We set off from the outskirts of Avesta just after 7 on Saturday morning. The first half of the trail went by with no issues. It was a hot day but there are plenty of lakes along the northern two thirds of the trail, and we had water filters. As it was approaching night time we started to realize that we didn't quite have enough food to get to our resupply box just before Ramnäs. We ran out of food shortly after leaving Trummelsberg and the stage that followed was difficult to navigate, overgrown, and just misery. It was morning when we finally made it to our resupply box and could get some energy in. Here we changed clothes, refilled our bags, and set off as fast as we could to avoid being devoured by mosquitoes. We made good progress for a while after that, but around the Surahammar golf course my tired legs started to become almost impossible to run on. I almost dropped out but decided that I preferred walking 40+ km to the disappointment of dropping out. So we pushed on. As we were nearing Hallstahammar the heat of the day had really kicked in and we were struggling to find any water. It was at this point my co-runner decided that he'd had enough and stepped off, although his lift was able to get me some much needed water. From then on I was just walking it in, at an increasingly slow pace. The stage between Hallstahammar and Rocklunda is really quite technical in parts and I was a staggering, hallucinating mess. I struggled to find water, even the ditches were dry, but was able to eventually get water from people's houses as I approached civilization and Västerås. One woman in Skerike even gave me some sports drink, and made sure I was okay, which was very helpful. It was evening again once I finally got to the finish in Västerås.
Comments
Great job! Yes, that last section down from the golf course gets more and more technical. Lots of tree hopping too. The only reliable water at all that I've found heading South is the large Surahammar lake, and then the spring by the last hut you pass before you start curving around to the east (well, there's one canal-like thing after that, but that's sketchy). Way to push it out! Hoping to give it a go in early August!