Hiking in Scandinavia

I took a hiking trip in Sweden some years ago and I feel like sharing some of my impressions and pictures that I took. The hiking trail was pretty much exactly in the middle of the country, right next to tge Norwegian border. The landscape is truely breathtaking anywhere you decide to go there. Yet the further north you go the less trees you will encounter. Typically the regions devoid of trees are referred to as "fjäll".

The trail that I chose had some mixed elements. Sometimes there was a birch forest I encountered, sometimes some spruce trees, but most of the time I walked through the fjäll area.

The place where I went also had lots of water and so you will see rivers and lots and lots of lakes. If you are brave enough you can even go for a swim, but it will be cold so be sure that you have a place to warm up afterwards ;)

There are some huts that you can stay for the night, or if you prefer you can also sleep in a tent. Fortunately everyone has the right to sleep in the wild and even make a fire due to a right which is called the "allemansräten". But in return you are asked to treat nature with respect and not to leave any trash.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to be confronted with the vast open spaces. But it is amazing to experience. The soul can truely wander in these realms.

Even if you go in summer it is quite possible that you wilk encounter cold weather. Here there was even a small glacier. So be sure that you take warm clothes with you!

I normally met about 10 people a day. Swedes love to hike and they will often greet you with a warm "hej!". There will be areas however that are much more or much less crowded. At one time I actually felt that there were too many people, but if you decide to walk off the trail a bit then you will always be able to find solitude.

The amount of lakes you can encounter is truely staggering. If feels sometimes that there is more water than land.

Maybe you feel like traveling here as well now ;)