Well, there was this guy in Sundsvall called Will who got invited by a friend to go on a hiking trip in a nearby national park called Skuleskogen -real location- and spending a night there. He was a bit hesitant at first but it was a good friend and neither of them had been hiking much before so it seemed like a funny experience to him. The guy was one of those that enjoys staying up all night and waking up at lunchtime but he would have to get up around five a clock in the night to catch the bus to the park so he decided that it wasn't a good option this time. He would be prepared.
Will was pretty proud of himself when he went to bed some time before 23 but he just couldn't sleep. After a while he realised that the problem might be that he had only been awake for eleven hours. He hoped to fall asleep anyway but in vain, the late morning and the excitement for the trip to come kept him awake all night, and there is the start of the poor fellows mistakes and failures.
Despite many sleepless hours in bed he felt decently fresh after a morning shower and a quite large breakfast. His friend whose neighbours had been partying all night was pretty much in the same situation. After some smalltalk they both decided to get some sleep on the bus to the national park, at least the first one before the bus change.
When he got off the bus with his friend they were both relieved that they still felt decently fresh, it would be a long day after all. They got on the second bus that would get them to their final destination before the cab to the national park. Now I think things are going a bit too smoothly so lets say that he called to book a cab only to hear that there was no cab available until two hours later.
This messed their plan up a bit as the destination where they wanted to take the cab from was also where they intended to buy something to eat and drink, quite needed for a long journey. Well, as there was no cab able to take them to the national park they had to ride the bus as close to it as possible and miss out on supplies. All they had was a bottle of sparkling water, a few cookies and cheap hotdogs that Wills friend had brought from home. The closest possible was still a ten kilometer walk away however.
They both felt quite okay despite the extra ten kilometers as the nature they walked in was similar to the park anyway. Will was prepared for cold weather and had additional layers of clothes in his backpack if what he had on him wasn't enough, he also had a change for tomorrow. Due to his good planning and full backpack he had to bring his sleeping bag in an extra plastic bag. He had also somehow managed to lose one of his warm gloves so one hand was kept busy with this plastic bag, the other stuck in his pocket for a bit of warmth but it was around 10 so he knew the day would get warmer and felt surprisingly cheerful.
After three hours of walking up and down in different terrains they finally arrived at the entrance to the national park, tired but excited to finally be there. I can't come up with any accidents here so lets just say that they stumbled on some roots on the way there. But the roots on the way to the national park was nothing compared to the roots in it. The tails in the park were much less man-made and mother nature still held a strong grip of them with strategically placed roots and many stones brought there by what the ice did a couple thousand years ago.
Both Will and his friend felt a sting of pain in their feet with the occasional misstep but were still cheerful despite having been pretty much awake for over 24 hours. They saw some sign about a mountain and decided to head there. They were at the park to see the beautiful nature after all.
After walking upwards for a while they got to a quite steep climb up the around 270 meters high mountain (according to Wikipedia). It wasn't always easy climbing and keeping track of the blue dots on trees that showed the way but as the view kept getting better Will and his friend didn't mind that much. Well up on the top of the mountain they walked around and looked at the views in different directions, after a break and some water and cookies they decided to head back down before it got dark.
I'm not sure exactly when it gets dark this time of year but lets say 18.00 and that it was 16.00 or so by now. The pair can't find the blue markers leading them down from the mountain but end up getting down elsewhere only to have to turn around to find that it was too steep to get down there. They come to realise there was a good reason for the markers. Walking around looking for small blue markers on trees in a forest is like looking for a needle in a haystack but they did take a picture at a place with some dead trees and a great view on their way up so they start trying to find that spot again.
When they finally find it and the trail back down they are very relieved as dawn should be approaching soon and neither fancy sleeping outdoors. I think I should be a bit nice to Will and his friend and not make them look completely stupid so lets say that they checked for cottages before their trip and picked up some maps at the entrance so that they know where to go.
They get back to the main trail and pass it to head for the nearest cottage, by the sea about three kilometers away. They decide to pick up the pace a bit as the sun gets lower and lower but now the lack of sleep, water and something to eat starts to kick in and the way there seems unreasonably long. After a while they start discussing if they might have passed it and not seen it. After all they stopped meeting other hikers a while ago.
They decide to turn around after a while to a place where a small road went off from the one they were walking and check if the cottage is there. When they are almost at the road a sign suddenly appears saying "2.2 km left to the cottage". After some quick thoughts about sleeping outside they decide that it probably isn't a good idea and start walking the way to the cottage again, a bit frustrated.
As the clock passes 18 and the sun goes down it keeps getting darker, the ever present stones and roots also become harder and harder to see. What was a bit of itching in the feet before is now real pain for every misstep. After a long while of stumbling they finally reach the cottage, a woman is sitting outside by a grill with a long dead fire. They greet her and ask if there is room for two more in the cottage and to their relief the woman says that she's alone with four beds at the moment so they're very welcome. After talking a bit to her and reloading their phones with a portable charger that Will brought - I can't say only bad things about the character. - they both start thinking about going to bed.
They're hungry and thirsty after their nine hour walk. The hunger is satisfied by cold hotdogs, not a well tasting meal but good enough to settle for. The thirst is a different story. As they share a bit of the water they have left the woman who is a more experienced hiker informs them that it's completely okay to drink running water from springs in a national park as it isn't poluted in any way.
Realising that they had water to drink all around them Will sighs. He knew he had heard something like it but wasn't completely sure and didn't want to risk anything. Well, at least he can go and fill his water bottle and get rid of his dehydration headache before going to sleep.
As that thought crosses his mind he realises that it's just half past eight. He can't recall having gone to bed that early since he was like eight and allowed to stay up later than that, can he really go to sleep already? Both he and his friend give it a try, and succeeds in around 15 minutes.
Our friend Will has a much better night than the previous one and wakes up at 07.00 to get ready to head the 4km back to the park entrance where a cab is waiting. He booked it when they arrived at the park yesterday and that was early enough to get one. It's still a 4 km walk however, with still hurting feet and still many roots and stones. They're easier to see now that it's not as dark but not pleasant.
After a ninety minutes walk they get to the park entrance where the the cab is going to pick them up, five minutes before the set time ... but the cab isn't there. They give the driver a call and he says that he was there and didn't see them. The reason he didn't wait until the set time is a bit unclear but after the call he heads back there anyway, and picks them up 10 minutes later. A great relief for both just to take the cab to the bus stop and then the bus back home.
Now this story feels a bit too nice so I'm going to give finish it with giving our Will a problem in shape of that his right foot seems to have gotten a serious injury, he has some trouble walking. When he gets home again he takes a sigh of relief and a long shower, then lies down on the couch watching some pointless action series on tv.
I hope the story was a bit entertaining. If It wasn't you might enjoy it more knowing that it's entirely reality-based and took place this friday and saturday. My middle name is Wilhelm so you can Tell where I got "Will" from. I do hope that my foot gets better soon as I can barely walk right now but the trip was still very much worth it.