Kayaking: Kornsjö — Elgåfossen

6 September — Saturday

This weekend I’m taking Andreas on a kayaking trip. The route is straightforward: we’ll start in Kornsjö, paddle through the Kornsjö lakes to Kynneälv, follow Kynneälv to Southern Bullarsjön, then continue north all the way through northern Bullarsjön to Elgåfossen.

We set off at around 11 a.m. I parked the car roughly halfway between the start and finish point, which means I’ll begin and end this journey with a short run.

The weather is pleasant and the water completely calm. We paddle along at a steady and relaxing pace until we reach the stream connecting Mellan-Kornsjön to Södra-Kornsjön. Here we quickly notice that the water levels are very low, and we’re forced to carry the kayak because the stream is too shallow.

While we are carrying the kayaks on a road, we meet 8 (at least, it was hard to keep track) Norwegians who are participating in their yearly four-day canoe trip. They have been doing this for 25 years straight.

We chat for a while, and they offer us some cold beers. Drinking beer seems to be what their trip is really about. They have several large coolers with them solely for that purpose. I’m amazed at how they can fit everything in the canoes.

We continue onwards to Kynneälv, where once again the shallow water becomes problematic. We fight our way forward until we reach Bursjön, where we will camp for the night. We find a nice spot near the shore, but immediately after I have pitched the tent we are surrounded by cows and one particularly curious bull. The tent seems to have attracted their attention—they might mistake it for a feeding lot. Since we do not want to sleep next to a bull, we opt for another spot. No bath this evening, as Bursjön is a mud lake. 

7 September — Sunday

Onwards! After several hours and almost zero progress, we decided to bail out. This stretch of Kynneälv is almost all rapids and shallow water. All we are doing is hauling and carrying the canoes. With more normal water levels, this could probably be a fun and enjoyable stretch, but as of now it is impossible to kayak.

Instead, we put the wheels on the kayaks and roll them for about 4 km to Southern Bullaresjön. Finally, we can kayak in a relaxed manner again.

We stop at a beach for a cooling dip. Despite it being September, the water is still warm.

The rest of the journey is relatively uncomplicated. No major hurdles. We made it to Elgåfossen in good time. Elgåfossen is a distant memory of its former self. I have been here before, when the water was raging. Now it’s barely dripping. Shallow waters indeed.

Another successful and fun adventure. I might have gotten Andreas hooked on kayaking now as well, we will see. Anyway, time to get the car!