Q&A Thruhiking Sweden: Preparations
Preparations
How did you prepare?
I wanted to prepare both mentally and physically for this, but I wasn’t able to exercise as much before starting as I would have wanted to. I hiked most weekends from Easter to the middle of June, but that was about it. I prepared a lot when it came to other things though. Like planning the route, drying food, buying food, packing food in food boxes etc. But, all of this was only for Gröna Bandet (the section Treriksröset to Grövelsjön) because the other part of the hike I didn’t really prepare for at all. I didn’t even know whether or not I would actually do it. But I guess I mentally prepared myself while hiking Treriksröset to Grövelsjön, so I was still quite ready from thereon.
When it comes to getting to know what to pack and how much to pack, I tried the gear I had at home, and also looked for new and lighter gear. Lukas and I did several hikes during the weekends and tried to think about what we might need while hiking in the mountains (see our original Lighterpack here and here). Easter was great for trying to see if the clothes held up for colder weather, and early June was great for trying to see if they held up for heat. We then switched out our gear accordingly. We also tried to remove excessive things that we didn’t think we would need. We had a maximum weight that we tried to carry less than, but since we were two, we could carry some more things than I could do later on when I hiked on my own. So my only advice here is to try, try and try again. Does your gear work for all weather? All kinds of terrain? If not, try something new! This I’ve found to be the only way to actually know whether or not something will work for you.
How important is planning and how important is it to follow the plan? Do you have any margins in your plans or do you just go for it?
When I planned for Gröna Bandet I wanted peace of mind, so I planned it with huuuuge margins. That worked out well for us, and it felt good knowing we were far ahead of our plans! For the second part of the hike I just made a plan for the next couple of days, but kept updating it and changing it all the time because I enjoyed the flexibility. Everyone is different, but I like to plan for the unplanned, so to speak! I am a planner, I love to plan things, but I’ve come to realise that it is never good to plan too much. Too often it ends in annoyance, frustration and disappointment. But you have to do what you feel works best for yourself.
Do you need to have “grit”? Do you think about safety a lot? And is grit and safety all that is needed?
I think you do have to have a little bit of “grit”, but also - of course, take safety into consideration. They are useful for different situations! I use to say that everyone can do something like this, as long as you have grit and a good bit of common sense. That will get you far! And I think that probably applies to a lot of things. But it will of course also help you a lot to not have any physical issues as well, like back pain or feet or knee issues.
