Sanja Paronen and Nico Sallmén rediscovered in Sarek

Sanja Paronen and Nico Sallmen rediscovered in Sarek

Updated 21.17 | Published 21.03

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Sanja Paronen, 34, and Nico Sallmén, 33, were reported missing after their trip to Sarek National Park – something they had no idea about.

Now they look forward to coming home, and two more things.

– Pizza and drinking wine, says Sanja Paronen to Aftonbladet.

  • Sanja Paronen and Nico Sallmén, from Eskilstuna, were reported missing after a hike in Sarek National Park and were the subject of a helicopter search operation.
  • The journey was extended from seven to ten days due to bad weather, leaving them stranded for two days with limited supplies.
  • Despite the drama, they are doing well and looking forward to coming home to eat pizza and drink wine.
  • ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.

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    For four days, Sanja Paronen and Nico Sallmén from Eskilstuna were reported missing. Relatives worried when they had not come home at a predetermined time. The police launched a search operation and searched for the couple with a helicopter.

    Since then, they have been at the center of Swedish media for over a day.

    – We thought, huh? Is it true? We were joking about it yesterday. Because the helicopter spun some distance away. So I went out and checked and thought, what if it’s us they’re looking for. And so it was! It was sick, says Sanja Paronen to Aftonbladet.

    They are both doing well, but are a bit stiff in the legs.

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    full screen Nico Sallmén and Sanja Paronen waited out the storm. Photo: Simon Eliasson

    The trip was supposed to last seven days, but due to bad weather it was delayed.

    – It must be 10 days. You always have to count on a few extra days as well, because the weather can be bad, which it was now, so we were stuck, says Sanja Paronen.

    They brought extra food for a few extra days, but it’s completely gone now.

    On Wednesday or Thursday, the couple can’t quite remember, a lot of rain and a dense fog moved in over the mountain.

    – So you didn’t see anything, says Nico Sallmén.

    – Then we stood still. Because if we had gone then we would not have seen anything. And then it’s dangerous, says Sanja Paronen and continues:

    – You must have great respect for nature. And you kind of feel it; now you can go, now you can’t.

    It was a total of two days stuck in the tent up on the mountain.

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    full screen The couple parked their car at the Sitoälvsbron. Photo: Simon Eliasson

    What did you do while you waited out the storm?

    – We slept, almost like a bit of couch coziness, says Nico Sallmén.

    – Slept, ate snacks and cooked, Sanja Paronen fills in.

    After that, they continued walking according to their predetermined route.

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    full screen The couple did not realize that relatives were worried. Photo: Simon Eliasson

    At 14.20 on Thursday, the police received a call from a boat driver who in turn had been called via a walkie talkie by the couple. The boat would take them a little way home, according to their plan.

    Only then did they realize that relatives were worried and that the newspapers had written about them.

    – It feels unreal. It feels different, I must say, says Sanja Paronen.

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    full screen Photo: Schibsted

    They still have not contacted their relatives or spoken to the police.

    – They would call us in a few hours. But it is great that this help exists. Something could have happened.

    Tomorrow they travel home, and there are two things above all they are hungry for.

    – Pizza and drink wine, says Sanja Paronen.

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    full screen The walkie talkie is kept in the blue box, where you can book pick-up by boat from Aktse. Photo: Frank Tholfsson

    FACTS Sarek National Park

    In Sarek National Park there are six of Sweden’s highest mountains and almost a hundred glaciers.

    It is a high alpine area where the Sami have lived and followed the reindeer’s migrations since time immemorial.

    It is one of the few national parks in Sweden where there are no amenities for visitors. There are no cabins, spans or marked trails.

    The national park is known for its wildlife, the large moose and the many predators. The many glaciers flow into Sarek’s pulse vein Ráhpaädno, which creates the mountain world’s most famous delta. The area has been marked by the ice sheet and Sarek is part of the world heritage Laponia.

    Source: Sweden’s national parks

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