Vildmarksleden

After a first attempt with Eddie in early July, it was finally time for me to take on the whole 40 kilometres long “Vildmarksleden”, going from Skatås here in Gothenburg to the railway station in Hindås. Already after a few kilometres, a relatively steep climb up Getryggen began but I was soon rewarded with great views overlooking the city and Karlatornet which is currently under construction. When finished, it will be the tallest building in Scandinavia at 246 metres.

After another eight or so kilometres, I was at Kåssjön and it was here that things started to go wrong. In retrospect, it is unbelievable, but somehow, I was able to make a few wrong turns, and head back the way I came for several kilometres without noticing. In the end, I added about five bonus kilometres until I was back where I was supposed to be, leaving Gotaleden behind and continuing towards the east on Vildmarksleden. 

Anyhow, unlike when I took a wrong turn at Fjällmaraton 100k last year and had to do a thousand meters of extra climbing, I was soon on my way, passing through beautiful forests and some fairly technical trails. When my water was running low, I was given some by a kind family in a red house, and my two Maurten gels really made all the difference to keep me motivated and happy.

As I was approaching the endpoint in Hindås, I passed over a bridge that made me think of the White Bridge at the end of Western States. Unlike on Öland, I felt strong when turning off my watch, and I would definitely had been able to continue for much longer if I had brought more nutrition along. But for today, seeing the station house in Hindås felt almost like getting a medal and, in no time, I was back in Gothenburg with the express bus.