Sweden’s Kungsleden hiking trail

The summer before the pandemic hit, I was able to spend two weeks hiking along the King’s Trail (Kungsleden) in northern Sweden. From Kiruna above the Arctic Circle, I took a bus to Abisko and started walking south. As it was summer, one didn’t have to worry about it getting dark too early or having to start in the dark to get the miles in as I did along the Appalachian trail in Maine in late September.

Another advantageous feature of the Kungsleden is that you can pretty much camp where you like (or splurge on a bunk in one of the many mountain huts called fjallstube). And withe the exception of one glacier fed stream with bright blue water, I was told I could drink from streams as I wished without treating the water for contaminants.

I completed about 60% before having to leaving to catch a flight. Much of that was above the tree line and the scenery was epic. Once in a while a reindeer herd would pass by. Towards the end of my trip, I passed through some wooded sections and took even more notice of what grew on the ground such as very edible blueberries. And the smaller plant life such as in this photo.