Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 10

---------- 

This post covers Stage 10, Hasteröd-Lysevatten, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (hiking southbound), Stage 11.

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.

----------

* This is an easy, straight forward, and pretty section of trail.  I am again at odds with the official trial guide, which gives this an orange "average" difficulty rating; but I found this stage to be quite pleasant hiking, plus there is plenty of water sources, and one shelter on the trail and another one very soon after the endpoint (both of good quality and location).  This is not to suggest that it is not without challenges, of course, as there are a fair amount of hills to climb up and down and thick plant life to plow through (not to mention lots of bugs if you are here in the summertime), but nothing that was too crazy.  And my feet stayed quite dry, though I again had good luck with sunny weather. 

There is also some confusing information given on the official guide, which states that there is a "natural...virgin forest" in the northern portion (around Gunnarsvattnet lake)--yet much of this area (as you will soon see in the pictures below) has clearly had logging done on it.  Perhaps this is an editor's prank on the part of the official guide?  In spite of a good bit of logging done in the area, there is still plenty of thick woods to hike through, with a lot of both broad-leaf and pine trees.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 11

---------- 

This post covers Stage 11, Vassbovik-Hasteröd, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 12.

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.

----------

*  With long stretches of forests and many different lakes spanning a large area (the trail itself is 18km here), one could spend a few days exploring and enjoying what this quite lovely stage has to offer.  While wood and water ought to be in no short supply, this stage does lack trail shelters.  It does have one official shelter, but it is oddly (especially given how nice this stage is) not of the normally quite good quality that is expected of the typical Swedish Vindskydd.  So get good use out of your own shelter system if you intend on spending the night in this stage, which I suggest you should.

After a quick hike on a dirt road, the trail will pass right next to the first lake (Buvattnet) which can also serve as a great place to take a break, which is what my friend Mehrdad and I did.  We were tempted to take a swim, and it would have been a nice spot to do so, but with so much left to explore we decided to march on.  If you travel here during the summer or fall, keep your eyes peeled for wild mushrooms and berries (provided you know how to properly identify them, of course).  Even on the dirt road we were able to pick a fair amount of wild strawberries, as well as some mushrooms which we threw into one of our meals.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 12

----------

This post covers Stage 12, Glimmingen-Vassbovik, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 13.

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.

----------

*  I have mixed emotions about Stage 12, but overall it is a worthwhile and at many points a great hike.  There were a few things that bothered me about this section, which I will elaborate on below.  I had company on a two day section hike of the trail in July, my friend Mehrdad, who also acts as both model and cameraman at times.

As I wrote about on the previous report, the beginning of this trail going southbound is a great starting point for section hikers like myself; or if you are a thru-hiker a great chance to take a break from the trail to resupply, rent a hotel/BB, buy a nice non-backpacker meal, etc.  Glimmingen has its own bus stop, and we were able to easily catch a bus from the city of Uddevalla, and it only took us 10 minutes or so.  There is some road hiking for a bit, and then some dirt road hiking.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 13

----------

This post covers Stage 13, Bovik-Glimmingen, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 14.

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.

----------

*   This section of trail offers a mix of nature and modernity, as paths weave over, around, and through parts of the small city Uddevalla.  The trail even goes past two bus stops, making it easier/faster (with a little planning, check out the public transportation here) to get in and out of the city center if so desired.  It is not a particularly spectacular portion of trail, but it is not boring either--there are some patches of pleasant hiking and the beautiful lake Köperödssjön, that also has the one and only official trail shelter in this stage (and it's a pretty nice one).  Around the lake are some very nice views as the trail wraps around the hills that surround it.

Cesar's Guide to Bohusleden: Stage 14

---------- 

This post covers Stage 14, Metsjö-Bovik, of the official guide to the trail.

You can also check out my report on the section before this one (going southbound), Stage 15.

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.

----------

*   This stage begins at a crossroads of backwoods/lumber dirt roads, and returning to the woods passes several lakes and streams before skirting close to civilization.  It is a very scenic portion of trail with many cute little details that I really enjoyed, and was again happy with my luck of good weather to capture some of the beauty on camera.  Stage 14 has many areas that I felt were really begging me to stay, and while I did make sure to take many breaks to enjoy things, alas a father, husband, and grad student only gets precious few days to spend out there.  Needless to say, this is a stage that I will surely return to with friends and family, especially because it is conveniently located close to a small city where one can take advantage of pubic transportation.