I’ve been active in Friluftsfrämjandet for a couple of years now, as one of the leaders in C:s outdoor group. Up until last spring she was in the age class called Skogsmulle, where it’s more playing in the woods, learning about taking care of nature and similar stuff. This fall the group started Strövarna, for ages 7-9, where we introduce more outdoor techniques, like knives, fire, outdoor cooking, more hiking and overnighters.

But I also started to get active in other groups, and together with Joel, another member of Friluftsfrämjandet we started a canoe section, with the focus on group activities for adults. In September we had our first canoe trip. The hiking section had a family hike at Åsnen national park the same day, and they had close to 50 participants.

We only had four participants though, but we had a great time and they were really nice people to spend a day paddling with.

Our plan was to paddle in Tolgasjön, starting in Åby, and paddling north. We made the plan in sections, with options for a longer or shorter trip, depending on the skills and speed of the participants. On the day of the paddle there was a somewhat strong southern wind though, so we made the last minute decision to start in Tolg instead, and paddle south, so we would have the wind in our backs on the paddle back.

We met up in the canoe storage in Växjö, packed the canoes together and drove to Tolg to put the canoes in the water. For the first section me and Joel decided to paddle one canoe together, to be able to quickly come to the rescue if one of the other canoes would be on trouble. The skills on the other paddlers varied from some experience to almost no previous experience.

It was a nice day to paddle, and it was a small group with great people. We paddled along the canal that combines Asasjön to Tolgasjön, before we came out on open water. Our first goal was to reach an island in the middle of the lake, where C and I have camped a few times.

The paddling went great, and once we reached the island we took out our cooking gear and made lunch.

We didn’t know how long it would take to paddle to the island, and had prepared to turn back after the island. But we also had another section planned, to continue south to a campsite for Värendsleden, the canoe route that goes through Tolgasjön.

Since we had reached the island in good time, we decided to continue south. We changed paddlers for the next section, and I paddled with one of the paddlers who were less experienced, and I sat in the back. We paddled without any problems though, and she did great.

Once we reached the camp site we took a longer break, relaxed, and had some coffee and snacks.

When it was time to paddle back, I asked my canoe partner whether she wanted to sit in the front or in the back. She wanted to try sitting in the back and steer the canoe.

Paddling back was a bit trickier though. She did a great job paddling, but I learned that it is much more difficult sitting in the front when you are helping with turns with a less experienced paddler in the back. I’m also not that used to paddling in the front, since I usually paddle alone, with C or with my wife, who prefers to sit in the front.

But we got back to Tolg in good time, and packed up the canoes. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed or trip, and though we didn’t have time to plan another trip that fall, me and Joel will meet up soon to plan a couple of trips this spring.

If you’re close to Växjö I recommend checking out Friluftsfrämjandet and our activities. The hiking section has a lot of both longer and shorter hikes and overnighters planned for the spring, we will organize canoe trips and we also organize overnighters once a month all year around. Other than that there’s a lot of activities for kids, from newborns up to late teens.