Kungsladen—shakedown hike

I’m trying to not take any chances. On one hand the Kungsladen, at least the section I’m hiking, is not exactly wilderness. There are mountain huts situated every 6-9 apart, there is reindeer farming/farmers. It is a well-traveled section, so there is the likelihood of meeting/passing fellow hikers. What worries me is the weather—the Arctic circle, the chance for snow in August, wind and rain every day. I don’t want to die from hypothermia.

So having the right equipment is necessary. Right and light. My pack is only 32 litres/volume. Whatever that is.

I can tell you: No tent, no sleep pad, and no cooking set up.

I’m taking my lightest, packable sleeping bag. I know, I know, I got the sleep quilt recently. But doing side-by-side comparisons, the stuffed sleeping bag takes up less space and the quilt needs the sleep pad in order to perform its best. I’ll be given a “mattress” at the hut and, therefore, will not need a Therma-rest. I also won’t need pots or stove/fuel as those are provided at the huts. In the a.m. I can boil up water and take it in my thermos for a hot lunch or tea mid-day.

Mostly the packing requires a delicate balance between enough warm clothes and not too much. I figured the weighty part of the pack will be food, as I’ll need enough for 6 days plus the train ride up and back. At least 14-15 pounds of food.

Sunday I did a hike through a group I found on Facebook called Adventurish. Just women on Sundays 11-1 pm. We do 5-7 miles, connecting 2 main trails. Last week I did the whole 7 miles in 2 hours WITHOUT a pack. This week I hiked 5 miles with a good facsimile of my pack. I had all my clothes (just about) and a full gallon jug of water to represent food—about 8 pounds. I know I was a bit short of total pack weight but the experience gave me a good idea. In the heat I was able to get some ideas for improvement to my system—such as more padded socks and how to arrange water, poles, and fanny pack. I did okay, but not the total 7 as I didn’t want to stress my back by suddenly doing something crazy.

In the upcoming weeks of training I’ll continue to hike with the full pack and experiment with systems. There’s nothing I’ll be able to do about the weather—just being prepared will be the key.