As the approaching sunrise paints pastel shades on the sky, our red tent shines in the snow.
The snow has fallen overnight, quietly and unexpectedly – and therefore all the more beautiful. It is cold enough for it to remain on the branches and needles of the trees. Only occasionally does the dry pine tree next to us give way a little and the white powder trickles down. It’s so quiet around us that I think I can hear the snowflakes hitting the ground. When they hit my jacket or the tent, I actually do. It crackles briefly, for a fraction of a second, and my ears ring.
Freedom on the doorstep
I can’t get enough of the silence, the vastness, the white landscape all around us. I let my eye drift, I could do this for hours. From the large pine tree next to our tent down the hill into the sea of trees. Over the frozen and snow-covered lakes, which are barely recognizable as such right now, but form a labyrinth of water in summer.
A woodpecker knocks on the trunk of one of the trees behind me and I know that it won’t be long before the sun’s rays reach our hilltop. It won’t rise high enough to stay for long – but on these days it at least flashes briefly between the treetops.
I know the landscape here only too well. Because although the sight of my tent and backpack and the camping stove in front of me makes me feel far away, I am very close to home. Our Swedish home in the middle of the forest. It’s a few hundred meters down the hill, on the other side of the sunrise.
And this here – this is not a long-distance hike for which I have prepared long and meticulously, but a rather spontaneous weekend excursion.
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The longing for a life in nature
My gaze wanders down the hill and I imagine our little red cottage shining in the snow in the clearing at the back of the hill. My heart becomes very light – because I feel so much at this moment that I am in the right place at the right time.
This freedom is exactly what we are looking for in Sweden. The freedom where we not only have endless nature right on our doorstep, but where packing up the tent and heading out is part of the lifestyle.
The magic word: allemansrätt. The everyman’s right that allows us to pitch our tent in the middle of nature in this region, for example. We don’t have to do much planning, we don’t need a long lead time, we just look out of the window and decide before we’ve even thrown back the comforter.
That’s how it was this morning. At the first blink of an eye, I could hardly believe my eyes: The trees I could see through the bedroom window were wearing little white hats, the sky was pastel gray and even the window pane was snowed in.
After days of thawing weather, we had been waiting for winter to arrive like this – and we couldn’t pack our backpacks fast enough. Especially as we knew that this fairytale would be a short one: The next temperature high was already heading our way. Long planning and long journeys: That would have been a waste of time.
A long-distance hiking trail on the doorstep
And so here I am: just a few hundred trees away from our front door. On the edge of a long-distance hiking trail.
The Tjustleden runs for around 200 kilometers through idyllic Småland. This is where Astrid Lindgren’s stories found their setting, this is where most of the Bullerbü photos were taken, which we have all associated with Sweden since childhood.
The Tjustleden winds its way through this very landscape – its route passes a few kilometers away from our property and is integrated into a branching network of paths.
When we set off on this short adventure on a long-distance hiking trail, it started to snow again in thick flakes from the sky. We had just walked through our garden in our hiking boots with our backpacks and disturbed the two deer that gather their breakfast between our currant bushes every morning.
Then we turned onto the small forest path that connects our house with the next official road, left, right, left again and we were already standing in front of the first orange marker on a tree trunk.
Not many hikers pass by here, but those who do have been walking along the Tjustleden for several days – and in the meantime have immersed themselves in a world of trees, lakes and clearings. We will do the same with our next steps – but not for quite as long.
Welcome to a winter wonderland
For the next few hours, for the next few kilometers, we sink into this Swedish winter fairy tale. We don’t talk much. Because only silence would preserve this fragile world. At least that’s our common feeling.
We have found a good rhythm to make good progress in the untracked snow. Sometimes we stop at the same time, rooted to the spot, because an excited family of deer crosses the path in front of us or a hare peeks through the bushes at the edge of the path. Sometimes we don’t follow the orange hiking trail markings for a few hundred meters, but elk tracks the size of plates.
We don’t get to see the moose themselves on this hike. And yet we feel as close to them and this sea of trees as we possibly can.
Although it quickly gets cold without exercise, we take long breaks. We drink steaming tea and finally decide not to pitch our tent as far away as possible, but in the same spot where we sometimes marveled at the sunset in summer. On these long days, the sun was even higher in the sky at 9 o’clock in the evening than it is now in winter, when it reaches its peak in the morning.
But for a few magical moments, the sun does make it through the trees. In weeks like these, when its presence is so rare in the Nordic winter, its rays tingle all the more on the skin. And when it sinks again, it bathes the endless landscape in soft pastel colors.
The sky glows light blue and pink.
And we – we have found great freedom in a small adventure on our doorstep.
Trekking in southern Sweden – my tips:
Best time to go: In principle, the hiking trails in southern Sweden are accessible all year round – however, they are not maintained in winter. Depending on the snow conditions, snowshoes and appropriate equipment may be necessary. The highest temperatures occur between May and August. And, of course, never-ending days.
How to get there: Sweden has a well-functioning rail network that spans the entire country. Buses run at regular intervals from the rail network to smaller towns and villages.
Equipment: First and foremost, of course, a rucksack that sits well on your back. My choice for multi-day hikes is either the Tatonka Pyrox or my Yukon 50+10, depending on whether I want to carry all my camping equipment or not. In addition to the standard equipment for such tours, mosquito and tick protection is definitely recommended in Sweden.
Spend the night: Along Swedish long-distance trails and in nature reserves, there are usually designated places to spend the night. We can pitch our tent there or use the existing infrastructure. This often includes a simple wooden shelter (a hut that is open on one side), a fire pit and often even a toilet.
The Tjustleden: The Tjustleden runs for around 200 kilometers from Mörtfors to Falerum. Its route is marked (as is usual in Sweden) with orange rings around tree trunks or wooden stakes. Along the way, wind shelters offer simple accommodation, many in picturesque lakeside locations. The official route recommendation comprises nine stages between 16 and 21 kilometers.
To walk on: The Tjustleden connects Ostkustleden in the south and Östgötaleden in the north – for those who want to walk much further.
Also interesting: Canoeing in Dalsland – paddling through the Swedish water world
