Back Outside Again

7:25 AM

I need to get used to being outside again. I woke up almost every hour because of the light. You pull a blanket over your head, but then it’s too warm. So you wear less sleepwear, but then you feel every cold spot. What a hassle, right? Long story short: I need to adjust again.

Breakfast from the hammock! And there’s a bit of freezing rain (3 degrees).

9:21 AM

Well, I’m ready!!

10:31 AM

The wind is chilly, but the trail is okay.

4:20 PM

The weather is beautiful. The sun even burns on the back of your neck, but the wind is still cold. So you keep walking. At some point we saw large tents—teepee-like tents. There were cars all around them. Big fences with fabric, lights above the field. From a distance it almost looked like an ice rink. But the closer we got, the more murmuring we heard. Let’s take a look…

Reindeer—masses of reindeer locked up in a fenced area. We walked straight through the camp. Reindeer were tied to cars and got stressed when they saw us. They couldn’t stand! They tried, but kept collapsing through their legs.

Beyond the fences there was another large area where you could see reindeer running away. Murmuring, sighing, calling, screaming! The small reindeer were being driven by the larger ones.

So we just keep walking. The trail feels endless when it’s this barren and hilly.

Journi Moment

6:51 PM

It was 26 km today. I can feel my neck and hips. Finding trees took a bit of effort, but I’m hanging. They’re all small, thin birch trees—not really ideal for hammocks. But the view is perfect.