July 03

Visiting Sweden can be an adventure, even for a Swede like myself. There is always a surprise hidden where you didn't expect it. And the surprise is never what you expected a surprise to be. Let's conclude this to the fact that you have to be open minded enought to know that you are being surprised. 

We followed Vindelälven to the metropol Björksele where my private biologist joined a running competition. It's a competition where a team run all the way from Ammarnäs, where Vindelälven begins, to Vännäsby where it joins another river called Umeälven. When he was finished for the day we went sightseeing. This is what we found: Stortallen (Big pine). Ok, let's remember that pine is basically the tree you see everywhere when you are in Västerbotten. Thus, the Stortallen must be something really surprising. Something specatcular!

The information sign told us to go 3 km on a dirt road. Then walk 1 km on a trail in the forest. We were more and more sceptical the further we got. "Can it really be that big?", we asked each other. "Can it really be worth walking here with all the mosquitos and getting out shoes wet?", we asked each other. 

Then we saw it. And it was HUGE! It was the biggest pine I have ever seen. I was really surprised.