The good, long-time friends Fiona (she/her) and Max (he/him), together with their dogs Ida and Mila, were hiking the Swedish "Green Ribbon" (https://www.vitagronabandet.se) from Treriksröset (three-country border SE/NO/FI, passed on July 5, 2024) south to Grövelsjön (arrived on September 21, 2024).
Profile picture: Treriksröset (Finland/Sweden/Norway border), July 5, 2024.
Header picture: Above Østerdalen, Troms, Norway. July 11, 2024.
We're taking it slow on the way home. After a day of bus and train rides, we spent a full day in southern Sweden. We shopped a lot of Swedish food to take back home, and the dogs got new harnesses to celebrate the hike we had together. We also spent some time with my (Max') parents, who supported us so well from afar. Afterwards, we took the overnight ferry back to Germany and drove halfway home. We spent the afternoon and evening with a friend of Fiona's, their child, and their dog. The three dogs got to play and explore together. For Ida and Mila, it was the first longer walk outside off the leash, and they clearly enjoyed it! Tomorrow, we'll drive the rest of the way back south.
This is it. We're sitting in a train, going southwards through Sweden. Moving forward not by our own legs' power feels weird... It will be a few days until we're home still, but our grand #hiking adventure is now at an end. And so are the daily updates on this account. We'll post some updates on our travel home, but the account has fulfilled the purpose I (Max) created it for. We might post again, at some point, when we're back hiking in this constellation.
We're very grateful for all the people following our adventure from afar. Knowing that we had this diverse and international audience spurned us on and gave us one more cause to reflect on and savor each and every day outside in the Scandinavian wilderness. To all of you, both sending encouragement and asking questions, or just following our progress quietly, we want to say: Thank you! It has been great!
Wear and tear.
Long distance #hiking always leaves traces on gear and clothes. On our trip, we tried to fix things first, like sewing shoes and clothes or using tape to fix Max' broken glasses or Jessi's tent.
With Max' shoes, we decided not to fix them because the early damage was not structural. However, we had to sew the back strap in place, as it kept loosening up while hiking. By the end, they were less shoe than sandal. I (Fiona) sent myself new shoes on the way to ensure that I wear proper shoes the entire hike. However, my feet were suffering a bit inn the unworn shoes after changing them in Hemavan.
Ida's backpack kept chafing on rocks and bushes, the sides got worn down, and the fabric developed holes. We also learned not to let the dogs be alone in the tent while the outer tent is open. Ida tried to get out multiple times, so now we have a decorative hole in our mosquito net.
All in all we're very lucky that no relevant gear broke and we were able to complete our hike.
Day 79 (21.9.): Arrival
Cloudy, windy start, then another cool, but very sunny day in rocky terrain. We only had about half a day of #hiking left until we reached Grövelsjön, touched the blue door of the mountain station and thereby officially completed Gröna Bandet! After over twelve weeks in beautiful landscapes and varying weather, we're a bit sad, but also somehow relieved, that our adventure is at an end. We're proud of ourselves, but much more so of our dogs, who made it all the way with us, never seriously complained, and definitely made the experience so much better. Good job, Ida and Mila!
We celebrated! First, we got a delicious waffle (not vegan, but Fiona got ice cream instead) for free. In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious four-course meal in the mountain station's restaurant before retiring to our room for some well-earned rest.
Day 78 (20.9.): Over the fog
We started the day in the fog, which made for some atmospheric #hiking. Soon, however, we ascended above the cloud layer into a beautiful, sunny day, which stayed with us even after the descent on the other side. More rocky terrain today, but generally good and well-maintained trails—although maintainance took a dip once we crossed into Dalarnas län (county). We're camping at the Hävlingen lake for our last night before the finish line. We made a fire for heat, coziness and cooking, and enjoyed the beautiful dusk over the lake.
Day 77 (19.9.): Rogen rocks!
After a great night in the hut, we started into another very sunny day with coffee in the pre-dawn darkness. Beautiful, rocky landscapes, mixed with swamps and open pine forest, all day on great (albeit rocky) #hiking trails. We had an extended lunch break with a quick bath, cooking, and cold coffee at the shore of the Rogen lake. Nice and flat camp site between pines. We're very grateful about the gorgeous farewell weather Härjedalen is giving us.
Day 76 (18.9.): On the home stretch
Our final leg to Grövelsjön started out with an ascent up the ski slope. Soon, however, we got onto real hiking trails. Above the treeline, we entered the Rogen nature reserve. Beautiful landscapes formed by the ends of glaciers, with piles of rocks and boulders everywhere. The path was difficult, but thanks to the dry and pleasantly warm weather, the rocks were not slick. We still decided to stay indoors today, and are sleeping in the Skedbro mountain hut. Very cozy, and we met several nice people to chat with. Our full backpacks were heavy, but not as heavy as we had feared, and we could manage the weight well today.
Gröna Bandet with Packraft