SVEA ADVENTURES JANUARY NEWSLETTER

I really enjoy the start of the every New Year! It’s like turning the chapter of a really exciting book and anticipating the fun adventures and memorable events to come. It’s like a new beginning and a new chance for everyone to follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. This year, may I recommend that you do something about those travel plans that you’ve put on the shelf for so long and go explore this great world of ours! There’s nothing like planning a great adventure ahead of time and having something fun to look forward to, instead of waiting until the last minute and finding out that every destination you’ve ever wanted to go to is sold out and that there’s no flight or hotel in sight.

Speaking of planning ahead of time, now is a great time to start looking into airfare for your upcoming adventure to Scandinavia. We find that if you wait to book your flight until closer to summer, most prices will break all time records and all flights will most likely be sold out. You see, all the Scandinavians that live here in the go home to visit friends and family during the summer months, and so they all help to fill those planes. We’ve teamed up with Nordic Saga Tours to offer you great deals on airfare with Scandinavian Airlines. Contact us today to find out more about airfare options from your closest airport!

In January’s newsletter we wanted to share with you some insight on Scandinavian light, and lack thereof – referring to the midnight sun, polar nights and northern lights. We also want to introduce two new adventures that are brand new for this year – our Icelandic Wilderness Horseback Adventure and Arctic Summer Hiking Adventure. Another new feature of our newsletters this year is to share the principals of Leave No Trace with you. Each month we’ll present a new principle and describe how you can apply this to your ventures outdoors. We apply the principles of Leave No Trace to all of our trips and we encourage you to do so as well, whenever possible.

We would also like to thank everyone who came to visit our booth at the Adventures In Travel Expo in New York City! It’s great to see that there is such a big interest in Eco Adventures in Scandinavia! When you contact us for more information on our trips, be sure to mention that you saw us at the show! We hope to be at the show again next year!

We wish everyone a prosperous, exciting and successful 2005!

- Linda

Svea Adventures

Mid Winter Special!

Here’s an incentive to help you start planning your adventure to Scandinavia!

Book your trip before February 15th and save 5% off the trip cost! Contact us today for more details!

Celebrating Light and Lack Thereof

Scandinavia is a region of big contrasts when it comes to light. During the winter months, from November through February, the entire country seems to go into hibernation and only sees daylight from 1-6 hours each day. In the far north, during the middle of the winter, you can experience something called “polar night”, which means that the sun doesn’t even rise above the horizon. 

On the contrary, in the summer time, between the end of May and the middle of July, the sun doesn’t actually set in northern Sweden. You’ll have 24 hours of daylight! It’s quite an amazing experience to wake up at 2 a.m. to find the sun shining bright outside the window. Many ask if it’s difficult to adjust to this and if you can get any sleep at all during your summer adventure in the north? If you’re a light sleeper and you enjoy really dark rooms, sleeping in a tent with light-colored walls isn’t exactly recommended. Most hotels and cabins up north offer windows with dark shades so that the light is blocked out really well at night. This way, you can still get a good night’s sleep, while the sun keeps on shining outside.

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights is another light phenomenon that occurs in the far northern regions of the Scandinavian countries as well as in Alaska, northern Canada, Russia and Greenland. Many people consider the Northern Lights to be one of the most beautiful sights to be seen on the planet. During Northern Lights, the entire night sky can be filled with the most unbelievable forms and colors in green, red, blue and violet.

Northern Lights occur all year long, but cannot be seen during the summer, because of the never-setting sun. So the best times to view the lights are from early October to early March, when they appear on a clear night sky.

Northern Lights are formed when solar particles are thrown into deep space by the sun. Propelled by the solar winds, these particles close in on the earth and collide with the atoms in the earth’s magnetic field. They are then guided towards the two magnetic poles – the South Pole and the North Pole. When Northern lights appear on the South Pole, they are called Aurora Australis.

There have been many imaginative descriptions of the Northern Lights throughout history. Many have their own legends and explanations as to why the Northern Lights occur. For example, in southern Sweden, it was long thought that the Northern Lights were caused by the Sami people when they ran around in the mountains looking for their reindeer.

NEW TRIPS!

This month we have two new trips to introduce to you!

ICELANDIC WILDERNESS HORSEBACK ADVENTURE - August 15-22, 2005

In 1996, when I left Iceland after a few months of training horses outside of Reykjavik, I vowed that I would return one day and ride across the island with a group of friends. This year it will finally become a reality! We’ve teamed up with some fantastic people and horses to offer you an amazing wilderness experience. Over the course of 8 days we ride across glaciers and free-flowing rivers in a land uninhabited by man but filled with Viking spirits, steaming geysers and inviting hot springs. This trip is designed for experienced riders looking for a true challenge and amazing adventure. We spend between 8 and 10 hours in the saddle each day, and sleep in guest houses and mountain huts along the way. You have to come join us to understand what this trip is truly about! View pictures and read more details by clicking on this link:

Icelandic Wilderness Horseback Adventure

ARCTIC SUMMER HIKING ADVENTURE - July 10-15, 2005

After listening to some client requests for more comfortable trips, we’ve put together a hotel-based hiking adventure in one of Sweden’s most beautiful national parks. This trip is quite unique and offers a wonderful hiking experience with comfortable lodging and wilderness gourmet flair. We’re not just going to put you up in a hotel and take you hiking each day, we’re going to indulge you with local specialties and unique cooking traditions as we cook up a feast on the trail. How about pan-seared, fresh-caught salmon and risotto with a side of reindeer kabobs as you take a break in the sun at a hidden glacial lake? We include a little bit of adventure by hiking to a mountain cabin in the mountains, where we feast on a wilderness dinner and spend the night, before returning to civilization. A truly unique adventure in a truly unique place. Abisko national park is known to be in a rain shadow, which makes it the driest place in Sweden and also the sunniest – perfekt for summer hiking adventures. Read more about this adventure and view pictures by clicking on this link:

Arctic Summer Hiking Adventure

Presenting the Principles of Leave No Trace                                                               

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands. You can read more about Leave No Trace and how to become a member by visiting www.lnt.org

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace include:

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors

This week we will go into more detail on Principle Nr 1.

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Poor planning often results in miserable campers and damage to natural and cultural resources. Rangers often tell stories of campers they have encountered who, because of poor planning and unexpected conditions, degrade backcountry resources and put themselves at risk.

Why is Trip Planning Important?

You may want to create additional answers for this list:

• It helps ensure the safety of groups and individuals.
• It prepares you to Leave No Trace and minimizes resource damage.
• It contributes to accomplishing trip goals safely and enjoyably.
• It increases self-confidence and opportunities for learning more about nature.

Seven Elements to Consider When Planning a Trip

• Identify and record the goals (expectations) of your trip.
• Identify the skill and ability of trip participants.
• Select destinations that match your goals, skills, and abilities
• Gain knowledge of the area you plan to visit from land managers, maps, and literature.
• Choose equipment and clothing for comfort, safety, and Leave No Trace qualities.
• Plan trip activities to match your goals, skills, and abilities.
• Evaluate your trip upon return note changes you will make next time.

Other Elements to Consider:

• weather
• terrain
• regulations/restrictions
• private land boundaries
• average hiking speed of group n anticipated food consumption (leftovers create waste which leaves a trace!)
• group size (does it meet regulations, trip purpose and Leave No Trace criteria?)
• all Leave No Trace principles

Meal Planning

Meals are another element to trip planning that can have a profound effect on the impact a group has on a backcountry area.

Benefits of Good Meal Planning:

• Reduced trash.
• Reduced pack weight, resulting in faster hiking times and less fatigue.
• Reduced dependence upon campfires for cooking.

One-Pot Meals and Food Repackaging:

• Planning for one-pot meals and light weight snacks requires a minimum of packing and preparation time, lightens loads and decreases garbage. One-pot meals require minimal cooking utensils and eliminate the need for a campfire. Two backpack stoves can be used to cook all meals for large groups if you have two large pots (one large pot can be balanced on two stoves when quick heating is desired). Remember, a stove Leaves No Trace.
• Most food should be removed from its commercial packing and placed in sealable bags before packing your backpacks. Sealable bags secure food and reduce bulk and garbage. Empty bags can be placed inside each other and packed out for reuse at home. This method can reduce the amount of garbage your group must pack out at the end of the trip and eliminate the undesirable need of stashing or burying unwanted trash.

What are Some Examples of the Results of Poor Trip Planning?

• A group that is inexperienced or unfamiliar with the geography of an area may put people at risk by traveling through areas susceptible to flash floods or along ridge tops vulnerable to lightning activity. Groups traveling arid lands often fail to carry adequate water or a way of purifying water from natural sources. Checking with local land managers and studying maps and weather conditions can contribute to a low-risk existence.
• A poorly prepared group may plan to cook meals over a campfire only to discover upon arrival at their destination that a fire ban is in effect or that firewood is in scarce supply. Such groups often build a fire anyway breaking the law or impacting the land simply because they have not planned for alternatives. Fire bans and scarce wood supplies are signs that an area is experiencing the cumulative effects of heavy recreation use.
• A group that has failed to develop good travel plans may be unable to travel as fast as expected. The terrain may be too steep or the trails too rugged. These groups often resort to setting up camp late at night, sometimes in an unsafe location. Poor campsite selection usually leads to unnecessary resource damage. In addition, the group may never even reach their planned destination.

More principles of Leave No Trace in the February Newsletter! Contact us for information on how to become a Leave No Trace Trainer or how you can join one of the Master Educator courses.