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Day 5: If the first day of the hike wasn’t so bad, we still had the second and the third to go. Today was six hours and then the homeward journey tomorow is eight hours, including a 2km section first up which will take us from 550m up to 1300m.

A highlight from today was coming across a large herd of reindeer. While reindeer are herded by the Sami (lapplanders), they are quite flighty, so seeing so many up close was quite an unexpected treat. The mountain sheep were easier to spot as many wore bells to help find them. When winter arrives, they’re all herded and taken back to shelter.

Today’s hike was around 19km, largely through a beautiful valley which, after a brief climb to get there, tapered slowly downhill. Apart from a few marshy bogs which slowed us down and led (eventually) to a trickle of water down the back of my heels, the path was relatively easy. Tim’s been quite clever in selecting the route so that the easierst day is first and the most difficult day is tomorrow.

The best surprise was the hut that came to at the end of the day - Trollsheimshytta (hytta means hut). As the summertime peak had officially begun the week previously, the hut was now fully staffed and fully catered. This was a much more luxurious stop than the previous hut, with hot showers, cold beer and a set meal (which the staff adapted on short notice to suit our vegetarian tastes - reviewed here by Kate). Quite simply it was unbelieveable. After a long day out hiking, coming in to the warmth of the hut with people to take care of us was very much appreciated.

Accommodation summary
Dorm, shared bathroom: US$150
In a few words: Amazing and unforgettable
Rating: 9.5