#throwback – May 25, 2024

At half past one at night, I wake up in shock. Terrible, harsh sounds tear through the darkness. My God, what is that? Is someone being attacked? A wild animal? I quickly turn on my Garmin, ready to press the SOS button if needed. Sitting upright in my tent, I listen intently. What on earth is this?

Suddenly I remember: deer can be really loud. I search online and yes — it turns out to be a barking roe deer. Look it up on YouTube: “barking roe deer.” Unbelievable that such a harmless-looking creature can make such a terrifying sound. It surely won’t be the last time I hear it.

The route today is absolutely stunning, though poorly marked. I take several wrong turns and end up in rough terrain. It’s hard going with the cart, especially uphill, and the left handlebar keeps getting wobblier. I have to lift the right one more often to compensate, which takes extra effort.

Halfway through another climb, I pass a house where a tall man is fiddling with his robotic lawnmower — they’re everywhere here, these lawns are immaculate. He looks up and greets me, and we start a lively conversation. Turns out he’s an engineer at Husqvarna, specialized in robotics. Even he doesn’t know why his robot isn’t connecting to the satellite. “Not a problem your cart has,” he jokes.

Later in the afternoon, I dine in style at a golf club. I find a comfy picnic table and cook myself a healthy, nutritious meal. It tastes absolutely wonderful. Some of the golfers give me odd looks — no golf clubs in my cart — but they’re all friendly. I’ve passed at least four beautiful courses already on this journey.

In the bathroom, I splash water on my face, and to my horror, my iPhone later gives a warning: water detected, can’t charge until it dries. I could kick myself. Such a stupid move, and I don’t have much battery left. It could take hours to dry. A good reminder: keep it charged and keep it dry — luckily, the solar panels are working great in this sunny weather.

As I approach the town of Gränna, I start looking for a place to sleep. I’ve learned that camping near residential areas is rarely possible or allowed. Sure enough, there’s nowhere suitable. I end up near an industrial area — no houses, and it’s Saturday, so I figure I can get away with it.

There I meet Joran, cycling by — a 63-year-old who took early retirement. We have a long, meaningful talk about what matters in life, about chasing dreams, about breaking free from the rat race, about courage, and taking control. His surroundings didn’t agree with his early retirement, but he did it anyway. He wants to live now, just like me. The future can wait — if it even comes.

By now, it’s getting late, and I still need a place to sleep. I take the risk and pitch my tent near a picnic table. The next morning I find out I was only 500 meters from a campsite. I bet passersby were confused. A few people walked or jogged by, but it wasn’t busy. In the end, I had a solid night’s sleep and morning coffee at an actual table.