Alesjaurestugorna to Abisko. 35km 5 1/2hr.
By the morning the weather had changed. I heard the wind pick-up through the night and had to hope it wouldn’t reach the 20m/s predicted by the hut guardian. Thankfully it was barely half that, but as I set off across the lake northwards it really felt like the weather was chasing me out of the mountains. I glanced back to see swirling clouds had swallowed those views into obscurity. Old snow was on the move again, streaming across the lake ice and catching on scooter tracks making my ski out a little easier. With the wind at my back I made rapid progress along a narrowing ribbon of snow, compressed by scooter traffic and held in place in the willow scrub. A white path weaving through rocks and bare earth… it’s been so dry here this year but I ski on a surprisingly good snow path all the way to Abisko. My timing it seems is perfect… with 2kms to go it starts to snow, and I arrive to #abiskomountainlodge to a luxurious and warm welcome before the mountains retire behind a cloak of falling snow. My body is tired, my mind filled with wonderful new memories that need reflection… and I’m ready for that rest day!