Abisko

Tour of 2018 – Day 30, August 25th 2018

Heavy rain woke me up to another ridiculously early morning, yet subsided while I had my first cup of coffee and I went out to wipe the tent clean off from ice cold rainwater for the 18th time in the last three weeks, at that moment making the decision to call it a tour.


A couple of coffees later I packed my reasonably dry stuff and headed towards Abisko. I chose to climb the mountainside and aim for the bridge at the trail to Kårsavagge, instead of taking the easier route down to Abiskojaure and follow the Kings trail. And I’m exceptionally happy with the decision, the view of Abisko with the lake in the background is immensely beautiful and the route turned out to be pretty easy.

Once I climbed the ridge, everything that follows is basically downhill and I made the stretch to the Tourist Station quite a bit faster than I’d expected.

Arriving at the station I hung my tent and the other wet stuff in the drying room, got myself a ticket for the afternoon train to Stockholm and took my time in the sauna, cleaning myself up and getting thoroughly warm before heading for the buffet lunch at the restaurant.
Don’t think they made a lot of profit on my food that day!

Sitting inside after a nice meal, feeling warm and comfortable, I felt pretty happy with my decision to aboard the tour a week early. Due to the cold, and the snow it brought on higher altitudes, continuing would have meant motoring along in the valleys, moving through to the end of each days tour without any real breaks, and seeking refuge from the cold wind inside the tent at the end of the day.
Not really what I had planned, and I know for sure that I’ll be back next year for another tour, hopefully nicer weather (or less of the cold wind and rain), and, definitely with a lighter backpack.

Thank You for joining me on this tour and stay tuned for some shorter hikes during the time until Lapland 2019. Should You want to join in on a tour ’live’, please don’t hesitate to contact me through the site, ok?

Peace be the Journey // Claes

Tour of 2018 – Day 1, July 27th 2018

Camp at Cuonjajavri
A day of travel, it turned out that there were no really good connections from Kiruna that fitted our arrival from Stockholm, ARN, and we ended up spending over 3.5h in Kiruna.
The day started a little challenging with one from the group sleeping in, yet our driver was super friendly and agreed to a detour to pick her up. Challenge successfully solved!

Finally at 4pm we got off the bus in Abisko and hit the trail!

Beautiful hike in fantastic weather, actually the heat made it necessary to force down extra water at every creek. One of us was especially challenged by the hot sun and had to wet her cap repeatedly to keep her head cold.
Needless to say we took it very easy and reached the camp site after around four hours of hiking, taking several breaks to cool down!
After pitching our tents we sat down for a late dinner and soon after it was time to hit the sleeping bags!
From a personal perspective I’m super happy that I start the hike this year being fat adapted. Didn’t eat for nine hours between lunch and dinner, felt super great, full of energy and no hunger at all!
I cannot recommend enough that You make sure to be fat adapted when going on a longer hike, it’s a total game changer!

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

Free Group Tour 2018

Hey, let me give You a treat here and invite You to join me on a tour free of charge!
Normally I charge from $197 to $497 per person (www.offthegridlive.com) to take people on a week long hike like this, and I cannot see that this freebie is going to be repeated any time soon.
If You followed my stuff for any length of time You know that I’m all about getting off the grid and away from the beaten track. So, while this tour is incredibly safe and still rather comfortable, You can expect to see parts of the mountain not many find by themselves and to meet very few people compared to following the major trails.
Important dates and locations:
  • July 27th PM depart Abisko Tourist Station
    Get there with SAS flight to Kiruna followed by bus/train, or with train from Stockholm
  • August 3rd return to Abisko
    Stay for a few days to explore the area or depart in the PM
We start from Abisko (along the E10 between Kiruna and Narvik) in the afternoon on July 27th, the hike takes us through one of the most famous valleys in Lapland, Lapporten, and we camp either in the valley itself of after entering Bessesvaggi. Continuing west on Saturday morning we cross the Aliseatnu and make our way up the valley towards Mårma, crossing the pass at 1640m (5380ft) on the next day. Camping one night at the Vistas cabin rewards us with the opportunity of cleaning up in the sauna and wash up some clothing of needed.
Needless to say, the view from that spot is just marvelous!
Now we continue north on the west side of Vistasvaggi using the less trafficked Unna Vistasvagge, with it´s fantabulous camp sites, to take us through to Alisvagge and passed Alesjaure. Briefly touching Kungsleden (the Kings trail) at the cabin in Alesjaure we soon after turn further west and explore a ridge with some beautiful lakes to camp at and very few visitors.
Starting the next day by staying on the ridge for a little longer takes us to the trail leading west towards Rovvidievva that takes us down into the birch forrest where we follow Kamajåkka to Abiskojaure.
This is where we part, leaving You with an easy 14km (9 mile) hike along Kungsleden back to Abisko while I head through Hoiganvagge towards Norway to stay out another good four weeks.
Now, You will receive an email course with everything You need to prepare for the tour when getting closer. Yet please let me give You a list of equipment right away.
Being outdoors is so much more enjoyable when You carry the right gear and I really want to grant You enough time to gather what You need.
Personal clothing:
  • Hiking trousers
  • Underwear, I recommend 3-4 pairs and wash them along the way
  • Socks, use liners and outer socks, 3-4 pairs each
  • T-shirts/shirts, 3-4
  • Long underwear, 1 set
  • Light fleece sweater
  • Warm wool, fleece or down sweater
  • Rain gear, jacket & trousers
  • Hat or cap
  • Gloves
  • Scarf or Buff
  • Light shoes for river crossing – I recommend Crocs as they dry very fast and double  well as camp slippers
Personal equipment:
  • Backpack, 60-75l with rain cover – Make sure You´ve tried it on (packed) and that it fits Your back comfortably
  • Sleeping bag – night temperatures are normally between 0 and +15 Celsius (32-59 F)
  • Mattress – I recommend inflatable with or w/out down filling
  • Camping stove – make sure it´s light and You know how it works, if You use gas be advised that the European standard is Lindal B188 valve
  • Tent – 3 seasons recommended, try to share a tent between 2-3 persons to save weight from Your packs
  • Knife – folded pocket knife is good
  • Cup or mug
  • Plate or bowl (eating directly out of the pot is a good option)
  • Spoon and/or fork (Plastic might break…)
  • Lighter or matches
  • Personal care products
  • Basic first aid – bandages, any medication You use, Compeed (for covering and healing of blisters), insect repellents, etc.

If You join the tour You´ll get all this information again as part of the 8 part email course that´s included to help You prepare for the tour!

Hope You take me up on the offer, there are 10 spots and 10 only, once they´re filled it´s too late!

Peace // Claes