As hikers and climbers beset the mountains during the summer holidays, the Norrbotten County Administrative Board sees an acute need for public conveniences along the most popular trails, national broadcaster SVT reported.
Due to increased pressure from tourists trekking the 440 km Kungsleden (the King's Trail), one of northern Sweden's leading natural attractions, outhouses may pop up along the way to stop people from relieving themselves in the wild. A portable toilet may even appear as high up as Mount Kebnekaise's peak, the jewel of the King's Trail; it will have to be flown there by helicopter.
“We are responsible for the top of Kebnekaise and the western trail to the peak. There are a lot of hikers who want to climb up Kebnekaise. We may end up in the situation that we have to fly a john up there, which you have at major events like the Stockholm marathon and the Vasaloppet [an annual 90 km cross-country skiing race], Norrbotten County Administrative Board in Norrbotten Ivar Palo explained to SVT.
By its own admission, the board has been showered with requests from tourist companies and indigenous Sami communities for more outhouses to be placed in the mountains to prevent pollution of the natural kind.
At 2,099 metres (6,915 ft), twin-peaked Kebnekaise is Sweden's highest mountain and and centre of Swedish alpinism. With two routes known as the western and the eastern path leading to the top, Kebnekaise gets thousands of tourists each year.
The peaks of Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mountain, reflecting in lake Ladtjojaure. Gorgeous. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/y1pr8x7q5P
— Sweden.se (@swedense) 7 июля 2019 г.
