Abisko to Torneträsk. 45km 7 1/2hrs.
It felt a little strange to ski out along the same small path onto Torneträsk lake this morning and turn east instead of west. So far my second start from Abisko has gone more smoothly than the first. Faultless weather and good skiing conditions on the lake allowed me to finish skiing by 1:30pm… with time to spare to collect my new boots from the postal point in the supermarket at Abisko. Today I skied 45km just along one lake and the lake itself is longer still. That’s a lot of lake! Although not the most varied of ski days, my boot repair was very temporary, and I was glad of the gentle straight line skiing. It also gave me an opportunity to see Swedish ice fishing practices up close. I found this caravan in the middle of the lake. At first bemused, I then saw it was on skids and clearly parked in place for the winter. A perfect spot for a weekends fishing! Closer to Torneträsk I passed quite a few couples out indulging their winter hobby, and a variety of set-ups… from the basic chair by the ice hole to a fold-out skooter-trailer tent. This is a whole new area of outdoor life I never knew existed. 🐟🐟🐟 The temporary repair to my boots held up long enough to get me ashore and I was overjoyed to find out that my new boots had arrived. I hitched back up the road to collect them and changed into them in the supermarket foyer. There is an altogether more pleasant aroma to the new ones… 😉So I’ve lost three days but not lost motivation and am excited to be heading north again tomorrow.