We start our epic expedition with a journey through Scandinavia in just a few short days! We start at the very northern tip, in North Cape (Norwegian: Nordkapp), and follow the Scandinavian mountain range south. Bouncing back and forth between Norway, Finland, and Sweden along the way and exiting onto continental Europe via Denmark. We plan to follow the E1 European Long Distance Path for this section, before jumping on the E9 path once we hit Germany.
Our expedition gear
On an expedition like this, one spanning several years, seasons and continents, gear will change depending on the circumstances along the way. This is what we are starting with on day one at North Cape. We will update some of it and also include winter gear before leaving Scandinavia later on this fall.
More on the gear in this post
Base weight: 9 kg.
| brand | size/info | grams |
| backpack: Osprey Aura AG 65 | 62L | 1900g |
| rain cover: Osprey Ultralight | L | 90g
|
| waterproof pack bags: Sea to Summit/ Osprey | misc | misc |
| compression dry sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil eVent (sleeping bag) | S | 90g |
| SLEEPING | | |
| inflatable mat: Therm-a-Rest Neoair XTherm | L max | 652g |
| (summer) sleeping bag: Western Mountaineering Alpinlite (-7C) | mummy (wide) | 880g |
| (winter) sleeping bag: Marmot Lithium | mummy | 1176g |
| pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight | | 60g |
| COOKING | | |
| spork (titanium) | | 20g |
| Wildo vikkåsa (folding cup) | 0.6L | 46g |
| WATER | | |
| Platypus Hoser bladder | 3L | 120g |
| TOOLS & MISC | | |
| trekking poles: Black Diamond Trail Pro | | 490g |
| multi-tool: Leatherman Style CS | | 41g |
| Therm-a-Rest Z-seat | | 42g |
| headlamp: Petzl Bindi (200ln) | | 35g |
| accessories | | |
| toiletries | | |
| valuables | | |
| TECHNOLOGIES | | |
| iPhone 8 | | 148g |
| Lifeproof (waterproof case) | | 42g |
| Lexar lightning jumpdrive C25i | 128gb | 10g |
| APPS | | |
| Gaia GPS | navigation | |
| DayOne Journal | journalling | |
| iMovie | movie editing | |
| Spotify | music/podcasts | |
| Social media | | |
| Weather/tidal apps | | |
| Messenger | calling/messaging home | |
| CLOTHES | | |
| > Walking | | |
| (1) Leather boots | Lundhags Jaure mid LT 2 | |
| (2) Salomon | SalomonQuest Prime GTX | |
| (3) Salomon | Robson Mid GTX | |
| Sports bra | Kari Traa Driva | |
| Merino t-shirt | Icebreaker | |
| Windbreaker/midlayer | Patagonia Houdini Air | 102g |
| Shorts | Craft | |
| Windproof tights | Kari Traa | |
| Merino socks | Icebreaker (x2) | |
| Merino liner socks | Smartwool (x2) | |
| > Reinforcement | | |
| Weatherproof jacket | Norrøna Trollveggen (Gore-Tex) | |
| Weatherproof Pants | Marmot PreCip | |
| Merino hoodie | Norrøna | |
| Puffy jacket | Rab Microlight Alpine | |
| > Sleeping/ camp | | |
| Merino thermal sweater | Kari Traa Ulla half-zip | |
| Merino thermal pants | Kari Traa Ulla | |
| Merino boxers | Peak Performance | |
| Merino tank top | Smartwool | |
| Merino socks | Darn Tough | |
| > Accessories | | |
| Buff | SPF 50 (half) | |
| Sun visor | Craft | |
| Merino beanie | Arc'teryx | |
| Gloves | The North Face | |
| Weatherproof shell glove | Outdoor Research | |
| Alpine gaiters | Rab Latok (eVent) | |
Base weight: 9 kg.
| brand | size/info | grams |
| backpack: Osprey Atmos AG 65 | 65L | 2190g |
| rain cover: Osprey Ultralight | L | 90g
|
| waterproof pack bags: Sea to Summit/ Osprey | misc | misc |
| compression dry sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil eVent (sleeping bag) | S | 90g |
| SLEEPING | | |
| inflatable mat: Therm-a-Rest Neoair XTherm | L max | 652g |
| (summer)sleeping bag: Western Mountaineering TerraLite (-4C) | semi-rectangular | 820g |
| (winter)sleeping bag: Marmot Lithium | mummy | 1176g |
| pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight | | 60g |
| COOKING | | |
| spork (titanium) | | 20g |
| Wildo vikkåsa (folding cup) | 0.6L | 46g |
| CoffeeBrew coffee filter | Sea to Summit | |
| WATER | | |
| Platypus Hoser bladder | 3L | 120g |
| Stainless bottle | Kleen Kanteen | |
| TOOLS & MISC | | |
| trekking poles: Black Diamond Trail Pro | | 490g |
| knife: Leatherman Skeletool KB | | 37g |
| Therm-a-Rest Z-seat | | 42g |
| headlamp: Petzl Bindi (200ln) | | 35g |
| accessories | | |
| toiletries | | |
| valuables | | |
| TECHNOLOGIES | | |
| iPhone 8 | | 148g |
| Lifeproof (waterproof case) | | 42g |
| Lexar lightning jumpdrive C25i | 128gb | 10g |
| APPS | | |
| Gaia GPS | navigation | |
| iOverlander | route planning | |
| Couchsurfing | logistics | |
| Spotify | music/podcasts | |
| Social media | | |
| Weather/tidal apps | | |
| Messenger | calling/messaging home | |
| CLOTHES | | |
| > Walking | | |
| (1) Leather boots | Lundhags Jaure mid LT 2 | |
| (2) Salomon | SalomonQuest Prime GTX | |
| (3) Salomon | Robson mid GTX | |
| Merino t-shirt | Icebreaker | |
| Windbreaker/mid layer | Patagonia Houdini Air | 116g |
| Shorts | Nike running (Dri Fit) | |
| Windproof tights | Craft | |
| Merino socks | Smartwool (x2) | |
| Merino liner socks | Smartwool (x2) | |
| > Reinforcement | | |
| Weatherproof jacket | Norrøna Falketind (Gore-Tex) | |
| Weatherproof pants | Marmot PreCip | |
| Puffy jacket | Outdoor Research Pertex Quantum (down) | |
| > Sleeping/ camp | | |
| Merino thermal t-shirt | Aclima | |
| Merino thermal pants | Smartwool | |
| Merino boxers | Icebreaker | |
| Socks | Coolmax | |
| > Accessories | | |
| Merino buff | Buff | |
| Beanie | Patagonia | |
| Sun cap/ hat | Arcteryx | |
| Gloves | The North Face | |
| Weatherproof shell glove | Outdoor Research | |
| brand | size/info | grams |
| SLEEPING | | |
| (summer) tent: Hilleberg Rogen | 2-pers, 3 season | 2100g |
| (winter) tent: Hilleberg Allak2 | 2-pers, all season | 3300g |
| COOKING | | |
| MSR Whisperlite Universal Combo | multi fuel cooker | 276g |
| MSR fuel bottle | 591 ml | 134g |
| MSR Ceramic Solo Pot | 1.3 L | 210g |
| WATER | | |
| Sawyer Squeeze filter | | 77g |
| Evernew/Sawyer (filter water sacks) | 2L | 42g |
| TOOLS & MISC | | |
| First aid kit | | |
| The Deuce of Spades | potty trowel | 17g |
| TECHNOLOGIES | | |
| Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1 | emergency beacon | 116g |
| Anker PowerCore | 13000 mAh | 240g |
| Anker Dual USB Solar Charger | 15W | 354g |
The route – following the E1 European long-distance path
Norway
The path stretches 2.105 km, and holds 60.000 waymarks on either cairns or tree stems all the way, except through Børgefjell National Park; regulations for Børgefjell National Park prohibits waymarkers. To leave the national park you need to catch a ferry The route between Nordkapp and Grövelsjön does in part go in very remote areas with very few shelters and very little service available. Parts of the path are unmarked so you need to find your own route.
Sweden
The route of 1300 km consist mostly of narrow footpaths running through the forested hills of middle Sweden and avoids most population centers. There are not many shops along the route so it may be necessary to plan or go off-route for supplies. The paths are printed on the Swedish topographic maps so special maps or guidebooks are not necessary. Wild camping in Sweden is not only allowed, but it is also a tradition, but mind you, so is leave-no-trace. Look up the amazing “freedom to roam” law (Swedish: allemansrätten), or check out this quick video. The path starts at Grövelsjön (Lake Grövel), which lies near the Norwegian-Swedish border near Idre. It uses a series of connecting established paths down to the city of Varberg, on the coast south of Göteborg, from where the ferry to Grenaa in Denmark sails.
Denmark
The total length of the route in Denmark is 325 km. Camping in the wild is not allowed in Denmark, there are however primitive campsites (Danish: lejrplads) along the route which commonly have room to pitch a few tents, water tap or pump and a simple toilet and are often free to use. The route takes the walker along easy going paths and quiet roads through the rolling Danish landscape. It often visits larger towns so other forms of accommodation are possible and supplies are no problem. You can also use one of the many shelters, which are placed along the route and found on waymarked trail maps.
Accommodation
For most of our expedition, except for a few exceptions in Scandinavia, we will live in our tent. We will take a much-needed zero-day in a family cabin in Sälen and stay with family for a couple of nights in Göteborg on our way south. In Norway, we might make use of the extensive cabin network maintained by the Norwegian Trekking Association (in short DNT). Out of the 500 cabins, about 450 of them are self-service or no-service cabins accessible with a DNT-key. Members of the Nordic tourist associations may borrow a key against a deposit of NOK 100, which is refunded upon return. We have borrowed a key but since we have a very limited budget we will only use it in the case of an emergency.
Resupply
Scandinavia is probably one of the most logistically demanding resupply routes, at least in the first two years of this expedition. The distances and sheer remoteness of the trails make for long food carries and in some cases a need to send up resupply boxes to postoffices of mountain station en route.
Nordkapp to Hattir
– 102 km
– Supermarket in Russenes, Norway (8 km east off trail)
Hattir to Maze
– 182 km
– Maze post office – resupply box
Maze to Kautokeino
– 60 km
– Supermarket in Kautokeino
Kautokeino to Kilpisjarvi
– 192 km
– Supermarket in Kilpisjärvi, Finland
Kilpisjarvi to Abisko
– 183 km
– STF Abisko mountain station, Sweden – resupply box
Abisko to Vaisaluokta
– 202 km
– Ferry to STF Ritsem, Sweden – resupply box
Vaisaluokta to Sulitjelma
– 98 km
– Supermarket in Sulitjelma, Norway
Sulitjelma to Lenstua
– 90 km
– Supermarket in Rognan, Norway (hitch E6 north)
Lenstua to Umbukta
– 122 km
– Supermarket in Mo I Rana, Norway (hitch or bus E12 north)
Umbukta to Knausen
– 203 km
– Supermarket in Knausen, Norway
Knausen to Skjelbredtunet
– 86 km
– Post office in Nordli, Norway – resupply box (hitch east on 74)
Skjelbredtunet to Teveltunet
– 225 km
– Supermarket in Järpen, Sweden, (long hitch east on E14 to Järpen 70km)
– *Visit Lundhags Factory
Teveltunet to Roros
– 154 km
– Supermarket in Roros, Norway
Roros to Grövelsjön
– 102 km
– STF Grövelsjön mountain station, Sweden – resupply box
Grövelsjön to Sälen
– 172 km
– Supermarket in Sälen, Sweden
– *Rest day in Tandådalen
Sälen to Mora
– 107 km
– Supermarket in Mora
Mora to Mockfjärd
– 124 km
– Supermarket in Mockfjärd
Mockfjärd to Smedjebacken
– 70 km
– Supermarket in Smedjebacken
*
From here on down we are winging it as we pass supermarkets regularly.
We will update this information as we go, so stay tuned!
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