The Skye Trail on the Isle of Skye in Scotland had been on my list for a very long time. I had visited Scotland a few times already and set foot on Skye just briefly many years ago. Last year I finally took the leap and flew to Scotland with my father and brother to begin an epic adventure on one of the toughest hikes in Scotland. We had to fight hard to climb the cliffs but the rewarding views were absolutely worth it! This is the story of our adventure.
When you go on a long-distance multi day hiking trip there are many things to take into consideration. I heard about Sarek National Park on my hike on Kungsleden a few years ago. The seed was planted then. It was stuck in my mind for a bit and when I finally started researching on it I realised there wasn’t much information to find about Sarek only that it can be a remote and unforgiving place if you go in unprepared (and maybe also when you go in prepared). I will go through how I prepared all the aspects for my hike. This first blog post will be about the gear I took and how I felt about it.
End of August I spend 10 days in the Sarek Mountains and Sarek National Park in Swedish Lapland. Words will not be enough to describe how it felt to be (mostly) alone in the wild for almost 10 days. Lapland is an addiction for me. I keep going back there time after time. This was my 4th trip in not even 2 years. I long for the solitude and open space. The fresh air and raw, pure nature. And ofcourse the Aurora Borealis to make things complete. Sarek offers all of this. It is a special place that still feels real. I wouldn’t say it really is the last European wilderness but it is still a wild place for sure. I hope this trip report will help you to plan a hike in Sarek or inspire you to go out and explore other beautiful places.
A few weeks ago I finally visited a good friend of mine who lives near the Harz National Park in north Germany. I heard many stories and saw numerous photos of what many claim to be one of the most beautiful national parks of the country. It was going to be a adventure packed weekend full of mountain biking, hiking and trail running. But the hike to watch the sunset at the top of the highest mountain in the park was probably the highlight of the trip. Brocken sits gently at 1.142 meters above sea level. It is not the most good looking mountain in the world but it’s a beautiful hike to reach the top. There are many routes to follow but we decided to depart from Ilsenburg on the east side of the Harz Mountains.