An unforgettable adventure with High Coast Hike

Reaching the goal on High Coast Hike together with new friends after 3 days of hiking in Skuleskogen National Park

High Coast Hike has without a doubt been the most challenging adventure on our project The Nordic Journey! Michelle and I didn't grow up in a home with scout blood running through our vains and we have never really been hiking nor camping. We are both somewhat of hygiene freaks and we need our daily showers and clean clothes every morning. So life as outdoor people were something of a challenge - but the best kind!

The 3-days and 40km long hiking event took place in the World Heritage site High Coast in Sweden with the trail leading us over majestic coastal mountains, into the deep forests and along the shimmering coastline. Each day approximately 13km had to be traversed before reaching the next campsite. At the beginning of the hike at Friluftsbyn, the organisers provided all the hikers with food (7 meals), cooking fuel and a map of the area. All other equipments were brought by oneself and therefore it is entirely up to you how much you want to carry around. We managed to squeeze the weight down to 12-13kg which suited us fine. However, we learned from this trip that it is possible to shed a few grams here and there. We will try that next time!

Jerry Engström is the founder of High Coast Hike. The event saw the day of light back in 2013 and has since then conquered a special place in many of the participants hearts. People happily return and we understand why! Jerry and co. know how to create a safe and warm atmosphere where you quickly feel like a part of the entire community. You are met with smiles, high-fives and hugs and the High Coast Hike-family is genuinely interested in you and your experience. The four days we spent on this folk festival has been incredible enriching for us on so many levels. We can safely say that this is not the last time we will be participating. We met so many nice and passionated outdoor people whos path we hope to cross one day again in the future - perhaps at another round of High Coast Hike? ;)

Intro | Day 1 | Day 2+3

Useful Information

// Learn more about High Coast Hike and the community of Friluftsbyn at their official websites
// Also check out the official website for Skuleskogen National Park)

Discover Søhøjlandet: Hiking preparation in Søhøjlandet (The Lake-highland)

Jeg lever stadig højt på vores lille lørdagsudflugt i Søhøjlandet, hvor vi hikede 14km med fuld oppakning som forberedelse til vores kommende 3-dages High Coast Hike eventyr i Sverige. Det var simpelthen så befriende at tilbringe hele dagen udenfor i de flotteste naturomgivelser og så var vejret vildt fantastisk med 30 graders solskin. Tidlig morgen tog vi toget fra Aarhus til Svejbæk, hvor vi skulle krydse åen mellem Brassø og Julsø før vandrestøvlerne for alvor kunne blive taget i brug. Fra Ålekroen i Svejbæk blev vi samlet op af Solfærgen, som adminstreres af Skyttehusets Camping beliggende på den modsatte side af åen. Vi gav dem bare et hurtigt opkald og få minutter efter, var vi videre og klar til dagens udfordring. Hvad vi havde forventet ville være en 4 timers lørdagstur blev pludselig en heldagsaktivitet. Ja, det er hvad der sker, når tre foto-enthusiaster slår sig løs i et sådant smukt og fotogent miljø. Ikke af det gjorde noget, tværtimod - men det har da givet os lidt stof til efter tanke om, hvorledes vi skal holde os til fotografering under hiken i Sverige.

We spent the previous weekend hiking 14km in the Danish Søhøjlandet as part of our preparation for our 3-days High Coast Hike in Sweden. In the early morning, we took a train from Aarhus to Svejbæk from where we had to cross the lake before we could start our hike. Skyttehusets Camping offers to take you over the narrow lake with the Solar Ferry for 4 euro. We called them as we stood at Ålekroen (Svejbæk) on the other side of the bank and asked if they could pick us up. A few minutes later we had crossed the lake and was well on our way to start our hike. What we had anticipated to be no more than a four hours trip ended up taking twice as long. I guess that is what happens when you gather three photo enthusiasts and place them in a photogenic enviroment. That is the power of photo-geeking for you!

Selv har vi haft herligheden af at vokse op i hjertet af Søhøjlandet, så vi er godt bekendt med områdets unikke bakkede landskab, flotte skove og mange søer. Som børn besøgte vi hver sommer Himmelbjerget sammen med SFO'en og vi har tilbragt mange sommerdage i FDF Friluftscenter Sletten, som vi også passerede på denne tur. Til dem af jer der ikke kender til Søhøjlandet, så byder dette unikke natureområde på Danmarks længste flod (Gudenåen, 160km), Jyllands største sø (Mossø) og Danmarks højeste punkt (Møllehøj, 171m) - så der er masser af grunde til at se forbi ;)

Søhøjlandet (Eng: The Lake-Highland) is a unique natural area found between the cities Silkeborg, Hammel, Aarhus and Horsens. The scenery is dazzling with its hilly landscape, forests and lakes not found elsewhere in Denmark. For instance, this region is home to Denmark’s longest river (the Gudenå, 160km long), Jutland’s biggest lake (Mossø) and Denmark’s highest point (Møllehøj, 171m) - so there is plenty of reasons to swing by and be mesmerized. We grew up here in the heart of it all and knew it would serve as the perfect place for us to practise.

Sheena har tidligere hiket f.eks. Gunung Rinjani i Indonesien, Mount Kinabaulu i Malaysia og Emei Shan i Kina, men jeg må erklære mig selv en fuldblodet hiking-jomfru. Jeg har aldrig båret på noget større end min almindelig rygsæk og har kun fornyelig erhvervet mig et par vandrestøvler og en 55L backpack. Jeg er bare så velforberedt til High Coast Hike (sarkasme)! Det skal ikke være nogen hemmelighed, at lørdagsturen i Søhøjlandet drænede mig for energi. Skuldrene og hofteknoglerne var ømme - for ikke at tale om fodsålerne, men humøret var højt bagefter og vi begge ser frem til de svenske strabadser med stor optimisme. We are ready!

Sheena has previously been hiking e.g. Gunung Rinjani in Indonesia, Mount Kinabaulu in Malaysia and Emei Shan in China, but I must declare myself a fullblooded hiking virgin. This was truly a first timer for me. Never had I hiked with a fully packed 10 kg backpack before nor owned a pair of hiking boots. I bought my hiking boots just a couple of days before this hike, so you can imagine how well prepaired I am for the Swedish hiking adventure - haha. I wont lie. The Saturday in Søhøjlandet completely drained my energi deposits, but we left the place in high spirit and both of us are looking forward to the Swedish hiking challenge with great optimism. We are ready!

Discover Søhøjlandet: A summer visit to Himmelbjerget ("The Sky Mountain")

For mange kommer det næppe som en overraskelse, at der ikke er bjerge i Danmark. Vi har bakker og i særdeleshed i Søhøjlandet, hvor nogle af Danmarks højeste punkter også findes. Med sine 147 m over havoverfladen er Himmelbjerget ét af dem. Jeg synes, at det er lidt komisk og samtidig ganske sødt, at sådan en lille bakketop har fået sig selv så storslået et navn. Derfor er jeg også overbevist om, at udenlandske turister finder det klask-på-låret morsomt, når de hører dét. Tilgengæld kan man ikke sætte en finger på den omkringliggende natur med sine smukke bøgeskove, bakkedrag, dale og søer. Jeg siger jer, Søhøjlandet er virkelig flot.

This may come as a surprise for some people but we don't have mountains in Denmark. The country is relatively flat but we got hills. In particular, we got hills in Søhøjlandet (The Lake-Highland, an area located in East Jutland) where some of the highest points of Denmark can be found. With its 147 m (482 ft) above sea level, Himmelbjerget (The Sky Mountain) is one of them. It is hilarious yet sweet that such a small hill can have such a glorious name. I am convienced that foreigers will have themselves a good laugh when they hear the name of our "mountain". However, you can not take away how beautiful the surrounding nature is and that is truely what makes the experience at the top of Himmelbjerget so special.

Som forberedelse til vores kommende 3-dages High Coast Hike i Sverige var vi ude at hike 14 km med fuld oppakning i de skønne omgivelser i Søhøjlandet. Vi overvejede længe hvilken rute, vi skulle vælge, da der findes utallige af dem. Efter at have studeret kort og anbefalinger faldt valget til sidst på strækningen fra Svejbæk til Ry med et passende stop midtvejs ved Himmelbjerget. Som børn besøgte vi ofte Himmelbjerget om sommeren og vi har begge gode minder derfra. Det er dog efterhånden nogle år siden, vi sidst har slået vejen forbi, så et gensyn var oplagt. Vores ven Terry tog med os på tur og da han aldrig havde besøgt Himmelbjerget før, så glædede vi os til at vise ham ét af Danmarks mest populære udflugtsmål.

We spent the weekend hiking 14km in the Danish Søhøjlandet as part of our preparation for our 3-days High Coast Hike in Sweden. There are plenty of trails to hike in Søhøjlandet and after looking at maps and various routes, we decided to hike from Svejbæk to Ry with Himmelbjerget as a passing point. Our friend Terry tagged a long. He had never visited Himmelbjerget before so we were happy to show him one of Denmark's most popular places for an outing.

Efter at have vandret de første 7 km ankom vi til Hotel Julsø, hvor starten på de 1.2 km mod toppen af "bjerget" ventede os. Strækningen indtil nu havde været forholdsvis flad og på ingen måder anstrengende. Vi holdt en kort is-pause og satte os på trappen med udsigt over Julsø, hvor vi så andre besøgende komme sejlende med Hjejlebådene. Der er noget ufatteligt charmerende over de gamle Hjejlebåde, der sejler mellem byerne Silkeborg og Ry. De emmer af rå hygge og afslapning. En tur med en af bådene vil uden tvivl give én en fantastisk naturoplevelse på søerne. I dag var det dog benene og rugbrødsmaskinen, der skulle trænes - så det var ikke noget med at springe over, hvor gærdet var lavest og blive transporteret til måls. Måske en sejltur byder sig senere på sommeren, lets hope :)

After walking the first 7 km we arrived at Hotel Julsø where the final 1.2 km towards the top of the "mountain" starts. The stretch until now had been relatively flat and in no ways strenuous. We allowed ourselves a short ice cream break, sat down on the stairs overlooking Julesø and watched as other visitors arrived with the famous boats Hjejlebådene. There is something incredibly charming and relaxing about these old boats which sail between the cities Silkeborg and Ry. A ride on one of the them will no doubt give one a great nature experience on the lakes. Today, however, it was a day of training them rye bread leg muscles - so no cutting corners and taking the easy way to the finish line. Perhaps we will jump on a boat later in the summer, let's hope so :)

Den sidste kilometer op til toppen var lidt hård. Godt nok var vi ikke ude i at bestige et bjerg men på en sommerdag, hvor temperaturen alligevel havde sneget sig op på hele 30 grader (vanvittigt!), så gav det godt nok sved på panden. Anstrengelserne var omend det hele værd. Den danske sommer har bestemt ikke været god ved os før end i sidste uge, og man kan kun prise sig lykkelig over weekendens prangende vejr, nu hvor efterårslignende tilstande igen hersker over os. På toppen plantede vi os på selveste Himmelbjergtårnet. De hjemmebragte madder blev nydt med stor fornøjelse alt i mens vi betragtede den flotte udsigt over Julesø, grinede af de runde turister og smilte tilbage til den smilende sol. Endnu 7 km tilbage - forude ventede anden etape af dagens vandretur.

The last stretch to the top proved to be a little hard despite the fact we weren't climbing a real mountain. The baking sun made our skin glister of sweat drops, however, our effort was well worth the climb. Up until last week, the Danish summer weather hasn't been kind to us when suddenly the temperature skyrocketed to 30 degrees! Unfortunately, this week it's back to the same cold, windy and shitty weather we've been dealing with forever. We were incredible thankful for the amazing sunshine we recieved on the day of our hike. On the top of Himmelbjerget, we found ourselves a quiet spot at the foot of Himmelbjergtårnet (the red brick tower). Here we enjoyed our packed lunch while admiring the panoramic view over the lake Julsø, laughed at tourists and smiled back at the glowing sun. Still 7 km a head - the last leg of our hiking trip awaited us.

A Sea of Icicles in the Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave

Af alle ting vi oplevede på Island, var vores besøg i Raufarhólshellir lavagrotten for mig den største oplevelse. Aldrig i mit liv har jeg følt mig mere som en globetrot end i det øjeblik, vi kiggede ned i grottens mørke indgang og besluttede os for at kravle ned og udforske stedet. Det skal siges, at vi var lidt tøvende i starten. Indgangen bød på en kæmpe snebunke belagt med en skorpe af glistrende is. Skulle vi rutsje ned? Ville vi kunne komme op igen? Var det sikkert for os at vandre rundt dernede uden hjelm? Og ville vi ende med at skøjte rundt som hovedløse kyllinger på det glatte isbelagte gulv? Snakken gik i et par minutter inden Lets do it! attituden vandt diskussionen. Andre turister havde trods alt gjort det på egen hånd, så hvorfor skulle vi ikke kunne gøre det samme. Sara og jeg hoppede i regnbukserne, spændte pandelamperne på og tog rutsjeturen ned i grotten.

Of all the things we experienced in Iceland, our visit to the Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave was for me the highlight of the trip. Never in my life have I felt more like a globetrot than in that second we looked down the deep dark entrance of the cave and decided to venture down. I must admit we were, at first, quite hesistant. To get inside the cave we had to slide ourselves down an ice-slippery path. Should we do it? Could we get up again? Would it be safe to explore without a helmet? And would the slippery cave floor make us skate around like headless chickens? The discussion went on for a few minutes before our Let's do it! attitude took the victory. Other tourists had done it before us and on their own hand, so why shouldn't we be able to do the same. Sara and I jumped into our rain trousers, tightened our head lamps and slided ourselves down into the cave.

Raufarhólshellir lavagrotten er godt en halv times kørsel væk fra Reykjavík og er beliggende sydvest fra Hveragerði ved "Road 39". Den er med sine 1360 m lange tunnel Islands trejde største. Det menes, at grotten blev dannet for flere tusinde år siden, efter at underjordiske lavastrømninger er opstået og uddøde. Vi fik kun set en meget lille brøkdel af grotten, men det var alligevel nok til at blow-my-mind! Allerede fra første sekund hang min kæbe af ren forbløffelse. Langs de første 100 meter af tunnelen findes der fire åbninger ned til hulen, hvor den tættest på vejen er hovedindgangen. Bjerge af sne havde vokset sig høje under disse åbninger og det gav grotten en fantastisk dybde og dimension. Vi skøjtede lige så forsigtig fremad og længere ind i grotten, mens Sheena fulgte med fra jordens overflade - hun var vores safety guard, hvis noget skulle gå galt.

The Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave is a 30 minutes drive away from Reykjavík and is located Southwest of Hveragerði off Road 39. With its 1360 m long tunnel, the cave is Island's third largest of its kind. It is estimated that the cave was formed several thousand years ago after underground lava streams emerged and later ceased. We only got to explore a minor fraction of the cave but it was still enough to blow-my-mind! From the very first sight my jaw dropped open. Four openings down to the cave can be seen in the first 100 meters with the one nearest to the road being the main entrance. Mountains of snow had grown tall under these openings. It added an extra amazing depth and dimension to the already impressive cave. We slowly skated forward and further into the cave, while Sheena followed our moves from the surface of Earth - she was our safety guard in case of an emergency.

Små 100 meter inde kom belønningen for vores eventyrlyst. Der foran os voksede de flotteste istapper fra gulvet og op, og dette fantastiske isformation syntes at fortsætte længere ind i grottens mørke tunnel (man kan fortsætte ind i tunnelen, men det er på eget ansvar!). Jeg har aldrig set noget lignende, så for mig var det noget ganske specielt. Jeg ved ikke med jer, men nogle gange forbløffer naturen mig på en måde, hvor jeg bare har lyst til at plante min røv et solidt sted, så jeg kan sidde og betragte den i flere timer. Så UTROLIGT fascinerende! Sheena, der i mellemtiden havde ventet på os oppe på jordens overflade, gik glip af hele oplevelsen nede i lavagrotten. Som et plaster på såret, moslede Sara og jeg en allerede afbrækket istap med op til overfladen, så hun også kunne nyde bare lidt af synet. I det øjeblik følte jeg mig lidt som en skattejæger, der stolt bar rundt på jordens største diamant for nu at kunne fremvise et bevis på vores eventyrlige triumf.

Our adventure lust was rewarded with a spectacular sight just 100 meters inside the cave. An ocean of upward growing icicles stood right in front of us and the incredible iceformation seemed to continue further down the dark tunnel of the cave (you can go further down the tunnel but it's at your own risk!). I have never seen anything like this before so of course this was something special to me. I don't know bout you but sometimes nature really astonish me. Like astonish me in a way where I feel like planting my ass in the ground so I can just sit there and admire its beauty for hours on end. So UNBELIEVABLE fascinating! Unfortunately, Sheena didn't get the chance to share this experience with us. When Sara and I emerged from the depth of the cave, we brought back this icicle with us. We wanted to show it to her, so she could feel part of the adventure too. At that moment I almost felt like a treasure hunter, carrying the biggest diamond in the world and proudly showcasing it as a proof of our succesful adventure time!