In a few days the long waiting time is finally over. A friend and I will go on a 8-day hiking trip in Lapland from Abisko to Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mountain. I am sure that it will be an unforgettable trip overall, partly following the legendary "Kungsleden", which can be translated as the King's Path. But already the journey to the starting point of the hike will be adventurous.
Starting from Lund we will be in the train for around 24 hours. Many people that have never visited Sweden have a hard time believing how huge the country actually is, with twice the length of Germany for example. Nevertheless only 10 million people live in Sweden and that makes this country a perfect destination for trips in the untouched nature.
Well, the Kungsleden is actually a quite crowded hiking path, as it is easily accessible for everyone. Our plan however, is to branch of the main route and follow less marked tracks into the real wilderness of Lapland. We will sleep in our tent wherever we find beautiful camp spots, which is allowed by the Swedish "allemansrätten". This traditional law gives everyone the right to access the wilderness and set camp, as long as no harm to the nature is done.
The most challenging part on a trip like this is to plan ahead your food requirements. As we need to carry all the food from the very beginning, it is of utmost importance to keep the food supplies as light as possible. On top of that, the human body requires 3000 - 5000 calories per day on a trip like this. So how will we overcome this challenge and how can we avoid carrying more than 10kg per person of only food? The answer is dried meals and powders. Therefore there should be absolutely no water in the food you carry.
Here is what our daily nutrition will look like:
- Breakfast: Porridge or homemade cereals with dried fruits. (400 kcal)
- Lunch: A shake from one of my favourite food brands (except Renjer of course!): HUEL - this company offers shakes containing all the ingredients that the human body needs for a balanced nutrition. Check them out here. (500 kcal)
- Dinner: Another extremely interesting food brand is Real Turmat from Tromsø in Norway (drytech.no). These guys sell dried meals such as Lax-Pasta of Chili con Carne in bags of approx. 130g. Filled up with water, they are full and delicious meals, especially after a day of 25 km hiking. (600 kcal)
- Snacks: Above all there is of course RENJER Jerky, which has one of the best ratios when comparing weight / nutritional values. Overall, a 30g bag of our jerky will give you approximately 130 kcal, which keeps you going for another hour or two before you need a main meal. On top of that you should eat dried fruits, nuts or protein bars. With a handful of good snacks daily you can easily take in another 500 to 700 kcal.
Of course these meals will not compensate for the whole amount of calories used during the days, but on a long distance hike, on which every gram less in the backpack can make a huge difference, it is important to find the right balance while giving the body enough food to maintain energy levels during every hike.
I hope this small guide will help you a little to prepare for your next longer outdoor trip.
God tur!