This travelogue is about three mates embarking on a 20-day wilderness hike in one in every of the most stunning alpine areas in northern Sweden: Sarek National Park.
Sarek National Park
The Sarek National Park is a nationwide park in Jokkmokk Municipality, Lapland in northern Sweden. Established in 1909–1910, the park is one in every of the oldest nationwide parks in Europe. It’s adjoining to 2 different nationwide parks, specifically Stora Sjöfallet and Padjelanta. The form of Sarek National Park is roughly round with a mean diameter of about 50 kilometers.
Essentially the most famous options of the nationwide park are six of Sweden’s 13 peaks over 2,000 meters situated inside the park’s boundaries. Amongst these is the second highest mountain in Sweden, Sarektjåkkå, while the massif Áhkká is situated simply exterior the park. The park has about 200 peaks over 1,800 meters, 82 of which have names. Attributable to the lengthy trek, the mountains in the district are seldom climbed. There are roughly 100 glaciers in Sarek.
Climbing in Sarek National Park
Sarek is a well-liked space for hikers and mountaineers. Rookies in these disciplines are suggested to accompany a information since there aren’t any marked trails or lodging and solely two bridges other than these in the neighborhood of its borders. The world is amongst those who receives the heaviest rainfall in Sweden, making mountaineering depending on climate situations. Additionally it is intersected by turbulent streams which can be hazardous to cross with out correct coaching.
Mine, Hendrik and Björn are teaming up for this superior journey. Each Mine and Hendrik have by no means explored the wilderness earlier than. They’ve by no means been out of their consolation zone for longer durations of time. I personally have been exploring for a few years now and have optimized my system and balanced consolation and weight to my wants. Optimizing your setup is a factor that occurs over a few years of utilizing it. Everyone seems to be completely different so there is no such thing as a one step answer to doing it.
Questions of consolation
Each Mine and Hendrik have relied closely on my system and what I believe is required for such an endeavor. This is perhaps an awesome start line as it should save masses of time and money which might in any other case be spent on in search of the proper gear to do the job. However it doesn’t substitute utilizing the system and realizing it’s in addition to your individual limits.
Everyone seems to be completely different in lots of features: Are you match? How chilly a sleeper are you? What’s your weight loss plan? How does your digestion tract react to excessive caloric path meals? Do you want to wash in frosty waters? Are you snug to share a tent with others? Sharing a tent might imply that you just’ll be caught in a confined area with folks for a very long time, in case of extreme climate.
Questions of consolation would even be issues like: Are you snug with sporting the similar t-shirt for two weeks? Most individuals who’ve by no means executed something like this may’t reply these questions. Coming from the metropolis we’re cradled in luxurious and are used to having issues like shelter, meals, sizzling water and clear garments on demand. On the market every little thing is completely different. It is advisable make many selections: Easy issues like when is the greatest time to clean my garments.
There are days after I depart the shelter in the morning, pondering to myself: That is washing day! After all, you’ll wish to wash your garments when the solar is out to dry them rapidly.
Overcoming doubts and fears
Individuals who have by no means gone on an extended, untethered wilderness journey could have plenty of issues going by way of their minds whereas planning the journey. This may result in changing into overly cautious and may trigger you to deliver plenty of gear with you that you just don’t really need. Outside resellers will attempt to make cash along with your fears. They are going to attempt to promote you the heaviest responsibility and costliest gear. Nature will certainly devour you, in case you don’t have tremendous heavy responsibility, rugged gear in your journey. Most of the heavy gear is overbuilt and easily not wanted, even for off path adventures.
The place will we begin?
Creating the route
Often the very first thing to determine is the place to discover. Since we’ll be utilizing a GPS system for any journey like this, it should normally begin with making a route. There are lots of completely different methods to make use of. I’ve been utilizing Garmin units for a very long time, which is why we shall be sticking with it as I shall be the major navigator on this journey.
I’ve explored Sarek many occasions. In good climate I received’t want any navigation system as a result of I do know the place I’m going however in opposed situations with mountaineering in the clouds or thick fog there is perhaps no visibility. It’s an excellent factor to have, even when the space effectively. For this journey, we selected to make use of Garmin inReach due to its dwell monitoring operate. It could additionally function an emergency signaling system in case somebody must be rescued.
‘Hope for the greatest, plan for the worst’
When creating routes for mountaineering in a particular space, I’ve made it a behavior to create many facet routes, shortcuts and detours to select from. You by no means know what is going to occur and having deliberate completely different routes gives you a greater understanding of the space and it’s additionally good observe. It’s an excellent factor to have a couple of exit technique. In Sarek there is just one emergency shelter with a radio telephone in the heart of the park.
There are two main trails proper exterior Sarek’s borders: Kungsleden and Padjelantaleden are each effectively maintained and have some infrastructure when it comes to STF cabins and emergency shelters.
STF stands for Svenska Turistförenigen and is the Swedish Vacationer Affiliation. For those who plan to hike in Sweden so much you may wish to take into account getting a membership. With it, you’ll be capable to use all the amenities at the mountain cabins and you may keep there freed from cost between 9:00 and 17:00. You’ll additionally get a reduction on rooms, in case you plan to remain the evening to dry out gear.
Most cabins have a effectively geared kitchen with fuel burners and even cookware, which you should use. A lot of cabins even have a small store and if situated close to Sami settlements you too can purchase smoked fish or dried reindeer meat. A few of the cabins even have an emergency telephone and a helicopter touchdown pad in case you wish to fly in or out.
Helicopter transports are organized by ‘Fiskflyg’. Transports price 1450SEK (Swedish Crowns) which equals about 140€, together with 20kg of luggage. You’ll be able to test the timetables on fiskflyg.se. They may even do customized drop-offs however should not allowed to fly into Sarek. Solely in emergency conditions are helicopters allowed to fly right here.
Plan for emergency conditions
It’s a good suggestion to create waypoints to all the emergency shelters and telephones round the space you might be mountaineering in. When planning a route, I don’t solely plan for myself but in addition keep in mind that I’d come throughout an individual in want of assist. With fashionable GPS units there are methods of sharing information wirelessly between two units. If I meet one other particular person, I’d be capable to assist by sharing my information. It’s enjoyable to plan routes utilizing satellite tv for pc photos and topological maps after which see how the route performs out if you’re really in the terrain. The extra you do that, the extra you’ll learn to interpret satellite tv for pc photos and also you’ll get higher at it with each journey you intend. I’ve additionally made it a behavior of marking good campsites. This can allow me to know the way distant the subsequent campsite is in case I must get out of the rain on my subsequent journey. River crossings are additionally an excellent factor to tag when you’ve discovered a great place to cross. There are lots of tutorials on-line about the best way to create routes and navigate them utilizing the GPS system of your selection.
As quickly as you’ve determined the place you wish to hike and have deliberate a route utilizing topological maps in addition to satellite tv for pc photos you’ll have a tough thought of what you might be getting your self into. You’ll be able to analyze climate patterns of the earlier years in the space to get an thought about how chilly it will get at evening and what temperatures and climate situations you’ll encounter generally.
This can assist so much in deciding what sort of clothes, shelter and sleep system to take with you. What sort of backpack to make use of shall be determined at the very finish, if you really know precisely what you will be taking with you.