This is the second leg of our journey on the EuroVelo 7 from Nordkapp, Europe’s northernmost point, southwards. We have now continued from Alta all the way through to Gällivare, coming through 3 countries (Norway, Finland, and Sweden) over the course of 7 days. You can read about the first section of journey from Nordkapp to Alta here.
Rest Day 2
I was still much too tired to continue on, so we took a real zero day and stayed at Alta Strand Camping a second night. We slept til 8, had breakfast, did a load of laundry, and let it dry in the sun. We walked down to the boats on the river and back to camp. C found a small hike with just 10m of elevation so we did a small 5km walk which brought us to the river. When we got back to camp C did a run to the supermarket since last time we hadn’t planned to stay an extra day. I napped in the sun. It was exactly what I needed. We chatted to other bikepackers who were also taking a rest day. One couple from Switzerland we had seen the day before at the museum. The other was from Belgium and were spending today at the museum.
Day 5 – Alta to Màze – 70km
We got up early because today would be a long day. We would cycle 70km and 1000m of altitude, much of it on a gravel road. We hit the road before 8 and the first 20km really flew by. We had rolling hills from camp to the Gargia Lodge. Already this portion of the trail was away from the highway so there was very little traffic. We didn’t see any bikepackers while cycling the entire day.
We passed single houses, sometimes a couple together, but nothing that could be described as a village. When we got to the lodge, it was still early but the door was open and the sign for waffles was tempting but we decided to continue. Just after the road turned to gravel. There were several cars parked at the base of the incline.
From here onwards we pushed our bikes up the steep gravel hill. It took us a while, but it was too steep and too long to pedal. Halfway, C took the Wurst and I felt so much lighter. At 350m the trees disappeared and the trail was less steep. We also had a tailwind for the rest of the day that just pushed us along the plateau as we pedaled. The view was incredible. There were lakes and creeks and mostly just us and the gravel road. Seldom a car or motorcycle would pass us.
We came to an area with a lot of parked cars and realized we were at the trailhead for seeing the Alta canyon, Europe’s largest canyon. From there it was a 12km hike. We went back and forth trying to decide if we should do the hike to the viewpoint over the canyon. In the end we decided it would be too much to add another 3 hours to our day. If I were to plan again, I would make time for this hike. The canyon is supposed to be fantastic and is Europe‘s largest.
We traveled slowly across the plateau. The gravel was sometimes challenging. In places the stones were really big and bumpy,there were lots of potholes, and at other times the gravel behaved like sand causing my bike to fishtail. C had returned the Wurst to me so now it was my turn to worry about getting a flat tire. My bike doesn‘t have any way to attach luggage to the fork, so all of the weight is on my rear wheel. It is a gravel bike, but isn’t meant for carrying all this stuff plus me.
We stopped at a creek for a snack break and noticed a huge pack of reindeer on the ridge. It was the biggest herd we had seen. They were quite far from us but still cool to see so many at once.
The wind continued to help us along the trail. We stopped now and then to push the bikes when it got too gravelly, bumpy, or downhill. Honestly, downhill was scarier than up was hard. It is hard to have control of the handlebars when the front is so light and the back is so heavy. We took our time because the cycling was really pleasant and the landscape was so great! Im sure I’d have a different story to tell if we had had headwind!
We passed single houses with outhouses along the lakes. 4 dogs chased after us from one house close to the trail. 4 black dogs who never growled nor barked, just wanted to see who was there.
The trail began to descend and soon we were again below the tree line. We decided to stop for lunch and hoped the trees would provide us some protection from the wind. In the end, I was too cold to stop for long. Heading downhill I stopped to put on another layer because I was so cold. We continued descending until we reached the Suolovuopmi Lodge. It was barely 2pm and now we’d be a lot quicker on the road, so C suggested we go inside.
The cafe was so cute and cozy inside. Our table had a table cloth on it in black and white with what looked like the stone carvings of reindeer and boats and other motifs we had seen at the museum in Alta. A woman bikepacker was there that we had seen at the last camp. She had opted for the road over the gravel.
We ordered a cinnamon bun and a waffle plus a glass of crowberry juice. The waffle came with a whole cake plate full of different jams, whipped cream, and Brunost brown cheese. The cinnamon bun also had cardamom in it and was so delicious. C says the cinnamon buns are even better in Sweden, so I cant wait! We split the waffle, trying about 5 of the 6 jams available. C even ate a slice of cheese at the end just because. The juice was very tasty. I was glad for some vitamins since we haven’t had much fresh fruit or vegetables so far.
On the road, the kilometers went by quickly. There were ups and downs but everything was manageable. I think the combination of the first four hard days plus adequate rest has really helped make cycling easier. I hope I keep getting stronger.
The view over Maze was fantastic as we cycled up the final hill before the campsite. The river was down below and a smattering of red houses. At the camp we found some campers in a trailer who told us to just call the number on the main building and someone will come. About 5 minutes after I called, a woman arrived who spoke no English. She signed us in and gave us a key for the sanitary building.
It was super windy when we tried to pitch our tent. As soon as we managed to get all of the stakes in we got attacked by bugs. I immediately swallowed two, one right sfter the other. We must have looked ridiculous jumping around swatting flies and mosquitoes. Eventually we chose a spot with with more gravel with harder ground and a few less bugs.
Up next was trying to shower and then cook. The showers didn’t seem to work so I washed with cold water. C washed in the sink, which did have hot water. Then we tried to decide where to cook with the least amount of bugs. We decided for a porch on one of the uninhabited cabins. It was a good idea at first, but eventually we needed to move while we ate or risk getting eaten. Most of the bugs are just flies, but they really get in your face. There‘s enough mosquitoes that you always have to be swatting. This is what I imagine a 2 out of 10 on the mosquito scale to be, so I am dreading it getting worse!! (Future me knows that this is the worst of the bugs in this blog post).
After dinner we hid in the tent until bedtime. Will the mosquitoes go to sleep too? I hope they wake up late!!
Day 6 – Maze to Kautokeino – 70km
No the bugs never go to sleep. We woke up to the small flies pelting the tent. We decided to skip breakfast and get on the road to just get the hell out of there. By 7:30 we were on the bikes. We kept trying to find a bug free spot along the road, but always after a minute or two you’d be surrounded. After 7km, we gave up and each shoved a caffeinated Clif bar down, which would be my downfall later.
The landscape was, as always, very beautiful, but I was intent on cycling as fast as I could to escape the flies. A few big ones started to follow us and they were impossible to get rid of. Only cycling downhill fast enough seemed to do the trick. Luckily they didn’t really bite or land on me. Occasionally they would bump into me while trying to keep up, but they didn’t intentionally fly in my face. They were really annoying though.
Back to the landscape. We followed the river a long time. It was on our left, sometimes in view and other times too deep or covered by trees. Often it was very wide, almost like a lake. On the right side there were lakes, one after the other. Later we cycled at the edge of mountain and had great vistas of the valley below.
As we cycled, more and more flies began to join us. At first it was just a couple, then it was at least 5. After 20km C insisted we stop to eat again. “We cant cycle the whole day on just a Clif bar.” We pulled over to get out two snickers bars and ate them pacing in a circle. Once stopped, the smaller flies which did attack your face and the mosquitoes would join the big flies in making you miserable. Keeping in motion was the only way to keep some of them at bay.
Moving on, the big flies became uncountable as we cycled. Was it always the same ones? Or were they trading places? They were very big, bigger than a wasp and striped a light yellow and black. They really were quite harmless but were so unsettling.
I was cycling faster than I had on any of the days before. I didnt stop on any of the hills. Even though I was slow on the uphill, I just wanted to keep moving and to get somewhere without flies. We passed through villages, or at least we saw the signs for them even if there were hardly any or no buildings visible. Some of the names seemed to have more letters than inhabitants.
Finally came a hill which was too steep and I was too tired for. I stopped briefly about a third of the way up to catch my breath before continuing the climb. Luckily C was waiting for me at the top, already pacing in circles to avoid the bugs. I rang my bell to get his attention and screamed “get out the bug spray!” I had had it and the caffeine from the bar hadn’t helped my anxiety about the insects. C sprayed me with the repellant and rubbed it in for me on my arms and legs while I sobbed pretty hysterically about the flies. The bug spray helped a surprising amount. We had already covered 44km, more than half of the day’s journey in just a couple of hours, despite continual hills. I was exhausted, over-caffeinated, and completely overwhelmed by the incessant flies. I knew it was ridiculous to be crying. We weren’t being bitten by the flies and the mosquitoes were totally minimal. But they were just too much. (Ok, I wasn’t being bitten by flies, but C’s legs looked awful!)
We hugged, walked in circles, and I cried some more just to get it all out. When we were rested enough we continued. We stayed close together for the rest of the way to Kautokeino. With C directly in front of me I could see the massive amount of flies around him that must also be flying around me too. I kept cycling to hopefully reach somewhere without flies.
When we reached the edge of Kautokeino the big flies seemed to disappear. We stopped at the first supermarket and luckily there was a nice bench right inside. I plopped down and was too tired to even speak, which for me is saying something. C was at a loss without my constant babbling and decided we must have a snack now. He went through the giant supermarket looking for something with enough energy to bring my speech back. After a long rest on the bench we were ready to make a plan and move on.
We cycled to the Sami Museum in town. Inside there were many artifacts of Sami life and culture, like clothing, cooking, fishing, and reindeer herding. The young women at the museum answered our questions about Sami life. Outside, there were some old Sami buildings, barns, and storage structures.
Then we stopped at the last supermarket in town on the way out and were about to head to the camp 7km outside town, when we noticed a camp next to us. We decided to stay there because we thought there will be more big flies and insects further out of town, even though this will add to our km tomorrow. There is a cool teepee here that you can sleep in on a cot under a net but we will stick with our tent.
Tonight was pasta!! And we met another German bikepacker who is headed north. There are still a lot of little flies here but it is manageable.
Day 7 – Kautokeino to Hetta/Enontekio Finland!
I woke up at 3am burning in my sleeping bag from the intensity of the sun. The drone of the mosquitoes stuck between the inner and outer tent made me consider whether or not I wanted to get up and use the bathroom. Risk getting bitten and letting some of them in the tent, or being awake thinking about having to pee until it is time to get up. The toilet won out and I raced out of the tent to the sanitary house.
An hour later C also got up to pee and we could hear our bikepacker friend packing up for the long journey to Alta. When we packed up at 7, not only were the mosquitoes awful, but all of the tiny flies were constantly hitting you in the face and just about everywhere. They must not have eyes because idk what they’re trying to achieve.
When we set off, I had my first big fly join me before we even got off the bike trail. All of the bigger towns have really nice wide bike paths next to the road, but they eventually end. Either I was more mentally prepared and tolerant of the big flies or they just weren’t as bad.
The trail headed gently upwards. The landscape was similar to the previous day, lots of blue lakes and or river on either side of us. The trees are all pretty short so even though it is green and forested, you can still see quite far. The sun got hotter and hotter as the day went on. We kept climbing all the way to the border where we crossed from Norway into Finland and into the EU. On the Finish side there were two border agents sitting outside with a dog but they just waved hello to us as we went through.
A few kilometers afterwards we stopped by a small pond to take a break in the shade and eat some lunch. I was so hot and tired that I could barely eat. At first the bugs were super annoying, but then I laid down on the stones despite being uncomfortable and just didn’t care about the flies. C took off his shoes and put his feet into the pond. I dozed a bit. When C was ready to go, I didn’t want to get up, but I also wanted to be finished cycling, so there wasn’t a lot of choice.
We applied more sunscreen but still felt like the sun was burning us. A few km later there was magically a rest stop on the side of the road. It was a small store and restaurant. We went in and bought a cold drink. I didn’t want to leave again, I was so tired from cycling and the sun. The heat and tiredness were making me less able to tolerate the big flies. Or were they more aggressive now? C had lots of awful looking bites on his calves. Luckily, I was unscathed.
We thought we would head downhill from the border crossing but it was still a lot of up. Only the last 5 km into Hetta were downhill. Along the way the landscape seemed to have changed. C said the trees smelled different, no longer just birch. I thought the lakes seemed to be more like swampy wetlands. I expected there to be a moose standing in each one. No moose sightings, but we did see a rabbit as we cycled into town.
Our bike friend from the last camp told us he couldn’t get a spot at the camp in Hetta and had to go 4km away from the trail to another camp. I was dreading this since we had the extra km from Kautokeino already. We decided to ask anyway and got lucky, we could camp there! I was so happy.
We pitched the tent, dropped our bags, and cycled 1km further in town to the grocery store where we found everything our hearts desired. Even ice cream. Back at camp we moved the tent into the sunny field to avoid mosquitoes. The shade would have been relief from the sun, but the biting was nonstop.
Day 8 – Hetta to Karesuando, Sweden – 66km
Today flew by! The incline was always easy, sometimes so light that you didn’t notice it. Coming out of Hetta:
Look! There’s a reindeer walking down the road!
That reindeer has really big antlers!
That’s a big reindeer!
That’s a moose!!
Yes, it was so exciting! It walked down the road, turned into someone‘s driveway and then laid down in the shade next to the garage. I was singing “we saw a moose!” for the next few hours. (Update: a lovely Swedish friend informed me that our picture is actually of a reindeer. Thankfully a full day later so I could still enjoy this moose fantasy. Thanks, Jeanette!!)
About half way from Hetta to Karesuando, we stopped at a salmon hut. We had seen orange signs with kilometers written on it and words we could not read. 5km, 4km, 3km, 2km, 1km, 500m, salmon hut! They were selling salmon and reindeer meat. The river was directly behind the hut. We opted for two salmon sandwiches. I didn’t realize the salmon would be raw but this was not a surprise to C. They came open face on dark bread with butter, a slice of cheese, raw salmon, and sliced pickles. It was for sure an experience. C really enjoyed his and said the salmon had good flavor. In the hut we saw two bikepackers that we had seen the previous day in the rest stop just over the boarder. Otherwise we are seeing fewer bikepackers than before.
In no time we were in Karesuvanto, still in Finland. And we were about to gain another hour when we crossed into Sweden since the time would change again. We ate some lunch (pita bread with aioli mayonnaise- don’t you wish you were us?) at the picnic tables outside the souvenir shop, remarking how this is not a great time for selling Lappland sweaters – it’s been near 30 degrees for several days. To kill more time we went into the cafe and had Moomin sodas, the hippo-like troll creature that is well-loved in Scandinavia.
We crossed the river and were in a new country for the second time in 2 days. But now we will be in Sweden for the rest of this trip. There was a camp directly on the route so we stopped here instead of going 2km further. I‘m not 100% sure you can camp with a tent here but we wanted a cabin so I can rest up really well. I‘m feeling tired on some inclines and tomorrow will be 90km!
Day 9 – Karesuando to Kokkajärvi – 90km
The cabin was super hot at night. I woke up around midnight to open the door and it looked like a sunset. The sky was golden and beautiful. Soon we will have that the sun really does set. At first just for an hour, but then more every night. I woke up for real with the drone of mosquitoes in my ear. Either they are actually there or I am going crazy.
Heading up the driveway to the road, I whacked myself good with the pedal again, just as the two other bruises from falling in the tunnel were finally healing. We cycled out of Karesuando and enjoyed the road to ourselves for a good two hours before any other traffic came along. The road followed a ridge and we had great views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. Today we started to see lots of dragonflies.
30km passed quickly and we were looking for a break spot. Then came a rest stop by a lake with several picnic tables. We wanted to sit by the lake but it was too hot and sunny and there were too many mosquitoes. We tried the door to the cabin and it opened! It was a hut similar to the one we will stay at tonight. There was a wood stove and a big wooden table and benches wide enough to sleep on.
Another 30km passed quickly but now I was getting tired. We stopped at a gas station but the store isn’t open on Sundays. We laid on the porch and ate our pita with squeeze aioli and cheese. A mom with three kids cycled over from the village to see if it was open for ice cream. Then a bikepacker came from the south and was also hoping the store would be open. He chatted with us a while before continuing on. I took a nap in the shade.
The final 30km were tough. I was tired, the headwind became stronger and more prevelant, the flies became more numerous, though they were not always present. Dark clouds appeared behind me and it looked like the forecasted storm might come true. There were some claps of thunder and some raindrops but nothing more. It felt like forever to get to the cabin even though Komoot said the trail would go downhill at the end. The wind fought us and my legs were killing me.
When we finally arrived we checked out the site. There are two shelters, two toilets, and a cabin. There are a couple of docks into the lake and many picnic tables and fire stands. An old Danish couple and a Swedish couple were already enjoying the view.
We pitched the tent in a buggy area, changed into bathing suits in the cabin, and tried to jump into the lake. The stones are all so slippery, it was impossible to get in without clinging for dear life onto the dock. We got in deep enough to sit up to our necks in the water. It was surprisingly warmer than I expected and even I could sit for a few minutes in the water. It was such a relief after a long day.
Then we boiled water to cook with. I was hangry so we cooked dinner quite early. We ate two ready meals and a family packet of mashed potatoes. After dinner we hung out on the dock because that’s where the least insects are. Three birds that looked like jays kept hopping towards us on the branches and reeds at the edge of the lake. They were a reddish beige color with a crest on top and black and red wing bands. We waited as still as we could as we watched them hop closer and closer. We both had our mosquito hats on so maybe they didn’t recognize us until they got really close. In German they are called Seidenschwanz, or silk tail, but in English they are called a Bohemian Waxwing.
Day 10 – Kokkajärvi to Piilijärvi – 59km
The lake was beautiful in the morning. We cooked breakfast by the lake and then packed up inside the cabin to avoid the bugs. We cycled downhill to Vittangi, which was very cute. There were some historical wooden buildings as we crossed over the river into town. We stopped at the small Coop to get more oats for breakfast.
The trail was slightly uphill for a while but wasn’t too steep. Dark clouds gathered behind me and thunder growled. Soon drops began to fall but they were such a relief from the heat that I didn’t stop to put on rain gear. I thought it would be over soon because I could see lightly clouded blue sky everywhere but it rained for a good 15 minutes.
Just before Svappavaara, C was waiting for me in the sunshine. We decided to turn towards the village to find at least a bench to eat lunch on. Our luck was on because even before the village was a swimming hole with a dock over the water. We pulled in and headed straight to the dock with our pita bread, aioli mayonnaise and cheese. We dried off in the sun and watched the bugs over the water. A dragonfly snatched one right off the surface.
Our rest spot wasn’t the best because it was at the base of a massive hill. It was just 15 more km to camp, but I was slow moving. It was our 6th day in a row of cycling. I am really looking forward to a rest in Gällivare tomorrow! Not only did the hill suck, but the road narrowed. There seemed to be more cars coming faster and closer than before. We were relieved to turn off the main road and have the final 3km to the camp on a small, freshly paved village road. It seemed like it would never come, but eventually we reached the village. It’s a cute camp on the lake with lots of little red cabins. We sat by the lake for a while until the wind was too much and the hunger hit.
The owner told us that the village swells to 100 inhabitants in summer but is only 17 in winter. The camp is also open in the winter but only 2 cabins instead of the usual 10. This is so that the guests can experience what it is really like here in winter.
Tonight the sun will set for around 3 hours. It is 30 degrees during the day and has been for a week. The owner said this is really unusual for here, at most the heat lasts a couple days. In the evening it cools enough to put on long clothes which is necessary due to the biting bugs.
Day 11 – Piilijärvi to Gällivare – 65km
Today’s ride was stressful because we were always on the road and it was quite narrow at times. There was a lot of construction happening too, so there were several spots with gravel or dirt which were especially dusty with other traffic. I saw two dead reindeer on the side of the road in varying states of decay. One smelled awful and still had hair though you could see the bones and the other looked extremely fresh, almost like it had frozen and tipped over. Somehow C didn’t notice either although the fresh on was being photographed by someone in a camper van.
At a rest stop with public toilets, there was an interesting bridge for pedestrians. We went over it and were able to avoid a couple of kilometers if highway. Later in Skaulo there were several kilometers of bike trail. This was totally unexpected since it was a smaller place.
We did make a stop at a bakery and picked up cinnamon buns, one each. Unfortunately, I let C pack them and then he took off for a good 10km and only stopped at the top of the biggest hill of the day to wait for me. I would have stopped just 3km from the bakery to scoff them down!
The camp in Gällivare is just outside town, modern, and clean. The best part is there are virtually no bugs!!
Rest Day Gällivare
The plan was to visit the local free museum, but due to ventilation issues (presumably from the many days of high heat) it was closed. Luckily the tourist office is like a mini museum where we could learn about the town, its mining history, and projects. We ran errands like stocking up on food, magnesium, and sunscreen. And of course, we got cinnamon buns (1 cinnamon, 1 cardamom) in the local coffee shop. They were heaven!!
At the tourist office, we got a paper about the art in the city and went on our own self-guided walking tour. We visited both churches and listened to someone practicing the organ in the new church.
Back at camp, we took a dip in the river that runs along the camp’s edge. The water was way warmer than I expected. As a kid we swam in the gorge near my grandparent’s when we visited them. The running water was always ice cold! I had really wanted to hike to the top of Dundret today, the local tallest mountain, but it would have been too much for a rest day. We have 4 days and 250km until our next break.
