Wow. What an amazing experience. I’m back at the edge of civilisation at Nikkaluokta where the hiking trail to Kebnekaise begins. Kebnekaise is Sweden’s highest mountain, located to the far north close to the border with Norway. Three of Sweden’s four peaks over 2000 meter are here. The southern peak used to be the highest and is still the most easily accessible and popular goal for most visitors. But due to melting of the ice cap on top, it’s now no longer the highest.
An inconvenient truth
Climate change is also who we get to experience stunning views with clear blue sky in the morning and pleasant summer temperatures. All around us streams of cold fresh burbling water make their ways down into the river in the valley. The snow on the slopes melt fast now. Temperatures are at plus seven degrees Celsius above the historical average for the area. We have packed woollen underwear, sweaters and polar sleeping bags. Way too warm. We use the sweaters as head rests and open the sleeping bags at night.
During the day clouds form above us as the sun heats up the ground and moisture rises high until finally turning into fluffy little cotton wool clouds, patterns of lamb wool, and cigar shaped spaceships. These last ones indicates that it is unusually hot for the season. They only form high in the atmosphere.
It makes for fantastic pictures. But it’s bittersweet to also know that this beauty is a consequence of how we humans have changed the planet. And we still are. And the world is led by old men who conveniently tell us what we want to hear, that we don’t need to change, that we can keep on living in the age of cheap energy and endless consumption of fossil fuels.
Why we are here
I’m here with my son. He will be 13 in a few days. He learned about Kebnekaise in school and got hooked on going here. I have hiked when I was younger but never this far north and I too was keen on going. But I couldn’t fit it in with our family holiday plans. Not until my calendar unexpectedly freed up beginning of June. Checking options and seeing it was doable, I went all in.
We dusted off hiking equipment, supplemented with new gear and tried it out on trails in our local area. Got in shape. Cooking in the wild. Climbing our local hill with gear.
Last Thursday we arrived at the start of the trail. Yesterday we returned after five days of adventure.
I made it clear with my son before going that while climbing to the summit of Kebnekaise was a great driver, it was not a goal to be reached at any cost. We wanted to enjoy ourselves and to have time to take in the scenery. Staying safe and smiling come first. Weather and unforeseen circumstances meant that we couldn’t plan in details but we had to explore and plan as we went.
Learning as we go
The first hike into the mountains is 19 km. You can cut it short by taking a boat some of the way at steep tourist prices. So we opted for the trail. We set out just as we arrived with the bus, eager to get into the mountains.
In hindsight setting out on the trail at noon with backpacks full of provisions in the scorching summer heat wasn’t a good choice.
But you learn as you go. As we brought the tent, we found a place to camp when we’re a few kilometres from the mountain station. My son was exhausted, no longer smiling, so we made camp near a mountain stream in some light birch forest. Hungry mosquitoes were abundant but we sealed off a mosquito free zone inside the tent and brought boiled water into the tent for some make shift dinner.
The reward was stunning views of the valley as we woke up and continued the last bit the next morning with the morning sun in our back.
We set up a new campsite on higher ground with fewer mosquitoes which were our base for exploring the valley and the mountains the next three days.
Exploring the mountains
We did one summit. Tuolpagorni at 1662 meters. The most prominent feature in the valley, this cone shaped mountain looks like a volcano with snow in the crater. You ascend from the ridge on the back. Guide book said 11 km, five hours. We spent ten hours. That included time to take in the scenery, enjoying a healthy lunch in the Kettle Valley at 1200 meters, and a little afternoon nap. While the trail into the mountain is well paved and bridged, the mountain trails are quite challenging. Besides coping with the heat, you leap across boulders and make your way across streams and glaciers. I opted for slow and safe, especially on the way down. People get hurt here. The helicopter service is not here only for sightseeing and convenience.
Spectacular views from the top. Enjoyed from a safe distance to the edge. My son waited for me at 1500 meters. I didn’t try to change his mind, it was a wise choice. We celebrated together as I came down.
We did two other trails. Easier but not less rewarding. Climbing giant boulders strewn across the valley floor, swimming in ice cold mountain rivers and taking in the ever changing landscape as the sun moved and as clouds formed above.
Our souls drunk hungrily from the beauty of nature.
Five days out is enough to get past that initial surge of adrenaline and excitement. You get times with a little gloom and reflection. That is good. Thunder and rain came. We snuggled up in the tent and it soon passed. We were warm and dry. If anything the rain made the next morning fresh and pleasant.
Slow reading
I brought a book to read in the tent at night. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. I read it when I was 25 and haven’t read it since. The narrator goes on a cross country motorcycle trip with his eleven year old son and two friends. I read it aloud for my son. Slow reading. It’s pleasant.
Our busy modern lives are all about getting things done fast then moving on to something else. I see some people bring that into the mountains. Take a boat or a helicopter to get quickly to the mountain station. Race the trail to get to the top of the mountain and back in ten, eleven hours. To have it done. But did you see that reindeer walking slowly in the snow on top of the glacier? Did you let your eyes explore the view of the mountains to take in that feeling af vastness that you don’t get when everything you see is on a small rectangle screen 25 cm from your nose? Did you see that funny cloud that for a while looked like a koala then changed into an angel?
The book is about that. Taking it slow. To have time to think and talk about what is important. To step away from that daily adrenaline rush chasing what is new, what is exciting. For a short brief dopamine rush then moving on to the next new shiny thing that can grab our attention.
My son puts his phone down and asks me to read for him. For a book written fifty years ago it is surprisingly relevant.
I will never ride a motorcycle across the prairie and high plains of the US. But I went for a hike with my twelve year old son in the Swedish mountains and felt that we discovered something special. That for a while we got to feel what it truly means to be human. Surrounded by beauty. Being present in the moment. Appreciating life and nature. Imagine how life can be if we let it.
People we meet out here all have that little silly smile on their face. Ok, I saw one carrying pain in his face when heading into the mountains. But in the mountains people are tired, sure. But not angry or sad. Not trying to trick you or cheat you or fool you or steal your stuff. Here they just are. Themselves. A happy, tired best version of themselves.
Imagine if we could be that version of ourselves also back home.
Not only pictures
Leave only footprints. Take only pictures. So is the saying when you go hiking. I feel we left behind also frustrations, worries, and pains. And took with us a priceless treasure. Better versions of ourselves. To bring back to share with our loved ones who patiently waits for us at home.
For the rest of you, enjoy the pictures.
