Stockholm Archipelago

5 day kayak trip in the Stockholm Archipelago

5/28 - 6/1/18 (4 nights)
2018 bag nights: 10

Most of this post is for my memories, but I had a hard time finding much information about actually paddling in the archipelago so maybe this will help someone else. My goals for this trip were to explore/see as much as possible and to avoid people. I was worried that the inner archipelago would be crowded, but I barely saw anyone (one kayaker and a couple sailboats and motor boats) the whole trip. I think it was a bit early in the season, since it appeared that most of the vacation houses were unoccupied.

Something to consider in planning a trip like this. While you can camp almost anywhere you like because of the "Right of Public Access" a lot of the shoreline is very steep and almost always rocky. This means that actually getting ashore is frequently difficult or even impossible. Don't just look at a map and assume you can camp on any island.

I rented my kayak from HORISONT KAJAK - https://horisontkajak.se/en/
The Archipelago Foundation owns a lot of islands or parts of islands all over the archipelago.
I was near three of the foundations nature preserves. There is a map as well as a little bit of info about the area on each page
Möjaskärgården - http://archipelagofoundation.se/omrade/mojaskargarden/
Gällnö - http://archipelagofoundation.se/omrade/gallno/
Hjälmö-Lådna - http://archipelagofoundation.se/omrade/hjalmo-ladna/

Photo of nautical chart from the kayak place, I was glad to have rented it for the trip, but I was also glad to have my phone with GPS to help figure out where I was since low down on the water the islands tend to blend together and make channels hard to see. My regular phone broke a couple days before the trip so I used an old phone with Backcountry Navigator and maps already loaded. The Open Street Maps of the area worked great. Supposedly, there is cell service over most (all?) of the archipelago, but I did not get a SIM card for my old phone. Probably a good idea to pre-load maps ahead of time. 

Day 1: 6.5 miles
Day 2: 9.5 miles
Day 3: 7 miles
Day 4: 12.5 miles
Day 5: 7 miles
Total = approximately 40 - 45 miles

In general, I paddled about 6 hours a day. I was very happy to find places to walk when I was done paddling for the day. I would suggest avoiding camping on the truly small islands unless you are very happy just sitting with a book. I'm a very happy reader, but I also get a little stir crazy if I sit too long, having rocks to climb on or a path to hike was very nice each night.

Something else to consider, the sun rises around 4:30 am and sets around 10 pm in early June. You could easily paddle early in the morning before the wind picks up, take a long lunch break and then paddle in the late afternoon. Even when the sun sets, it is not really dark. I only used my headlamp to read, so it would be easy to be setting up camp at 10 pm.

Overview map, Stockholm is off the map to the left

Jet lagged in Stockholm, the whole family went for a little bit of exploration and food. There was a large bush covered with these flowers in one of the parks.

The next day I had about a one mile walk to the bus station and then about an hour ride, followed by a 3km road walk to get to the kayak rental place. The weather was nice so it just felt like an easy hike. I got to the kayak place about 1pm and found out that they did not sell denatured alcohol for my catfood stove, must have been the other kayak place that mentioned it on the website. The lady in charge was nice and set me up with a gas stove so I was able to heat water for breakfast/dinner. I filled my water bottles and loaded up the kayak and away I went.

I headed basically north across the main channel directly into the wind. It was strong enough that waves were breaking across the bow and for a little bit I wished I had rigged the spray skirt. the paddling got a lot easier once I got out of the channel and into the shelter of some islands. I was very glad to not have to dodge any large ferries or other boats as I was crossing the channel.

I weaved my way through the smaller islands near Gallno with no real destination in mind.

I paused to rest/stretch a couple of times.

One place I wanted to check out was the water well on the north part of Gallno. I had plenty of water for the first couple days, but would need to be careful if the wells were dry (supposedly there had not been a lot of rain recently).

This is the view from the beach where the well is located. There was a sign in Swedish attached to the well pump. I don't understand Swedish, but something about it made me think it said to boil the water for 3 minutes (I wish I had a photo).

There is a trail going both north and south from the well. I headed north to stretch my legs a bit, very pleasant walking with minimal bugs.

Then I paddled a little more until I found a place to set up camp near one of the Foundation outhouses on the island of Lisslo. There was an obvious path that I followed across the island past a couple of homes, but I did not see anyone.

I woke the next morning to glass-like water. After paddling for about an hour I started wishing for a little bit of a breeze to cool me off.

After paddling for about 6 hours with a lunch break and a couple miles walking on the road on the island of Sodermoja, I arrived on Granholmen where I found five very curious sheep in the field near the water well. This made me nervous about the quality of the water here. I still had enough until the next day, but I need to figure something out since I wasn't sure I had enough fuel to boil water for the rest of the trip.

In the meantime, I followed the path south through the field and into the woods. There was a stretch where the trail was blazed with teddy bears ...

... and baby pacifiers.

There were quite a few wildflowers along the way.

Then back to a very nice campsite for dinner.

After dinner I took a short paddle in the little bay and explored a nearby island, ...

... then headed back to camp to climb around on the rocks and wait for sunset (about 10pm).

I can't figure out which of these 3 photos I like best, so I posted them all.

The next day I decided that I would fix my water situation by heading to Berg on the island of Moja since I knew there was a grocery store there. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up and I was heading straight into it.

The wind wasn't bad on the lee side of the islands.

I took a break on Ostholmen near the sauna where I managed to slip trying to get back into the kayak. Thankfully the Baltic wasn't freezing, but I did not want to linger in the water. After drying off, I headed to Berg.

I got water and some bread and cheese in the grocery, checked out the church, ...

... and got back on the water. This lighthouse is in the channel south of Moja and east of Berg

I took a late lunch break on the north shore of Bocko-Storo and when it was obvious that the wind wasn't dying down got back on the water to continue into Mojaskarden.

I found an inlet that looked like a good place for the night.

I set up camp and went to explore. There was an obvious path along the rocks that lead east to the middle of the island and a large inland lake.

At the end of the inlet. My camp was at the end on the right.

I liked the look of this tree, even though it has been dead for years, it still looked "majestic"

No view to the west for sunset, not to mention it was still really windy. I chose to hunker down out of the wind and enjoy some bourbon and a book.

The next morning the wind had wasn't blowing as hard, but was still there. It was time to start making my way back towards home. Originally I had wanted to explore the outer parts of Mojaskarden, but that would have meant paddling straight into the wind again. I decided to head south in the channel between two islands and then east back towards home.

The only hard part of the day was the ~2.5 miles across open water. As I was starting the open water paddle, a seal popped up very close to the kayak. He stuck his head up a couple times, but I was never able to get a photo.

After paddling towards the west for a couple hours, I was across the open water and back among islands and sheltered water. Around 6pm, I started looking for a campsite. I was closer to Stockholm and there were a lot more houses around. I stopped for a break on an island that looked promising. In my explorations I found a perfect sand beach near a swing-set but away from any houses, so I decided that would be home for the next 12 or so hours.

After dinner, I climbed on the rocks and explored the island a little bit.

One of the home owners clearly liked building stuff. There were a couple small boardwalks and this bench.

Last day, perfect weather, a couple of hours of paddling and I was back.

This was a great trip with perfect weather, highs in low 80s farenheit and lows in the upper 50s or low 60s. The mosquitoes only bothered me on the second night and that was after the sun went down. Also, I never saw a tick and supposedly the archipelago is crawling with them. I think that I got lucky with weather. From what I heard, it is usually cooler and wetter in the end of May. 

Knowing what I know now, I would probably start in Berg and just paddle in Mojaskarden. I saw kayaks for rent not far from the ferry dock and grocery. I suspect it is not much harder to get from Stockholm by ferry to Berg vs. by bus to where I started. 

I found this link http://www.mojahavskajaker.se/22208692 for kayaks in Berg. But, I was very happy with my experience with Horisont Kajak

Jailhouse Rock

Martin Fork Trailhead, Red River Gorge
4/5 - 4/6/18 (1 night)
2018 bag nights: 6

I parked at Martin Fork, for a Thursday, the Gorge was very crowded. The parking lot was full and cars lined the road. With Tunnel Ridge Road still closed, I headed up the Rough Trail to the Grays Arch Trailhead and then out to the end of the road. I passed a bunch of people in the first mile to the road, but then everyone disappeared, except for one couple that I passed on the road.

I hiked out to Pepe's Point enjoying the views and the perfect hiking weather and then filled up on water near Star Gap Arch.

I then headed out to Jailhouse Rock where I planned to spend the night. It had been a while since I had hiked out there and I had never planned on camping on that ridge, so I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to end up. I was hoping for sunset, stars and sunrise views, but had to settle for the sunset through the trees and stars and sunrise views.

Even looking east, the sky was very pretty after the sunset, the view made the bourbon taste better.

The clouds did not cooperate with the stars, but it was nice sitting and watching the clouds move.

The next morning was a muted sunrise, but still nice.

I had a leisurely breakfast with a second cup of coffee before breaking camp and heading towards Double Arch and then across to Auxier Ridge.

I was surprised to run into one couple out on Auxier Ridge. They gave the impression that they had never been out there before and it is not an obvious dayhike with the road closed. Later I passed a dad and kids on bikes along the road and then more dayhikers on the D Boone Trail. Another beautiful day and the Gorge was packed, but I still got my solitude for most of the trip.

Forney and Hazel Creeks (GSMNP)

Great Smoky Mountains NP
Trailhead: Tunnel at the end of Road to Nowhere

3/12 - 3/16/18 (4 nights)
2018 bag nights: 5

Day 1 miles: 6.5
Day 2 miles: 10.75
Day 3 miles: 11.25
Day 4 miles: 18
Day 5 miles: 3
Total miles: 50 miles
Campsites: 70, 82, 81, 74

My planned trip was to start at the Tunnel at the end of the "Road to Nowhere" outside of Bryson City. Then Lakeshore Trail to White Branch Trail to Forney Creek Trail and site 70 for the first night. The 2nd day was Jonas Creek Trail to Welch Ridge Trail to Hazel Creek Trail and site 82 for the 2nd night. Day 3 was Hazel Creek Trail to Lakeshore Trail and site 81 for night 3. Day 4 was Lakeshore trail to site 98 and then day 5 Lakeshore trail to my car.

So I wake up Monday morning and I find that school is cancelled because of snow and I look out my window to this.

I spent about 45 minutes shoveling 6 inches of wet heavy snow so I could get the car out of the driveway. And then I was off to North Carolina.

Driving down I got a little nervous because it was still snowing near Knoxville and it was very windy, did not look like a great day for hiking. I was especially worried that the snow would turn to rain. Thankfully, by the time I got to Bryson City, the snow had stopped and the sky was clearing up.

The tunnel at the end of the "Road to Nowhere"

The Whiteoak Branch and the Forney Creek trails are next to the respective creeks which means lots of cascading water. I love hiking with the sounds of a creek next to me.

Bridge across Forney Creek at site 70. This was a great place to sit after dinner and watch the sky get dark. The bourbon was nice as well.

The first day was easy even with a full pack, 6ish mostly flat miles (or at least flat for the Smokies). The second day was going to be a lot harder. I knew that the Hazel Creek trail was going to involve a lot of creek crossings, but I thought that the first part of the day would be dry feet and a climb up and over Welch Ridge. It turns out that the Jonas Creek Trail has 5 or 6 crossings, the first about 15 minutes after leaving camp. I had my trail runners, so I just wade through, unlike the older couple I caught up to who were taking off their boots for every crossing. So, I had cold wet feet/shoes all day long instead of just in the afternoon.

The Jonas Creek trail is great, with all the wet feet, it is probably better in the summer, but it was very pretty in the early spring. The water was very cold though.

Got up to Welch Ridge and there was still a bit of snow on the ground which made my wet feet even colder. In places the snow was 3-4 inches deep.

And then down the Hazel Creek trail and out of the snow. The Hazel Creek trail has a lot of creek crossings, but I had been here before so wasn't surprised. This is one of about 20 crossings over 4ish miles, most of them are no more than knee deep, so not hard, just cold and just as your feet start to dry out and warm up, there is another crossing.

In other parts of the trail, the creek just flows down the trail. At least it was not muddy.

Got to site 82 about 4pm and got water and firewood and just relaxed, crawled into my hammock to read a bit and slept through the night. I woke up to this and the snow was still coming down. Since I wasn't in a huge hurry, I used my hiking poles to prop up the tarp and had a leisurely breakfast and watched the snow. When it became apparent that the snow was stopping, I packed up and headed down the trail.

The lower part of the Hazel Creek Trail is an old railroad bed, so it is very easy walking with a slight decline going towards the old town of Proctor. Nice walking and the snow stopped after about an hour. The day never warmed up though and I had my fleece on the whole day.

Hazel Creek starts to build up steam as it drops lower in the valley and more side streams combine.

Glad the crossings in this part have bridges.

Lower Hazel Creek

The only "hard" part of the day was the climb over Welch Ridge on the Lakeshore Trail, not really hard, but not easy like the Hazel Creek Trail.

I detoured to check out Fairview Cemetery which is not far off the trail. While there I heard a loud plane and looked up to see a C-130 flying low over the Fontana Lake, low like below the ridge line, I couldn't move quick enough to get a photo though. Kind of cool and confirms what I thought I heard in the middle of the night on a past trip in the area.

I got to site 81 which has easy access to Fontana Lake. I had deliberately planned the trip because the last couple nights were supposed to be clear and moonless and I wanted to see stars.

You can see how low the lake is this time of year. In a couple months, all of this will be under water.

I was disappointed by the amount of skyglow. I think that the lake must reflect a lot of light. It was cold enough that I did not spend a lot of time with my camera, but the stars were very pretty.

You can just make out Orion behind the trees on the right and the bright star near the middle is Sirius.

The next day I was hoping to check out some of the old cemeteries along the Lakeshore Trail. At one point, there was an obvious side trail and this tree. I suspect that someone bent this tree to mark the trail to the cemetery.

A couple minutes from the tree was two graves. One was marked "Infant Cook" and the other "Helen Cook, daughter of HB and Mac Cook". All of the cemeteries in this area are filled with young children which makes the father in me sad.

Just off the trail is the remains of an old car. That is the rear of the car and you can see where the spare tire would have been mounted, the bolts are still there. 

Old stone wall and the remains of a chimney

I got to site 98 about 4:00 and the wind was blowing right up the lake with gusts in the 30-40 MPH range. I decided that this did not look like a nice place to relax and looking at the map realized that I was about 7 miles from site 74 at Forney Creek. I had been there before and knew that I could get to the lake shore easily to see stars. And if I hiked the 7 miles today, I would have an easy 3 mile day back to my car. So, let's see if we can still do an 18 mile day.

The last hour was hard and I was regretting my decision, but I eventually reached site 74. No one was there which sort of surprised me. I set up camp and walked out to check out the lake and then had dinner. As I was finishing up, a solo hiker appeared. He mentioned a fire, I said I was planning on being lazy, but I would gather wood for a fire while he set up camp. We chatted a bit, but I was tired from my day and turned in early to read a little bit.

I woke up to a beautiful day and headed back to the lake after breakfast.

Forney Creek flowing towards the lake. The sun was just rising above the ridge on the left.

Cool looking rock in Forney Creek. All the other are brownish and then this glowing white one.

Sunburst over Forney Creek.

After photo time, I said goodbye to the other guy and packed up and had an easy hike to the car. I was glad that it was only 3 miles because my feet were a little sore from the previous couple of days. I got back to my car after an hour and regretted that I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes. All in all, a great trip, I got a physical/mental challenge on day 2 with creeks and snow, another challenge on day 4 with 18 miles, and mostly great weather and only a couple of other people.