Bohusleden: Day 4

Route: Kronsjön to Stora Hästevatten

We woke up to patchy sunshine and a calm lake. Purifying water was the first job of the day because that meant we could make tea and porridge for breakfast. Both enjoyed perched on a big rock overlooking the lake. I could have sat there all day but we had plenty of ground to cover, including 2km we shaved off the previous day.

Day 4 started with “tent eyes”. That point in the trip where several nights of choppy tent sleep result in extra large eye bags…

Four other people had camped the night before but we were the last ones to leave; we like a slow morning. An empty wind shelter meant we had somewhere to lay out and pack all our gear.

It was a tough day. 14km of steep uphill and downhill, without much flat in-between. On top of that, we trudged through standing water, paths tangled with slippery tree roots and slimy rocks. The distance doesn’t sound like much but it feels a lot when you’re carrying a heavy bag on that sort of terrain, in hot weather, while fending off large mosquitos.

Navigating uneven ground all day was mentally tiring. Hours spent concentrating on where we were putting our feet and sticks, so we didn’t slip. We spent more time looking down than up. At one point, I turned to Scott and said “what else is this forest going to throw at us”. It was this fallen tree (one of several) and we crawled underneath with our packs on.

The scenery was worth all the effort though. We were deep in the forest, surrounded by streams and carpets of moss in all directions. Troll country. I looked up a few times and couldn’t believe we were stood there!

Svartedalen triangle cabins would have been a great camping spot but we reached them too early in the day, and we’d already planned another stop — we had to reach it so we could get to our refuel destination the next day.

We started overheating mid-afternoon and stopped to filter more water because we’d almost run out. Scott washed his pink face in the lake. My t-shirt was soaked in sweat so I ended up taking it off and filtering water in my bra. I’m looking considerably more disheveled compared to the earlier photo.

We stopped for a quick break every 45 minutes to check in and see what our bodies need, because it’s easy not to notice when you’re focused on moving. Despite being consistent with our fluids all day, we were super thirsty. I knew I’d definitely reached my heat limit when screwing the cap on my bottle became difficult.

Stora Hästevatten was our stop for the night — there was a small wooden shelter with benches, overlooking the lake. A wash in the lake was the perfect remedy for our sweaty bodies, and my tired legs instantly felt better. Then it was time to air clothes and make dinner. I also picked some blueberries to spruce up a pack of chocolate pudding. A bumper meal for a bumper day.

No-one else came to camp, or even passed by, so we had the place to ourselves all night. As with previous nights, we zipped our tent up quite early and hid from the mosquitos. Read day 5.