairly good night's sleep (with a bit of rain) we enjoyed our lone breakfast up on the mountain. The second day's hike first followed a bigger creek and then climbed towards the namesake summit of the national park. During that day we encountered several small flocks of snow grouse - still no bears. Only when starting the descent back to the trailhead did we actually meet other people for the first time. Them being day hikers I am pretty sure we were the only humans up there that night.

Having to change plans brought us to one of the most beautiful places we saw during our Scandinavian travels so far. And if you get a chance to wander around in fjäll country don't fret too much just pick one!

Adventures: Brigitte and Bengt