Ráhpa Light

After being out for nearly two weeks I only had a couple of days of food left and I knew from the weather forecast that there was a full storm coming in the next day. I had to make a decision to either leave the mountain before the storm or stay and wait it out. I decided to give it a chance.

When I woke up in my tent the next morning, it didn’t look good. Thick fog was covering the landscape. I could only see a couple of meters in front of me. Not unusual conditions in Sarek.

But then suddenly, the wind picked up and the fog cleared. I packed my gear quickly and ran up to this spot overlooking Rapadalen. As beautiful as the light was when I got there, as horrible was the wind.

To make things even more complicated the cliffs had been coated with a layer of ice during the night. I had to be extremely careful when I stood there on the ledge, with the wind howling around me.

I made this photograph as beautiful light was painting the valley and the mountain Nammatj below me. The autumn colors of Rapadalen were glowing in the warm light with the snow-covered peaks of Sarek in the background.

Sometimes the best conditions happens when you expect them the least. I’m happy I decided to stay that day. This photograph of Rapadalen has become one of my personal favorites from Sarek.

On the same morning I captured Autumn Delta.

Share on

Bring the wilderness into your home with my stunning Art Prints. Proudly made by myself in my studio.