Jiddo

This weekend I took some extra days off from work to go on a longer late autumn hike with my hammock. After weeks of wet and overcast weather, it has now dropped to below freezing temperatures and clear sunny days. The days are still very short however, with sun setting well before 4pm. I have never gone on a hike this long during this dark part of the year before, so I brought my best head lamp with extra batteries, and a cozy book. :) This time I started my hike from Läggesta, following the Sörmlandsleden long distance trail, for 60km to the town of Malmköping. I started the hike on Friday morning, and did 20km of hiking on the first day. The last couple of hours was in total darkness, with only my head lamp to keep me company. I spent the night in my hammock by the Bredsjön lake shelter. Somewhere on the route I had dropped the lens hood for my camera, but I managed to go retrace my last kilometer before bedtime and found it where I had last stopped to refill water. Temperatures dropped down to approximately -3C during the night, but I was all warm and cozy in my hammock with my book! On the second day I got a pretty late start and only did a shorter distance of about 10km, reaching the shelter at lake Finnsjön. During the evening there was a very cold and persistent wind that made it feel much colder, especially by the lake. I managed to get a cozy fire going by the shelter, and then set up my hammock further into the trees for cover. Overall the temperatures were milder this second night, so it worked out pretty well! For the third day I hiked 15km to the Ösjön lake shelter, and stopping for lunch at lake Härbärgssjön. I ended up walking the last couple of hours in complete darkness again, but by now I've started to enjoy it! There was no wind today, so even if temperatures were lower, probably below -5C during the night, it was a pretty comfortable sleep just by the lake. The final day I hiked the last 15km to the town of Malmköping. By now I had developed a soreness in the back of my foot due to new shoes that I hadn't tested enough. This made the last day slower and less enjoyable, but it was a good learning experience! Overall this was a really enjoyable hike thanks to the nice weather! The sun sets VERY early this time of the year and there are many hours of darkness. 4pm until a 10pm bedtime is 6 full hours of darkness every day, and there are not many hours of daylight to hike as many kilometers. The body cools down quickly when sitting still. It is important to be prepared, both with some way to pass the time, and with extra warm layers of clothing! My water bottle also freezes during the night. Water filters will quickly be ruined if allowed to freeze as well, so I had to keep it in my pocket at all times - never in the backpack!

This weekend I'm finally starting to see the full colors of autumn in the trees! For the last few years it has almost become a tradition for me to do a weekend hike in Tyresta national park, but usually in spring around Easter. My go-to spot is the Styvnäset headland located at the easternmost end of the park. This year I didn't get a chance to go until now! I started my hike at the Höjden entrance at the northern edge of the park in the early afternoon. From there I hiked to lake Långsjön and continued south past lake Stensjön until I reached the Åva area. There were lots of activity there with children in their local scout group. Around this time, the sun was just about to set, so I took a break to enjoy the final rays of sunlight with a snack at the small Åvaträsk lake. With my head torch I then continued in the dark forest towards Styvnäset. When I finally got there, a few large groups had set up camp at one side of the headland. I continued to the opposite side where it was just me and one other small tent. I had my dinner at the campfire and enjoyed the light of the moon and the stars under a clear sky. While sleeping in my tent, early in the morning hours at around 4am, the wind suddenly picked up and got pretty wild. My tarp collapsed on me three times before I finally managed to secure everything enough to stand up to the strong gusts of wind. I was lucky that it wasn't raining and that it wasn't too cold that night. A very good lesson to always be ready for the weather to turn, even when everything seems calm. The strong winds continued much of the morning, but wasn't too bad once I was on the move and away from the shore. At first I hiked back along the cliffs of the Åvaviken bay, finally stopping for breakfast when I found a nice sheltered location in the sun. I continued along the coastal trail to the small lake Lillströmsträsk where I had a lunch break overlooking the beautiful lake. In the afternoon I then continued back to lake Långsjön and the Höjden entrance where the hike started the previous day. I really like this part of the Tyresta national park and nature reserve. It feels more remote and I find there to be a bit less people. It makes for a calm and relaxing change of pace after working an entire week.

The feeling of autumn is finally in the air even if all its colors has not fully arrived yet. This weekend I went for a hike along Sörmlandsleden from Läggesta to Järna, spending two nights on the trail. I have hiked this route in the past, but in the opposite direction, and this felt completely different! On Friday I started hiking from Läggesta as soon as possible after work. The days are quickly getting shorter and shorter, so I just about made it to the high cliffs of the Långaedet nature reserve as the sun fully set. I set up camp at the top of the cliff with a view over the valley and the bay far below. At the cliff I spent the evening in the dark under a clear sky full of stars, with a cozy fire to keep me company. In the morning I woke up to a stunning view of the valley being full of dense mist, being illuminated by the morning sun. This part of Sörmlandsleden is pretty hilly with many ascents and descents. Being a little bit out of practice I progressed a bit slower than usual. For lunch I stopped at lake Stora Kvarnsjön in the Lugnet nature reserve. In the afternoon I continued to lake Stora Envättern where I had dinner and enjoyed a colorful sunset. This weekend turned out to be a popular time to enjoy nature, so there were many people camping all around the lake. I found a small spot out of the way to set up my own camp and then enjoyed the rest of the evening, enjoying another sky full of stars. On Sunday morning I woke up to a lake that was covered in dense fog, but it slowly dissipated as the trail took me away from the lake. I kept walking to the shelter at lake Lilla Horssjön where I had a late breakfast and even took a very brief autumn swim in the somewhat chilly lake water. By this time the wind had started to pick up as well, but at least I managed the swim! After the lake breakfast I continued hiking past the Vattgruvmossen nature reserve and the old Järna mines, finally reaching the small camp site and water well located a short distance east of the mine. I stopped there for a late lunch and to enjoy the green moss covered forest. Finally I continued to the town of Järna and took the train back home. This was a great weekend with perfect early autumn weather and these parts of Sörmlandsleden are some of my absolute favorites! I definitely notice being out of practice with hiking longer days with a full backpack, so I need to get back to doing regular long hikes.