Back to Back Episode 1 is Up on Youtube

Just a quick announcement that Ross from the Wood Trekker blog and I have put up the first episode of what will hopefully be a series on wilderness backpacking called Back to Back.  I have to say the title is growing on me, being a good shorthand for "from one backpacker to another."  The first video is more if an introduction and setting up the format and first topic, and Part 2 and 3 are our in depth discussions related to the first topic.

Here is Part 1 of the episode, my video setting things up.

And here is Part 2, Ross' video.

And here is Part 3, my response.

Keep an eye out on my Youtube channel in the future for more episodes of Back to Back if you are interested.  I am glad we got the ball rolling, and I think it will be great to be able to bounce ideas and learn from Ross and hopefully other backpackers as well.  I have to say, I am excited about the prospect of this project continuing on and maybe expanding, and have really enjoyed collaborating with Ross.

That's about it.  Just wanted try and get the word out some.  As always, feedback and questions are welcome and encouraged.

Swedish Warp Zone: The Beauty of Flugsvamp Mushrooms

This post will be short and sweet.  I was looking over the pictures from my last section hike and noticed there were a lot of pictures of mushrooms that I didn't include in my trip report.  I liked the way some of them came out, so figured I would do a whole post just devoted to these pictures.  The granola bar in some of the pictures is for size reference.  Seeing all these mushrooms out there had me humming the Super Mario Brothers theme song quite a lot on my trip.  For those of you that didn't ever play SMB on NES, this is what I am talking about:

Cesar's Guide to the E1 Trails in Sweden: Bergslagsleden Part 1

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This is Part 1 of my 6 part series of trail guides for Bergslagsleden.  Please read my introduction and epilogue to this trail here if you haven't done so yet.  This entire trail is also a part of the E1 trail system, and you can read more about that in my E1 trail guides here.  Please keep in mind it is still a work in progress.  And you can find the official trail website here if you haven't already.

This report covers the last stage of Västra Vätterleden hiking northbound, which leads directly to the southern starting point of Bergslagsleden, as well as the first three stages of the trail (17-15).  I include the last stage of Västra Vätterleden for pragmatic reasons as a section hiker, which has mostly to do with public transportation, using the lakeside town of Karlsborg as a start/endpoint.  Stage 15 ends close to the town of Laxå.

However if you are a thru-hiker and need to stock up on supplies, want/need a hostel or hotel, craving a good cup of coffee and/or a warm meal, or just want to do some sight-seeing, I recommend paying Karlsborg a visit.  There are regular buses that connect to the village of Forsvik (where the E1 continues), and also to the city of Skövde where there is a train station for further connections.

Hiking southbound on the E1 the next trail is the northern half of Västra Vätterleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 2 (Forsvik) to Stage 4 (Hjo) here.  Hiking northbound the E1 continues on the Bergslagsleden, and you can check out my guide from Stage 14 (Laxå) to Stage 12 (Leken) here.

Now on with the show!