Weekend endeavour

Every now and then I need an adventure to challenge myself. To put my skills to the test, to clear my head and do my utmost best to achieve the goals I have set for myself. At this particular adventure my friend Li and I challenged ourselves in many ways. We drove directly from work in Gothenburg up to Kläppen, Ljungdalen – an adventure in itself. We “slept” for three hours and then took our customary beer before setting out above the tree line and into the mountains. The weather forecast said sun and we got a lot of it. Every now and then we had to search for a small lake or creek too cool off in before going any further. We aimed to reach the peak of Helags from the east. We walked in between Predikstolen and Helags and we then walked up to the peak along the ridge. Almost at the peak we dropped our bags and did the last stretch without them. We retrieved our backpacks and walked up and down on the ridges going out northwest from the peak of Helags and pitched our Hilleberg tent around midnight (location).

We fell asleep quickly and woke up 6 hours later when the alarm sounded. We listen to a couple of songs from the 90s to get the right vibe before going further. We started the day by walking up a steep hill, earning ourselves another great view of the surrounding rocky landscape. From the top we could easily spot our next challenge Sylarna, a mountain in the north. We followed a ridge down into the valley and our feet could enjoy the green landscape with low vegetation before another round of rocks. The sun still fried us from above and I wrapped my towel around my head and shoulders to protect myself. I even had lunch under my damp towel near Ekorrdörren cabin, struggling to find shade for some time. After lunch and another dip we started to walk upwards again. One step at the time over rocks and snowy fields earning our elevation. We put on the climbing harnesses and took out the rope. We were tired and did not want to do anything stupid. We took turns walking. We stopped 200 meters from the peak of Storsola. The last bit up to the ridge and peak was steeper and narrower. We took a break.

Our plan was to reach the peak at Storsola. Go out to another peak named Templet and then go back pass Storsola, towards Storsylen and finally Lillsylen before going down to Sylarna mountain station and back to the car via Helags mountain station. BUT! We were tired, felt that a climbing nut or two had made us safer and on top of that we felt a little stressed because I would have to be back at work within 36 hours. We decided to return and turned around to be back another day. We went down to flatter ground and slept for a few hours in the tent before walking the 34 kilometers to the car and drove the 710 kilometers home. Tired but very happy and satisfied, I got out of the car at 4 in the morning in Gothenburg and managed to sleep for a while before it was time for a “new” day to begin with work and preschool.

We hiked over 80km during these three days in partly very rocky terrain with a fair bit of elevation too. For me, it means a lot. Both mentally and physically. The body is allowed to work and is tired “in the right way”. The head is allowed to “catch up” and all layers of noise and musts are easily broken down and the focus is more here and now.

Me being tired… Does not always mean that I am behind with sleep. Maybe I’m stuck in thoughts, stuck mentally in a loop of work, eat, sleep and repeat. Sometimes it’s so much better to break the pattern and do something “crazy” or challenging that you are passionate about and at least I come home with so much more energy even though I am also very, very tired at the same time.

Li and I also hike Storloopen together. Storloopen 2020 and Storloopen 2022.