Padjelantaleden Sweden - Hiking From Kvikkjokk to Ritsem

Padjelantaleden eBook update

Padjelantaleden Sweden - Hiking From Kvikkjokk to Ritsem

I’ve released a small update to my Padjelantaleden trail eBook, more info: Padjelantaleden eBook

If you’ve already purchased the first edition of the eBook, then you will receive an email for a free download of this new edition.

Padjelantaleden – Hiking from Kvikkjokk to Ritsem is available for purchase for $10.

This is mostly just a small update adding some new images from my most recent hike on the trail in August 2022. I was never quite happy with the images in the guide, as I had almost too nice of weather (if that is possible) during my first hike of the trail in July 2019. I had planned a second hike for 2020, but we all know what happend then, so it wasn’t possible for me to return to Sweden again until this year.

Padjelantaleden Sweden - Hiking From Kvikkjokk to Ritsem

New Ebook – Padjelantaleden Hiking Guide

Padjelantaleden - Sweden: 140km from Kvikkjokk to Ritsem

I’m happy to announce the release of my 7th ebook:

Padjelantaleden – Kvikkjokk to Ritsem

The ebook is a hiking guide to Sweden’s Padjelanta trail, which runs 140 kilometers from Kvikkjokk to Ritsem, through the heart of Padjelanta national park – Sweden’s largest.

The ebook contains 5 chapters. The first include detailed planning, travel, and equipment guides. While the final chapter is a hut to hut guide covering 10 days of hiking over the 140 kilmoters of trail.

In total the ebook is 140 pages long and contains 92 images.

Available for download now for $10 (+VAT in EU)

Padjelantaleden Sweden - Hiking From Kvikkjokk to Ritsem
Kungsleden South - HIking From Kvikkjokk to Hemavan

Kungsleden South ebook update – 2nd edition – Kvikkjokk to Hemavan

Kungsleden South - HIking From Kvikkjokk to Hemavan

I’m happy to announce the second edition of Kungsleden South ebook. Now covering the southern 260km of trail between Kvikkjokk and Hemavan – and the whole of the Kungsleden if combined with Kungsleden North – Abisko to Kvikkjokk.

You can find the ebook here: KUNGSLEDEN SOUTH – Kvikkjokk to Hemavan

From the first edition which only covered the final section of the trail between Ammarnäs to Hemavan, I have added the 180km section between Kvikkjokk and Ammarnäs, now completing the trail.

The ebook itself has now nearly doubled in length, coming it at 159 pages with 139 images and over 16,000 words.

If you have already purchased the first edition, then you will receive an email to download this new edition.

This has been a long overdue hole that I had planned to finish for several year. However, despite my best efforts, I was never able to find a hiking partner, which makes my trips much more productive photographically, as well as fun. But finally this year I decided it was time to head back to Sweden, even if solo. And so in September I finally completed the missing section from Kvikkjokk to Ammarnäs over 9 days.

And it wasn’t just the Kungsleden I visited this year. In July I hiked the nearby Padjelantaleden. The first English language hiking guide to that wonderful trail is already in progress and will hopefully be completed before the new year. And I’m already planning a second hike of the trail for September 2020 – Autumn is always my favourite time in Swedish Lapland! And I have to say, the mosquitos were too ferocious for me in July! I’m never going back to Sweden in summer! So keep an eye out here for updates in the near future…

Ebook Update – West Lofoten Hikes 2nd Edition

With summer just around the corner, I’ve made a small update to my ebook: West Lofoten Hikes

Main new content is 3 new mountain routes: Andstabben, Tindstind, and Fuglhuken – all located on Moskenesøy. And then a few minor grammer corrections and other things to try and keep the guide as fresh as possible.

Anyone who has purchased the previous version will get an email for a free download of the new edition.

If you haven’t bought the book yet, then CLICK HERE 🙂

EBOOK - Kungsleden South

New Ebook – Kungsleden South

EBOOK - Kungsleden South

I’m happy to announce that my 5th ebook is now available: Kungsleden South – Hiking From Ammarnäs to Hemavan

Now available for $7, this guide covers the southernmost section of Sweden’s Kungsleden trail.

CLICK HERE for more info.

 

Hiking Kungsleden trail in Autumn, Sweden

Kungsleden Trail 2015

Six years since I first started walking south from Abisko through the autumn forests and arctic tundra of Sweden’s Kungsleden trail, I will be making the journey again. This time I will be part of a team of four, and our goal, Hemavan, 440 kilometres to the south.

The team will consist of me, Cody – the photographer, my partner Justyna – the blogger, and the traveling couple of Theo – the filmmaker, and Bee – the writer, the duo behind vdubvanlife.com. I met and briefly traveled with them on Lofoten last year and they were also the first visitors at my new flat in Germany in May, as they were making their way home from a year on the road in Europe in their, can you guess, VW van.

Theo and Bee have also recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help them get some necessary gear for the trip. Often with a week+ between power, the trip is going to require a lot of batteries and memory cards. They are also giving away some prizes, so go check them out.

Unlike the last few times in which I have visited the Kungsleden, during which I also combined with visits to other areas of Scandinavia/Europe, this trip will be dedicated to the trail alone. This is one of the reasons I moved to Germany in the spring, so I could focus better on the individual projects I have planned, as I have gotten a bit weary of the 3-6 month backpacking trips as my 30th birthday drifts further into the past.  This also gives me the benefit of being able to pack lighter, as I don’t have to worry about splitting my time on the trail and in cities/hostels.

September 2nd will be the day we head south, into the wilds of the Swedish arctic, hopefully with the sun bright overhead. Well, hopefully anything but rain really; I’m from California, I don’t like rain. I have hiked this northern section of the trail twice, but it is a landscape that I don’t think I will ever tire of, especially in autumn when the trees are golden yellow and the tundra foliage a mix of oranges and reds. If all goes well, we will find ourselves reaching Hemavan around four weeks later.

Many of you reading this are probably familiar with my 68north.com website, focusing on Norway’s Lofoten Islands. I was a bit hasty when starting the site in 2010 and was a bit small in my focus. Even though Lofoten was, and still is, one of my biggest interests, I have long had plans for something more. A bigger photography and hiking site dedicated to all areas north.

Like Lofoten, the more time I spend in other parts of the northern Scandinavian landscapes, the more I know I will return again and again. There is simply so much out there to see and walk. If I’m lucky in life, when I’m 60 years old, I’ll be like one of the old German guys I often meet wandering alone on the trail. With stories about the autumn of 1980-something that was so warm they spent 2 weeks in a t-shirt, or the cool summer when they were still in knee-deep snow in July.

And so choosing the Kungsleden this year will be the start of another project set to keep me occupied in my spare time over the following years, in which I’ll hopefully be able to add another Scandinavia region to each year. Keep an eye out in the autumn for a new website…

As my gear lists always seem popular, HERE is what I will be carrying on the trail this year.

Hiking Kungsleden trail in Autumn, Sweden

2015 Gear List

Hiking Kungsleden trail in Autumn, Sweden

Photo: Hiking the Kungsleden trail in autumn, September, 2012

I’ve now added a new hiking – backpacking gear article for my 2015 hike on Sweden’s Kungsleden trail. While there are a few updates from the last couple years, as I’m planning to hike the entire 440 kilometers of the trail, I’m using a lot of my tried and trusted gear from the last few years. Nothing new or experimental this time.

You can checkout the 2015 gear guide HERE.

X Journey Magazine 2015

Kungsleden Article In X Journey Magazine

X Journey Magazine 2015

In the 2015 issue of X Journey magazine is a 13 page article (+ photos) written by me about hiking on Sweden’s Kungsleden trail.  You can find more info about the article on their blog HERE.

You can also find an online supplement to the article and many images on HERE on ISSUU

This is the 2nd edition of X Journey, a beautifully printed and wonderfully thick yearly magazine focusing on hiking and travel. Published in Germany, all articles are bilingual in German and English.

You can find out more about the X Journey HERE or follow them on FACEBOOK.

X Journey Magazine 2015

Photo: Cover of X Journey magazine 2015

Silhouette of person watching Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis over coastline, Austvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Interview on Routes North Website

Hiking Kungsleden trail in Autumn, Sweden

Photo: Rainy days on Sweden’s Kungsleden Trail

There’s an interview with me now appearing over on the Routes North website.

Check it out HERE

It’s mostly about travel and photography in Scandinavia and how someone from California has ended up spending so much time in the north.

Routes North is a travel website focusing mostly on Sweden and Scandinavia.

Markan, Lofoten Islands, Norway

New Lofoten Mountain Hiking Pages

Markan, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Sunset over Kråkhammartind from the summit of Markan, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 2014

I’ve added a few new mountain hiking routes from my September trip on the islands.

Markan – Moskenesøy

Munken – Moskenesøy

Stornappstind – Flakstadøy

I still have a couple more mountains to add as well, but time is going to be tight, with a little less then a month before I’m returning to Lofoten again to co-guide a photo tour with Muench Workshops.  I’m hoping to have the time to write up a few posts about my autumn travels, particularly about the sailing trip, which was fantastic!  But I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get around to it, so things might be a little quiet around here for a while.  Though most of the next couple weeks will be spent working on something cool, and if I can finish in time, then it should more than make up for my lack of posting here…