Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 19

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This post covers Stage 19, Vaktarekullen-Lunden, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Section 20.

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 the section before this (stage 20) was a trail of many bridges, this section is a trail of many planks--some good, some bad, and some that are somewhat dangerous, as I will explain more about shortly.  This is also another stage that pretty much guarantees you will be hiking with wet or soaked shoes and feet, as water is once again a central feature.  

In this stage rather than crossing rivers and lakes, it is mostly crossing marshes and streams.  There is a variety in the nature here that should surprise even veteran hikers, as I was pleasantly surprised by some of the beautiful wetland landscape that is a contrast to the hills and cliffs of other sections.  There are also some unique landmarks on the trail that, in addition to the natural beauty, make for quite a memorable hike.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 20

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This post covers Stage 20, Holmen-Vaktarekullen, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 21.

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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*  Make sure you are well rested and ready for a long and beautiful section of trail that has many changes in elevation along the way, ending on top of a small mountain.  In addition to the many climbs up and down, a central feature of this area is water and bridges.  I lost count of the number of bridges I crossed, and each seemed to have its own unique flair.

I will have to respectfully disagree with the official guide in classifying this section as "easy" regarding the degree of difficulty.  I am not entirely sure how they measure how difficult a section of trail is, but I would consider this stretch moderately difficult because of three factors.  One is that it is a fairly long section of 17.5km, and another is that as mentioned there are lots of changes in elevation that have you hiking up and down on many occasions.  And last is the fact that many parts of this section are either wet or prone to be wet/flood, which means a nearly certain chance that hiking through here will leave you with soaked feet.  

The section is well marked and there are not really any overt hazards, which is why I think it is considered "easy," but for someone doing a thru or section hike, completing this section I'd say is more than an easy challenge.

Because this happens to be one of my favorite sections of the trail, I took more pictures than usual, so let's get down to them :)

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 21

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This post covers Stage 21, Daletjärnen-Holmen, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 22.

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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**Update 10/08/2016: Recently I went on a hiking/packrafting trip through a few sections of this trail again, and noticed that some trail markers and even whole shelters were missing.  Then I saw the following sign:

So make sure to plan accordingly.  A shame the landowner is messing things up a bit for us backpackers--but then again maybe they had a good reason, who knows?  There are shelters both to the north and south of this stage anyhow, plus some good spots to pitch shelter near the scenic rivers and lakes.

**So note that the shelters pictured below are no longer there, but I will keep the pictures up for historical purposes I guess.  End of update! 

*  I completed this section with my buddy Chris and his dog Chico back in April.  We did a loop of the area going off trail the first day, and the next day went northbound on the trail.  It is a somewhat short section at about 10km, but you will get a good work out from the elevation, as a lot of this section of trail is up on ridges of hills and cliffs.  Makes for some great views, and your feet should probably stay dry with normal conditions.

Even though we went northbound, I will write from a southbound perspective in order to keep the continuity from the previous sections.  Also big thanks to Chris for taking many of the pictures below and uploading them for me! :)

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 22

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This post covers Stage 22, Nornäs-Daletjärnen, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 23.

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.

Update 17/04/2017: If you are interested in doing a loop that connects with Bohusleden at Nornäs that goes into two national parks and the small town of Ed (good for resupply), please check out my guide on The Ed Loop here.  I came up with the loop myself, and I think it's a great hike!

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*  At only around 9km, and with mostly easier terrain for hiking, Stage 22 goes by pretty quickly.  It only took me two hours to hike the whole thing, but for the record it was in the evening as the sun was low, so I was going at a steady medium pace with no breaks.  Things start off nice and easy next to the big lake Mellan Kornsjön, and as I also mentioned on my report on Stage 23, there is an unmarked and good shelter on the northern tip of the lake right next to the trail.

After leaving a gravel road and going back into woods trail there are a few more smaller lakes, which makes this stage yet another section where you don't have to worry much about water.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 23

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This post covers Stage 23, Vassbotten-Nornäs, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 24.

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.

Update 17/04/2017: If you are interested in doing a loop that connects with Bohusleden at Nornäs that goes into two national parks and the small town of Ed (good for resupply), please check out my guide on The Ed Loop here.  I came up with the loop myself, and I think it's a great hike!
 

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*  If you enjoy a challenging hike though terrain that is more raw and isolated, then this is the stage for you.  There are long parts of very swampy trail, and it is pretty certain that your feet will be soaked--there is even a good chance you will be ankle or shin deep in water/bog/mud. Of course with swampy terrain during certain parts of the year (i.e. summer), also comes bugs... lots of bugs.  Bugs of many different varieties, several of which will try (and often succeed) to bite and sting you; such as horseflies, mosquitoes, midges, flying ants, wasps, etc.  If you are there during bug season, break out the head net and/or bug spray/oil.

The rewards of going through this stage perhaps not everyone can appreciate or feel are worth it.  So if you don't like long walks through swampy and/or rough terrain, you might want to consider skipping this stage.  You can walk around using roads, or perhaps hitchhike--though be careful doing either for obvious reasons.

But if you are like me, that likes to take on a project head on, and does not like to skip much of the trail, you will soldier on.  And there are unique rewards to those that endure these kinds of hikes.  There are moments of eerie beauty in this stage that made it worth it for me.  For example, climbing to the top of a rocky cliff in the middle of the swamp overlooking a small, still lake.  It was a lonely, alien, oddly stunning view with water lilies and tufts of swamp cotton and silence that will stick with me forever.