Highlights:
1. Finishing Why Buddhism is True—yes, it took a hike to figure that one out.
2. Hiking a ridgeline at sunset—dangerously beautiful, like a bad idea in a pretty dress.
3. Watching Messi’s free kick, courtesy of some sweet cell service.
Daily Summary:
• Distance hiked: 43 km
• Starting point: km 3359
• Ending point: km 3402, close to Mt. Fork Piedra junction
• Weather conditions: Sunny
Daily reflections:
Okay, picture this: I wake up feeling like a human popsicle. The kind that you take out of the freezer and think, Well, this one’s a goner. Seriously, it was that cold. My fingers were frozen, and I was basically the walking definition of misery. Note to self—use gloves in the morning, genius. So, I spent the first hour hiking just trying to thaw out my hands. It was either that or let them turn into little ice cubes.
Later on, I met up with Blanket (a familiar face now). Gave him one of my protein bars since, you know, I did eat his bagels yesterday. We had a little chat where he asked, “How’s hiking in Sweden?” I went with the honest answer: “Easy.” I mean, compared to this high-altitude circus, Kungsleden feels like a casual stroll in a park.
Blanket mentioned we’d be tackling a ridge later in the day. Cue the mental circus: half excitement, half panic. I spent the whole day imagining how this could go—epic views or epic disaster. Spoiler alert: it was both epic and safe. I mean, the views were the kind you see in adventure movies where the hero stands dramatically on the edge. But I also spent a good chunk of it staring down thinking, Don’t trip, don’t trip, don’t trip.
Now, speaking of things I can’t ignore—today was the first day I realized just how horrendous my socks smell. Like, these things could probably walk off on their own. Awful. Good news is, in two days, I’ll be clean again. Two days, folks—hold on tight.
On the bright side, I found some stellar cell service right when I needed it most. I had a nice chat with Wild Flower and managed to catch Messi’s latest game. His free kick was perfection, as usual. It’s kind of surreal watching soccer highlights while standing in the middle of nowhere, but hey, technology.
Now, the focus is staying warm. Can’t have another popsicle situation tomorrow. Natti.
