We've been getting quite a lot of inquiries about Wilderness Guides' upcoming canoe trip in Sweden this June so I thought this was a good time to write a short blog about a similar trip we did in 2012.
Hopefully this will help answer some of the questions and maybe even inspire a few more people to join our trip!
It's hard not to become a complete night owl in northern Sweden in June as it stays light pretty much all night through. This is not dissimilar to Scotland at the height of summer and it was lovely not to have to reach for the torches while camping.
The bright nights combined with the fact that we didn't speak to any other people for the whole time we were on the water made this one of the most magical canoe trips I'd been on. It was a true escape to the wilderness and by the time we arrived back to base camp after the trip I could hardly remember my life back in the UK. It was a complete break and a return to nature.
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| The raft in action! |
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| Raft building |
The part of the River Harken that we travelled down is mainly flat water with a few grade 1 and 2 sections that had the option of portaging if desired. The river edges were lined with seemingly endless amounts of pine trees which made for a beautiful vista for our journey. We paddled about 4 to 5 hours each day, depending on the mood of the group and the weather conditions - it was always good to take advantage of a wind blowing us down river! On one occasion we even rigged up a rafted sail and coasted down the river for a couple of hours. The guys certainly had a great time building that raft!
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| Chris and me on a Grade 1 section |
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| A perfect picnic spot |
Our days would begin with a leisurely, warm breakfast. After packing away our tents, we'd get on the water by about 10 and paddle for a couple of hours before stopping for lunch. We'd spend an hour or so picnicking with the much loved
Kelly Kettle on the go for hot drinks. After relaxing in the sun (we had great weather all week) we'd be back in our canoes for the afternoon stint.
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| Chris making bread |
We'd finish canoeing by about 4 each day and set up camp in choice wild camping areas, taking advantage of the copious amount of trees to have roaring camp fires. Chris even baked bread on a couple of occasions. There was plenty of time for reading, strolling through the woods and just chatting with our fellow campers over some well deserved drinks. A few of the braver among us went swimming - the water is ice melt and pretty cold. The rest of us made do with the portable shower to freshen up!
The week was a perfect mix of canoeing and downtime and sitting here reminiscing while writing this is making me more excited than ever about
Wilderness Guides 2013 adventure to Sweden! Maybe see you there!
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| Camp kitchen |
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| A short portage |
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