Denna vecka blir bloggen på svenska….

I tisdag tog vi bort vår älskade Kenai, en nästan nio år gammal Sibirien Husky. Han har varit med mig hela tiden överallt. Min bästa kompis i alla väder. Varenda cell, varenda fiber av mig skriker av sorg. Världen har tappat mycket av sin färg. Jag saknar allt med honom…men mest hans glada svans, och morrande skall när jag kom hem. Hans andetag när han somnade bredvid mig på kvällarna, han tog ett djup andetag så var han var helt avslappnad, och somnade. Om jag stack ut och sprang, så följde han mig avundsjukt med blicken och undrade varför han inte fick följa med…

Sorgen och saknaden är enorm, magen känns full som av krossat glas och hjärtat har brustit itu. Jag saknar min bästis så ofantligt mycket.

Moby – Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

See ya

Bergman do you sleep? This question has probably been asked many times in both tent and cabins, and the answer is of course yes😊

The sleep is always important also when your out in the outdoor environment, here you will learn why. First of all sleep serves a various of important physical and psychological functions, including: learning and memory consolidation, emotional consolidation, judgement and decision making, problem solving, energy conservation, growth and healing and strengthening the immunity.

How does sleep work? The sleep can be divided into four phases; N1,N2,N3 and N4. The N1 stage is short and last from 1 to 5 minutes, this is the lightest stage of sleep. The next phase si the N2, while brain activity slows, there are bursts of activity that may help with memory retention and learning. This stage last from 10 minutes but can be as long as one hour. The third stage N3 also known as “deep sleep”. This stage has a pattern known as “delta waves”, this stage is critical for restoring your body and mind. This delta waves processing your experience and memories from the day. The body releases growth hormone to repair muscle tissue, regrow bone cells and strengthen the immune system. Next step is the N4 and now you enter the stage known as “rapid eye movement” stage. The brain is almost as active as when you are awake. The REM sleep contributes to insight thinking, creativity and memory. This is the stage where you have the most vivid dreams. The dreams serve as a “mental housekeeping” to clean up partial or unnecessary information. During your sleep you go trough this cycle five to six times during a night. This is your sleep architecture, so sleep is a complex process for preparing you for the next day ahead.

Hm. So what does this mean if we don’t get enough of sleep then?

Every hour of sleep is like money on the bank. Lack of sleep contribute to a lot of disfunctions. It will impact the whole body from the immune system to the neuro cognitive system. We will see it directly when it comes to our brain and how we interact with the world. Just a night of bad sleep will affect our memory and attention, and it can even cause false memory. Also the rection time will be affected, which has been measured. Such as making decisions for example. We also get more irritable, and this also lead to that we decrease our ability to read others emotions.

Lack of sleep will also suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to sickness and infection. Increase your risk of developing heart problems, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Interfere with your metabolism and elevate your risk for obesity.

Well, so what can we do to secure a better sleep then? First of all, we are habit creatures. This meaning stick to a sleeping schedule. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle. Regular physical activity can promote better sleep. However, avoid being active too close to bedtime. Secure you got daylight, get outside at least 30min each day. Wake up and fall asleep at the same time…Keep the bedroom cold 18 C degrees is perfect. Yes, and just one thing more, drink a glass of water with little salt in. This will bind the water so don’t need to wake up. So good night😊

Chayce Beckham – 23 (Official Music Video)

See ya soon…

One of the topics I blogged about before is depopulated mountain cabins, and today I will mention some more of them in this topic. Some of them you will find on the Nordkalott trail. One of them the Sårjåjavrre, I’ve mention before and today I will start with the Vaimok cabin. Placed at one of Sweden’s mostly clear lakes, with a visibility of 17m the Vaimok lake. At all it got 26 beds. In the winter is easier to get here, but you still need good navigation skills. At the lake you can fish mountain char, and in the spring winter you will for sure have company with other fishers…

Another one is the Hukejaure cabin. This is a 65 cabin, which means it got two sleeping coals with ten beads in each. At this place there is no mobile coverage. The fishing in the lake is tremendous with…mountain char of course.

The third cabin will be the pältsa cabin. This cabin got 26 beds and also a sauna. The old cabin (which is still there) was build in 1941. The cabin was used under WW2 as a base for the resistance.

So if you want to spend a hike in the northern part of Sweden and want to be alone, this place is recommended..

Shinedown – Simple Man (Official Video) – YouTube

See ya soon…

A couple of times I’ve been going to the wind shelter at Snasahogarna in November-December. During this period it is quite still and silent in the mountains. Long gone is the herds of tourists and hikers, and even the animals has prepared for the upcoming Winter period. The feeling is that being total alone. What is interesting is that in a sudden the life follows the nature. Early in bed, and late up in the morning. But you eat when you are hungry and sleep when you are tired. No time get hold onto you. You are in the present, and one with the nature and yourself. Just going with the day. This is how it feels with the origin of life. It is to seldom…

I’ve been blogging about tent before, and  here some more details of the topic. Today there are two different basic types of tent in the market; Dome and Tunnel tent. So first of all you must ask yourself -For what will you use the tent. This not from the perspective of what you will be doing, but rather more from a where-when-and how you will use it. The more demanding and varied use you subject your tent to, the higher safety, ease of handling and versatility you need. Strength, weight and safety will be important areas in choosing. So will you have a basecamp for ski tours, or are you going for a  long tour in Sarek? This will for example make two different kind of choice of tent. Be aware of not choosing light weight by default, because this will end up in less safety, strength and comfort…If you out at the adventure by your own or together with others will also affect your choice of tent. A good thing is to go up one size, for getting more space (it’s not much more weight). The tunnel variant will weight less, and will be easier to set up. But you must be aware of how the wind blows, for this type is more wind sensitive. It will have more space for cooking and store stuff. The dome variant will be more comfortable with often a higher construction, and more stable and less independent of the wind.

Good tips while tenting:

In most of the tents there is space in the slots for poles for an extra ones…Which means you can improve the stability easy. So if you bought a three season tent and are going out for a winter tour, this can be a way to improve the tents stability. Always bring the repair kit for the tent, and an extra safety pin (sv. säkerhets nål) for being able to use a broken zipper. Condensation will always be a problem; keep wet gear outside of the inner tent. The condensation comes from the difference of heat between the inside and outside of the tent. So use the ventilation solutions to bring less moisture. A Wettex cloth in the storage bag I good for removing the worst of the moister before you pack down the tent. If you have place for it it can be a advantage to have an extra “floor” under the tent for reducing condensation from the ground cold. I also put a carabiner in the end of the tent so I easy now which side I will set up first. I also can attach the tent so myself so it wont go away with the wind.

DT James & Kimbo – Voices (Lyrics) (youtube.com)

See ya soon…