I ditched my phone and hiked 110km through the Swedish wilderness – this is what I learnt

The seemingly endless drizzle continues. I’m sitting in a valley in the shadow of the mighty Kebnekaise mountain in Lapland, somewhere (I’m not entirely sure where) along the Kungsleden Trail. My feet are throbbing inside my hiking boots, my back aches from the 15kg I’ve been hauling along the rocky landscape, and the cold is steadily seeping through my layers.

But more striking than any discomfort is the tranquility. The mist sits gently over the valley in the early evening light, while long-tailed skua swoop low past our camp. Just minutes before a herd of wild reindeer ambled along the ridge.

Perhaps this quiet content comes from the rugged beauty of the Scandinavian wilderness. Perhaps it comes from being 50km from the nearest road. Or perhaps it’s because I haven’t so much as glanced at my phone in the last 72 hours.

My trek into the wilderness couldn’t have come at a better time. Mid-Zoom meeting the Monday before I flew to , an iPhone alert flashed up to inform me that my screen usage