The second half of Sweden was wilder, intenser and simply great. The trail conditions didn’t change much compared to the southern part. Long stretches of really good gravel and endless forests and lakes to camp at. But the environment felt more intense, the further north I got, the purer it all felt.
Towards Jokkmok
There was one big goal now, get to Jokkmok where I would finally cross the arctic circle. For weeks this has been a significant moment. Not only to be this far north but also to finally see wild reindeer whilst cycling !
The trail went through some bigger towns, one of them was Lycksele. This far north a bigger town means a grocery store and a cafe. Usually the smaller towns have one or the other so it was nice to resupply a little bit. I spend the night on a campsite outside town, charging the batteries for a few more days in nature.
I had no real plan of where to sleep this night, I assumed there would be some nice wild camping spots along the route. The further north I went the easier this was so I assumed there would be no issues.
First most important thing was being on the lookout for reindeers, according to some other cyclists I had now entered Reindeer territory. Five minutes after talking to them I saw my first reindeer! Incredible! Spending a good amount of time photographing and filming my one reindeer I realized there were 14 more!
Even though after this reindeers became a daily sight, it still amazes me to see them wandering around. I’ve noticed that they always run away but then look back at you from the forest. Observing and wondering what your are.
It was supposed to rain heavily the afternoon and just as I crossed a dam I could see really dark clouds forming. Time to find a shelter/camp spot as soon as possible. I had been searching for a while already but no luck yet, I decided to try a small forest road leading up to a lake. Usually this meant good camping, but I stumbled on something incredible. 500 meters in the forest there was a small cabin, a fireplace in the middle and cushions covered in reindeer skins. Probably functioned as a hunter’s refuge but tonight it was my house. Rolling out my sleeping mat on the reindeer skins I slept warm and dry from the storm. The shelter wasn’t marked on any app or website, sometimes you get lucky.
After my comfortable sleep I rode two more days before finally crossing the arctic circle and entering Jokkmokk. A real highlight during the European Divide, the north starts here.
Jokkmokk to Inari
After Jokkmokk I’d be riding in more desolate places, towns got smaller and services less available. Inari was a big milestone because a few things would happen before reaching this Finnish town. I would cross the border and leave Sweden after 2200km, I’d ride on the longest uninhabited stretch of the route with 250km of nothing, and it would mark my final 2 days of riding.
I left Jokkmokk knowing I would be riding longer distances and immediately did 161km to end up camping next to a river. After searching every day I finally found a reindeer skull and antlers to decorate my bike and take home to hang on the shed.
The day after was another big day with 195km and a manual ferry to cross a river. It was a little confusing to see a ferry on the otherside and no clue how to get the ferry to my side. Luckily a lady crossed it a few minutes later and explained me how to ‘’row’’ the ferry across. The trail led me through an amazing forest with bear tracks and reindeers and I ended my last night in Sweden camping besides a lake with a beautiful sunset.
The border town wasn’t much, but I could stock up on food, water and snacks to prepare myself for what I thought would be three days without anything. After 30km there was a small cabin which I shared with two hikers.
It was 220km left to Inari so I divided them into two days, although sometimes nothing really means nothing. The road went straight on with nothing but trees on either side, really dull riding but you cover distance. Before I knew it I had ridden 150km and the idea to keep riding crept in. I’ve never ridden above 200km and it seemed almost mythical to me. Another 30 km without any good spots to camp I decided to just go for it and ride all the way to Inari. With the sun creating a beautiful golden hour it was a special moment on the route. Just me and my bike pushing to a new limit.
Tired and proud I arrived at the campsite where I would prepare for my final two days of riding on the EDT. A little further in Finland and then Norway till Grense Jakobsve. I had almost done it.
Important stats of day 65-76
Amount of Km’s: 1474km
Amount of Elevation: 12.717m
Amount of calories: 50.658
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Total Km’s so far: 7607km
Total elevation: 93.381m
Total Calories: 288.327cal
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