Hiking without tears. My hiking comeback - with co-founder Maria Paulsson Rönnbäck

What I did better this year:

• Lighter packing: Probably the biggest reason why this hike felt much easier, was the reduced weight on my back. 13.6 kg at the start compared to about 17 kg at the start last year.
• Better hiking boots and an expensive insole: made it feel like I was walking on clouds.
• Military discipline for hiking vs. resting: Walk 50 minutes, rest 10 minutes. Air out feet and dry socks at every stop. It works. Trust me.
• Shorter daily legs: Plus rest day in the middle were an incredible luxury.

Our rest day at Kutjaure Mountain Station was one of the best days of this year in so many ways. Waking up to a magnificent view of the mountains, swimming in a waterfall, discussing innovation, green energy, and new technology with my hiking companion, meeting the elderly Sami woman who spends all her summers by Lake Kutjaure, but also just being, completely silent. Enjoying a pasta pesto dinner in the warm evening sun. All the elements that make me feel content and at peace with life.

Of course, I came up with a lot of things I can do better and smarter next time, so here’s my list.

What to improve for the next hike:

• Start your day early: Sure, you’re on vacation and don’t want to stress unnecessarily, but it IS worth it to get going a little earlier in the morning than we did this time. It’s incredibly nice to cover a good distance before lunch. Note: my hiking companion was always ready an hour before me, hehe.
• Bring snacks that fill you up. I was onto this last year too—you need to eat SO much more than you think and are used to. In other words, my healthy, low-calorie bars worked fine as a topping for oatmeal but provided very little energy when it was really needed.
• Step up the foot care game even more. Bring lots of tape and tape all parts of the foot, i.e., don’t forget the top of the toe (where, of course, I get blisters).
• Read up on the animals you might encounter where you are and how to deal with them. For example, we were chased by rough-legged buzzards when we unknowingly approached their nest. Actually a very unpleasant experience.
• Packing: Okay, there’s still a lot for me to improve here, but a few things are: 1) a headlamp is not needed in July above the Arctic Circle, 2) makeup is unnecessary, and 3) I’m curious if the trick of wearing merino wool underwear with liners allows me to reduce the number of panties I bring.

Expansion. Hiking in the Swedish mountains is an incredible, spiritual experience that I really wish everyone could try at least once. There’s something about the unique spatial experience, being so small among enormous mountains and vast views as far as the eye can see, that creates space for new thoughts and expands your mind.

Additionally, being completely offline for several days obviously creates time for reflection, but the biggest aha moment for me this time was how I kind of rediscovered my ability to connect with people in real life. Without a phone in hand, you look people in the eye, you greet them, and you ask others for advice since Google doesn’t give you the answer. For me, one of the day’s highlights was definitely chatting with the cabin guides, the local bus driver, and fellow hikers.

Hiking definitely makes me a little smarter, calmer, and nicer as a person.

 Maria is wearing the Minna Minimalist Wool Fleece in Brown in size Medium. 

So, as you can probably tell, this was really my hiking revenge, and now I’m even more hooked on hiking. My hiking companion and I have several ideas and dream adventures on our bucket list, and my wish is that this becomes a tradition that lasts many years to come.

I hope this inspires you to set out on your own hike. If you want to read about another bucket list item I got to fulfill this year, check out this blog post.

Hugs,
Maria

Disclaimer: We had incredible luck with the weather again this year; it was sunny almost the entire time. We'll see how I feel when the hail and thunder comes on the next hike ;)