Miracles of Lapland
I have begun to look at the year in a new way. For me it doesn't start and end with the finish of December; that's when you're right in the middle of things. No tough decicion making, at least not if you're pondering school and uni, by then hopefully things are set.
For me the year turns in August, the end of summer. This is when you make the critical decitions. This is when things happens. New things! And it is always with the trip.
Third year now, me and two friends set of for Lapland at the turn of the year. It is to get away; to get time for thoughts and analyzes (bigt or small). It is to take a little time for myself and to spend with my two best friends. It is to find something else, to get away from the everyday, to bring life back to the simplicity of only being, walking, eating, breathing, sleeping, talking: No phone, no news, nothing pulling you away from now. It is for the beauty of nature; because it is so beautiful (on a sunny day it's almost painful) and the pureness of it. It makes you feel clean even if you haven't showered for a week and your avarage hiking is ten sweaty hours per day. Sitting on a rock, looking out over the mountains, scented by sweat and mosquito repellant, singing to yourself and your friends, laughing at nothing until breathless. That my friends is my definition of being happy.
And then there is the adventure! Testing your body and your strenght. How far can you go? On how little fuel? With the right company and encouragement you can do much more than you think. And that's a nice thing to discover. It is all team work.
First day. Getting off the train (after 18 hours), and getting on the bus for another two hours we encounter Mr. Happy Busdriver (Kjelle) and he brings our spirits up despite heavy rain. Getting off the bus we wait in a littlle mountain cottage for an easing in the rain. We take our chances and get soaked but manage to get a bit into the mountains before succumbing to the weather and getting the tent up.
Second day. Opening the zip of the tent we discover more clouds but also the fact that we can see the mountains around us, the fog has lifted. After our first hiking breakfast (porrige of course) we get our things together and set out to discover Lapland. We discover signs of nightly visitors and after a bit we see a pack of raindeer run along the mountain side, a nice welcome. A bit down from all the rain, we look up to see an amazing rainbow and the day just got better with sunshine and marvelous views. We get a fair bit of hiking done. Getting lucky and meeting a sami (North nomading people, keeping the raindeer etc) and we buy some smoked char (röding) from him. Delicious!
Third day. Sunny, sunny weather and we're dancing with joy. Moving fast in the morning and taking a long break around noon. Laying in the sun by a wonderful, tiny stream, washing our faces and charging our batteries for the big climb which is the next hurdle on our hike. On the way up the view is amazing and we set up the tent on a beautiful mountainside. Picking blueberries and cloudberries (hjortron) for snacks.
Fourth day. Quite a long way to go if we are to stick to the plan and getting to Kebnekaise (tallest peak in Sweden, 2111 m) on schedule. We strap on our back packs and walk, bad weather and just encouaring words to keep us going. When we set up tent we are happy with ourselves, we are just down from Kebnekaise and the weather reports looks favourable to climb it the following day. We're all a bit nerveuse.
Fifth day. Alarm set for 5.30 AM. Weather beautiful. We set out at 7AM with one bag of water, warm clothes and some food. First two hours are quite easy, moderately hard climbing and high spirits. We take turns to carry the bag. The slopes are tricky, starting to climb something that seems lika a tiny, little climb and it just goes on forever, everytime you think your almost up it just goes on. After four hours we are at the top of the first peak. Quite tired but in good spirits. Here we encounter "the demonic-pessimistic couple" who scares us half to death saying stuff like: "You have to bring 7 liters of water per person or you'll thirst to death" (we had three liter to share) or "You have to have special shoes or you might just fall off the cliff and DIE". We did our best to ignore them and kept going (a bit more nervouse). Took a breake in the valley known as the Coffee Valley, before the last big climb to the top.
After seven hours we were at the top. Crazy happy and dancing with joy! Naomi wrote her name in stone and I built a cairn (röse) of stones to mark my being there. It was a big moment eventhough the sky turned into fog on us and we could hardly see eachother and no view. It's supposed to be spectacular, but you can't control the weather.
The climb down was tiresome but rather eventless. After 13 hours and 23 minutes we were back in camp. First new years resolution I ever kept.
In numbers: Kebnekaise is 2111m above sea level. We started our climb at 780 m above sea level. We climbed a total of 1331 altitude meters (not including going down and up again). The distance from our camp to the top was 9 km. We walked a total of 18km (back and forth).
Sixth day. And on the sixth day we rested. Took a shower (needed) in Kebnekaise mountain station and massaging our feet. In the afternoon we walked a couple of km and set up camp close to a beautiful river. Picked as much blueberries as we could eat.
Seventh day. Beautiful weather and setting off towards Nikkaloukta (from where we would take the bus to Kiruna and the train home). Walking in a moderate pace and enjoying the scenery and the weather. Setting up tent by a beautiful lake.
Eight day. Waking up to heavy rain and gathering all our stuff and clearing the camp soaked us to the skin. Didn't mind much since there was only a 6 km walk to Nikkaloukta where we dryed off over a cup of coffee in the little mountain restaurant and then taking the bus to Kiruna. A couple of hours to spend, looking at the renowned church and eating a very longed for pizza (nice with something that isn't in liquid form, even if Naomi is the queen of drying food and making lens soups).
Ninth day. Home at 12 AM. looking through the mail and the worries of everyday come back as a coat I hung in the closet for a week. On Monday I'll know if I've gotten into Trinity Collage and I am nervouse. New job too, for a month, start Monday.
Got a hug from my mum. We're having a family dinner tonight. My sister asked me if I wanted to go to the movies with her. I'm having breakfast with my Bengan tomorrow. Not to bad to be home after all.
And the adventure isn't over; tomorrow me and Magnus are running the Midnight Run through Stockholm. Ten km and another chance to see what my body can do.
The year has turned.
For me the year turns in August, the end of summer. This is when you make the critical decitions. This is when things happens. New things! And it is always with the trip.
Third year now, me and two friends set of for Lapland at the turn of the year. It is to get away; to get time for thoughts and analyzes (bigt or small). It is to take a little time for myself and to spend with my two best friends. It is to find something else, to get away from the everyday, to bring life back to the simplicity of only being, walking, eating, breathing, sleeping, talking: No phone, no news, nothing pulling you away from now. It is for the beauty of nature; because it is so beautiful (on a sunny day it's almost painful) and the pureness of it. It makes you feel clean even if you haven't showered for a week and your avarage hiking is ten sweaty hours per day. Sitting on a rock, looking out over the mountains, scented by sweat and mosquito repellant, singing to yourself and your friends, laughing at nothing until breathless. That my friends is my definition of being happy.
And then there is the adventure! Testing your body and your strenght. How far can you go? On how little fuel? With the right company and encouragement you can do much more than you think. And that's a nice thing to discover. It is all team work.
First day. Getting off the train (after 18 hours), and getting on the bus for another two hours we encounter Mr. Happy Busdriver (Kjelle) and he brings our spirits up despite heavy rain. Getting off the bus we wait in a littlle mountain cottage for an easing in the rain. We take our chances and get soaked but manage to get a bit into the mountains before succumbing to the weather and getting the tent up.
Second day. Opening the zip of the tent we discover more clouds but also the fact that we can see the mountains around us, the fog has lifted. After our first hiking breakfast (porrige of course) we get our things together and set out to discover Lapland. We discover signs of nightly visitors and after a bit we see a pack of raindeer run along the mountain side, a nice welcome. A bit down from all the rain, we look up to see an amazing rainbow and the day just got better with sunshine and marvelous views. We get a fair bit of hiking done. Getting lucky and meeting a sami (North nomading people, keeping the raindeer etc) and we buy some smoked char (röding) from him. Delicious!
Third day. Sunny, sunny weather and we're dancing with joy. Moving fast in the morning and taking a long break around noon. Laying in the sun by a wonderful, tiny stream, washing our faces and charging our batteries for the big climb which is the next hurdle on our hike. On the way up the view is amazing and we set up the tent on a beautiful mountainside. Picking blueberries and cloudberries (hjortron) for snacks.
Fourth day. Quite a long way to go if we are to stick to the plan and getting to Kebnekaise (tallest peak in Sweden, 2111 m) on schedule. We strap on our back packs and walk, bad weather and just encouaring words to keep us going. When we set up tent we are happy with ourselves, we are just down from Kebnekaise and the weather reports looks favourable to climb it the following day. We're all a bit nerveuse.
Fifth day. Alarm set for 5.30 AM. Weather beautiful. We set out at 7AM with one bag of water, warm clothes and some food. First two hours are quite easy, moderately hard climbing and high spirits. We take turns to carry the bag. The slopes are tricky, starting to climb something that seems lika a tiny, little climb and it just goes on forever, everytime you think your almost up it just goes on. After four hours we are at the top of the first peak. Quite tired but in good spirits. Here we encounter "the demonic-pessimistic couple" who scares us half to death saying stuff like: "You have to bring 7 liters of water per person or you'll thirst to death" (we had three liter to share) or "You have to have special shoes or you might just fall off the cliff and DIE". We did our best to ignore them and kept going (a bit more nervouse). Took a breake in the valley known as the Coffee Valley, before the last big climb to the top.
After seven hours we were at the top. Crazy happy and dancing with joy! Naomi wrote her name in stone and I built a cairn (röse) of stones to mark my being there. It was a big moment eventhough the sky turned into fog on us and we could hardly see eachother and no view. It's supposed to be spectacular, but you can't control the weather.
The climb down was tiresome but rather eventless. After 13 hours and 23 minutes we were back in camp. First new years resolution I ever kept.
In numbers: Kebnekaise is 2111m above sea level. We started our climb at 780 m above sea level. We climbed a total of 1331 altitude meters (not including going down and up again). The distance from our camp to the top was 9 km. We walked a total of 18km (back and forth).
Sixth day. And on the sixth day we rested. Took a shower (needed) in Kebnekaise mountain station and massaging our feet. In the afternoon we walked a couple of km and set up camp close to a beautiful river. Picked as much blueberries as we could eat.
Seventh day. Beautiful weather and setting off towards Nikkaloukta (from where we would take the bus to Kiruna and the train home). Walking in a moderate pace and enjoying the scenery and the weather. Setting up tent by a beautiful lake.
Eight day. Waking up to heavy rain and gathering all our stuff and clearing the camp soaked us to the skin. Didn't mind much since there was only a 6 km walk to Nikkaloukta where we dryed off over a cup of coffee in the little mountain restaurant and then taking the bus to Kiruna. A couple of hours to spend, looking at the renowned church and eating a very longed for pizza (nice with something that isn't in liquid form, even if Naomi is the queen of drying food and making lens soups).
Ninth day. Home at 12 AM. looking through the mail and the worries of everyday come back as a coat I hung in the closet for a week. On Monday I'll know if I've gotten into Trinity Collage and I am nervouse. New job too, for a month, start Monday.
Got a hug from my mum. We're having a family dinner tonight. My sister asked me if I wanted to go to the movies with her. I'm having breakfast with my Bengan tomorrow. Not to bad to be home after all.
And the adventure isn't over; tomorrow me and Magnus are running the Midnight Run through Stockholm. Ten km and another chance to see what my body can do.
The year has turned.
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