02-May-2003 -- 64Nx20E This confluence is only some 30 km from my native town Umeå, and 10 km from my summerhouse. My brother and I actually visited the confluence around New year's day 2002, but we arrived at the spot so late it was pitch dark in the thick forest. We didn't get any useful pictures.

On 2003-05-02 I made a new attempt, going by car to Brattby and then 7 km along the Vindelälven river to Vännfors. There I followed a gravel road up the hills to a cross-country ski track, too late to do skiing now, however. I could drive on the gravel road to a point some 1.4 km from the confluence, then it was covered by thicker snow, so I left the car and walked along the road and through the forest to the confluence point. I was now at exactly the same point as last time, but several trees were cut down since then.

The vegetation type is boreal pine, spruce and birch forest with small bogs and a few rock outcrops at the hill tops. Some nearby areas are clear-felled. Three grey and orange siberian jays flew silently through the forest.

On the way back I lost my 66 degrees north cap (seen as a backdrop on the GPS image) and used an hour to backtrack all the way through the forest to the confluence again, but I didn't find it. I now tried to follow my forward trace exactly, checking every footprint where I had crossed snow patches and ditches, and suddenly the cap was just in front of me. It is a good one to have when it is cold.

On the gravel road I saw three male parrot crossbills. They are orange and red and were rather undisturbed of my presence at 10 m distance. From a mountain top I could see the Bothnian Bay, still with some ice.