My eyes open to the sound of huskies howling outside the window of the cabin. I tentatively stick my arm out of my sleeping bag to test the temperature in the cabin. Pleasantly surprised, I begin my morning routine.
Despite today being a longer day's touring, involving some ascent, we start late to maximise the amount of time my repaired boot has to set. We start out along the valley, passing peaks rather than heading between them. As we follow the Kama River westwards, we realise that we are heading too far from the low col that we need to ascend.
Rather than the soul destroying act of retracing the route, we continue westwards until we reach a small group of houses and then put on our skins, turn to the south-east to cross a slightly higher col to enter the Alis Valley, which is dominated by shapely snow-peaks.
There is now a feeling of entering the high mountains as we continue through the Alis Valley. Travelling in a hilly landscape in between the peaks on a mountain plateau. Heading south, it is pretty level all the way to our overnight stop at the Alesjaure Mountain Hut. We take the option to cut directly across Ales Lake rather than stay on the marked trail at its edge in the hope of reaching the hut before sundown.
As the sun dipped behind the peaks that line the edge of Ales Lake, the temperature dropped dramatically. We could see a cluster of huts perched on a rocky outcrop at Alesjaure and so we decide to foolishly race the final few hundred meters to the hut rather than throw on our extra layers. It is surprising how quickly the cold seeps into my hands. The short steep climb to the hut fails to bring my hands back to life, but the warmth of finally entering the hut makes the blood flow once again to my hands and with it brings the pain of the hot aches.
The hut offers simple but comfortable accommodation and an excellent sauna in a separate hut. En route to the sauna, I take a quick snow bath and then start my evening routine.
Distance: 24.0 km
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