A september in Sápmi, the far north of Sweden

Sápmi is situated in the far north of Scandinavia and inhabited by the Sámi people and their beautiful, free-roaming reindeer. It is a stunning land, sparsely populated, consisting of rolling tundra, bogs, rivers, mountains, forests and countless clear lakes. And in september, leaves already turn into their flaming autumn colors. During the whole month of september 2019 I made a hiking and packrafting trip in the north-Sweden part of Sápmi.  I trekked along the Padjelantaleden and the southern half of the Kungsleden trail, crossing seven lakes along the way with my packraft, wild camping almost every night. I had set a 20km a day goal for myself. Hiking a rough trail with a heavy backback, that distance was quite ambitious, so I ended up having a little less time for photography than I would have liked. Still, I managed to capture a dozen pictures I'm really happy with.

The wide, expansive views from the trail in Padjelanta national park. Padjelanta means 'high land' in the locally spoken Sámi language, and it is Sweden's largest national park, a higher altitude plateau of rolling tundra situated between the mountains of Sarek and Norway. Apart from hiking, I imagine this national park will also a great area for canoeing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.   

A beautiful sunset I was lucky enough to witness from my camping spot along Padjelantaleden. Interesting is that even in september, this far north sunset and twilight both lasts longer than in the Netherlands. Which is a great thing, because it means you don't have to rush to catch that warm last light on camera. 

Getting closer to the snowy mountain tops of Sarek national park. I used a longer focal length so the mountains wouldn't appear too small in the composition. I remember having to climb higher to get the right perspective. Sometimes, landscape photography is all about putting in that bit of extra effort :)  

Autumn colors starting to show beside the river (which you can drink from without any problem).

The blue-pink tones in the sky and the reflection in the water caught my attention here. I hope this photo gives a sense of the silence, peace and solitude of the far north. I keep returning because no other place quite give me that same feeling. And you are free to roam where you want, only limited by the occasional gorge or cliff. What a difference with for example England, where you keep stumbling upon fences with agressive signs warning that walkers should keep out! 

One of the most amazing sunsets I ever witnessed. The clouds were just like sugar candy, so beautiful. There wasn't really an interesting foreground, so I placed my tent within the frame.

A rather moody photo of a set of deserted mountain huts on a cloudy, rainy day. The autumn colors really started to pop from this day on - those red leaves are blueberry leaves.

Sunlight falling over a colorful bog between rainshowers.

Sunlight between flurries of snow in a river valley. I think I'm developing a preference for those ultrawide shots - they have a way of strikingly capturing all that wide open space around you.

A sunny day once again. A lot of landscape photographers complain about 'boring blue skies', but I think they look amazing in certain situations - these golden leaves look good against blue sky.

I expected to shoot more long exposure waterfalls like this, but this was the only time I found a composition that interested me. That said, I really like how this photo turned out.

One of the many herds of reindeer that passed me by. These elegant animals remain a beautiful sight. 

Another beautiful sunset I was treated to on the Kungsleden. I had to use my ultrawide lens to fit the whole scene in.

After 400 km walking and paddling, I approached Hemavan. Sadly that meant that I had to say goodbye to autumn colors, blue skies and snowy peaks. But I know I'll be back.