En dimmig dag i skogen

This is the first time all week that the sun was up before me, but it remained hidden behind a thick fog nearly all morning. I’ve been on a strict exercise regimen, but weekends are my time to rest. I decided to take a walk through the forest and bring my far-too-neglected camera. It was a morning well spent. Just to the west of the apartment where I’ve been staying is the Håga skagen (Hoaga forest). The map shows that it stretches only a few kilometers before the next town, but I could have easily gotten myself lost had I left the trail for too long. Even the trail seemed seldom traveled.

For the first time in a while, I feel I was able to capture the beauty of the seemingly untouched woodland. However, the one thing I was not able to capture was the stillness. Sufficiently deep among the trees and the fog, the sound of distant roadways dissipated and all that remained was was the occasional birdsong and my own heartbeat. I love that these places still exist even walking distance from a crowded block of apartment buildings.

The thick woods stay a vibrant green with steady rains.

From a wooden bridge, passers by rarely stop to watch the gentle stream as it meanders through the valley

 

Why or when the bars were drilled into the rocks, I don’t know, but this has been my gym for the last few weeks.

The first moose sighting of the year – I’m not sure what it’s seizing though…

Nothing like a bath of fresh rainwater

In winter the field becomes a track for cross country skiers. For now, it’s the remains of a harvested field of peas.

Snow in August! Just kidding. It’s a light green grass.

I’ve been told the mushrooms are safe to eat, but I’ve been too timid.

This is the barrow (or grave) of King Björn at Haugi. He and his brother divided Sweden to rule their own kingdoms in the mid-ninth century. His son would go on to be one of the first settlers of Iceland.

A pair of wheels would have been nice for the walk back.