Besseggen hike is one of the most popular mountain hikes in Norway, and the most beautiful trail in Jotunheimen National Park. Besseggen Ridge has been listed as one of the top 20 best hikes in the world by National Geographic. To hike the scenic Besseggen trail and see the panoramic view over the mountainous Norway, you just have to climb up to 1743 m.a.s.l. with 1,200 meters of elevation gain.
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Solo Backpacking
The mysterious Tarfala valley in northern Sweden is hidden in the armpit of several 2,000 m high mountain peaks. At the bottom of the valley glitters the turquoise Lake Tarfalajaure (Darfáljávri), the mountains are covered by some of the largest glaciers of Sweden. The rugged and barren Tarfala is one of the most beautiful valleys of the Kebnekaise mountain massif area.
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Snowshoes, crown snow scenery, and my first winter hike solo. Everything in the sentence screams: exciting!
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Sarek National Park is located in Swedish Lapland, in Jokkmokk Municipality. The ruggedly beautiful Sarek is the oldest national park in Europe, and it is often called the last great wilderness of the North. Six out of thirteen peaks over 2,000 m are located within the boundaries of the national park, and there are around 100 glaciers. There are no signposted trails or shelters in the park, which together with large river crossings and drastically changing weather conditions make trekking through Sarek a challenge. With its remote location, Sarek is the destination of many off the beaten track trekkers.
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Muotkatunturi wilderness in Northern Lapland is the most wilderness-like area in Finland. The wilderness area is located in Utsjoki and Inari counties. There are around a hundred fells in Muotkatunturi, but the scenery is very open with gentle slopes in the horizon. The highest peak is Kuárvikozzâ (590 m). The area is roadless and there are no signposted trails, but you can find paths to the most popular destinations such as Peltoaivi fell and Lake Peltojärvi. I made a three-nights autumn hiking adventure in Muotkatunturi wilderness in September, right after my adventure in Kevo Strict Nature Reserve. This hike was my first adventure off trails in wilderness, if you don't count the short adventure off trails on my Halti hike. Is Muotkatunturi wilderness suitable for beginners? Read the story and find out!
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Kevo Strict Nature Reserve in Utsjoki is one of the most rugged hiking destinations in Lapland, Finland. In the heart of the nature reserve there's almost a 40 km canyon with River Kevojoki flowing in the middle. You can explore the beautiful nature reserve by hiking either Kuivi ring route or Kevo route. The scenic 63 km Kevo Trail runs through the nature reserve descending several times at the bottom of the canyon and ascending back to the fell highland. There are many ravines and waterfalls of which Fiellu waterfall is the most known. The trails are marked and challenging due to the variation of elevation and river crossings. I made a three-nights hike on the Kevo Trail in September to see the autumn colors.
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Vistas valley (Vistasdalen in Swedish, Vistasvagge in Sami) is a green oasis in high-alpine environment in Swedish Lappland near Kebnekaise. The trail runs between Nikkaluokta and Alesjaure along river Vistasjohka in the wide valley surrounded by mountains. The trail is well-marked all the way. You can also hike the 84 km trail from Nikkaluokta to Abisko through Vistas valley. There’s a mountain cabin, Vistastugan, in the middle of the valley providing facilities, such as accommodation for hikers. The river is popular for paddling trips as well. Sometimes you may spot Scandinavian elks wandering in the valley – I did!
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Halti is the highest fell in Finland with the peak, Háldičohkka, at 1324 m above the sea level. The trail to Halti from Kilpisjärvi, the Nordkalott Trail, is the most popular route to Halti from Finland, but several unmarked routes through wilderness lead to Halti as well. I chose the Nordkalott route on my way to Halti but hiked back to Kilpisjärvi via Termisjärvi, following the Nordkalott Trail to the Kuonjarjoki hut before taking my own path.
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Halti is the highest fell in Finland with the peak, Háldičohkka, at 1324 m above the sea level. It can be summitted from Finland or from Norway as the fell is located at the border between two countries. The trail to Halti from Kilpisjärvi, the Nordkalott Trail, is the most popular route to Halti from Finland.
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It’s usually recommended not to hike solo or go to the wilderness alone. But that doesn't mean you couldn't or shouldn't do it. I always run alone on the trails. I go hiking solo. And I go alone to the mountains and multi-day trekking journeys. Most of the time I don’t want to have company. I like the solitude and the silence, the freedom from distraction, being my own boss, and the boost to my self-esteem when I have managed difficult things all by myself. There are some outdoors sports that I wouldn’t do alone, such as kayaking, especially when going to the sea or for several days of kayak camping. But when I have solid ground under my feet, nothing could stop me from going for an adventure just by myself. It doesn’t matter whether I’m running alone in a forest for an hour or hiking two weeks – soloing has positive impacts on all areas of my life.
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