Tour of 2018 – Day 27, August 22nd 2018

Camp at the eastern shore of Cunojaure
What a joy to wake up without the sound of rain on the tent, it had been a few showers during the night, the last in the early morning hours, and none of them even close to the ones yesterday.
I woke up already at 5:30, getting into the cabin 30min later to make a fire in the stove and then broke down my tent to hang it inside to dry. Turns out it would have dried just as well outside in the wind, yet why take a chance when having access to a cabin, right?!

The wind had turned during the night, not longer coming from the west and bringing the weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Normally here that means an improvement in the weather conditions, and today was no exception!
After a few cups of coffee and tea with my neighbor, everything was dry and I packed all my gear to be ready to leave.
8:45 I said goodbye and left Gautelishytta until next time, and now, after finally trying out the sauna they built here a few years ago, that will probably be next year already!
The weather was so much more pleasant, no rain and a pretty mellow breeze, that also was quite a bit warmer than previously. Shortly after I left I had to stop and take of my jacket, later changing quite often between wearing it or not, depending on wind and the intensity of the hike. I’m happy to say that I must have hiked about half the day wearing only my t-shirt.
The trail northwards from Gautelishytta is wild and beautiful, quite easy to walk in the beginning, then, getting closer to the pass, very rocky and desolated. Frankly, if You don’t like jumping on rocks, this is the wrong tour for You. Unless You’re considerably good at moving on rocky ground, You could spend hours in frustration hiking this stretch.
That said, the marking of the trail is enormously better than I remember, someone has really put in some effort making the trail clearer and more visible. There are stone pillars at very close distances from each other throughout the entire pass!
Once on the other side of the pass there are two river crossings, both could be done without changing shoes this time. Always look for a wide spot in the river, remember that some stones can be stepped on under water with perfectly maintained safety, and, once again, get high shafted hiking boots!
I arrived at Caihnavagge in clear sunny weather and decided to take a break and have some tea and snacks as I still had some ground to cover.
Getting out of the wind really amplified the warmth from the sun and the place was really pleasant. Besides, I finally got a decent shot at charging my phone again as the sun was out so bright.
A good hour later i started the second part, as different in character from the morning stretch as night from day. Being so much lower in elevation the trail was mostly soft, leading over grass or low scrubs, mixed up with wetter areas. Shortly before the bridge over Caihnajohka there is a short distance that is rocky, muddy and bushy at the same time. Just take it easy and slow down and all is good!
The bridge is as reassuring as any of the Norwegian ones, I totally recommend to let one person pass completely before the next stepping onto the bridge!
The trail continues over the flat valley floor of Gallanbuolda, again mostly scrubs and grasses, some wetlands and bushy areas. And one real river where You might to have to change shoes, this time I got over there dry once again. It took some skills, experience and, once more, high shafts on the boots, to get it done, though!
Finally there’s another bridge to get to the north side of Cunojaure where the cabin is located and the trail continues around the lake and into Sweden and towards Unna Allakas.
About halfway between the Cunojaure cabin and Unna Allakas You find the beautiful beach where I chose to camp tonight. The weather was finally good enough to get back into solitude. As much as I love the comfort and warmth of the cabins, I missed being by myself in my tent!
Turns out that the Norwegian weather forecast workshop right, I just managed to get everything set inside the tent when I heard the first drops on the outer tarp. So far nothing alarming and very mellow compared to previous days and weeks. I’m kinda curious what tomorrow brings!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Hiking the Sleeping Giant near Thunder Bay, Ontario

September 19th 2018
Camp at Lehtinen’s Bay
After getting off to a rather late start this morning, I stopped at the ‘Bay Village’ coffee shop to pick up some gear they offered to lend me. Naturally, I stayed for a nice ‘Bulletproof’ – and didn’t get on the road until after 11 am.
Luckily I just made it to the parking permit office 5min before they closed for lunch, got my paperwork in order and continued to the parking lot at the trailhead!
Around 12:15 I started on the trail towards ‘Sawyer Bay’, planning to climb the head of the giant on the first day.
‘Sawyer Bay Trail’ does frankly resemble a quad track more than a hiking trail, it’s also very easy to walk and should be ideal for groups as two or three people can walk beside each other and chat comfortably.
Where the trail reached ‘Sawyer Bay’ there are several, really nice campsites and fireplaces. Beautifully arranged right at the shore!
The trail continues as a clearly visible, and easy to follow, footpath, soon reaching the fork where the ‘Head Trail’ takes of up the hillside.
 
I followed it up to the top, and the view is totally worth the effort of climbing the trail. And, yes, partly it is more a climb than a hike, just take it slow and You’ll be good!
Once back at the fork I continued the ‘Kabeyun Trail’ along the shore of ‘Lake Superior. The trail is very easy to find and follow, mostly close to the water and with very few changes in elevation.
After leaving the western shoreline and starting the climb over the giant’s feet, the ground gets clearly rougher. First, just an uphill slope, later steeply downhill on the east side. Closer to ‘Lehtinen’s Bay’ the trail climbs over large rocks and progress slows down immensely!
Just a short way past the rocky area I found this beautiful camp between the trail and the shore, the view over the lake is truly amazing and I look forward to falling asleep to the sound of the waves hitting shore!

On the next morning, I got started around 9 am and headed for the Talus trail to get to the crossing that would take me to the top of the giant. This was a much more mellow hike than to the head, still partly steep, yet with beautiful steps built into the trail, making the steep parts so much easier.

I found it a little weird when finding the sign for the ‘top’ pretty much in the woods and not even near the highest point in the area.

Continuing further up the trail got me to the western cliffs and opened up a beautiful scenery!

The sky, that had been overcast already, grew darker the longer the day went towards noon and, also considering the fact that I didn´t find any water in the streams, I decided to head back to the car. Finally leaving the park just after 1 pm for the hour-long drive back to town!

I really enjoyed hiking the area and am rather happy to have left the ‘chest’ for a later occation, giving me an excuse to come back!

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Devils Peak from Newland Forrest

To avoid getting into the traffic of Cape Town I planned my hike up Devils Peak to start from the east and Lance dropped me of at the Fire Station in Newland Forrest just before 10:00 in the morning. This being the day after my India Venster hike I expected some soreness in my legs, early on during the hike I know I was right in that regard – this was going to be a slow day 😉

Looking at the map ahead of the hike my choice to follow the “Rim trail” up to the Newlands Gorge turned out to be an interesting one. The trail started out as a beautiful small path that soon got fainter and then even fainter, at times it was almost invisible and it became clear that it was used mainly by game, not hikers. Lots of fun, though, to climb over and crawl under obstacles and I did not at all mind the hour it took me to reach the contour path.

The climb up the gorge was steady and, due to my tired muscles, pretty slow without any difficulties. Reaching the saddle I could easily detect the rest of the trail towards to top of Devils peak and continued in a steady pace until I reached the summit.

 

 

Sky was clearer than previous days and the view over Cape Town just breathtaking!

 

 

The wind from N/W was pretty hard and I hope You can live with the sound on the video:

 

Going down I had to abandon my original plan of following the
knife edge, that path was simply indiscernible, and
instead I descended down to the Upper Traverse path following this around the northern edge of the mountain aiming to get down to Kings Blockhouse.

Parts of the trail offering a lot of fun, steep descents 😀

 

 

The contour path took me once again back to Kirstenbosch garden where I got picked up by Lance for the ride back to the house.
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Peace // Claes

More Table Mountain – India Venster to Skeleton Gorge and Kirstenbosch

 


Starting at the lower Cable Car station the India Venster (meaning Indian Window in Afrikaans) trail soon crosses the contour path and runs steeply up the mountain side. It is generally considered to be on the more difficult side and partly closer to climbing then hiking.


The trail passes under the cable car several times during the first part and every time I see the car pass by me I get this mixed feelings of envying the easy transport and pity the passengers missing out on this beautiful and fun hike!
I have to admit that the trail is so much fun, I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the view every now and then!

Getting even better during the second half of the trail, almost vertical at times yet with great grips and threads not really difficult to climb. Still I recommend anyone being advert to heights to chose another route up this mountain. Some parts are very close to the edge along impressing drops!

Heading for the Café at the upper station for a nice double Cortado I made a new friend from Perth, Australia and got company for the rest of the hike. We took the trail leading south to the Woodhead reservoir, crossed the dam and turned east heading for Kirstenbosch Garden through Skeleton gorge.

Just before reaching the gorge and at the most eastern end of the Hely-Hutchinson reservoir there´s a fantastic sandy area almost forming a beach right on the mountain. Had swimming in the reservoirs been allowed, this had been a great place for a refreshing dip 😀

The decent through Skeleton Gorge soon follows a creek carrying no water this time of the year yet should be impossible to pass during rain fall. Leading through beautiful shady forrest and offering fun climbing parts and even a few ladders it´s a treat after the scourging sun on the top af the mountain. A short walk after reaching the bottom of the gorge lies the botanical garden of Kirstenbosch, unfortunately I didn´t have time to explore the garden itself, got that saved for another day!

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Peace // Claes

Table Mountain from Constantia Nek January 4th 2017


First shot at hiking Table Mountain was on Wednesday January 4th 2017, I started out from Constantia Nek just before 9:30 after Lance got me a ride there. Following the trail and keeping left for the jeep trail I met a couple and got pointed even further west where I found a marvelous little nature trail leading up the mountain side.
The spectacular view at times almost dangerously distracting as the hike became more of a climb in some sections!
Weather was amazing, warm and sunny with a nice breeze cooling me down every time I got over a ridge.

Not many people on the trail, I passed a total of 6 persons before reaching the first reservoir and bumped into a party of four with three dogs bathing and enjoying the cool water.
The planned route west of this reservoir was heavily overgrown and, swiftly adjusting plans, I followed the jeep trail north just passed the … cabin where a water faucet was placed serving hikers with amazingly cold and tasty water. After drinking my fill and washing head and face, leaving my hair wet to cool the head, I soon continued north along the mountain side, aiming to follow Smuts Track up to the peak of Table Mountain.
The day getting warmer and covering quite a lot of elevation taxed my water supply harder than I planned for and I actually ran out of water on the way up. Reminder to self: always fill the container with fresh water even when I don’t think I need it ?

From the peak it´s an easy walk crossing the plateau to the cable station where they established a café serving a few lunch dishes besides coffee, other beverages and sorted sandwiches.
I had beef stew that contained more bones than meat, pretty lousy value for money and, to be frank with You, I´d recommend You pack lunch if You plan on having lunch on the mountain!
After spending around an hour at the café, eating and resting it was time to follow the north ridge of the plateau back to Platteklip Gorge and decent along the trail down the gorge.
Usually steep decent are slightly uncomfortable for knees and quads, this one being no exception, I took it pretty slow and easy downhill. Also I was rather surprised to see that the fence partly following the trail at the steeper parts was made out of barbed wire… Please don´t grab if You fall, and don’t fall onto the fence… ?
Once out of the gorge there are several forks in the trail and the one to follow runs along the mountainside right to the point where the cable car crosses the trail. From there just use the trail leading down to the station.
All in all it was a majestic and beautiful hiking day and I can highly recommend the route. Getting back up on the mountain again and, of course, right back to You with the next report!

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Peace // Claes

Hike of 2016 – Day 11

On of these mornings when it seemed perfectly right and appropriate to just refuse getting out of the sleeping bag. The hard wind continued throughout the night and my sleep got really impaired. Hadn’t I already know that the tent could take some beating the last doubts would have been removed after this night.
As I ended the day before rather early and already spent quite a few hours inside the tent I got restless some time after my reading and meditation and got the stove going for coffee. Not really hungry so breakfast could wait until later in the am and with a couple of coffees downed I got myself going.
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The view into Vistasvagge as always breath taking yet the hike was slow and rather difficult, normally I’m really good with blocks yet with the rain that
started last evening and still came down in showers the rocks were really slippery and treacherous. I even took a couple of falls, thankfully without any real damage.
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Finding a bunch of cloud berries along the way made a short break necessary, crazy late in the year to still find these delicious treats, and I just ate what I found right on the spot. Fresh berries are a wonderful addition to the usual diet out here.
Hiking slowly has its advantages and I apparently moved silent enough to not disturb a few reindeers resting in the greenery, beautiful serene animals I’m
img_4597grateful to catch a few pictures of.
Ending the first part of the day in Vistas cabin got me some rest from the cold wind, cooking and eating lunch inside was really nice and it cost some discipline to continue past the cabin after the meal. What pushed me on was the memory of another potentially amazing camp site just over 5km (3+ miles) south along the river. I walked past that spot quite a few times and this was the perfect occasion to give it a try.
img_4616Finding the place just as marvelous as I remembered it I built camp while the clouds lifted and cleared the sky for a wonderful late afternoon and evening. There still were lots of them around the area yet I had the privilege of sitting in the late afternoon sun, reading a novel while my dinner was cooking. During all the hours I spent there only two people past by, the rest of the time was undisturbed nature with the constant soothing sound of the river right there.
Needless to say I had a very enjoyable evening and drifted of to sleep easily, especially as the night before had been anything but restful.


The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Hike of 2016 – Day 9

Waking up rather early I hear the rain on the tent and can feel the wind still pulling at it, the weather had been rather rough throughout the night and I did not sleep that well, leaving me weary in the morning, lazily staying inside the sleeping bag grateful for the decision of crossing the water yesterday. Once again considering myself the luckiest guy on earth, waking up on the other side and crossing this morning had been clearly a cold and wet endeavor.2016-08-27-10-31-18
Weather prevailed and after a few hours I got myself ready, for the first time this year I packed everything while still inside the tent before going out in the rain and break the camp.
Gloomy day, cold wind from the north and the light yet constant rain made it an easy decision to head straight for the cabin in Alesjaure. Already I had spent more nights near cabins than planned at the start, and considering the weather with showers most days and the wind getting colder day by day I accepted that the trend would continue. Reminding myself that I’m not here to prove how much hardship I can take, looking forward to the evening sauna became increasingly easier as the day went along.
2016-08-27-10-46-06Considerably more water in the streams now than mere days ago I was happy for my high shafted boots, still taking in some water from the drenched vegetation pulling my rain trousers and moving moisture up the boots.
Coming close to the Sami camp it was impossible to discern which of the many paths to follow, I stayed too close to the lake and hade to pass through the camp before I found the trail emerging from Vistasvagge and followed it the last few km.
After a chat with one of the cabin hostesses, during which we agreed on a time for the first interview here, I put my tent up to dry in the wind. Ironically enough the weather got more and more friendly once I got inside, the next valley I planned to hike through still covered in clouds, though, made my decision to stay valid.
I spent the afternoon taking care of some long overdue cleaning, greased the boots and re packed my stuff as the amount of provisions decrease day by day and the pack needed rearranging.
img_4565Several pleasant conversations, one interview and a very enjoyable sauna later, dinner was on, it was raining again and I fully enjoyed the luxury of being clean, warm and dry.
Soon after there was a gap between two showers and I made it to the tent, leaving boots, socks and rain gear to dry inside over night.
The tent stood on highest ground possible to keep the rain water from gathering around it, wind had almost died completely and I drifted off almost immediately after last nights disturbed sleep.

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Hike of 2016 – Day 7

img_4526Woke up when the sun starts heating up the tent (it disappeared behind clouds pretty soon, though…), unzipped the sleeping bag and just enjoyed being lazy for a little while before leaving the tent and breaking camp.
Right tendon more swollen and I decided on a short hike of just 3-4km to Unna Allakas and spend the rest of that day resting at the cabin, already looking forward to the evening sauna.
Funny how the close proximity of a sauna can enhance the feeling of needing to clean up ?
Upon arrival I raised the tent in my favorite spot before entering the cabin and greeting Torgny who was pretty surprised to see me again so soon.
Inside the cabin is another guy on rest day, Birger, who started his hike on July 10th and now is on his way to meet his girl friend I’m Abisko, hike the next part together with her and then finish alone towards the very northern parts of Norway.
Amazing conversations, great company and lots of food made the day fly by while the cabin slowly filled up with people, leaving us with a very international lot from 6 different countries including a couple from Austria mountain biking along the trails, a guy from Belgium who had hikes the glacier of Storsteinfjellet alone (NOT recommended) and was lucky enough to come down alive…
And a group of mountain runners arriving later in the evening!
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Birger
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Belgian Alpinist
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The Runners
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Lisa from Germany and Guido from Italy
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Sauna was fantastic as expected and the view extraordinary!
After some more chatting, dinner and a few cups of tea I was ready for the tent.

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Off the Grid Hiker Live, and a Pilot Trip that´s double deadly!

Let me be up front with You…

No videos here – nope, not even one…

No pics either…

Just probably the most lovely information so far if You´d like to try out the Swedish Mountains in style 😀

As You might already guessed typing isn´t my favorite way to communicate so rest assure I think this post important due to all the text!

 

Now, let me adress the “double deadly” part of the head line, it´s not only there to get Your attention…
I use this phrase for a few things in life, Lappert´s Ice Cream on Kauai being one of them, and it just means that what I refer to is:

  1. Worth killing for
  2. Worth dying for

So, basically it´s something really cool, enjoyable, fun, extraordinary, unforgettable, magical, formidable, wonderful, fantastic, majestic, marvelous, etc (enter any superlative that comes to mind).

Just to get clear – there is nothing dangerous out there in these mountains, ok?  😀

For years people have asked me when I would start bringing people with me on tours as I´ve been in the mountains so many times and done so many trails up there.

It is a question that has been taking up more and more space in my thoughts since I got the idea for this blog and I started planning for doing the first group trip in August 2018.
To be able to serve people with different levels of experience, physical and mental performance and ability for time commitment I decided on building three different tours:

  1. Beginner – Little or no experience of hiking
  2. Intermediates – Done some hiking and camping and/or been on a beginners tour
  3. Advanced – Done the intermediate tour with me and want to get into wilder areas

So, what does this mean and what are the requirements?

First thing first – all three tours are planned to go for a week, usually noon Sunday – noon Saturday, which allows for an extra night out if needed before I go on the next tour.
The plan is to be back Saturday, we just need to plan for the plan not working out 100%  😉

Why a whole week? Well, that´s an easy one…
No matter how prepared we think ourselves to be, this is a new experience for the body every single time. It takes a few days to adjust to carrying a back pack and move over uneven ground where no step resembles the one before.
So, if we only go hiking for 2-3 days You never get into the flow where You really get to enjoy the surroundings and the experience of nature I want You to have.

We hike in small groups, I put the cap at 10 people/group (and if You´re the 10th person Your spouse can come also, that´s it though) to make sure everyone gets some personal attention and one-on-one time with me.
This has the potential of being the hiking experience of a life time, if I can enhance Your journey, just let me know along the way!

In my experience the month of August provides the best conditions, usually the nicest weather in the season, mosquitos start to disappear and the ground has dried out from the melted snow.
That´s why I do all three tours back to back – I wanna give You all the best possible circumstances to enjoy the hike!

We always start from one of the larger Swedish Tourist Stations were You can get a cooked meal (yes, with adult beverages if You like), sauna or shower and a room (if You,re tired of Your tent) upon return from the tour:
I highly recommend to stay a day or two extra at the station when back from the mountain as there are beautiful day tours to be had and just chilling for a day isn´t that bad either!

Please observe that we carry everything we need with us, detailed equipment lists are provided once Your application is accepted, there are some cabins where You can by additional provision yet I don´t recommend counting on them.
We´re in the wilderness and weather conditions, blisters (they are preventable and I´ll tell You what to do), physical exhaustion (shouldn´t happen if we are all honest with each other) might force a change of plans.

BTW – Your cell phone does not work once were out of sight from civilization, put them in flight mode to save the battery and use the camera function only!
This is part of being Off the Grid and a highly therapeutic experience!!!
Now let´s get to the differences between the groups!

Beginners: 
You always wanted to go on a hike, just never got to it due to a million reasons, or maybe You used to hike years ago and want to get back into it again. Whatever reason You have to join You want a relaxed and safe experience away from the main tourist trails and enjoy the company of a few like minded people.

Requirements:

  • You have Your own personal gear: clothes, boots, rain gear, back pack, sleeping bag, mattress, stove, cutlery, etc
    A detailed list is provided open admission and I kindly ask You not to get anything before You know what to buy, ok?
  • You carry Your own provisions (food), detailed instructions on what to bring and how to prepare it are provided.
  • You are prepared to leave any extras behind at the station if I consider that necessary to keep the weight of Your pack down
  • You can carry 20kg (44lbs) for up to 20km (12.5 miles) in a day (this is the maximun, most days are shorter), this is important for the safety of the group.
    Please talk to me if You´re not sure, ok?
  • If You don´t have (or can borrow) a tent that is fit for mountain use (if Your not sure about it, talk to me), You must let me know upon admission for me to provide a solution!
    I can get some extra and am happy to help out if I just know it´s needed.
    Failing to do this results in having to rent a tent from the tourist station at Your own expense.

What You get:

  • A one week specially designed tour through some of the most beautiful valleys and ridges of northern Sweden (and maybe Norway)
  • One day tour climb to see the view from a mountain peak, this is provided that the weather conditions allow for it to happen in a safe way
    Should You prefer to have a rest day instead, You have the option to stay in the camp or take a short walk around the area
  • Detailed instructions what to bring/not to bring
  • Six week email course on preparation of equipment and provision
  • 3 group calls with Q&A on preparation
  • Personalized suggestions for physical preparedness (if needed)
  • 1 personal call to answer individual questions not adressed on group calls
  • Learn to use the map and the compass for navigation in mountain areas
  • Every two participants are provided a map and a compass to use for the duration of the tour
  • A short routine to warm up muscles and joints to get ready for the day and prevent injuries
  • Learn how to light and maintain a camp fire in a safe way, provided that the weather conditions allow for it to happen in a safe way
  • Personal attention and one-on-one time to get Your questions answered and help You make the most out of the experience

What´s the deal?

  1. Admission is on a first come, first serve basis – payment secures Your space in the group
  2. Be upfront with any physical or mental challenges, most of them can be solved
  3. Safety comes first, my decision is final on that point. Even if it means someone has to abort the tour early due to challenges
  4. Make sure You comply with passport and visa requirements, this is of no concern to anyone living in the EU, I can´t do anything if You get stopped at the border control
  5. Every participant is responsible for having insurance coverage, please check with Your provider that they cover physical activity (while traveling)
  6. No refunds, You can always transfer Your spot to another person if You can´t come, as long as he/she can be admitted
  7. I can´t do anything about the weather yet in every other area I promise to over deliver on my promises. You´ll have a blast when going through the experience as instructed!

Intermediates:
You either did the beginners tour with me or have some experience with hiking in the past and consider Yourself a somewhat advanced hiker (in any case we do a personal interview to make sure we have a fit). You want to see some more remote areas of the mountains in north Sweden and Norway and are willing to sacrifice some comfort and sweat equity for the experience. You know that Your physical and mental fitness carries You through the week even if weather gets rough or the hike is rather strenuous for a day or two.

Requirements:

  • You have Your own personal gear: clothes, boots, rain gear, back pack, sleeping bag, mattress, tent, stove, cutlery, etc
    A detailed list is provided open admission and I kindly ask You not to get anything before You know what to buy, ok?
  • You carry Your own provisions (food), detailed instructions on what to bring and how to prepare it are provided.
  • You have Your own compass and map of the area and know the basics of navigation
  • You are prepared to leave any extras behind at the station if I consider that necessary to keep the weight of Your pack down
  • You can carry 20kg (44lbs) for 15-30km (9.32-18.64 miles) in a day (this is the maximun, most days are shorter), this is important for the safety of the group.

What You get:

  • A one week specially designed tour through some of the most beautiful valleys, passes and ridges of northern Sweden and/or Norway
    Several opportunities to climb peaks, this is provided that the weather conditions allow for it to happen in a safe way
  • Detailed instructions what to bring/not to bring
  • Six week email course on preparation of equipment and provision
  • 3 group calls with Q&A on preparation
  • Personalized suggestions for physical preparedness (if needed)
  • 1 personal call to answer individual questions not adressed on group calls
  • Advanced use of the map and the compass for navigation in mountain areas, preparing You for navigation in all weather conditions
  • A short routine to warm up muscles and joints to get ready for the day and prevent injuries
  • Mountain safety, do’s and don´t’s when hiking in these areas
  • Personal attention and one-on-one time to get Your questions answered and help You make the most out of the experience

What´s the deal?

  1. Admission is on a first come, first serve basis – payment secures Your space in the group
  2. Be upfront at the interview – I use it to maximize the experience of the whole group
  3. Safety comes first, my decision is final on that point. Even if it means someone has to abort the tour early due to challenges
  4. Every participant is responsible for having insurance coverage, please check with Your provider that they cover physical activity (while traveling)
  5. No refunds, You can always transfer Your spot to another person if You can´t come, as long as he/she can be admitted
  6. I can´t do anything about the weather yet in every other area I promise to over deliver on my promises. You´ll have a blast when going through the experience as instructed!

Advanced: 
You have done the intermediate tour with me and want to take it one step further. We always do a personal interview to asess preparedness and any challenges needed to be solved up front.
No exceptions, for safety reasons I need to know You and what You´re capable of!
This is a partly very strenuous tour with tough climbs and potentially long days.

Requirements:

  • You have Your own personal gear, know what to bring and how to use it. You agree to 100% personal responsibility here
  • You carry Your own provisions (food), You know what you need and how much and the right preparation
  • You are responsible for the contains of Your pack, don´t pack what You don´t wanna carry
  • You can carry 20kg+ (44lbs+) for 15-30km (9.32-18.64 miles) in a day (this is the maximun, most days are shorter) in rough country with steep parts, this is important for the safety of the group
  • You are prepared that some days might drag out to 12 hours or more with no other stops than short snack & water breaks, depending on conditions

What You get:

  • Basically the coolest tour possible accounting for weather conditions, snow depth, ground conditions etc.
  • 7-8 days in company with like minded people enjoying nature pure with as little as possible contact with civilization
  • You learn to asess the mountain side before the climb, chose the path on rocky ground and the most efficient way of moving on rocks
  • Join me for the real favorite tours few people ever get to hike
  • An incomparable adventure that´s challenging physically, mentally and emotionally, leaving You with an unsurmountable feeling of power and joy upon completing

What´s the deal?

  1. Admission is on a first come, first serve basis – payment secures Your space in the group
  2. Be upfront at the interview – the safety of the group, and Your own, depends on this
  3. Safety comes first, my decision is final on that point. Even if it means someone has to abort the tour early due to challenges
  4. Make sure You comply with passport and visa requirements, this is of no concern to anyone living in the EU, I can´t do anything if You get stopped at the border control
  5. Every participant is responsible for having insurance coverage, please check with Your provider that they cover physical activity (while traveling)
  6. No refunds, You can always transfer Your spot to another person if You can´t come, as long as he/she can be admitted
  7. I can´t do anything about the weather yet in every other area I promise to over deliver on my promises. You´ll have a blast when going through the experience as instructed!

Costs involved:

  • The costs for personal equipment vary and depend on what You need to get new and what You could possibly borrow.
  • Provision and snacks – depends on what You get and where You get it, I usually end up with approximately $100-150/week (SEK 900-1400:-) when shopping locally and preparing most of my food at home
  • Air fare or train ticket to Kiruna – depends on where You travel from
  • Local transportation – no more than $100:- (SEK 900:-)
  • Sauna at the mountain cabins – approximately $12:-/person (SEK 100:-)

My fees:
Origin of participant determents currency, prices in US$ and € may be adjusted with exchange rate fluctuation.

  • Beginner: $497:- / €455:- / SEK 4500:-
  • Intermediate $297:- /€275:- / SEK 2700:-
  • Advanced $197:- / €185:- / SEK 1800:-


The “double deadly” Pilot Trip

Which brings us to the best part (I told You to read on, remember?) – July 30th I attended a very nice dinner in Kapaa, Kauai, HI with some good friends. Walking one of them, Andrei Jablokow, over to his car on the parking lot we talked about my project with Off the Grid Hiker and the live events I planned for 2018. Long story short he spent some effort influencing me to do a pilot trip in 2017 to get some testimonials and I agreed reluctantly. Not really sure back then if I´d have the time for all the planning and preparation.

Anyway, the decision was made and now it´s time to make it happen!

Here´s the deal for 2017:

Remember the Intermediate tour mentioned above? I know You do!
And You can always check the details above.

The Pilot Tour takes place July 30th through August 5th 2017 (Sunday-Saturday) with August 6th as back up day if needed.
I arrive in Abisko on Friday July 28th and stay near the station to help You out upon arrival, Sunday August 6th I go back into the mountains yet I recommend You to stay in the area a couple of days, it´s beautiful, serene and peaceful!

This is the one time opportunity to get in on that tour (with some add ons You find out about later) at the price of the Advanced tour. That´s a $100:- You can spend on other cool stuff like a couple of extra nights in Abisko or something like that.

More important is that I want Your honest testimonial to rave about the experience so I make this one a little special:

  • We hike through one of the most beautiful and famous valleys in the area, Cuonjavaggi (Lapporten), and camp at a beautiful water fall (Day 1)
  • Continue through Bessivagge before crossing Aliseatnu and follow Vierrojohka toward the mountains pass of Mårma (Day 2)
  • After crossing the pass (one of my favorite passes in this region) I leave You the choice of camping on a soft and comfy meadow at a beautiful lake or continue down to Vistas cabin for an evening sauna (Day 3)
  • Depending on the weather we follow Vistasvagge or Unna Vistasvagge on our way back towards Abisko (Day 4)
  • Staying east of the lakes and crossing over north of Radujavri adds some spice with a really marvelous river crossing most people never experience (Day 5)
  • After passing Bieggalouppal we turn northwards and follow Alip Hongganjivra which leads us into Ballinvagge (Day 6)
  • A nice and easy hike down to Abisko completes the tour (Day 7)

I know that these names don´t mean anything to most of You yet still think it´s nice to have the opportunity to look them up if You like.
This is not a tour I´d recommend anyone to go on by oneself as a first time exposure to these mountains, knowing what we´re doing it´s just a wonderful experience You remember forever!

That´s it for now, please share this with people who might be interested, I can always cut my vacation a week short and take on another group back to back with the first one. Price is gonna be the normal for Intermediate then, though, the tour is the same beautiful one!

Let me know if You want in, I expect this one to fill up and the rule is first come, first serve!
Mahalo, I appreciate You!

Peace // Claes

 

Cabin Host Series, Part III: Alesjaure

Every cabin that is served by the Swedish Tourist Organization (STF) is hosted by one or more mountain cabin hosts working as volunteers to make you visit both safer and more pleasurable.
The series introduces you to some of these “heroes of the mountains”!
Meet Mats & Katarina in Alesjaure:

The journey continues, please leave a comment to tell me what You think and share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

By leaving Your name and email in the box below You get notification of futures posts and news!

Peace // Claes