Day 9 - Midsummer

Gällö to Pilgrimstad

Distance: 13.3 miles / 21.4 km

Cumulative: 117.0 miles / 188.3 km

“I felt it was for this I had come: to wake at dawn on a hillside and look out on a world for which I had no words, to start at the beginning, speechless and without plan, in a place that still had no memories for me.” Laura Lee, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning 

Today is midsummer, a big holiday in Sweden. For the record, sunset is at 11:11 pm and sunrise is 2:53 am. In between it never really gets dark. Eye masks are key for sleeping. 

One of the midsummer traditions is for young women to pick seven different types of flowers and put them under their pillow. They will then dream of their future lover. Kristine didn’t pick any flowers, but she took pictures of several varieties. I am going to check to make sure she doesn’t sleep on her iPhone. 

It was another good weather day, albeit a little cool. At about 2.5 miles we turned off a dirt road and into a dense forest. About 200 yards in we decided this was the time to break out the bear bells. 

Believe it or not, the trail is well marked and easy to follow. 

The trail twisted and turned, climbed and dropped, for the next three miles. It was hard hiking, but far and away my favorite part of the trail yet. To my mountain biking buddies (Pete, Timish, Ralph, Aana, Jack, Tony, Bruce, and Greg) it looked like the sweetest single track ever. 

Along the wooded path we passed the Hålberg Cave. It’s about 11 meters deep (36 feet) and was inhabited in the 1420s by one Salve Sverkersson. Salve apparently had an issue with Jan Björnsson, so he killed him. He hid out in the cave until he was pardon by Erik of Pomerania, which sounds made up. Our question was, how did he survive the mosquitos?

I decided against exploring the interior. 

We were once again skirting the edge of a beautiful lake. 

In early afternoon we arrived at Pilgramstad. Since they had named the town for us, we stopped in at the local midsummer celebration and had our picture taken with St. Olav. 

Being actual pilgrims we were treated, of course, like huge celebrities. The mayor came and gave us the key to the city, etc. (JK.) We had to convince some local at the celebration to take a break from cake and ice cream to take our picture next to the statue. 

We made it to destination, another cabin beside someone’s house. It is quite cozy, even though it is a cabin for hobbits. 

That is, in fact, the front door. And the bed is up the ladder. 

This is my view as I write this. 

Nicky, our host, is a Belgian refugee from the computer sector. He gave us two Belgian beers. We love Nicky

The abandoned bathtub count is up to five with two more today. 

Happy Midsummer to everyone!

Day 8

Bräcke to Gällö

Distance: 15.1 miles / 24.3 km

Cumulative: 103.7 miles / 166.9

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy” Sunshine on My Shoulders,” John Denver, 1971

If yesterday was miserable, today was its opposite. Last night we had a nice Italian dinner, with a reasonably good bottle of Amarone, at the restaurant in our hotel, followed by a most excellent night’s sleep. 

This morning at breakfast we finally met other pilgrims—a group of six Norwegians doing the route by bike. 

The Norwegian bikers leaving us in the dust. 

We started with a short section through the forest then spent most of the day on hard pack dirt/gravel roads running along the edge of Lake Revsund. The views were gorgeous and we had sunshine all day. We were both in such better moods that at one point I stopped and kissed Kristine for no apparent reason. I’m sure she will recover in a day or two. 

Lunch on a sandy beach put Kristine in her happy place. 

Our hosts tonight, Gustav and Kerstin, run a B&B/bakery/brewery/pottery/glamping place. It is great. I’ve tried the Whisky IPA and the Coffee Stout. Both are excellent. Gustav also is an accomplished musician. 

Milestone of the day was breaking the 100 mile mark. Also Kristine spotted the second and third abandoned bathtubs of the trip. 

Day 7

Lombäcken to Bräcke
Distance: 16.6 miles / 26.7 km
Cumulative: 88.6 miles / 142.6 km

“Super trouper lights are gonna find me

Shining like the sun

Smiling, having fun

Feeling like number one.” Super Trouper, ABBA 1980

I’ll get to the quote shortly. 

Yesterday’s rain miracle was a one and done scenario. We woke up—well we decided to stop fighting the mosquitos and get out of bed, there wasn’t a ton of sleeping—to a light but steady rain. Having yesterday’s rain success under our belts, and wanting to flee the mosquitos that had somehow infested our beautiful cabin, we suited up and set out expecting the rain to dissipate in 20-30 minutes. Two hours later it started to let up. 

One dead mosquito inside and one outside trying to get in. 

Everything was wet, especially the forest. So we decided to follow the St. Olav bike route on the main road for a bit. It was fine, if a bit boring. Unfortunately, we missed the turn for the bike path to reconnect with the hiking trail. With a little bit of navigational legerdemain, we cut back to the trail. This unfortunately added about a mile to an already long day. 

The good news was the rain had stopped. But within about a half an hour, the wind picked up with gusts between 30-40 mph. Kristine hates wind. 

We trudged on. At some point I needed to eat. Kristine found a little clearing with some rocks for benches. 

Not the best lunch spot so far. 

We ate quickly as we were again attracting mosquitoes. What is it with these bugs? Thank St. Olav for our Deet spray. 

About three miles from our destination, Kristine hit me with the best quote of the day, “Today smacked us in the face with the fact that a pilgrimage is not a vacation.”

We staggered into town, found a place to buy more Deet spray, and arrived at our hotel only to be pleasantly surprised. It is a real hotel, with a desk clerk and other guests, and even a sauna which Kristine enjoyed. The restaurant was nice and we are looking forward to a restful, mosquito free evening. 

Back to the quote, today was hard; we didn’t get much sleep; Kristine’s feet were wet; the wind was howling; it was cold; we were walking along a major road with trucks; we got lost. She wanted to hitchhike, then she contemplated calling a taxi, but she didn’t do either. She put her head down and trudged on. Today she was a super trouper. Maybe tomorrow she will be a dancing queen. We are one quarter done. 

Day 6

Borgsjö to Lombäcken (it’s just the name of our cabin in the woods)

Distance: 10.8 miles / 17.4 km

Cumulative: 72.0 miles / 115.9 km

“If we walk in the woods, we must feed mosquitoes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson must have walked in the Swedish forest. Other the the bayous of Louisiana, or one time on a Putt-Putt course in Houston, I have never encountered thicker swarms of these pests. But unlike Emerson, we have Deet, specifically Försvarets MYGG & FÄSTING 40% Deet spray. Really, it is the most important thing in my back pack. It is a miracle chemical. 

We awoke to a steady, hard rain. After a quick consultation with the weather app, we decided it would definitely stop sometime today. So we dawdled until about 9:30 then resigned ourselves to getting wet. We packed up and donned our rain gear. As we tidied up our little cabin, the rain stopped and we headed out. Another pilgrimage miracle. 

Before we left Borgsjö, we stopped at the town church, mostly to see the bell tower, built in 1783 and nicknamed The King of the Bell Towers of the North.

As we admired the tower, Kristine noticed the church, built in 1771, was open so we went inside. Two members of the alter guild were there polishing brass. After Kristine showed them her secret clergy decoder ring we got a very cool private tour. 

The door is from 1688, the 3 bottom statues are from the 1400s, the top one is from the 1200s. 

Statue of St. Olav. (Someone stole his axe.) 

Bible from 1703 just laying around. Kristine thumbed through it. I thought it best that I not touch it. 

Once we left the church we turned north and away from the river valley. The climbing was fairly constant but only steep in one short stretch. We shortly encountered another spot where Olav had to use his magic water staff to bring forth a spring. Only this time the men and horses were really thirsty and they needed a bucket. Olav sat down on a stone to contemplate his lack of forethought in failing to bring a bucket. Lo and behold, the rock below him softened and created a bucket shaped indentation. The bucket/stone resided in town for a long time but has now been returned to the spring. 

The spring. 

The stone bucket. 

We entered the woods at about 10:45 am. We emerged briefly to cross a large highway then re-entered the woods. We arrived at our cabin at a little after 3:00 pm. During that time we encountered no other humans. 

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The vegetation was dense at times. 

At 5:00 pm our best friend Anna from yesterday, had someone deliver food to our little cabin. In our food delivery she included a cider and a beer. We really love Anna. 

Our cabin has no electricity or running water and is, as Kristine described it, magical. 

Day 5

Fränsta to Borgsjö

Distance: 12.1 miles / 19.5 km

Cumulative: 61.2 miles / 98.5 km

“Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.” Ted Logan, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, 1989

Ok, we didn’t time travel, but we have seen three Circle Ks and our camping resort tonight is a couple of hundred yards behind one. So I have been channeling the movie. 

We had another day of good weather with threatening clouds early that quickly dissipated.

The church in Fränsta on our way out of town. 

The terrain around us is getting hillier, but we have been following the river. It’s flat-ish although we are generally gaining elevation. 

The first half of the day was the best hiking yet—on single or double track through the forest along the river with some incredible rapids. 

The longest wooden bridge in Sweden. 

Lunch rock. 

The second half of the day was back to country roads through small hamlets and agricultural areas. A one-eyed man at a small logging facility stopped us to ask about our hike. It was a nice human interaction. 

Kristine leaving me behind.(JK)

We are staying at a lake side campground/cabin rental/restaurant place. The restaurant is not open on Mondays, except for us apparently. Anna, who is absolutely delightful, made us dinner, gave us breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, and tomorrow evening will drive the 11 miles to our next cabin to bring us dinner plus another breakfast and lunch. We love Anna. 

The dock at our campground/resort. 

And for those keeping score at home, I beat K in two games of cribbage, almost skunking her both times. Although, I think I’m still behind for the trip. 

Day 4

Torpshammar to Fränsta

Distance: 5.9 miles / 9.5 km

Cumulative: 49.1 miles / 79.0 km

“Hi Lloyd. A little slow tonight isn’t it?” Jack Torrance, The Shining, 1980

I didn’t sleep well last night. Maybe it was the distant sound of ballroom dancing. This morning did nothing to dispel The Shining vibe. We had seen or heard no one since we arrived—no staff, no other guests, no one. Despite this we dutifully marched over to the main building of the hotel, now unlocked, at the appointed time for breakfast, and found the main dining room. 

THERE IS NO ONE HERE!

Food was laid out, and the coffee was hot so we served ourselves. Finally, an individual emerged from the kitchen. I don’t know if it made feel better or worse that it was the same guy who ran the Happy Days Diner. But it did make me chuckle. We ate, made some sandwiches, and headed out. 

The morning was overcast with a little drizzle. Since we had a short day we waited for the rain to pass and took off at 10:00 am. This was the shortest day of the pilgrimage at just under six miles. The walk was much like yesterday’s, through fields and forests on mostly dirt roads. 

Our accommodations tonight are more welcoming—a small cabin next to someone’s home. Unlike most days, our meals are not included so after arriving around noon and dropping our packs we headed into the little town. 

Near the center of town we found a mini-golf course so naturally we played a round. 

The course was… interesting. 

We stopped by the Coop for tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch supplies then grabbed an early dinner at Vagabond Pizza, the only option but good. Now it’s time for me to crush Kristine in a game of cribbage and then an early bedtime. 

Day 3

Stöde to Torpshammar 

Distance: 13.3 miles / 21.4 km

Cumulative: 43.2 miles / 69.5 km

“This drink, I like it! Another!” Thor in Marvel’s Thor, 2011. 

We ended the day in Torpshammar, which is not quite Thor’s Hammer but getting close. When we arrived in town, and I use the term “town” generously, we headed to the Happy Days diner. It is, in fact, a 1950’s-America themed restaurant, with burgers, shakes, and Middle Eastern food. The big attraction was a bar, so I ordered a gin and tonic as advertised on the menu. Alas, they had no tonic so the good man offered me Sprite. I declined. We will return to the diner later. 

Today was another perfect weather day with a decent, but not overly taxing distance. As we left Stöde, we stopped by the beautiful church by the river where all signs pointed to Kristine. 

The hike was as advertised, through fields and forests, past streams, on dirt and some asphalt roads. I have avoided using adjectives like stunning, spectacular, or dramatic to describe the scenery. It is not that, but it is ridiculously picturesque, or as I said yesterday idyllic. It’s just so nice and relaxing to walk through. Today was another good day. 

Another great lunch spot. 

Then we arrived at our “hotel” in Torpshammar. It immediately gave off a kind of Swedish Shining vibe. The main door was locked; Kristine called the contact number; a woman told us to go to a side building and room 409 would have keys in the door. Okay…. We followed instructions. I looked both ways down the hallway to see if two little girls would appear. It seemed (seems) safe enough. We have still not seen another human being, and I’m ok with that. 

Our dinner is included and you guessed it, it’s at the Happy Days diner. After a brief stop at the local Coop store to buy some Fever Tree tonic we headed back for dinner. I again ordered a gin and tonic and before the proprietor could again offer me Sprite, I produced my tonic. We all laughed. And it turned out the burgers and shawarma were both really good. 

It doesn’t take much to make me happy. 

Now we’re back in the Stanley hoping the walls don’t start bleeding. Kristine has taken away my axe.