Help needed planning a long distance hike.

[FKeate]

Hi all,
In need of a wee bit of help. Between the 8th of May and the 30th of August I plan to walk from Malmo in the south of Sweden to Kiruna in the north, roughly 1500 miles in total. I’ll be hiking/camping all the way and I’m nowhere near prepared enough so I’m here to conscript your bushcrafty minds.

1) Route: I know the country fairly well, have a couple of set places I need to pass through (visitng grandparents just south of Linkoping) and I aim to try and link some of swedens historic walking routes (especially the Kings trail in the north) but it would be great to hear from anyone who has experience of hiking in the country and any advice on nice places to walk.
2) Kit: I’ve nearly finished a full kit list, I aim to get it done in the next week or so, and any feedback on it would be great.
3) Company: it’s a pretty long walk, I love being alone in the woods but 3 ½ months is a pretty long time. So far I have one friend who will be joining me for a week or two but I figured it would be interesting to meet some new bushcraft folk, so if anyone is interested in joining me for a week or so ping me a message.
4) Food: I will of course be getting most of the carbs in my diet from shop bought food (rice, pasta etc) however I do aim to be as self sufficient as possible. I’m thinking of bringing a fishing rod (don’t worry I’ve looked into licences) would it be worth the extra weight? And it would be great to learn more about what plants/fungi are good to eat out there.
5) The reason: well there’s two really. Firstly, just the love of it, Sweden is a beautiful country and amazingly well set up for camping etc (plus this is probably the last time I’ll be able to take four months off to go for a walk)
But the second, more important reason is to raise money for the British Heart Foundation in honour of my mother Sussie who passed away in August of 2013.
The BHF does amazing work providing funding for research into the causes of, and new treatments for heart disease, as well as providing life saving first aid training.
If anyone is interested in donating it would be hugely appreciated, please just follow the link bellow.

https://www.justgiving.com/Fredrik-Ahlburg-Keate1/

or text FGAK61 followed by an amount (ie “FGAK61 £3&#8221 to 70070

All donations will go straight to the BHF, I’ll be covering all my travel/food costs etc.

At this point I would like to say a massive thank you to Tony for giving me permission to post this. I know none of us want this site to become a fundraising spam site so from now on this thread is strictly about planning please. If anyone is interested in hearing more about the fundraising side, I will be running a blog in parallel to this thread, just PM me for details.

Thanks for reading folks.

 

[lannyman8]

one very important point is your fitness, whats it like, how far are you planing on walking a day, how much does your pack weigh have you done a calorie count consumption per day ect... very important stuff mate.

take multi vitamins every day and a vitamin c tablet on top of that, plan some menus for food, pasta and rice soon get boring, look at some high calorie (carbs are your friend here) foods for when your walking...

you need an extensive first aid kit to take care of every day things as well as worse things to include broad spectrum antibiotics if possible, the worlds biggest blister kit would be handy too...

just a few of the millions of things you need to think about mate, wish you all the very best,and sorry to hear about your mum Sussie...

regards

Chris.

 

[FKeate]

Hey Chris, thanks for the advice.
General fitness is ok, been running pretty reguarly for the last year and stepped that up massively now this trip is a go. Planning on either 15 miles a day 7 days a week, or 20 miles a day 5 days a week and 2 full days of rest.
Need to have a more in depth look at calorie consumption etc though.
The menu largely depends on whats availabel in the shops on route/what I can forage, but im usualy able to make a fairly tasty meal out of simple ingredients (a good chorizo ring is a life saver). Multi vitamins are a good shout, Ive heard you can make a tasty vitamin C rich tea out of pine needles but having a more regulated intake will probably be a good idea.
First aid kit is awaiting a fairly extensive overhaul (pending funds).
It's all starting to sink in just how much there is to plan haha.

All the Best.

Fred.

 

[lannyman8]

No probs Fred, im very envious of you old chap...

dont over do the running mate, you will end up breaking your self before you go...anyway, its different muscles you will need...pm me if you want a training program help

you never said how much your gear weaighs, or how far your walking a day mate?????

 

[FKeate]

Aye I can't wait to get cracking. An like my original post says, I am still looking for people to join for a week or so.

Haha don't worry, I gave myself shin splints last year, won't be making that mistake again. Going to try to fit in some long distance hikes with a weighted pack but it's hard to find the time (working about 6 days a week at the moment).

I'm thinking about 20 miles a day 5 days a week. Pack should be around 17kg (including 3.5 litres of water in my camelback)

 

[lannyman8]

sounds ok to me mate, i would split it up though, do 3 days walking with 1 day rest, then 3 days walking 1 day rest, when ever your propper hanging out take 2 days rest...

i did 36 km a while back in 6 hours with 20kg pack, but it was a fast pace, probably did 4-5 thousand calories that day, so dont under estimate how much food you will need.

just for you as an eye opener, make a days worth of rations out of the foods you expect to use on the walk, make it up to about 3,500 calories, pasta rice and dry meat ect, you will be amazed at how much you NEED to eat for that many calories, while your at it, weigh it, will give you an idea of weight for 1 days food too, and remember carbs are your friend, smash all your simple carbs down you when you stop at the end of the day within 1 hour of stopping, ideally within 20 mins...

blimey, im planing it my self now....lol

 

[FKeate]

Aye, on the plus side I've given myself about an extra 20 days.

I know I can hit 20 miles in a day with full kit pretty easy, just never experienced it day after day (should be intersting). I'm thinking of carrying a belt pouch with oat biscuits, dried meat snacks etc to munch as I walk.

Thats a good shout, I was only factoring in about a couple of kilos for food but it looks like I'm going to have to up that a wee bit.

Haha go for it mate, tis a nice time of year for hiking the weather keeps you nice and cool!

 

[Bishop]

Sounds like an adventure to be sure

However...
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Even if you are physically fit and capable of 20 miles on a good day just one blister, swollen knee or ankle twinge and that figure will evapourate.

Food... carry 2-3 days with tou and pig-out/ resupply accordingly, you're planning a hike not an expedition.
After a week eating nothing but oat biscuits and noodles then cannabalism & road kill becomes attractive.

Have a read up on the condensed wisdom of those who have done the Appalatian Trail over in the United States, some sections of this epic route will be similiar to yours.
Lot of good info about pack weights and distances over various terrian.

Safety... carry a cellphone and make sure it will work with regional telecoms along the way plus some means to keep it charged

 

[Filterhoose]

I read a book about a chap that walked from Cape Wrath back to his house in Yorkshire (I think). I can't remember the title. One thing he did of a night was to take Nurofen each night before he crashed in order to stop his leg muscles from aching/seizing.

Windy

 

[FKeate]

haha yeah, like I said, I'm good with a 20 mile day, but its a matter of wait and see whether I can do it day on day :-/

luckily, especially in the south, there are plenty of tons with decent food shopss So hopefuly the old idet wont be too boring (at lesat until I get way up north and civilisation ends)

I will do thanks, know of any good books to start with?

I'm getting a lifeproof case for my phone, Sweden has pretty good coverage and I've got a solar charger and large reserve battery to keep it topped up (I've seen 127 hours and my surgery skills aren't really up to it)

The Nurofen idea is a good one thanks. Looks like I'm going to be a walking pharmacy soon enough haha.

 

[The Cumbrian]

The ibuprofen suggestion is a very good one. No matter how fit you are, you will be using muscles that you aren't used to using for a long duration. I was reading a while back about a guy who did lots of long distance paddle trips and routinely took low doses of ibuprofen to prevent / ease general inflammation. I do it now when I go away on trips and it certainly helps my office-softened body to cope with the additional strain that I'm putting on it.

Don't buy nurofen though, go to your local large supermarket that has a pharmacy and get bog standard ibuprofen, it's much cheaper.

Also, get used to reading 1:50,000 scale maps over here before you go. Before I went to Sweden I assumed that they would have 1:25,000 scale maps like in the UK, but they don't.

Strip you'd pack weight down as much as you can. Try to utilise the wilderness shelters they have in many places over there rather than carrying a tent, and don't forget that it is a civilised country, and you'll be able to resupply often and replace any broken or worn out kit relatively easily.

All the best, and don't forget to write about it, Michael.

 

[ateallthepies]

Blisters and chafing were my worst enemy on my 1000K hike last year. I was super unfit at the start and several stone overweight but a couple weeks in I was doing 30k a day with a 15-20 kg pack easily! But those damn blisters took their toll and I had to have several, several day breaks, luckily the OTC painkillers in Spain are better than here!

Take several changes of socks and undercrackers and make sure they fit. I went for RAB pants but got horrendous chaffing and had to swap with my mate who had Paramo. The latter were much better for me and it was fortunate me mate liked the Rab better!

I took a Vango Banshee 200 and it was an excellent tent for the money. I had a Alpkit mat but was still a bit uncomfortable some nights so would take a thicker mat or an extra closed cell mat next time. Also a inflatable pillow would have been good as I was using the pack as a pillow which was uncomfy. Sleep is so important!

I took my ipad loaded with books and films and glad I did but power may be an issue for you? Are you taking a distress beacon, may be a good idea if your isolated?

I took a Petzl head torch and one set of lithium AAA's lasted around 4 weeks with daily but limited use. Had a backup Fenix as well. Are you cooking on gas? Make sure you can get the correct type of bottles where you are. On my journey I has a screw type stove fitting and all I could get gas wise for several hundred km was the twist and lock type and had to buy a stove that fit!

Take lots of pics and above all else enjoy!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

1) Route: I know the country fairly well, have a couple of set places I need to pass through (visitng grandparents just south of Linkoping) and I aim to try and link some of swedens historic walking routes (especially the Kings trail in the north) but it would be great to hear from anyone who has experience of hiking in the country and any advice on nice places to walk.

Sounds like a really interesting trip. Think carefully about your route, if you try to do 30k day in day out, you will ruin your body.

There is an interesting diary of a guy who walked from Aberdeen to Luxembourg over on Walkhighlands. It is worth reading, especially for details about what the trip did to his body, and how the plan really didn't survive contact with the enemy...

2) Kit: I’ve nearly finished a full kit list, I aim to get it done in the next week or so, and any feedback on it would be great.

Weight. You may think that you can do this with a 15-20kg pack, but it will be a lot more enjoyable if you reduce that weight.

4) Food: I will of course be getting most of the carbs in my diet from shop bought food (rice, pasta etc) however I do aim to be as self sufficient as possible. I’m thinking of bringing a fishing rod (don’t worry I’ve looked into licences) would it be worth the extra weight? And it would be great to learn more about what plants/fungi are good to eat out there.

Generally, walk, or forage, don't try both. But, at the same time, you want to schedule in a rest day every 4-7 days, so on those days, sitting by the river with a fishing rod can be pleasant. If you want a light weight fishing setup, look at the penfishing rods, they are reportedly very functional rods and nice and light weight.

Think about your food intake calorie wise. Ballpark figures to work on: 100 calories per km, add 10 calories per km for every kg in your pack. Carry 1kg of mars bars 30km, and by the end of the day you'll have burnt the equivalent as one of those mars bars. Run the maths and you'll find that you are pushing 5000+ calories a day, you can't carry that much reasonably, and you'll struggle to eat that much too.

Above all, good luck, write a trip report, and remember, above all, it's suppsoed to be fun, enjoy it

J

 

[SGL70]

Wow. That is one mother of a trip.

By the way....Doing all of the Kings trail in one go = the green ribbon (white, if done during winter). Perhaps you could contact some of the people who have done it. Many have homepages/bloggs describing their acheivment. There might be a language barrier re the bloggs, but you could send them an e-mail with any questions.
http://www.vitagronabandet.se/default.asp?path=40739,40740&pageid=58882

 

[yomperalex]

Walking 15-20 miles can be a bit of a full time job.

foraging for the calories to fuel that is a bit of a full time job.

getting both done could be a lot of work, I'ld personally consider the need to be purchasing and carrying the food just in case, and have this as a contingency plan

Alex

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I'd have thought walking 15-20 miles a day with two day break OK after a few weeks.

You're young and your body will soon get used to it. Its only when you start doing too much, too soon your body will complain.

I'd not be too bothered about taking nurofen. You might just end up masking over minor problems which may then become big ones.

Foraging takes too much time and effort. I walked the Coast to Coast with my English friend when I was over in summer.
We didn't bother carry anything other you intend to (oatcakes etc.,) I think you call trail food. Why waste effort carrying extra food to the next shop if you don't need to? I can't see the need to count calories either,although other people may like to. You will eat more when you are hungry and your body will crave what it needs anyway. I always loose a few pounds or more start of every hunting season when I spend more time out trapping and hunting. They soon come back though

I'm slightly older than you (65 and I easily managed 15 to 22 miles a day and carrying some stuff in a rucksack up and down all those hills.

Have fun.

Wadji.

 

[FKeate]

Hi guys, sorry I havent been online for a couple of days (bit hectic at work at the moment).

Some great advice here, thanks to everyone, I will try and write a slightly longer post in a couple of days and include a kit list, and maybe a more in depth route plan but for now it's back to work time.

Thanks again all.

 

[FKeate]

Hey guys and gilrs. So, a little update.

Route
from Malmo north east to Vimmerby, then up to Stockholm. North along the coast from Stockholm to Umea. From Umea north West to Tarnaby where I will join the kings trail up to Kiruna. (if anyone has walked any of this please let me know!)

And a Kit List; this all fits into my bag (Karrimor Sabre 45 with 10 litre side pockets) fairly nicely weighing about 11kg. Adding about 5kg for food and water total pack weight should be around 16kg.


Shelter/Sleeping
Foam camping mat
North face Kilo Bag
North Face tadpole 23

Cooking
Swedish army cook pot
Pocket rocket stove
Hobo tool
Mug
Fishing rod

Fire
Firesteel
Disposable bic lighters X3
Cotton wool balls/Vaseline
Windproof matches

Clothing
Hi Tec Boots
Swedish army thermal top X2
Rohan trousers
Tracksuit bottoms
Long sleeve cotton t shirt
Karrimor jacket
Karrimor fleece
Norgy hat
Socks X4

Cutting
GB Outdoor axe
Mora MG heavy duty companion
Mora stainless steel knife
Mora crook knife
Bahco Laplander
Leatherman
Fallkniven DC4 whetstone

Hygiene
First aid kit
Trek towel
Sawyer mini filter
Iodine pills

Electronics
IPhone
Powermonkey Extreme
Maglite
Petzl head torch
Kindle
IPod

Misc.
Paracord
Sewing kit
Notepad/pencil

Any suggestions for additions/things to get rid off?

I've added brand names simply to give you a clearer idea not affiliated with anyone etcetc (I'll let you know if I do get some sponsorship haha)

 

[The Cumbrian]

I would ditch the heavy duty knife (you're taking GB Outdoor Axe) and the crook knife. Swap the tracksuit bottoms for base layer bottoms, or the 1980s British climbers favourite, a pair of Ron Hills. I'd add a short length, lightweight Thermarest type mat too; it'll add a lot to your comfort, especially if you're able to use the shelters.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[ateallthepies]

I would have suggested ditching the Leatherman, stainless Mora and Iodine. I prefer Chlorine Dioxide, zero taste! I don't see any underpants mentioned, get a pair that chafes and your in trouble!

Make sure the mug is metal otherwise it's useful just as a drinking vessel(and pee pot if you can't get out the tent!!!)

I never took a drinking bladder on my trip and used an Osprey bottle instead, something I regret as bladders are so easy to use.

Lastly take some Gaffa tape and super glue!