Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 15

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This post covers Stage 15, Kaserna-Metsjö, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 16.


If you have not already read the introduction to this trail guide, you can check it out by clicking here.  It has a list of reports on other sections I have hiked plus other important/useful background information in general--so please read the introduction first before reading my reports.
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*   Another gem of a hike, though it is a longer stage at 17.5km.  You can take your time in this section if you wish, however, as there are many trail shelters--one of which is a mini-cabin which is fully enclosed and even has a small wood stove.  Have your water bottles and purification system (if you have one, some bold people drink water raw) handy, as you can fill up conveniently at many places on this lengthy stretch of trail.  I have found that the running water from springs/streams is colder and tastes better than lake or big river water.

Speaking of springs and streams, I lost count of all the little babbling water sources on the first part of the stage as you follow along Munkedalsälven.  There is also a decent shelter on the riverbank, where I stopped to have some dinner. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 16

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This post covers Stage 16, Harska-Kaserna, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on two sections before this one (going southbound), Stages 18 and 17.


If you have not already read the introduction to this trail guide, you can check it out by clicking here.  It has a list of reports on other sections I have hiked plus other important/useful background information in general--so please read the introduction first before reading my reports.

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*   If you follow my advice and skip over Stages 17 and 18 to the north, you are really not going to miss much.  This stage, however, is jam packed with lots of stunning eye candy and interesting features that you definitely don't want to miss it.  

I am usually pretty bad about taking lots of pictures--I am no photographer--as you probably could tell with not as many pictures included in the first sections I wrote trip reports for on this trail, if you have been keeping up with my guide as a whole.  So taking more pictures of the trail and nature has been a goal of mine.  Stage 16 made it all too easy for me to accomplish this goal, and I found myself constantly taking out my camera--though good weather also contributed to this as well.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 18 and 17

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This post covers both Stage 18, Lunden-Svarteborg, and Stage 17, Svarteborg-Harska, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 19.


If you have not already read the introduction to this trail guide, you can check it out by clicking here.  It has a list of reports on other sections I have hiked plus other important/useful background information in general--so please read the introduction first before reading my reports.

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*   These two sections are not exactly the best or most exciting part of Bohusleden, so my first piece of advice would be to just skip these stages altogether unless you are a hardcore thru-hiker that has the need to cover each and every part of a given trail.  Both of these sections are almost entirely on either paved or dirt roads, and these are not really isolated logging roads, but meant for locals to get around by car.  If you do hike these stages, it should go without saying to be careful, as there will be cars driving by you.  It is also a fairly long section, with a combined total of 23km.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Section Hike and Bivy Modification Updates

I recently completed a two and a half day section hike on Bohusleden and will soon write trip reports/trail guides to six full sections of the trail.  The trip was originally planned as a five day trip, but when I called to say goodnight to my children and check up with my wife on news back home, I was unfortunately given some rather bad news that forced me to cut my trip short.  

A couple that my wife and I are good friends with, and that our kids are also friends with their kids, had to rush to the hospital with one of their children in a serious life-or-death medical situation.  The next morning I packed up my gear and then hitchhiked my way to the nearest train station so that my family and I could visit our friends in the hospital.  The child has been stabilized and seems to be on the road to recovery, thankfully, by the time we got to see her and her mother.  I was glad to coincidentally have been close to the end of a section of trail that also ended directly next to a highway, and didn't even think twice about getting back to be there in a time of need.

Yet before all this drama, I was able to document a solid portion of the trail on my quest to complete a full companion trail guide.