It may have been day two on Gröna bandet. Jessica McGlynn's whole body ached. She asked herself: "How far do you have to go before it's not embarrassing to quit?" Before her body had broken in, before the rhythm had settled — this was the hardest moment. The mental part, she says, is always the hardest. You have to bring your brain along for the ride.
But she kept going. Step by step. Together with her husband and their two sons.
From the US to Sweden's mountains
Jessica and her family had lived in the US until 2017, where her husband often worked 50 or 60 hours a week. They were stuck on the hamster wheel, as she described it. When they moved to Sweden with the boys — then aged five and six — the outdoor life was already part of them. Hiking had been part of the picture even before the children were born. The kids had simply come along.
Building up step by step
Taking children on long adventures requires patience. You start small, get them ready one step at a time, and it has to be fun. The family's first longer adventure was Kungsleden, around 2020. They headed south from Abisko with the boys. But that year it rained ferociously. After about 15 days out they threw in the towel — someone in the family wasn't feeling well, and it wasn't fun anymore. They decided to come back for the second half the following year.
But the children had other ideas. They wanted to start again from the beginning and do all of Kungsleden properly. The second year they succeeded. And on that trip, they met people hiking Gröna bandet. The children immediately started dreaming about it.
The window of opportunity
1,300 km. Jessica couldn't imagine it, she says — not even after having done it. But the family started discussing it. And Jessica arrived at a realisation: "If we're going to do it, maybe now is the time. When they're 16 or 17 they might not want to come. They'll have their own interests." The window might close.
The summer before, they scouted parts of the route — visited Grövelsjön, hiked up Storvätteshågna, got a feel for the terrain. With children, having visited places beforehand gives security along the way.
Selling it to the boss
Jessica worked in schools and needed to ask for a longer unpaid leave — something her employer was not obviously going to approve. She planted the idea gradually, mentioning it informally to her manager long before making the formal request. She didn't lead with the length. She led with the adventure. Asking early, framing it well, and being back for the start of the school year made it possible.
One step at a time
You don't have to decide from the start that you'll complete the whole route. As Jessica put it: "You don't have to take on the whole thing. You just start — and see how far you get." That removes the pressure and makes it possible to take the first step.
Your step is waiting.
