Western stars

Just in time for first light, train 569 leaves Umeå on its long journey south. Next to me is the same Muji cabin bag that has travelled so many miles with me over the past decade. When Covid-19 hit back in March, I decided to keep the worn luggage tag from Alila Ubud as a reminder of the world that was. At least I have my face mask from Territory Run in Portland packed and ready for my SAS flight back home on Sunday. But first, it is time to finally get some research done and run those 48 kilometres of trails through Kilsbergen.

On my phone, Spotify is playing Springsteen’s 2019 album Western Stars, which the press release describes as being about a “range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community, and the permanence of home and hope".