For Midsommar this year, me, my girlfriend Rebecka and four of our friends stayed at the STF Grövelsjön mountain station. One of those friends, Wilda, was there to start her Green Ribbon – the same hiking adventure I went on last summer. Rebecka and another member of the gang joined Wilda for the first section of the hike, and I took the opportunity to go on a little hike of my own.
My route took me from Grövelsjön to Fjällnäs through Femundsmarka national park in Norway, which I’ve heard a lot of about but never visited. One of the things I’ve heard is that there’s great fishing in the park. I’ve had poor fishing luck so far this season, and figured if I can’t catch something during four days in Femundsmarka, I should probably hang up the rod for the season.
In hindsight, I should have opted for a shorter route (probably by staying further west, passing Røvollen and skipping the Skedbro cabin entirely), but I still had four lovely days in the mountains with great fishing.
You can find my pack list for the hike here, an approximate trail here, and more photos and videos on my Instagram.
Day 1
June 22 (30 km)
After saying goodbye and good luck to Rebecka, Wilda and Malin in front of the blue door at Grövelsjön, I headed west up to the Norwegian fjäll on the Linné trail. It was sweaty work beneath the nearly cloudless sky, and more climbing would follow. I had my first coffee with a view over the greenish gray face of Grøthogna (1402m), which was my goal for the day.
I continued down to Sylen, the Norwegian settlement north of Grövelsjön, and said hi to people I recognized from the breakfast buffet who had taken M/S Sylöga across the lake and were hiking back. From Sylen, I followed the DNT signs up towards Svukuriset and lake Rønsjøen. It was a beautiful lunch spot, but I decided to try a few casts with the fishing rod before I got the water boiling. A few throws turned into a full hour when I got my first catch after just a few minutes.
At Rønsjøen, I left the trail heading north up into the cauldron next to Grøthogna, where I found a rock-free spot next to one of the unnamed lakes (1109). The lakes didn’t show any signs of life during the evening, but it seems wrong to complain when I got to end the day with the view over Grövelsjön, Långfjället and Rogen from the peak of Grøthogna. My plan for tomorrow: less hiking, more fishing.
Day 2
June 23 (26 km)
I woke up at eight after eleven hours of sleep. It had rained during the night, and a thick fog had settled above the cauldron, hiding the peaks of Grøthogna, Sylfjellet and Rønsjøruten to the north, east and west. I think I like the fjäll best like this. When it’s a little bit grumpy.
As I descended the cauldron to the north, I had a stunning view over the wide-stretched rocky moor surrounding the triple peaked Stor-Svuku in the northwest. It was pretty, but also completely devoid of fishing lakes, so I took aim on the river Grøtåa on my right and followed it through birch and pine towards the lakes in the north. It was a wild and pretty landscape but also completely mosquito infested, so I headed back up above the tree line for lunch. From there, I had a clear view over the lakes where I hoped to find fish in the afternoon.
One of those lakes was Frysihjeltjønna (“Freeze to Death Lake”…?), and when I passed it a few hours later, there was lots of activity on the surface. Within a few minutes, I had a decently sized perch on the hook. 45 minutes later, I had pulled up five or six more. None of them huge, but all of them fit for the campfire on a hike with proper cooking. It was difficult to leave the perch-filled lake behind, but I wanted to cover some more distance before I made camp, so I continued on.
I found my campsite on a small peninsula by Litlbuddhåen an hour later. It was a lovely spot almost completely surrounded by the lake, but the fish were less cooperative than in Frysihjeltjønna, so I settled for a dip in the evening sun. That’ll teach them.
Day 3
June 24 (33.5 km)
My campsite was only a few kilometers from the Swedish border, so I started the day by passing a yellow “Riksgrense SVERIGE” sign close to the Reva break cabins. There was a scattering of tents by the cabins, but the people they belong to were probably out in fishing boats. I continued to STF Skedbrostugan where I stopped for lunch. It was a detour, but it’s always cozy to stop by a cabin when it’s nearby. The cabin host season hasn’t started yet, so the cabin was empty.
From Skedbro, I followed the signs towards Røvollen which led me west over the shoulder of Skedbrofjället where I once again crossed the Swedish-Norwegian border. The views were spectacular in all directions. Just beyond Skedbrofjället, the trail took me to the Fautbua overnight cabin. A sign inside told me that the timber cabin was built in 1918 by Femundsmarka reinoppsynsman Jens Jensen Langen, to be used for gathering, fishing, and hunting. It also said he shot more than 87 moose during his life. Seems excessive.
It was a warm day, with few clouds to give shelter from the sun, so my feet appreciated the series of river crossings just before the trail reached the lake Nedre Muggsjøen. Nedre Muggsjøen tried to entice me with its sandy beaches and well-worn tent sites, but I wanted to get a bit further and continued on. (It seemed like a nice place for packrafting.) I made camp by Halvortjønna a few kilometers further south, which instead of sandy beaches offered a great view over the mountain Storviglen, which I’ll pass on my way to Fjällnäs tomorrow.
I was pretty tired by the time I made camp, but I figured I couldn’t go to sleep next to a lake without at least trying to reel in something. I’m glad I did. The trout wasn’t big enough for a frying pan, but with it, I’ve managed to catch something every day during the three days I bought a fishing permit for. Femundsmarka definitely lived up to its reputation on that front.
Day 4
June 25 (27 km)
25 degrees celsius is too hot for any hike, but it was especially grueling during my climb up the mountain Storvigeln from Ljøsnåvollen. By the time I reached the 1340 meter mountain pass, 500 meters of elevation gain later, I was drenched in sweat. At least I could take my hard-earned break with a great view. Over Jämtlandsfjällen to the north, and Femundsmarka to the south. On my right, I had the Storvigeln peak another 200 meters of elevation above me. An adventure for another day.
Aside from the views from the Storvigeln pass, the last day was pretty unremarkable. I knew Rebecka was waiting for me in Fjällnäs, so I quickly made my way down to lake Bolagen and back into Sweden, up the Bolagskammen ridge, and then down through the birch forest to road 84 next to lake Malmagen where Rebecka met me. My salt stained sun hoodie got some side eyes when we stopped at Hamra Livs for some much needed ice cream.
Femundsmarka made a great first impression. I’ll have to drag Rebecka with me for a future visit – I’d like to spend some more time around Svukuriset and Stor-Svuku. But first, we have another Norwegian national park hike planned. We’re going to spend around a week in Jotunheimen in early August, with our shiba Taki along for the ride. Very excited for that.