What a day today. I woke up early and felt bright eyed and bushy tailed. So I got going early. I didn’t really know how far I would get today. There was the option to walk all the way to Spansåns fäboder, but that was about 30km. There is actually a cabin, but it’s closed at the moment due to damage. On the map it looks like there is also a shelter. As rain was forecast, I wanted to find something where I and all my stuff could stay dry. But if I don’t make it that far, I have my tent which definitely keeps me dry too.

The road was mostly dirt roads, but mostly of the better kind. Some forest roads, an endless old railway line and sometimes no path at all. There was a path marked on the map, but it didn’t exist in reality. There was no alternative but to just walk through the woods and bogs, with rather wet feet as a result.

The weather was quite April-like. Bright sunshine alternated with heavy rain showers and strong winds and sometimes lightning and thunder on top of that.

I tried to find a good place to pitch the tent but nothing was on offer so I ended up walking all the way to the Spansåns fäboder.

When I got there I saw a man loading a trailer with boards. I thought I’d ask him about the shelter instead of going round looking for it. He showed me where it was and then he said there’s also a cabin and that was even better. I thought it was closed at the moment, I said. It is, he replied, but I have the key. It turns out that it’s not dilapidated as I thought, but that it’s simply due to vandalism that it’s closed. He told me that unfortunately there have been groups, mostly from abroad, who don’t understand the right of public access and they held parties and ended up using the furniture as firewood. It makes me so angry and sad at the same time. Who the hell do people think they are? Swedish municipalities make these places, whether they’re cabins or shelters, available to outdoor enthusiasts for free. They maintain them and supply them with firewood, toilet paper for outdoor toilets and other necessities, and then people have nothing better to do than use the furniture for firewood. I was furious.

Anyway, I am allowed to sleep in the cabin with the remaining furniture. And fortunately, there are quite a few pieces left. There is a fireplace, which I immediately lit and the heat spread into the room. I took the opportunity to do a bit of laundry, because there are radiators that I could switch on to dry my clothes. And they even brought me extra firewood. Now I’m warm and dry and my clothes are clean. I just feel so lucky and spoilt.