The stories must be told…

Early morning in end of October 2010, three guys are struggling towards Getvalen in the clear and cold autumn weather. A preparing weekend for an upcoming attempt of reaching the top of Aconcagua. The tent were placed close to the wind shelter. Early in the morning the three guys were up to reach the Norder Tvaraklump. All stories in the mountains need to be told, think after a long day on the mountain and when you get in to the sauna. All histories that are told there are for the most inspiring and interesting. Or when you reach the mountain cabin and lite up the fire in the stove, the heat is coming and you look into the fire. The stories starts appearing by its own as the heat and coffee warms up your body…

(If wall could have speak…If the walls of the sauna at Blahammarens mountains station  could have speak, a lot of interesting stories about the struggling and the adventures of the mountains probably have been told:-) )

Park-Nisse the story of a mountain man. When it comes to stories that need to be told, the story of Park-Nisse must be told. With a background as rack blaster he ended up in Abisko region in 1925, and initial he was hired by the Swedish tourist association. The mission was to maintained the bridges and cabins in the area. The tall, powerful and charming man was a popular and talked about man. Often on his mission he was pulling his own build sledge witch was full loaded with cargo and a weight of about 200kg. This sledge was pulled on a ground that never was level but always uphill. Nisse was also a popular guide at the mountain station of Abisko. Soon he become guard of the park of Abisko. As a park guard the responsible included the control of poaching. And woe them which was discovered by Park-Nisse. Park-Nisse was known as tough against all poachers, but sometimes he was in a good mood as well. One time two Kiruna residents was fishing illegally at Abiskujavri. Of a sudden they heard dogs barking, so they hide their catch in the snow, and put a lump of snow on the top, on which they have pee on. They put their skis on and run a way, but Park-Nisse raced them. He asked them in what case they were out in. And they answered for taking pictures with a camera. Park-Nisse replayed that it was very unusually for Kiruna residents being taking picture in this area. When he has disappeared in the peripheral they turned back for picking the fish, but it was gone. In a birch bark there was a paper note with the text: Ni tog risken, jag tog fisken. (you took the risk, I took the fish) signed by Park-Nisse. His duty was very shifting, building bridges, guiding helping the researcher etc. In a sunny Sunday the 26^th of March 1944 He was skiing with his sledge and his three dogs. He meet Professor Sven Ekman from Uppsala, on his skiis. He said: -Nisse, stop for a while so I can take a picture, it looks so nice in the sunshine. He got his photo, and Park-Nisse did not told him about the transports nature. In the sledge there was lying a corps from a dead tourist from a mountain tour.

A Norwegian and a Swedish matter…

In the border between Sweden and Norway, there are lots of nice tours. The peak of Sylarna is of course one of them. Also Sulitelma is one of them, but also Harjedalen got its own border mountain. The Storviglen is the one I thinking of. A tour to this peak is a long day trip, so you have to start early in the morning. The distance to the peak will be 26 K, but you will be at 1561m at the peak. The approach is 8km and then the hilly part starts, and you now got 10K to the peak(600 height meters). You park the car at the mountain park at the foot of Svansjoklappen. Follow the trail towards the North western tip of the lake Bolagen. Pass the bridge. At the left side you have good places for a bath before you start the climbing towards the peak. From here you follow the summer trail(to the right) marked with the Norwegian tourist associations symbols. The other trail is winter marked with cross, and much more difficult to use during summer. You soon will passes a weathered sign of the national border. Soon the winter and summer trails crosses and you will find a wind shelter av 4,5K after the bridge. Stay at the shelter and get some more power for the peak. Now you just follow the the winter trail 500m and 90 degrees towards the peak, and follow the compass upwards to the peak. It will takes about 30-45 minutes and you reach the peak. If you are lucky you might got the opportunity to se the herd of musk oxen from here. Going back will be the same way, but reverse.

At the end a poem in Swedish…

Den lilla byn I vinternatten drömmer, tyst under himlavalvets stjärneljus. Kung Bore köldvågen kring fjällen tömmer, det knäpper uti timrat boningshus. I månens silver norrskensflammor spraka, högt över byn tycks fjäll i bruddräkt vaka.

Det morgon blir, från ladugårdar stiger snart rök ur skorstenar mot vinterskyn, det sällan är som fjällets stormsus tider och djupa drivor tornas upp i byn. I båsen lugnt små feta fjällkor spisa och riklig mjölktribut de ofta visa.

Gustaf Carlqvist 1920.

See ya soon…

Today I will write my 640th blog. Today it will be about being on the right spot or not. When it comes to navigation it is very important to be on the right spot, but sometimes in life we ask our selves if I am at the right place or not. In a hectic life it seems like we always should have been in another place. For example if you going to the mountains, you in a sudden think that you should have been with your family or at work or something else. In this moment I think the mindfulness can be very useful. Be in the present and enjoying the moment. Be kind to yourself and let you love and enjoy the present moment. Now you are here, so use this time and place for reflection. Because then it will never been bad invested time or? So stop chasing the moments and be in the presence, and you will become a better person, and that is well invested time. So think that you are at the right spot at that moment for just being in the now…

When it comes to workout it has been a good week, even if I got a injure in the back of my thigh. So orienteering and fighting and a lot of gym. It is good to keep up the skills of navigation…

KSLA-podden Avsnitt 17 Enaforsholm v3.mp3 – Google Drive

See ya soon…

We  are in May, and this means we are in between two season. The Winter is over, and the Summer is upcoming. This period is perfect for preparing for the Summer ans planning for the upcoming adventures. Use the time for developing the areas you need.

Today I will give you some nice suggestion of day tours which will be easy and fast to access. I will begin in Harjedalen and Tanndalen. Start with a stay at Fjallnas hotel. This is the entry of Tanndalen/Funasdalen. I really like this old Mountain huts. From here you can go to Anderssjoafjallet. And from there you got a lot of options for a day hike. Next day I suggest  that you go to the mountain parking at Tanndalen, From here you can pass Andersborg and towards Storskarven, If you want you can stay at Bruksvallarna, go back home or tent in the area. My third suggestion in the area will be a hike at Anafjallet and the peak of Annfjallet. I have blog about it before, but this is a nice hike. If you use a tent you also can hike to the peak of Blastoten which also is 30 m higher than Annfjallet. Now I will move a bit towards north. And now we we land at the Enafors Mountain hut. From here you got a lot different day hike you can perform. My suggestion will be a hike to the peak of Storsnasen. Here you will pass Silverfallet and then upwards to the peak. In sunny weather you will have a terrific view over the whole Jamtland and Harjedals mountains.  In good weather condition this tour will be a memory for life…You can also do it a bit longer and stay a night at Blahammarens mountainstation….

So now I might help you out with some suggestion for the summer adventure…

KALEO ”Save Yourself” (LIVE at Fjallsárlón) – YouTube

See ya soon…

Today it is the second Sunday of may. The light green colour, the chirping of birds and the light make me awake and full of enthusiasm and ideas of upcoming adventures. Today I want to strike a blow for the path of the free wanderer. Ether we walk among everyone else at the common trails, or hike a extreme long or challenging path. But why dont hike for yourself?   You do not have to especially far from the crowded areas to get into real wilderness,  where you will be almost alone. My first suggestion will be Bunner mountain close to Storulvan and ther Jamtlandstriangle. A very nice area and easy to access.

My next suggestion will be the Skackerfjallen in the North West of Jamtland. If you follow the trail between Anjan and Kolasen, you might nit meet anyone else. Why dont you ascend the sockertoppen, and get a fabulous view over the area. During the winter you will have a real nice off-pist skiing here.

So why don’t you chose a trail, and be alone with you thoughts?

See ya soon…

Friday, and time to tie it all to a conclusion?

A week of five day blogs in a row, and today it is time to tie it all together. I begun the week with leadership and that is the glue that combines all together. Leadership is management of energy I wrote and that is true. And if you have a good toolbox, how to handle challenging situation it will help you a lot. So build up a real god SOP for you mornings on the adventures. But you also must make good judgement, and comes out from good leadership.

How to develop the ability to good judgement; Leaders with good judgement tend to be good listeners and readers. Leadership shouldn’t be a solitary endeavor. Leaders can draw on the skills and experiences of others as well as their own when they approach a decision. Who these advisers are and how much trust the leader places in them are critical to the quality of that leader’s judgment.

Experience: Make it relevant but not narrow. Beyond the data and evidence pertinent to a decision, leaders bring their experience to bear when making judgment calls. Experience gives context and helps us identify potential solutions and anticipate challenges. If they have previously encountered something like a current challenge, leaders can scope out areas in which to focus their energy and resources.

Leaders need many qualities, but underlying them all is good judgment. Those with ambition but no judgment run out of money. Those with charisma but no judgment lead their followers in the wrong direction. Those with passion but no judgment hurl themselves down the wrong paths. Those with drive but no judgment get up very early to do the wrong things. Sheer luck and factors beyond your control may determine your eventual success, but good judgment will stack the cards in your favor.

So develop your ability to make good judgement, this is directly decisive…

See ya on Sunday…

Safety plan.

As a natural part for the outdoor-er days should start with a safety planning. If you are a guide or not really doesn’t matter, though a guide must do it in a more detailed way and related to the group of participants. With a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) this will be a quite easy and fast process. So start with a overview of the weather, how can it affect me/us? The Cold, wind, sun etc. I there any warnings for the area? Next step will be to check the avalanche prognosis if its current. It can also be used for checking inclination of the route. And which part and areas to avoid. Next thing will be to read the map, and see if there is any danger to take in consideration. River crossing, snow fields etc. Is there any regulations for the area, within our activity? If you get caught in bad weather, or if someone get hurt? Where do you have the evacuation possibilities? What about coverage, and alternative communication plan? The outcome from all this fact will be the safety plan of the day, also add; The participants status and skills/condition. So with a SOP this will go fast, and you will be safety during the activity…

Plan Your Trip | Planning Essentials Episode 1 | MSC Get Outdoors Series – YouTube

1. Temperature drops 4 degrees/1000′ of elevation gain.
2. Lightning kills, Lightning Safety Guidelines
3. Watch for hypothermia.
4. Rockfall hazard? Wear a helmet.
5. Belay any climb with risk of injury.
6. Beware fast moving storms.
7. Altitude sickness (AMS) is aided only by descent.
8. Make note of return route.
9. If lost, bivouac.
10. Cell phone or GPS is not a substitute for preparation.
11. Be willing to turn back: the mountains don’t care.

If you got problem use the S.T.O.P model: Sit, Think, Observe, Plan.

See ya tomorrow…

Its early, the clock is barely six. The daylight has just begun to lighten up. The fog is dense. The plan today is to leave the cabin early, for heading down for transportation home. You fold away the curtain, the sight is barely 20m. So time to make a plan…You eat the breakfast and hope for the fog to lighten. But it won’t. Time for making a decision. You can stay for a while and hope it will be better. The other will got options about it. The right decision will be to wait, but do you got the guts for it? If not you better be good at micro-navigation.

 The second base to stand on while being in wilderness environment will be navigation skills. The better you are in that, the more farsightedness you will got. But what does that mean? Well it means you can have control of the status of the group, and keep the three step thinking ahead. Prepare for the river-crossing coming up. Or remember to check Peters blisters etc. And if it something that is important, it is to choose the right way. You can avoid avalanche risks and also steep ground etc.

So for being able to leave the cabin this morning, you need to got good skills in micro navigation. And what is micro navigation then?  You navigate in a series of short distance, called legs and focus on the immediate features in your landscape to continually ascertain position. This will minimise the chance for error. Training this will make to become a real good navigator. With concentration of small parts you learn how the map is build up. You will get a grater awareness of  you immediate environment, using your sense of sight, sound and smell and touch and relating this information to the use of robust and reliable equipment and maps. The more navigation techniques you carry with you in your skills, the more capable navigator you will be. So if you are in a situation as the example above, then use the right judgement for the right decision.  If you are a good navigator, then you know what and how to do, do not put the other participant in a bad situation. If you are a leader this is another important ground to stay sable on.  This is a knowledge you must master. So grab the map and the compass, but use the micro navigation skills to really good, then you are a bit safer…

(always now where you are…) So how can you develop your skills in a well known area? Ask your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend to drive to a place blindfolded. You got a kilometre spot in were you are, and to go to a attack point. The 4 D is good to have in mind…

Direction, distance, duration, description.

The 4 Ds navigation technique for hillwalkers and Mountain Leaders. – YouTube

See ya tomorrow, then we will take about safety planning….

Yesterday I wrote about leadership, and that is the red tread that connect to all.

A good leadership comes out from a stable ground to stand on. With knowledge, experience and a inner compass that can guide you to make good judgement, there you got the golden key. So today’s blog will focus out on one of this ground. As Mattias Jansson  says: it is not if, it is when the shit hits the fan. And believe me, if you be presence in a chaotic accident situation you will thank yourself for being prepared for it. So how can you build up the competence in the area? The best way to start this journey  will be to participate in a course of first aid technique. This will help you to be prepared, you will feel more secure in what and how to act in a critical situation. The L-ABCDE plan will help you to do right thing in right order. So in a chaotic situation, take a step back and breath. It will be chaotic, but now it is time to become friend with the chaos. As soon you got an overview, and can start work out from L-ABCDE you will get in control step, by step. You know that, and how you can work it out. So in the “daily” dirt at the office or were you spend most of your common days, think about how and what you can fill the boxes in L-ABCDE with actions and other measures. So how can you work and think during the chaos? First of all understand that chaos is inevitable, define of what can you control, and not? For being able to lead others we must be able to lead ourselves. Leadership is management of energy, of yourself and those around you. Chaos brings out fear-based behaviour’s. Don’t let it bring out to you. Communication, flatten and easy high communication will help you. Keep the focus and share your plan for calming down the situation. Use of an notebook will help you to do a time line, and to report trough SBAR in a structured way, and it will bring calmness and control over the situation that you are in control. So are you ready to take control, and become friend with the chaos?

Ok, you now got the skills and you got a good planning for a challenging situation, now you also need some gear as well. You can buy a first aid kit at the outdoor store, or you can create your own. This is a choice of taste, I prefer to do it myself. Then I have control and know were and what is included, and knowledge if something is out of order due to to me etc. Here you can see my first aid kit.

Now, see ya  tomorrow and then it will be about…Navigation

The IML process has resulted in a couple of experiences. This has ended up in some steps in my mind. This week I will share this experiences and thoughts with you. So lets begin. The first learning is about leadership. In our context as guides/IML’s we will be working in and with Temporarily composed groups. What does that means? Well we must bear in our mind how participants in a group of that will think. Now go to yourself and think -how does it feel when you participate in a new group, for example in a training course (for avalanche training for example) In this type of situation you/we will feel a level of stress. As a participant in this type of situation we will feel insecure and experience stress from two main areas: -How will other in the group think? And how will the other do? So how can this stress be reduced? It is important to take good care of the participants in the group that is vulnerable. Group members with less experience and competence. Another factor is if you can count with the other participants knowledge and experience. Will they do good or bad thing from your perspective? You as guide and leader also have the responsibility of handling setbacks for the group. A good leader have a good ability to improvise, and that is a success factor for leading a temporally composed group. So reflect of this; how can I as group participant make a group more comfortable? And how can I as Guide/leader make the group more comfortable?

I also ended up in everything comes around with everything. Good leadership comes out of good navigation skills, and also good skills of handling chaotic situations such as accidents. This meaning you need to be experienced in first aid. As you see it all is a circle, and leadership will be the first step.

Tomorrow it will be about first aid…

Les Humphries Singers – Mexico (ZDF Disco, 11.11.1972) – YouTube

So today is the first of May, and the winter season is fast approaching its end, and it is time for planning the upcoming summer season. Why don’t you try to challenge yourself with at least one new  trail or even activity during this summer…I will for sure find some new area to hike into.

When t comes to equipment and packing, there has been written million sites about it. What strikes me from all my experience is KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. And what does that mean in realities? Well, don’t overload your pack, but bring some that puts a golden edge of the adventure. A small piece of cheese and ham for example. Also secure you don’t get wet, and not to warm. But a  middle layer, and a down shirt/jacket is good to bring.

(Becoming friends with the chaos)

Last weekend I was on a wilderness first aid training. A e-learning within 20 hours was the beginning,   and then the practical part of 20 hours. The L-ABCDE was the frame of the content. The training was build up for being confident with doing a fast but qualitative check at a emergency situation. This resulted in that all participants was really confident of being leaders in a chaotic situation, and leading the work at a accident in the wilderness. So a better self confidence, a better knowledge and a structure way of working in a chaotic situation was the outcome. And also a way of building up a first aid kit as well. I have a couple of first aid kits in the wardrobe, but now I build up one that I like/need. I can strongly recommend this courses for being confident with handling emergency activities in the outdoor.

And by the way, if you are ready for some Via Feratta at Skuleberget just contact us and we will guide you…

See ya soon