The picture on the left is just a brief screenshot of my application to the Fjallraven Polar Expedition competition that is open until mid-December worldwide. As much as I hate begging for attention, this is talks to my heart a little more than usual.
The Expedition brings people from all continents to challenge their mental and physical limits for a 300km trail in the Arctic on dog sledges, with the help of professionals that are here to maintain safety and train the participants to life in extreme weather conditions.
When reflecting on my connections with wildlife and trying to put also words on my own sustainability journey, I could not do without the never-ending hikes in the Swedish tundra when I was small. My dad had made amazing friends in the northern part of the country, and we spent some summer times there, meeting with Lapplanders, sleeping in their wood-made huts, fishing and looking for reindeers'antlers. I was surely too small to sincerely appreciate the experience; clouds of mosquitos, never-ending landscapes and large rivers to cross on my dad's shoulders were enough to impress for life. But as I write these words, the typical smell of swampy ground resurfaces, and I miss the bitterness of cloud berries on hot waffles.
Does the second picture count at product placement? The Fjallraven bags are a massive fashion hit in Switzerland, and within the hipster community. For me, it's just something I grew up with, most probably like all Swedish households in the world. And my son proudly goes to nursery with his, so the cycle is complete.
The competition involves the participants to collect votes using social media and other online platforms; the top ones will secure a place in the Expedition. Unfair? Well, as much as I try to remain objective, it will be easier for social media influencers or gurus to make their way through the top. But hey, it doesn't hurt try, right?!