Nature guide & outdoor junkie, Caroline Nyiri

Wow, we stumbled upon Caroline’s incredible instagram, with photos that motivates you to put your favorite outdoor clothes on right away, go out and explore! We get to take part in Carolines life as a nature guide and outdoor-junkie - go and grab some coffee and be prepared for some inspiring reading about her life story.

Caroline is wearing Amelia Hiking Pants with Lengths in Camel

You are a nature guide, it seems like a dream job, tell us, what does that entail and how did you end up as a nature guide?

I've been working as a nature guide in northern Sweden for 3 years, doing dog sledding during winter and guiding in the mountains, forests and rivers during summer. It's been absolutely fantastic. But I'm not going to lie, it is also probably the hardest job I've ever had. But the best part about it is to have nature as my office. 

It all started a few years ago, I was a bit lost in life and unsure about what I wanted to do in the future. I had recently moved from my 19 square meter apartment in Stockholm city to a farm in Västerbotten. I had gotten accepted to an education at university, but I had also very randomly applied to a nature guide education at a Folkhögskola. After some discussions with myself I decided to go with the "unsafe" choice. The nature guide education was one year long in the High Coast of Sweden (an extraordinarily beautiful place) and it turned out it was the best decision I could've made! The following year was probably the best year of my life. I finally understood the "how" to be in nature in a very comfortable and safe way. I grew confident about my own ability and found out I'm braver than I thought I was. After my education, finding a job was super easy for me, and I have had such luck to be able to work at many beautiful places in nature since. 

Caroline in Astrid Wild Amelia Hiking Pants with Lengths in Camel

Also, your photography is just spectacular, do you go out with a motive in mind, or does nature provide that to you so to say? 

Thank you so much, how kind of you! 

Nature provides. She always provides more than I could ever dream of :) For every walk in nature, I always receive far more than I seek. 

Caroline in Astrid Wild Hiking pants in Camel

Where did you grow up, and how has that impacted you?  

I grew up in Täby, a suburb of Stockholm and then lived in the city center for a few years before I realized that that kind of life is not what I want for myself. 6 years ago I decided to leave everything behind and move up north. Even if I have roots in the north and spent every summer up there it was a very big and scary decision at the time. But I never regretted it once! 

In what way do you think nature impacts people?

I think it's absolutely crucial for our survival and well-being to be in contact with nature. Whether it's a walk in the city park to smell the planted flowers, or a 2 weeks long off-trail hike in the wild. Personally I prefer the more remote adventures, preferably with none or as little human interference as possible. It feels like I get closer to nature that way somehow. This you can also see in my pictures, since I very rarely photograph things that are not natural (like houses, roads etc). 

Do you have any fav Nordic spots you wanna share? Where should one go, off the beaten track.. 

One of my favorite places to hike in is Vindelfjällens nature reserve. It is the biggest nature reserve in northern Europe, and it has a vast variety of habitats. I can highly recommend this place if you want to find trails that are a little less crowded. Personally I've only visited the northern parts around Ammarnäs, and it's amazing if you want nature experiences in the mountains. It is also a great place for birdwatching since the birdlife is very rich and active in this area. 

What do you think about your Amelia Hiking Pants? 

I absolutely adore them! I always get so many nice compliments when I wear them. And I honestly can't find a single thing about them that I dislike! They are in fact my new favorite pants and the only ones I want to wear on most occasions. 

Caroline in our Hiking pants for women in Camel

Thank you Caroline for the chat and for sharing your life story with us. Don’t forget to check her instagram, and if you feel that you're not done reading yet - continue on our Wild Women blog!