Vasaloppet 2012

We woke up at 3.15 am to transport ourself with bus to Sälen, leaving from Orsa at 4 am. Normally I would have been tired at this time, after only a few hours of sleep, but the race ahead kept me awake and thinking, not out of nervosity, but out of curiosity.

Will I make it? Have I trained enough? Have I eaten properly/enough? Will my new skies work? Have I brough enough snacks?

A lot of questions raced through the head as a faint light welcomes the crisp morning of 13 blue outside. We are in a long queue of buses all heading the same way. Also in the bus is Maria's brother, taking on Vasaloppet a third time and two of his friends, first time Vasaloppet runners like myself.

Jokkmokks Market 2012

Jokkmokks Market 2012 (2nd - 5th February)

We had been wanting to visit Maria's brother, Erik, in Jokkmokk for a long time and what couldn't be a better timing than combine it with Jokkmokk's yearly and famous market?

Jokkmokks market is a winter market held the first week in February in the little town of Jokkmokk in northern Sweden, just on the other side of the artic polar circle (66° 33′ 44″ N).

The Falkfångar trip (30km)

I'm spending the Easter in the beautiful mountains surrounding Höglekardalen, Åre county, in Sweden. I'm visiting the family of my girlfriend and the Falkfångar trip is a yearly family excursion with long traditions. The trip is about 30km long in hilly terrain, allowing for some spectacular views. Starting with a steep ascent to the top of the mountain, then following the ridge to later descend down to a popular ice fishing lake named Dörrsjöarna; before a long and tidious ascent up the other side of the mountain to Visjöen, and from there it's about 7km back to their cabin following the scooter tracks. A bit of a circle, see map below.

Overview of the trip