Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Autumn Days In Mid-Sweden

The Swedish province of Jämtland is usually regarded as part of "Northern" Sweden, even though it lies at the center. Sweden's geographical mid point (north-south-east-west) is in Jämtland. Along a major road the point is marked out with a sign and an info panel.
Nevertheless, the entire province is a bit off the beaten track and lies far north of the major cities. From Gothenburg it is almost a 1000 km drive to Handöl, where "our" cottage is situated, owned within the extended family since the 1960s. (At 2:17 you can see it as a distant greyish building, third from the left).
Handöl is part of the district of Åre, Swedens skiing capital, hosting many international Alpine competitions. But there are 75 km between central Åre and Handöl. Along the way are other small settlements, lacking both groceries and virtually all other services as well. So, what you find here is a thinly populated stripe surrounded by pure wilderness.
During our working life we hardly had a chance to come here during fall. To our mutual surprise we realized that this indeed was the first time we saw Handöl in autumn color. Weatherwise we were lucky too, half a day of rain during our week-long stay is not bad at all. Some Indian summer days, some with cold winds blowing. Sudden weather changes with high winds or storms are common here. Snowfall and treacherous whiteouts occur at times even in summer. This time we saw only slight hints of that.



Years ago I left unbeatably scenic Western Canada for life in Sweden. During my first stay in Jämtland I reportedly complained about the unspectacular shapes of the Jämtland mountains, reminiscent of giant molehills and gravel mounds. And I decried these unsightly heaps as the pitiful leftover of the grandeur the mountain range must have possessed prior to the havoc wrought by mile-thick ice sheets scraping and grinding at them. I have long since forgotten my complaints - but the family reminds me on occasion. Fact is, already during my first visit it took little time for me to come around. I warmed up quickly to our surroundings, the bare mountains, wide open spaces, lakes, broad meandering rivers, rapids, falls, the intriguing blend of leaf and needle trees, often ornated with a variety of lichen and moss types, many of which are unique to this area.

For a glimpse of this area at Easter time - the winter period with ample daylight - you may want to watch this show:  Whiter Than Snow


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