Backpacking in Europe

Thank you =)

>>Would really be nice to do that epic months long hike…forget the name.<< You mean the Nordkalottleden, 800 km going through Norway, Finland and Sweden. Planning for a thru-hike in 2010/ 2011 for it. It covers parts of the Kundsleden, so it would be two flies in one go ;)

Hendrick,

Are there any good guidebooks (written in English) for hiking in Scandinavia? I'm particularly interested in hiking in Sweden.

By the way, not knowing much about the topic, what are the opportunities for peak bagging in Sweden? Is the terrain mostly flat. Any technical rock climbing?

Thanks,
Dave

David, peaks in Sweden there are many. Not very high, but there should be enough. No idea about technical climbing. Kebnekaise (link to Wiki article including nice photos) is the highest mountain in Sweden, and it is next to the Kungsleden, a very popular trail.

Re: Books, as far as I know there is a serious lack of books on hiking in Scandinavia. The most books I know are in German, or then the local language (Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian), so no help to the English speaking world. However, there are some useful websites, eg http://www.outdoors.fi for Finnish National Parks and trails. Similar sites do exist for Sweden (http://www.swedishepa.se/en/In-English/Menu/Enjoying-nature/) and Norway (http://www.turistforeningen.no/english/ or http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/Theme/What-to-do/Attractions/Nature/National-parks/). I hope that helps =)

I have been lurking on this thread for some time, and now I've got the Europe backpacking bug! The photos everyone's included thus far really has me salivating.

Do any of you have gear lists for these kind of trips? I suppose since staying in accomodation and eating local foods is part of the cultural charm, you won't be packing any tents or food supplies for an extended trip, or would you?

Subscribe and you can read some of the trip reports, like my '3 months in France', with gear lists.

Cheers

Chris, here a gear list for a three days/ two nights out in the Finnish forests, where I wild camped and brought my own food.

Click to see it bigger.

If you go to one of the trails where there are huts, you could drop the tent and some food, but not all huts serve food so it depends. I think taking a tent/ tarp and camping wild is some of the charm if you walk in the Pyrenees, Kundsleden, Karhunkierros, etc.