A Sun in a radiant blue sky, a pack of new snow, dripping of snow melting, birds everywhere. Although spring seemed to be far away this weekend, it certainly feels like spring today. Maybe my last chance of exploring on snowshoes this winter in a piece of woods we have in mind for our guests.
So I packed lunch and a thermos with tea and went off. How wonderful it feels when you walk all alone in the forest, and it certainly made me feel very outdoorish. Before me just all that snow like a huge blanket, only interrupted by moose tracks. I made pictures of my elephant tracks and compared them to those of a moose. Fun! Everything looked very promising for me having lunch at a perfect spot: in the sun on the veranda of an old cabin. However, my excitement was interrupted by wolf tracks and immediately after that an enormous heap of hair and a beheaded animal: a bear! I must admit these are the moments I just feel very Dutch and a little less outdoor as I should like myself to be. I took a photo from a meter away, sent it to Willem and snowshoe-ed further. A bit strange after finding a bear, but I still wanted to continue and take pictures of this beautiful snowshoe route and have that lunch on that particular lovely spot, bears or not. Besides, no wolves to be seen anyway.
It didn’t take long or Willem called me. If it was really a bear lying there, we might just have to report it. Maybe the bear was shot illegally. But first, my men would come and see for themselves. This would take a while, and in the meantime, I had a pleasant hike to the frozen river and back to the old cabin. No bear tracks to be found, he probably lied there for a while then. It felt adventurous, and a little scared in a nice way: maybe the bear had his hole here somewhere, and suddenly his family should raise themselves from under the covered bushes. I was already eating my sandwich when I saw my boys appear in the distance.
What a disappointment: they had taken a closer look, and now the bear turned out to be a moose. Well, it’s always a unique adventure if you as an imaginative person visit these quiet, remote places in the woods here in Sweden. Never a dull moment, during this adventure this outdoorish person tried out a nice snowshoe hike for you. Come and visit us next winter and try our ”Thrilling Dalarnas wilderness snowshoe hike in the middle of nowhere.”