Back on the E1

9:03 AM

Thursday the 29th, morning. Slept badly. Lots of cramps and still cold. So I make some coffee… oops, that’s a lot of mosquitoes. With quite some effort I looked for a way out and managed to get myself to safety. Pack up and get out of here. We’re back on the trail.

12:16 PM

The Kungsleden trail is easy to walk, but a bit too busy for me. I’ll continue on the E1, and if that really becomes too tough I can always detour back to the Kungsleden. There’s a hut here with a small shop. Everything you need is available. Perfect, because I need more high-calorie snacks. I was warmly welcomed—got a cup of juice and they wanted to know everything about me. They did that with all hikers arriving, puffing and sweating. Big—no, huge backpacks everywhere. I really can’t imagine hauling that kind of weight up the mountains. Mine already feels heavy enough.

A long lunch: slices of salami with crispbread. The salami has to go anyway, so there you go—800 calories straight in.

What strikes me is that the E1 trail isn’t well known. There is a path, but nobody knows where it leads.

3:04 PM

I cross monstrous waterfalls. Goosebumps. This is what I want! Thundering nature and reindeer looking at you as if to ask whether you’re lost.

7:30 PM

Thursday the 29th, end of day. Walked 32 km and met only one other hiker. The E1 is empty and unknown. I wonder when I’ll meet real E1 hikers. Now to sleep well, and tomorrow I’ll climb up to 1,200 meters.