WRECK HUNTING ON OTTFJÄLLET
Autumn holidays had arrived, and Vera and I headed to Åre to breathe in some fresh mountain air. I’d heard there was a plane wreck on the west peak of Ottfjället, so we decided to make it our mission to go wreck hunting!
The weather in the days leading up to our trip to Åre didn’t look too promising. Saturday was the only day expected to be sunny, but luckily, Vera was off school on Friday, so we were able to leave a day earlier than planned and make the most of the only real sunny day of the week.
It was a stunningly beautiful day, with the temperature hovering around zero as we kicked off our adventure from the Vålådalen Mountain Station.
Once we passed the treeline, the stunning silhouettes of Sylarna to the west and Lunndörren to the south emerged on the horizon. The beauty of the landscape, with its gentle autumn hues, was nothing short of mesmerizing. As we ascended further, we came across a herd of reindeer quietly grazing, hardly bothered by our presence.
As we reached the highest point of the trail and started descending the north side of the mountain, our search for the crashed airplane began. The wind picked up here, and the shade made it feel much colder, adding a brisk chill to the air. I had tracked down the plane’s coordinates online, so we used the Google Maps app on my phone to guide us. After about half an hour of searching, we finally spotted it.
The plane, a Beechcraft M23 Musketeer, was en route from Umeå to Linköping when it tragically crashed here in December 1966. Both pilots lost their lives, and the cause of the crash has remained a mystery ever since.
We had planned to set up our Trangia stove and cook a simple lunch, but the cold and wind up there made it too challenging, and boiling water would’ve taken far too long. Instead, we shared a sandwich and some sausage while taking in the view of Lake Ottsjön. Thankfully, we had brought along coffee and hot chocolate to keep us warm.
Afterward, it was simply a matter of heading back the way we came. I was tempted to tackle the eastern peak as well, but decided one summit was plenty for today. We ended up hiking around 14 km with an ascent of just over 700 meters. It was an adventurous and truly memorable day!