Trekking Sweden’s Gröna Bandet
The Scandinavian mountain range may not be the world's longest - it's more than five times shorter than the Andes, the world's longest. It's not exactly the highest either. That's obviously the Himalayas with Mount Everest at 8,848m above sea level. But 1,300km is not exactly easy going, especially when you do it in one go, travel using your own two feet and carry everything you need with you. But that's exactly what Martin Olson and Martin Andersson plan to do.
Starting on 17 July they are planning on walking all 1,300km, from Grövelsjön to Treriksröset - the point where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet - in 70 days.
"With the transition from summer to autumn, the Scandinavian landscape shows off its most vivid colours," says Martin Olson. "We'll be able to watch the season shift while enjoying a simpler way of life in nature."
Walking the Gröna Bandet, as the trek is called during the 'greener' summer months (during the winter, when covered in snow it's called the Vita Bandet), is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream for the two Martins, both of whom love the mountains and are passionate about outdoor life. But they're also using the adventure to raise awareness for environmental issues such as litter in nature and climate change.