The Adventure of my Childhood Dreams.
475km from Hemavan to Abisko: thru-hiking Kungsleden.Mountains used to be a place we tried to avoid since they are treacherous and powerful.
However now that our lives have become so safe and controlled, we start seeking out this danger. We admire how this strong wilderness leaves no room for passivity. We take risk because it allows us to test our body and our skills. To feel that we are alive. To feel how every movement, every action matters. To gain an inherent sense of accomplishment and ability. We are looking for experiences that our daily lives do not provide anymore.
Apart from finding risk and adventure, this month-long hike through Lappland’s wilderness showed me the strength and richness of emptiness.
It made me feel alive. It brought me closer to nature. It gave me a sense of complete freedom. I started looking at society in an abstract way now that I was more aware of the bare essentials of life. My days above the arctic circle were filled with just 3 things: sleeping, eating and walking.
In July 2017 I climbed Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest peak. One year later, the icy peak melted due to the extremely hot summer. The mountain became an astonishing 13 meters lower and is no longer the highest. The once so serenely white mountain is now the same rocky brown as many of the lesser mountains around it.
