Left around 7:30 am from the Wånger stables. It is a huge and old place. I don't know much about horses but I think I've seen the name Wånger before. They also offer tiny rooms and cabins for rent. I stayed in a room and slept so well.
Originally I had thought that I should leave as early as possible, even like 5 am as the section towards Mörsil has constant climbing up and down for nearly 30 kilometers. I was anxious about it for days that I wouldn't make it in these temperatures.
In the end, I decided to stay for breakfast which I think was a good decision. There were also premade sandwiches wrapped in plastic that I could take with me which was nice.
I got lucky with the weather as most of the day it was cloudy with little wind and the temperatures didn't rise too high. So even when the day was long it didn't feel that heavy.
I also reached the halfway point. To my surprise the halfway point was maintained by an 85-year old man who lives on top of this hill alone. The trail goes right through his front porch. He saw me after I passed his house and came asking me for a coffee and to get my stamp which two Dutch hikers sent for him after passing his house last summer.
An even bigger surprise was that the man spoke fluent Finnish! We chatted for quite a long time. He would have wanted to go and show me all the historical memorial stones in the area, but I can't go running around every corner of Sweden if I want to finish St. Olavsleden. Kind of felt sad about turning down the offer. He obviously also wanted to speak Finnish and tell about his life. I hope more hikers stop at his house.
Also, the first drops of rain in 16 days fell today. But it was so little rain that I didn't even bother to get my rain gear.
Tomorrow should be a much shorter hike and I should reach the first bigger waterfall on this route which I've been looking forward to. I'll stay there for the night.Read more
May 27–28, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C