English version
Winter usually means fewer adventures since we don’t have the gear for camping out in the snow and freezing temperatures. But that all changed when my Christmas present to myself landed in the mailbox the week before Christmas.
”Stuglandet” by Kjell Wowles and Moa Karlberg is a fantastic book that will definitely get its own review at some point. I read it over the holidays and immediately started planning a test run for the days between Christmas and New Year. However, that first plan got scrapped when Andrée decided to join in—he was eager for a repeat of our summer tent adventure. After some careful replanning, where shorter and easier day hikes became the guiding principle, we landed on a route from Trummelsberg to Norra Morsjön along Bruksleden’s Stage 13.
So, off we went. We packed our backpacks with sleeping gear, food, and everything needed for an overnight stay in the woods—minus a tent. The genius of this book is that it lists publicly accessible cabins scattered across the country. Nearly 200 different huts, from north to south. We’ve now added ”visit as many as possible” to our already pretty lengthy list of planned hikes. 2025 is shaping up to be a very active year for Uno and anyone who wants to tag along.
We loaded Uno, Andrée, Diana, and myself into the car and hit the road towards Västerås, then Trummelsberg. Keeping things simple, we stopped at McDonald’s in Västerås for supplies. A bag of cheeseburgers is never a bad idea. After heading towards Sälen and driving a few more miles, we finally turned onto a forest road. A few kilometers in, we reached a parking lot where Stage 13 would begin.
First order of business: unloading the dog. Uno was absolutely thrilled—there were not just one but two big backpacks in the car. Before setting off, we indulged in our cheeseburgers, with an extra one packed away for a later snack. Then, we hit the trail.
Just 100 meters in, we came across an unexpected sight: a field of slag stone pillars standing right in the middle of the forest.
Everyone was eager to get going, so we took a quick look before continuing down the narrow but well-trodden path. Despite the overcast weather, spirits were high, and we strolled along, taking in the scenery.
Uno took the lead, as usual, effortlessly following the path. It was well-marked, with no real detours to get lost on. A relief, really—just being able to wander and enjoy the surroundings was nice.
We made sure to take a few ”parkour breaks,” where both Uno and Andrée climbed and jumped over logs and rocks.
Uno was beyond happy to have his whole pack with him and probably covered twice the distance we did, zipping around to make sure everyone was keeping up. For the first time in a while, we used a long leash, which made life easier for everyone.
At one point, we reached a spot where an old bridge had been torn down, a new one built, but the trail markers hadn’t been updated yet. This left us momentarily confused about where to go, so we sent Andrée and Uno ahead to scout.
They handled the mission like pros, and soon we were back on track. The landscape slowly started to change, becoming a bit rockier and wilder, with small streams to cross.
The boardwalks here were just two planks wide and, on top of that, wet and frozen. Which, of course, meant slippery as hell. We shuffled across with arms outstretched and hearts pounding. The longer crossings required a delicate mix of gliding steps and total concentration.
Uno pranced across effortlessly and then sat down to wait for us two-legged incompetents, sighing dramatically and shaking his head at our struggles.
At Sågsjön, he attempted to test the ice, but to everyone’s disappointment, it was too thick to break off any fun floating chunks.
After some ice-walking, we pressed on. Uno was loving his freedom in the sparse forest, darting around at will but always keeping an eye on everyone.
Being the water lover that he is, he ignored every dry and ”safe” way to cross streams, opting instead to get as wet as possible. ”You never know when your next swim will be!”
The trail started sloping gently upwards towards the only real incline of the hike. It wasn’t steep or particularly high—just perfect for a 9-year-old to test out some ”tough” hiking.
Once over the ridge and down the other side, we arrived at Jättens grav (”The Giant’s Grave”), a vast stone field that had apparently once been the seabed.
We took a break here, drinking juice and polishing off the last of the burgers. Then, we continued through an open pine forest, full of boulders and cliffs—easy hiking and quite scenic.
This was also where we had our one and only encounter of the day: two hikers coming from the opposite direction.
A quick ”Hey!” was exchanged before we moved on towards Stora Trehörningen and our destination—the cabin.
At this point, a bit of nervousness crept in. What if the cabin was full? We hadn’t brought a tent. There was no way Andrée would have the energy to hike back today, and it would be dark before we got anywhere else.
But as soon as we spotted the cabin, we could relax. No smoke from the chimney—a good sign. It also looked well-maintained. A quick inspection revealed it was equipped with two built-in benches, a portable bench, a stove, and some firewood. Outside, there was a firepit, an outhouse, and a woodshed. Jackpot!
Priority #1: Get the stove going.
Before we could light a fire, we had to dig out the old ashes. Once that was done, we started a small fire, and while Diana unpacked the sleeping pads and bags, Andrée and I fetched more wood.
Uno got a chew bone but was more interested in playing with the firewood.
Once we had enough wood to last the evening, I started a fire outside as darkness fell.
It was incredibly cozy—being in the middle of the forest with most of our gang. Once the fire got going, I put on a pot of water for coffee. As soon as it was ready, we started grilling our sausages: kabanoss, cheese sausage, and some kind of chorizo. The unanimous winner was the thin kabanoss, with mustard and crispy onions.
Stuffed to the brim, we remembered Andrée had packed dessert—bananas stuffed with jägarsnus (a mix of chopped nuts, chocolate, and raisins). We threw them on the grill while taking Uno for a quick nighttime stroll.
Back at the cabin, we devoured the bananas and had more coffee before playing a few rounds of Uno. By 8:30 PM, it was time for bed.
We took two-hour shifts as fire-watchers. Diana had trouble settling in but eventually slept like a log. I, on the other hand, struggled to unwind—so I wrestled with the dog, read a few pages of my book, and stared at the clock.
At 2 AM, Diana took over. By 3 AM, I reclaimed my shift and made the rookie mistake of leaving my sleeping bag open. When I got back, a very pleased Uno was nestled inside, snoring. I didn’t have the heart to evict him, so I curled up in my fleece on his bed instead.
At dawn, we got the fire going again, made coffee and oatmeal (conclusion: never bother with freeze-dried breakfast again), and played fetch with Uno in a clearing.
After packing up and making sure the cabin was cleaner than when we arrived, we started the trek back.
We cut across a logging road to Stage 12, heading back to Trummelsberg. Uno wasn’t thrilled about the gravel road but perked up once we re-entered the forest.
When we finally saw the parking lot, there was a collective sigh of relief—we made it! Andrée had even picked up two new skills: fire-starting and map navigation. Compass work is next!
Back at the car, Uno hopped in, very satisfied. And after 15 km of hiking with a backpack, we rewarded ourselves with fast food on the way home.
This adventure was definitely a keeper—overnighting in cabins is something we’ll be doing a lot more of. Hopefully, with even more company next time!
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