Travelling to the Kungsleden - The Journey Begins

There were several options to consider when planning my journey to the Kungsleden. The obvious one was whether to hike north to south (Abisko to Hemavan) or south to north (Hemavan to Abisko). The main difference between the two is the volume of people that I was likely to encounter being greater in the north, between Abisko and Kebnekaise, which is a popular tourist route. Whereas, in the south section, one may go several days without passing anyone (especially if you are walking at the end of the season). The scenery is different from the north to the south, with the north section being more barren, whereas the south section has more birch forests. Both sections are spectacular in their own way.

Note: If you are planning to go in early August, you will encounter the Fjällräven Classic event with hundreds of hikers trekking between Nikkaluokta and Abisko.

After deciding to start the trail from Abisko, I identified two main options to get there:

1. Fly to Kiruna from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (approximately 1hr 35mins direct) followed by a 1hr bus journey from Kiruna to Abisko

2. Catch the overnight sleeper train directly from Stockholm Central Station.

Even though the flight is a short flight, I wanted to savour the scenery on the journey up, so opted for the sleeper train that was scheduled to leave from Stockholm Central Station at around 18:00 and arrive in Abisko at 10:40 the following morning. There were several ticket options, but I opted to reserve a sleeper cabin to myself so that I could get a good night sleep and be fresh for starting the walk as soon as I stepped off the train.

The cabin was reasonably well equipped, with charge points to ensure that my phone and camera batteries were fully charged. The bed was very comfortable, and the sitting area was ample big enough for one or two people. The cabin had the kind of vibe akin to an Agatha Christie 'whodunnit' thriller, even having a little fold down table for writing any early travel memoires. There was a shared shower and toilet further down the carriage. Fortunately, as I was travelling quite late in the holiday season within Sweden, the train was rather quiet.

Gazing at the countryside floating by through the foggy carriage window was quite cathartic. My mind wandered, thinking about the challenge ahead as we drifted further and further from the hustle and bustle of Stockholm. Once the sun set and the night drew in, an occasional street lit scene from a small town or village lighting would appear through the darkness. Every little while I would peek down to my phone to see where the arrow on my tracker map had reached. It made me realise how truly vast Sweden is.

After sending a handful of messages to family and friends, I climbed the little ladder to my bunk and switched off the light. It was at that point that the moment of 'Oh my goodness, what the hell am I doing????" dawned on me. What had I committed myself to? I knew, deep down inside, that I wasn't fit enough or experienced enough to do this thru-hike, let alone to do it solo. My backpack was too heavy, my knees were too weak, my bodyweight way too high. Why didn't I just propose to do a few days wild camping trek in the Highlands of Scotland??? Too late now, I was getting off the train in a few hours. I even contemplated thinking of an excuse to stay on the train and return back to Stockholm. But saying that I had "being abducted by aliens" or "discovering that I am pregnant" was simply not going to convince anyone. I had to get off the train at Abisko, and I needed to at least start the hike.

The sun rose and I woke up to the melodic rumble of the carriage wheels. I anxiously watched the arrow on the map in my phone move ever closer to Abisko. With each mile passing, my fear grew.

A voice came over the loudspeaker to inform all passengers that we were approaching Abisko. Blood rushed from my head, I took a deep breath and bent down to pick up my backpack. After cracking my knee on the fold down table and banging my head several times on the bed above, I managed to get the backpack straps over my shoulders and the belt buckled. I stepped out of my cabin into the corridor, my knees shaking, my breath erratic and my step clumsy. I waddled my way to the train door, circumnavigating a couple of fellow passengers that were fortunate to be staying on the train and heading to Norway. I quietly wished that I could be joining them and cursed under my breath.

The train soon came to a halt and the door opened. A melancholy rush of cold air greeted me as I stepped down onto the platform. This is it... I'm here... I'm stuck... I can't turn back... Come on Graham, put a brave smile on your face and walk forward. Months of planning are now coming to fruition.

Much of the information provided on the internet stated that the section between Abisko and Saltolukta was entirely without phone signal, so I knew that this would be my last opportunity to communicate with the outside world. With a couple of fearful tears in my eyes and a nervous hand I uploaded the above photograph of the Abisko rail platform to my Facebook page, alongside a tag line of "And the adventure begins...", and so my adventure began.