Memoirous

I wanted to start early today as I'm not the fastest hiker. Nevertheless, I hung out at Syterstuga until 8:45 a.m. I actually ate breakfast with folks and chatted some more. I think the camp host Ulrika and I made a good connection. The day's weather was a little iffy. Yesterday made it sound like rain was a real possibility and this a.m. there were thick clouds. It felt colder. I asked the girls in the organized group what they were wearing; we all were considering the idea that it could rain. Finally, I decided that I'd wear my tights and start with my quick-dry T-shirt, layered with my Icebreaker long sleeve, with the Kuhl shirt on top. If the weather changed I could add or subtract. One cool (pun intended) is that my next hut has a sauna. As I mentioned, the first 2 days were warm and sunny and today definitely had an autumn feel to it. I started out having to cross over a little land peninsula to get down to a lake I'd be following all day up to Tarnasjostuga. To c...

I determined this a.m. to go ahead and speak English and not feel foreign. If possible. So I ended up having several trail conversations, meeting hikers coming the opposite way. Actually there was no one coming my way the whole time. At the hut I was again welcomed and the warden was very friendly. A big group arrived and they are 13 Dutch hikers on an organized trip. They are not all exclusive and are very open. They also thrive on doing the woodsy outdoor chores and so far I haven't had to chop wood or fetch water. When I arrived at the hut I was offered a room with a basin so that I could wash up in the privacy of the room. I've been told I'll have the room to myself. Not like last night where I shared with a couple. Anyway, after cleaning up and changing into hangout clothes, I've felt so relaxed, chatting, charging devices with my Luminade solar charger, and having snacks. Body is getting adjusted to hiking and time zone. After dinner there were more conversations ...

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...

This is my first trip abroad since the 2024 election. Most of Europe knows that the US has serious problems.  I take these trips to reset and get away from politics and headlines. Yet, at the same time, I also want to have discussions about current events. Or at least find out more about what other people think in general. When I got to the mountain station in Hemavan it was great meeting a French girl named Karine and talking about the Kungsleden, her hike, and she asked me questions about places I've hiked. We also bemoaned the state of the world. How we'd never imagined. Rounding a curve in the trail yesterday and seeing the little group of scattered huts felt so satisfying. Your physical strength immediately lifts. For me I think: Now I can relax. I was greeted by two wardens, one of which offered me warm lingonberry juice from a thermal dispenser. I sat on a step of the porch in the sun and drank it down. The man asked me English or Swedish and I answered sheepishly, Engli...