Kungsleden Day 5 – Fine Dining

9 miles

Below me an aquamarine Scandinavian lake twinkles merrily back up at me while in the distance a cascading waterfall provides a soothing auditory backdrop. In the eternal golden hour that marks both evening and night at this northern latitude I am even spared the flying nuisance of mosquitos. At least for now. A fine dinner scene indeed. And in my bowl a grey-brown paste. A feast of rehydrated beef stew mashed potatoes and something unidentifiably crunchy, evidence that in our haste to eat Keith and I didn’t add enough water to our food. And you know what, my dear reader? It’s absolutely delicious. The play of gluey texture atop random crunchy bits melds with the flavor of brown meat and brown sauce and the occasional bit of onion. Wrapped in the pillowy soft tortilla that has been riding shotgun in my backpack for several days now leads to a culinary masterpiece the likes of which cannot be found on the streets of even the most elevated metropolis. They say that food in the backcountry taste better than the stuff you make at home. And on days like today I can’t figure out who would think such a thing.