Memoirous

When Ulrika mentioned we would leave early, I had my own idea. She just meant before 2 pm. AFTER the Swedish breakfast. They had prepared their camper or caravan for me to sleep in. It was absolutely perfect. My own potty, electric cooker for tea, and a cozy bed. I felt like the New Zealand author Janet Frame in the dramatized bio movie, Angel at my Table (very last scene). So because we had such a late dinner, this a.m. we had what was intended as our after dinner (last night's) snack. Nevertheless, a full smorgasbord. Ulrika said before we depart (noon?) we'll have a second breakfast with eggs and bacon to hopefully catch up. I'm personally not sure I can eat a second breakfast after all that I had at the ender/starter meal. After eating again we left for Stockholm around 2. We stopped at a roadside plaza for the restroom and to climb around in an abandoned castle. I know, not what you'd expect in the US. It was modest, with a tower and several rooms, built in the mid...

I left this a.m. with a fresh perspective. The lady warden was outside looking up at the mountains and morning sky. I thought she wanted to pray for me. No, instead she had a recorder in her hand and asked if she could play for me an old Swedish tune, something about either the happy hiker or the tired hiker. It was very sweet and made me feel special. I started at 8 a.m. about. Early for only 8 miles, but I thought I might take longer breaks. Always the km doesn't seem excessive–until the end and I'm only too happy to stop and be done. I started out walking next to the river that dissects the valley. Slowly I am walking upward to a kind of saddle. I saw in the distance the silhouette of a rock, flat like a table. I told myself when I got there I'd sit and have a break. A French hiker came from the east and said, I saw you from a distance. We chatted and I asked him to take my picture. I took lunch at the top of the saddle around 12 noon, a bit before, where there was an em...

Perhaps by the time you are reading this I am already in the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, Lapland! The weather in central Michigan took an abrupt change: the heat broke. Cool mornings made me think of what it will be like to hike in the grassy valleys and birch wood forests. I’m a bit worried about my clothing choices. Layers are always best—but will I need more than just one of everything?? I try to remind myself that I’ll be working and creating my own heat. After my hike I train to Tranas a sweet little town on the edge of Lake Sommen where I participate in an international arts festival: Tranas at the Fringe. There still isn’t much at the website concerning times/places/info on the workshop, but it’ll be on Flash Memoir. Hopefully people will turn out. The last part of my itinerary takes me to Skene, another small town near Gothenburg. I’ve visited here before when in Sweden to see a dear friend from my days in community. I’m looking forward to catching up and seeing t...

I continually ask myself—Why? Why do I go on? Why do I harass myself by trying to write? Planning a hike to the Arctic Circle end of August (Kungsleden)? Sometimes all I want to do is stay in my comfort zone—out in the garden or in my Tiny House with a mug of tea. Then . . . I remember. As human beings we continually need to be challenged. I see what happens when people stop. When we park as close to the store entrance as possible and get out of the car and minimize our steps and daily encounters. We shrivel up and lose mobility and become less interesting. Psychologically we suffer as well as physically. Yet—it’s so easy to give in to this temptation. I’ve been struggling with this so much lately. To be honest, I’m scared. And when this curtain falls over me, I know I must recover. Throw it off. Face my fears. Another admission: many of the things I fear or worry about are simply made up. Borrowed. Not necessarily the enemy at the front door. Though, equally as crushing. L...

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 ...

I wrote here earlier  that’s it’s been a dream of mine, a bucket list thing, to hike the Kungsleden in Sweden. It seemed farfetched as-- 1)       it’s in Sweden. Not only that it is a 13-hour train ride from Stockholm to just the southern terminus of the trail. 2)       It’s 467 kilometres long, a little over 290 miles. Most people do it in segments. There are numerous lake crossings and one section of road. Most hikers can hire a boat and/or use the row boat system to cross the water and there are buses for that one bit of road. Nevertheless, there are logistics, time, and money that stood in the way. Here I stand at the precipice of age 67, a lone female, nearly invisible in today’s society. But, here I am. It’s time to go. On August 24 I’ll fly from Detroit to Stockholm where after landing I’ll have a few hours to collect food and fuel for the trail before catching a train north. I bought refundable tickets. Stomach dro...

ACCHHH!! That chaotic feeling in the pit of the stomach when you’ve committed big bucks and are not quite sure of what the future holds. Of stepping out over the ledge. I booked a flight to Sweden for the fall with the hope of hiking the Kungsleden (King’s Trail), southern terminus, Hemavan–Ammarnäs, 78 kilometres in total, I chose this segment of the trail, 6 days walking, 5 nights, 8–19 kilometers per day, as both beginning and ending points are served by the SJ train. I’d love to do the whole trail someday, but wanted to get my feet wet (not literally, but maybe it’ll happen). I’ll stay in the mountain huts and not bring a tent in order to cut down on weight. Also I don’t want to lug a tent around after the hike as I plan to visit friends. I haven’t been back to Sweden since 2018 and before that I first visited in 2014. Each time I’ve hiked and biked while there, so I do have a feel for terrain and weather. Nevertheless, the Kungsleden lies within the Arctic Circle and want to ...

I just read over the galley proof for my short story in Two Thirds North, coming out Spring 2025. I worked closely with Adnan Mahmutovic and a student editor. They were GREAT! I definitely felt the work of a close hand in revising the piece. So close that at one point I had my cursor placed to make an edit and suddenly there was another cursor there—from across the ocean and time zones in Stockholm, reading along and seeing my changes. It was weird and surreal. I sort of wish I had that little cursor following me around now as I work on my hard big revision project. This fall I intend to go to Sweden to 1) see friends, 2) hike the Kungsladen, and 3) do a few Flash Memoir Workshops at Writer Festivals. The itinerary is just now getting set up and is a bowl of mush right now. Hoping by end of February things will come together—and then pray for a great air sale. Let me know—both of my readers if you have Scandinavian connections . . .