Prippstulen - Glitterheim

Distance: roughly 16km
Time: 6h45min
Temperature in the morning +4.4C

Rain and heavy wind started during the night. I started even to think that it could be a good idea to stay where we were for the day . It could've been a good idea if out tent hadn't been on a little stream and Il&Ta tent on a puddle.
After wet morning routines we left around 9:10.
The rain kept pouring after the steep ascent and we couldn't stop for a break. When reaching the gentle part of the track we got what was forecasted: headwind and pouring rain. And cold
* In the morning I asked for a wind forecast: "Today 6-8m/s from east/southeast. Tomorrow less, 2-4m/s. It could even start snowing in the evening.
My fingers were freezing. I wore only my fleece gloves (with nothing on the fingers). But I wasn't the only one.
It kept raining and raining. Thus we did not have chance to keep breaks: The clothes put on in the morning were good. Or had to be. [Actually I were more than happy with my selection of clothes - having a bit too much on the ascent but just enough on the rest of the day.]
No breaks, many pictures.
We met the one group of Turun Latu who did the 'norwegian hike' in the middle of the day, just after 3.5 hour hike.
Soon after the meeting we had to stop for a few minutes. Just long enough to have some snacks and few breads. I gave 3 of my breads [NOTE: Always make the lunch breads in the morning] to fellow hikers and ate 1 myself. I also emptied my thermos and made three cups of very hot tea to be spread by six of us.
[That was probably the best tea I have ever drunken. It made me realize why I keep on carrying the thermos with me. For the last 100 kilometers I had hiked, I had not used the thermos. But those 100km were well worth it. NOTE: Always have a thermos with you]
With no lunch breaks [And yes, we were hiking in the bare mountaintop ('yläpaljakka in Finnish) so that there was no chance to build the tent and have a lunch in a warm and cozy place] we arrived to Glitterheim at 4pm

Changing dry clothes, 3-course dinner, shower and bed-time story.

Getting to sleep after 10pm

What I learned today:
1) remember to pack GoreTex gloves
2) Buy new GoreTex jacket (and test it in a shower before the next hike)
3) The bare mountaintop with 'only rocks' ('yläpaljakka' in Finnish) starts at 1500m. There's no solid ground for tents above that.
4) Have always warm water in the thermos.
5) Learnings as a guide
* team hiking velocity is important. Having enough breaks is even more important

[missing part of the diary]




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Picture: The lakes at the altitude of 1700m. Wet, cold, windy. Temperature just above zero.