Slagavallen, December 27th, 2022
Exactly five years ago, on December 26th, 2017, we completed our 100th everyday adventure. Since then, we have focused on exploring the surroundings of the mountain cabin we acquired almost five years ago, to bring adventure closer to our everyday lives.
Now, we both felt it was time to take on a new challenge for our everyday adventures, to generate some new energy and creativity in our nature experiences.
Näskilsvålen is a summit we have been to several times before in most seasons. Two and a half years ago, during the summer, we encountered a bear on our way back down from the top, which makes that mountain extra memorable for us. The new challenge this time was that we chose a different route up.
It was a cold and clear morning when we set off towards the top. We started with touring skis for a few kilometers through the shadowy forest in the faint forest light. When we emerged from the dense coniferous forest and the terrain began to steepen, we swapped our touring skis for snowshoes. As we climbed higher up the mountain, the sun began to shine through the treetops, and after a while, the pale winter sun shone brightly upon us.
The dark winter suddenly bathed in light when all we had around us was bright white snow, blue skies, and sunshine. As usual, the wind started biting our cheeks more and more as we climbed higher up the mountain.
We reached the summit cairn, took some photos, and quickly made our way back down again as it was blowing very cold up there. When we descended a bit into the forest, we found a small clearing where the sun filtered through, and had a standing coffee break since it was too cold to sit down and have a snack. Then, we put on our skis again and went back through the shadowy forest for a few kilometers to the car. It was a great start to a bunch of new everyday adventures.