You decide to keep going. You shift into four-wheel drive and ease the vehicle forward. As the tires crawl over large rocks, low-hanging branches scrape along the sides. With every bump, the vehicle shakes you back and forth. You keep following the trail, deeper and deeper into the forest.

There, among the tall pine trees, a shed appears. The roof is completely covered with moss, and the door is missing. Shrubs have pushed their way through the gaps in the wood. You take a quick look inside.

A shiver runs down your spine.

You continue driving, around the bend. The trail drops steeply, making it difficult to see where it leads. After the next bend, the forest opens up. Before you lies an abandoned gravel pit in the middle of the forest. On the ground is a circle of rocks with charred pieces of wood between them. Beside it lie large feathers, still attached to a piece of skin.

What on earth happened here?

As though a predator had left its prey behind.

You get out of the vehicle and follow a narrow trail through the dense undergrowth. A large rock comes into view. You climb onto it, and then it hits you how high up you are. Far below, two red canoes glide across the dark blue water. Beyond that, nothing but trees as far as you can see. A deep, almost unreal silence surrounds you.

You turn around and walk back.

As soon as you return to the spot, your eyes drift once again to the piece of skin with feathers.

The sun slowly sinks behind the treetops, and the shadows grow longer. Not much later, you zip the tent closed. That night, you lie warm inside your sleeping bag, but you don’t sleep. Every fiber of your body is on edge. You’re wide awake, even though it’s completely silent around you.

Suddenly, the tent walls snap upward.

You jump.

Is it the wind?

At least, that’s what you hope.

Outside, a branch snaps.

You listen.

But all you hear is the wind rustling through the trees.

Everything else remains silent.

You pull your head deeper into your sleeping bag and close your eyes.

Slowly, your eyelids grow heavy until exhaustion takes over and you drift into a deep sleep.

A strip of warm morning light falls through the tent onto your face. Birds are singing. You glance at your watch.

Nine o’clock.

You pull a T-shirt over your head and slip into your pants.

Outside, the sun is already high in the sky. The campsite looks peaceful. Even the feathers suddenly seem far less threatening. There’s no sign of anyone or anything. Still, your eyes linger on the edge of the forest for a moment. Somehow, you feel as though the silence is hiding something.

After all the tension of the night, your stomach begins to growl softly. You fire up the camp stove and make scrambled eggs with knäckebröd. After that, it’s time to freshen up. There’s no shower building anywhere around.

It’s a challenge.

Every time, you discover you’re capable of more than you think.

The smallest things suddenly feel like victories.

So you boil some water in a pot and fill a basin. You hang up the outdoor shower, and your portable Boxio toilet is ready to use.

You look around one more time.

There really isn’t anyone here.

Then you take off your clothes and turn on the shower. Warm water runs down your skin. The dirt and the tension of the night wash away.

There you are, completely naked among the towering pine trees.

Not another person in sight.

You smile.

It feels more liberating than you ever expected.