A little more challenging than your average trip to IKEA...
The Plan:
Tuesday 7 Feb - drive down to LHR few hours kip at hotel, leave car in hotel car park.
Wednesday 8 Feb - Catch BA flight to Stockholm 07:30, land at 10:40, lift with Chris Barham to Docksta (5 hour drive).
The reality:
Tuesday 7 Feb on the M1 South - Rachel picks up an email from BA cancelling the flight and offering an alternative with FinnAir to Helsinki with connecting flight back to Stockholm. Four calls to BA and two hours later we arrive at the hotel having sorted a direct BA flight departing at 09:30 arriving 12:40. Couple of drinks in the bar before retiring.
Wednesday, Hoppa bus to Terminal 5, check bags in go for breakfast, only to find flight is delayed and ETA is now 16:40. Thankfully Chris says he'll wait for us to arrive!
I arrived at FrilufstByn just as everyone else is retiring for the night. Off to our cabin to unpack everything and repack kit in Bergans. The so-called cabin is massive, bedroom, sitting room, kitchen and most important shower!
Thursday 09 Feb:
Breakfast in the club house. Check in, collect snow shoes, rations and map, followed at 09:00 by briefings from Jerry on winter hiking and the route. 12:30 we all board the busses to the start point. 13:30 we debark the busses, don our snow shoes and rucksacks, and head off on the trail.
We have entered the SS National park via the North entrance and are heading to our first campsite. You go at your own pace, there are volunteer guides bringing up the rear and more along the route who advise on the options at each junction. At the first choice we opt to take the shorter, but harder option which rises steeply from the Baltic Sea up to our first overnight stop at Tarnatt-vattnen 173m above sea level. We arrive at the lakeside and in another first pitch the tent in snow.
Total distance: 8.1km
Friday 10 Feb:
Up at 06:30 to have breakfast pack everything away and set off by 09:00. Today's route takes us through the impressive Slåttdalsskrevan, a narrow crevasse. At the top the guide offers us a welcome coffee. We then continue up onto Slattdalsberget at 275m. From there we descend back down towards tonight's campsite back at sea level at Kalsviken.
This was definitely the hardest day but we made it and arrived in time to get the tent pitched in daylight (just). Tonight was the 'Woolpower dip' - those lucky enough to have their names drawn get to dunk themselves in the sea and then run up the beach to dress in a full set of Woolpower base layer, to prove the effectiveness of the product (they also get to keep the full set). The evening ends sitting round camp fires chatting and sharing various tots.
Total distance: 15.4km
Saturday 11 Feb:
This morning we are early again to get everything packed away. Today we can drop the rucksacks off at the car park about 1km away before continuing the final route up to the top of the Skuleberget.
From the bag drop-off the first 3km follows the road, so we carry our snowshoes. Then it's on with the snowshoes and back into the woodlands. Progress is good as its fairly flat all the way to the crossing point of the E4. Here we are treated to hot Blueberry juice and chocolate.
Across the road and snowshoes back on for the ascent of Skuleberget. The base of the mountain is around 63m, so in places its quite steep as it rises to the 295m top. As we neared the summit we the sound of cheering and cow bells ringing.
Round the last bend and it was our turn to be welcomed to the finish line. Then into the bar for Gulash soup, beer and waffles.
It was a challenging three days, fantastic scenery and great company. Next year we are looking at doing the WWII Pyrenees escape route hike.
Total distance 18.4km
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