The Northern Lights Walkshop at a glance

Trail Difficulty: moderate - Advanced

This Walkshop affords our community several great opportunities to explore the wild north of the Swedish Lapland. First, we will be joined by a local mountaineering guide, the very first professional Mountain Guides in Sweden and the founder of the Swedish Mountain Guide Association. Second, we will be joined by the author himself, Glen Van Peski. He helped revolutionize backpacking by creating ultralight equipment, which allows people to take less so they can do more in the wilderness. During decades of championing ultralight backpacking, Glen became aware that “take less, do more” is more than just a hiking slogan. As he reduced his pack weight, he realized that the lessons learned applied to all areas of life. Now he wants to share the lessons he learned to help others live full and vibrant lives—lives characterized by purpose, meaning, and joy. We look forward to welcoming 12 leaders who work to find and push their limits while accomplishing this experience together. This experience includes:

• 5 nights accommodation in regional hotel plus a camping experience under the stars and northern lights

• Equipment for the overnight hike (sleeping bags, mats, tents, large backpack)

• 4 days of hiking, 1 day workshop focused on the lessons learned from “Take less, do more”

• All meals are included (including dinners at night, snacks and meals during the days, and the campfire dinner)

• Guides and transportation on hiking days

• Signed hardcover copy of take less. do more. mailed before the experience

• Return transfers between Kiruna Airport and Abisko

• 12 Leaders who will work to find and push their limits while accomplishing this experience together

Facilitation Approach

On this Walkshop, we will discover transformative life lessons, which may go against the grain of popular thought but have been proven to change lives for the better. Participants will explore how:

• Often the best strategy for achieving goals comes from subtracting rather than adding.

• When your first instinct is generosity, the long-term dividends will be greater than if you strive to gain your own advantage.

• Revising the stories you tell yourself about situations will reframe hardship in your life and increase gratitude.

• By investing creatively in relationships, you can create community that adds joy to your life.

• Creating margin - time, finances, energy - can power new possibilities

Sweden Hiking Schedule

Thursday, September 16th: Travel onwards (fly back to Stockholm)

After breakfast, bid farewell to your wilderness camp and transfer back to STF Abisko Turistation. Here, you will have the opportunity to freshen up with a shower and collect the luggage you left at the hotel before continuing your journey onwards. Your private transfer will then take you to Kiruna Airport for your onward flight, bringing your Arctic adventure in Swedish Lapland to a close.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's included in my ticket purchase?

• Stay in a comfortable hotel (we won’t be changing hotels while staying in Abisko)

• Breakfast every day is included

• Lunches, snacks included for the hiking days

• All dinners are included when we complete each day’s hike

• Transfers from the Kiruna airport to our lodging and back again

• Facilitation space for our workshop and a facilitator for the event

• Tents, camping, and cooking equipment for our night under the stars

• Private hiking guide! Our tour guide is super experienced , knowledgeable about the area, and where to capture the best photos

• Hike with the author! We will be joined by the award winning author on our trip

• Signed copy of the book, sent to you before the trip

• Gain access to the Global Walkshop community (online portal, slack workspace, etc). The learning and engagement doesn’t stop when you’re off the trail - it’s just that start of your engagement with this community of executives, designers, authors, speakers, and hikers.

Airfare and transport to and from Sweden will be your responsibility.

What will we be eating along the way?

Breakfasts will be supplied by our hotels every day. We will have picnic style lunches provided every day. Dinners will be back in town.

Will I have private rooms for sleeping?

Yes - everyone will have a private bedroom when staying in hotels in Sweden. No sharing or roommates on this Walkshop.

What should I pack for the trip?

• Backpack that can get wet and survive

• Phone charger and converter

• Journal

• Good pens

• Snacks

• Lots of extra socks

• Good hiking shoes (plus an extra pair of shoes)

• Rain gear and extra clothing. Dressing in layers allows you to adjust to changing weather and activity levels. Two rules: avoid cotton (it keeps moisture close to your skin) and always carry a hat

• Spare plastic bags (keep things dry)

• Sunscreen and sunglasses

• Bug spray

• Band-Aids (in case you get blisters)

• First aid kit

• Hiking poles recommended for hilly terrain

What will the weather be like?

Northern Sweden in September is transitioning into autumn — expect a real shift from summer, and pack accordingly.

Temperatures: Daytime highs typically run around 8–13°C (46–55°F), with nights often dropping close to or below freezing, especially later in the month. In Abisko and in higher elevations, it'll be noticeably colder.

Daylight: This is one of the biggest changes — days are shortening fast. Early September still has close to 14-15 hours of daylight, but by late September you're down closer to 11-12 hours, and the difference from day to day is much more dramatic than farther south.

Precipitation: September tends to be one of the wetter months, with rain fairly common. Bring solid waterproof layers.

First snow: In the high mountains, you can get the first dustings of snow by mid-to-late September. Down in the valleys and towns, it's usually still rain rather than snow.

Aurora: As nights get darker, September is actually a great month to catch the northern lights if skies are clear — the long summer light nights are over by then.

Fall colors: Late August into September is when the "ruska" (autumn foliage) season hits in the north — birch and mountain vegetation turning gold and red, which can be spectacular against the mountains and lakes.

What part of Sweden will we be exploring?

North! We will be near the border with Norway at the absolute northern part of the country. This is a remote wilderness, with a history and culture that we will get to learn about during our Walkshop.

The Abisko/Kungsleden area sits within Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi, who have inhabited the region for at least 10,000 years as hunters, gatherers, and fishermen.  Sápmi has no fixed borders but shares a common language, history, and culture across what’s now northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.  Reindeer herding remains central to the Sámi , organized through samebyar (Sámi villages), of which there are 51 in Sweden. Their calendar year is traditionally divided into eight seasons following the reindeer’s lifecycle.

Unfortunately, Sámi culture faced sustained colonization and assimilation pressure from the Nordic states, which suppressed language and traditional practice. In recent decades, Sweden has seen a real resurgence in Sámi pride and cultural recovery. We will get to learn more about Sámi culture and visit some of their holy places during the Walkshop.

How should I train / prepare for the hike?

Everyone should start an exercise routine several months before our trip and start increasing the amount of physical activity they experience in a typical day in anticipation of the experience.