Living Off-grid and Skiing Off Piste and sometimes Off My Rocker! My week with 8 strangers in a forest!
Sweden DAY 1: What a Bonkers Experience living off-grid in a remote Swedish forest.
⭐I am back home after living off-grid with 8 strangers in a remote forest in Sweden. It was a jam-packed week full of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, expedition training, and camping in the snow.
⭐I was intrigued and excited by the thought of 5 days living in a remote lodge. With no people, no wifi, no electricity, no phone, and no running water. It was only when I got there, that I understood what takes the place of all the no’s!
⭐What you get instead is beauty, peace, a woodland sauna , gentle friendships
⭐You had the time for funny conversations, roaring BBQs, dips in a frozen lake, and no responsibilities for one week!
⭐The aim of the week was to work together to live off grid and train for a one-night expedition. Camping in minus temperatures is a whole new experience and totally exhausting.
⭐I now love Cloudberry jam, Knackebrod crackers, cinnamon buns, and my new favourite drink is Blabarssoppa (Blueberry drink)
Sweden DAY 2: Off-grid living in Sweden is bloody hard work!
Off-grid means wood collecting and water every day – you really begin to appreciate a cup of tea.
To wash: snow is emptied into a big kettle-type box next to the sauna. The water comes out super hot from a little tap ready for us to use.
The lodge is heated by open fires and it was always toasty, we cooked using gaz cylinders. The food cooked by the Do the North team all week was hot, filling, and totally delicious.
We used drop toilets with the added luxury of polystyrene seats, to keep your bum warm. Top Tip – never look down the hole!
It was a full moon on our trip, so we always had lots of moonlight for a midnight loo trip.
A wee in the night was starry and peaceful, it was only a little drafty!
After 5.30pm when the daylight goes you have to wear a head torch to see.
Sweden DAY 3: Pulling your Pulk is knackering!
Pulling a pulk and wearing a rucksack; that acts as your pulk harness takes a lot of getting used to. The pulk has a mind of its own and is heavy. You can’t actually see behind you when you are in full kit.
Camping in the wilderness is another level of hard work but it does ensure remote camping spots. When you stop for lunch you can come off your skis, but you must stand on them as the snow is so deep you can sink up to your waist!!
Falling over when you are pulling the pulk and getting up is exhausting. Next time I will need to have much stronger legs.
I can’t tell you how happy I was to get back to the van; after only two days in the wilderness. One night camping was enough for me. I spent lots of time faffing and rummaging and drove myself bonkers trying to find stuff!
Sweden DAY 4: Ice Dipping in the Lake
Dipping in the frozen lake, I have no idea why I look like I am praying.
I was concentrating so hard on channeling my inner ice maiden. We all had a go at lake dipping under the moonlight. I lasted about 20 seconds and then screamed all the way to the sauna!
Snowshoeing: I loved snowshoeing on the frozen lake, the shoes are quick to put on and move about in. They are genius contraptions that spread your weight over the surface of the snow.
The kit for our overnight camping expedition took a whole afternoon to sort and store. We all had our own pulks – mine was called Daisy in honor of Daisy my campervan. My sleeping bag was amazing, it kept me warm all night. I looked it up when I got home, it was £1000.
Tea and Digestives will always be my go-to when I am camping, it’s a family tradition. After a night camping in minus 5, it’s like biscuity joy in a cup.
Sweden DAY 5: Camping in the Snow was on my bucket list.
The Expedition: 2 days cross-country skiing and one night in a tent in Norra Mora Vildmark. I took the selfie to mark a proud moment in my life: my very own tent in the wilderness.
You had to sleep with both sides of the tent open to stop the moisture from your breathe; soaking your sleeping bags. It goes against all your instincts to sleep with all the doors open!
Meet my tent buddy Joss, I had only known her for 4 days and we snuggled up to sleep, like little bugs in a rug.
Sweden DAY 6: I loved having no phone connection
⭐Mess Tent: Whilst we faffed about putting up our tents with our skis on! the Do the North team put up the mess tent, got a brew on, and lit the candles. It was a cosy tent to eat our spicy Thai curry and revel in the day’s adventures.
⭐Melting Snow: Takes way longer than you think. At night our water bottles turned into hot water bottles; pure luxury!!
⭐We had to dig trenches from our tent to the mess tent; so that we could walk about without skis. That nearly finished us off at the end of the day!
Sweden Day 7: Off-Grid and Off My Rocker!!
Expeditions and Adventures will always have their ups and downs, it’s the nature of the beast. You just need to be ready with your mental strategies, snacks and a large dose of JFDI!
⭐ I fell over 4 times in about 30 minutes; cross-country skiing downhill is a little tricky. The last time I fell down someone had to help me up. As I had run out of energy and had no strength in my legs. I have never experienced being so tired that I needed a hand to stand up. Next time I will be doing more weight sessions before I go and be way more bendy!
⭐I had a little wobble; as we set off on the expedition as it was blisteringly cold. I ran through my training prep list, I gave myself a good talking-to and then cracked on. Just like @zoecarroll had trained me to do.
⭐Windburnt skin: Most days I suffered with windburn, it feels like really bad sunburn. I always travel with Sudocream to smother on at the end of the day! If anyone has solutions for wind burn please let me know.
⭐To make the expedition even harder I had the added delight of my period. Dealing with lady admin on exped, requires forward planning, lots of painkillers, nappy sacks and handwash.
Plus chocolate buttons, and lots of saying FFS under my breath. It’s surprising how quickly you get used to your butt in the wind!
Sweden Expedition Last Day: Off-grid living in Sweden created memories of a lifetime
⭐This is my favourite photo from the week; our team photo was taken the morning after our overnight camp. We were feeling just a little proud of ourselves!!
⭐I was worried about spending the week with 8 strangers; it fact it was great fun. The team was easygoing, everyone had a great attitude and pitched in with all the jobs.⭐I will never again underestimate a light switch, my kettle, or the feeling of a hot shower. You also need to be thinking seasons ahead and be super organised. No wood and No water means not cups of tea!
Check out what Adventures you can go on with Gutsy Girls
This Blog is dedicated to:
⭐@suzeparks our @gutsygirls host, My Swedish Sisters @wildschutesther @emmsieb @jossystevo @jul3scorn3ll @elinsarah and Andrea, Gutsy Girls and McVitie’s
⭐The team from @dothenorth, were always 10 steps ahead of us and managed all the curve balls. Thank you Rob, Kat, Andreas and Helen for guiding us, feeding us, and stopping us from making rookie mistakes! We now understand your obsession with gloves, sweating, and layers!
PS We are now planning more cold adventures all together in 2025 xx
PPS Click here to Sponsor PinkNicky’s Blog
Over and Out
#PinkNicky xx
#pinknicky #adventure #gutsygirls #sweden #newchapters #adventuretime #adventuremind
