Daniel Vilhelmsson Wesén
For me, the extraordinary happens along the way. When I take off my shoes and sit there, enjoying the moment with my feet in the blueberry shrubs, or when water from a stream slowly runs between my fingers. Mentally, I try to think that I’m moving toward a goal, not to one—no matter the length of the journey.
I grew up with the forest just outside my door and have always been out on adventures—big and small. My focus has shifted over the years, but the curiosity and the desire to get outside have always been there. Among other things, I’ve hiked from Karlskrona to Treriksröset and from Smygehuk to Ytterhogdal, spent more than nine months on various cycling adventures, and walked roughly 2,000 kilometers on pilgrimages in Spain and Portugal—including from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela with my mother.
I met my wife at a trail running event in Sylarna. I tried to get her attention while she was stretching—by poking her in the ear with the wrapper from a sausage snack. We got engaged in Porto a year later during a pilgrimage, and married that same year at Saltoluokta Mountain Station after hiking through an autumn-colored Sarek together with friends.
Thinking in terms of going toward rather than going to is my way of helping people slow down and breathe. Not to focus blindly on the day’s destination, but to take the time to notice what’s along the way. Adopting an “I’m already there” mindset makes it easier to enjoy the present moment. Of course, we are heading for a goal—but we move slowly, with intention.
There seems to be a resistance to pausing in many people today. We’ll stop for coffee later—over there, by that hill on the horizon, at the next stream… The key is finding the balance between traveling far enough to reach your intended distance, and slowing down enough to actually experience and process it all.
Adventure CV
Sarek on skis: 2003, 2015, and 2019–2024, 2026
Autumn hiking in Sarek: 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025
Bivouac and igloo trips: 2015, 2023, 2024, 2025
Porto–Santiago de Compostela: ~300 km on foot, 2017
Lisbon–Santiago de Compostela: ~620 km on foot, 2015
Nikkaluokta–Kilpisjärvi: ~310 km on foot, 2015
Fjällräven Classic, Sweden: 2009–2015, 2017–2019, 2022–2024
Fjällräven Campfire Academy: Guide & workshop leader, 2025
Camino Francés: ~800 km on foot, 2015
Fjällräven Classic, Denmark: 2014, 2016, 2017
Kungsleden, Sweden: ~550 km on foot, 2013
REcycle Australia: ~4,000 km cycling tour, 2011
Karlskrona–Treriksröset, Sweden: 2,200 km on foot, 2009
Skåneleden Coast-to-Coast Trail: ~230 km on foot, 2006
Skåneleden Ridge-to-Ridge Trail: ~160 km on foot, 2005
Iceland: one month of MTB cycling, 2007
Australia: 115 days and ~5,600 km on MTB, 2003/2004
Svenstavik–Björkö: ~500 km Midsummer cycling, 2004
Smygehuk–Ytterhogdal: a three-month winter hike, 2003