I had started my holiday and was longing for some hiking in the lonely fells and woodlands of Sösjöfjällen and Svenskådalen, so I packed my backpack and hit the winding roads to Björkede.
Day 1 – Hike up on the fells through the old woodland
I started my hike in Björkede. Björkede is beautifully located in Sweden, on the border with Norway and Snåsa.
When I arrive I was amazed by the silence. I could hear the sound of a little stream that I soon crossed on my way up to the fells.
I hiked through a really old woodland with ancient fir trees and small ponds. Soon, I had amazing views of the Holdershatten fells in Norway.
In the footsteps of a Wolverine
I spotted some fresh footprints of a wolverine, and a little bit later, I heard a large animal run off. Most likely, it was a moose, but you never know for sure.
Hard hiking through the birch woodland
As I entered the birch woodland, the elevation increased and my backpack, laden with food for several days, felt quite heavy. It was really hard work to do the final push up the fells, and I had to stop and rest several times.
Up on the fells
After a break close to a little creek, I continued my hike. It was still quite hard even though the ground had become a bit flatter. The ground was very rocky.
Campsite right next to a waterfall
I hiked towards Stapelsjöarna in Sösjöfjällen and halfway, I found a nice little waterfall where I pitched my tent. The views were stunning.
Technical details:
0,5 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 45mm
Technical details:
1/30 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 105mm
Technical details:
1/30 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 300mm
Day 2 – Hike towards Stapelsjöarna
After breakfast, I continued my hike towards Stapelsjöarna, a group of lovely small ponds intermixed with vertical rock walls and hilly terrain.
Technical details:
1/6 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 260mm
Time for exploring and relaxing
I spent the day exploring the beautiful surroundings with fells, small tarns, and waterfalls. It was a really amazing landscape. I also read a few chapters in my book.
Predicted thunderstorm
The forecast predicted a lightning storm later in the evening, but luckily, it never happened. The day and evening turned out really beautiful, with only about 5 minutes of rain.
Technical details:
1/20 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 32mm
Day 3 – The climb
Today, I will climb up the fells of Slätnatjahke. On the way up, I crossed many beautiful small waterfalls cascading down the black cliffs. The views over the fells in Norway were really stunning as I got higher up.
360 degrees views
Soon, I reached the top and had amazing 360-degree views.
After a longer break, I continued my solo hike in Sösjöfjällen towards Svenskådalen.
Sketchy hike
The hike down the fells was really sketchy with a lot of loose rocks, and I noticed that the ground disappeared in front of me. I hoped that it wasn’t any vertical cliff that I missed when I read the map.
It wasn’t that bad. But the moss was very slippery, and there were loose rocks, but I managed to get past the really steep terrain with my heavy backpack.
Nice campsite
I spotted a little tarn close to the treeline in Svenskådalen where I knew there would be a beautiful campsite with small water cascades and stone cliffs.
Technical details:
1/100 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 50mm
Technical details:
1/80 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 105mm
Time for relaxing
I spent the afternoon relaxing and reading a good book right next to the tarn.
Technical details:
1/100 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 300mm
Technical details:
1/80 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 300mm
Technical details:
1/4 sec / f/16 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 32mm
Day 4 – Entering the ancient woodland, Svenskådalen
Now it was time to enter the old woodland of Svenskådalen. It’s a really beautiful valley with ancient woodlands and a lot of wildlife such as bears, lynxes, golden eagles, and arctic foxes.
Amazing views over the valley
I was so amazed when I stood up on the fells and looked down into the valley. It transmitted a great feeling of wilderness and adventure.
Technical details:
1/125 sec / f/10 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 300mm
Technical details:
1/125 sec / f/10 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 150mm
Technical details:
1/50 sec / f/10 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5,6L IS USM @ 200mm
Technical details:
1/160 sec / f/5,6 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 102mm
Beautiful waterfalls
On the way down into the woodland, I came across a lot of beautiful waterfalls that cascaded straight down the fells to the river Svenskån, which I had to cross. Down in the valley, there were small tarns and wetlands.
Technical details:
1/40 sec / f/11 / ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 82mm
Conclusion
My conclusion from the hike is that it was very beautiful, with many beautiful places to discover.
The solitude is really amazing; I didn’t meet a single hiker on my hike.
There are no trails in Sösjöfjällen and Svenskådalen, so the map and compass are your good friends.
The terrain is very hilly, and behind the hills, there can be some beautiful waterfalls.
It can also be a bit hard to hike because the ground is very rocky. So if you plan a trip to Sösjöfjällen, it’s great to have good balance and be used to hiking on loose rocks.
