Intro

When I moved to Sweden I knew it was the perfect opportunity to go on a hiking vacation. I started investigating the options and I was not let down by the number of possibilities: Höga Kustenleden, Kungsleden, Vålådalen… In the end, I decided to start with Kungsleden, as it promised to be the most adventurous, being above the polar circle.

Getting there

I was starting from from Göteborg so I took a flight to Stockholm where I got a connection to Luleå. There, I had to quickly get to the train station where I hopped on a train to Kiruna. After spending the night in the STF Hostell I took the Nikkaluotka Express to Nikkualotka, my starting point to the hike.

As a sidenote, all of this could have been simpler if I had taken a direct flight to Kiruna on Sunday but I was originally planning to bring a friend along and this was the flight plan we agreed on.

Getting back

My initial plan was to take the train from Abisko to Kiruna and hop into a plane but COVID-19 got in the way and I ended up taking the night train all the way back to Göteborg. It was not cheap and also not very comfortable (no shower, lackluster restaurant, crammed compartment…) so I can’t really recommend it, especially if travelling solo. Door to door, it took me 24 hours to get home.

Itinerary

I went for a 6 days hike on the northernmost segment, from Nikkaluokta to Abisko, following advice stating that finishing the journey in Abisko is a rewarding experience. During my hike I also discovered that it meant that the wind was always blowing in my back, which was a welcome surprise.

Day 1 : Nikkaluotka to Kebnekaise Fjällstation - 19km

Day 2 : Kebnekaise to Singi Fjällstuga - 14 km

Day 3 : Singi to Sälka - 14 km

Day 4 : Sälka to Alesjaure Fjällstuga - 25 km

Day 5 : Alesjaure to Abiskojaure Fjällstuga - 21 km

Day 6 : Abiskojaure to Abisko Fjällstation - 12 km

Upfront cost

Gear

Clothes

• 3 pairs of Decathlon walking socks
• 3 merino boxers (Decathlon Forclaz Merino, Icebreaker)
• 2 long sleeve t-shirts for base layer: Decathlon Forclaz Merino
• Decathlon Softshell Forclaz Trek 500 jacket.
• Fleece jacket (did not use, I was fine with a t-short and the softshell)
• 2-in-1 hiking pants (I never unzipped them into shorts, it was too cold)
• Woollen underpants: for sleeping and in case it was too cold during the day.
• Some basic outdoor gloves, like these Naturkompaniet.
• Woollen beanie.
• Cap.
• Decathlon merino buff.

Equipment

• Fjällräven Abisko Friluft 45L backpack.
• Decathlon Quechua Forclaz 500 walking sticks (old model).
• Meindl Caracas walking shoes.
• Decahtlon waterproof pants. (Did not use, returned because they were not ful-zip anyway)
• Decathlon 1.0 L water bottle.
• Sleeping bag linen.

Other

• Micro-fiber towel, from Decathlon.
• Spork (did not use, there were spoons and forks in the huts).
• Sea to Summit Mosquito net (did not use, there were no mosquitoes).
• Decathlon Forclaz 500 headlight.
• Opinel knife n°09.
• 100ml of liquid travel soap.

Food

I packed :

• 5 freeze dried meals (Decathlon, Real turmat)
• ~100g of nuts (should have brought a bit more)
• 1 thin dry-cured sausage (Bâton de berger)
• 8 snickers bars
• 2 Chocolate bars
• 8 Nestlé bars
• 750g of granola (way too much, 400g would have been enough)
• 100g of Snabbkaffe (a mistake, did not taste great)

There were plenty of opportunities to buy food along the way. Most huts have a small shop where they sell snacks, freeze dried food, beer, soda… I regularly bought chocolate bars and soda cans. The mountain stations of Kebnekaise and Abisko have restaurants but you have to make a reservation. They also propose breakfast.

Weather

I experienced temperatures around 10 °C with moderate northwards wind. The sky was often grey but it never poured rain.

Sources

Novo-monde

Brian Outdoors