Following the lead of many Swedes who came to this country during the last two centuries, Mattias Myrebring left his native Gothenburg, Sweden,  to follow his dream. His journey is not driven by economic concerns. Rather, he is on an “inner and outer” journey.

    And that journey led him to walk right through Rhinelander last weekend, at a pace that allowed local folk to satisfy their curiosity about the Swedish wanderer.

    Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, has more than 850,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area. Situated on the North Sea, it grew into one of Sweden’s main ports and was the place from which most Swedes emigrated to the U.S. in the 19th century. In many ways, Mattias is following their lead.

    After gaining a master’s in business administration at the age of 27, Mattias told this reporter that he worked for Servera, Sweden’s leading wholesaler of food, beverages and equipment for restaurants. For four years, he says, he sat in an office and did “logistics” or time-management studies, but “felt something was missing in life.”

    He quit his job and went to a small town in Norway that had fewer than than 50 people and worked in the fishing industry. Eventually, he made a “now or never” decision and began to prepare for a journey which would take him, on foot, across the continent of North America. It required 1 1/2 years to “make his budget,” as he says, for the trip. He prepared physically by walking longer distances and practicing different camping techniques, including getting a bear-proof food pack. And then he left for Nova Scotia, where he began his walk.

    At 34, he has no wife or kids to worry about. His parents and brother keep track of him through email. He has discovered that most public libraries in the U.S. offer free Internet, and he’s been using them.

    Mattias chose his route because of his interest in 18th century North American history. He wanted to see the St. Lawrence River region and experience first-hand areas once ruled by the Sioux and Black Foot Nations. “It feels fascinating to walk the same ground they did,” he said.

    He’ll be traveling across Minnesota, South and North Dakota, Montana and then to Canada again, ending his journey in Vancouver, British Columbia.

    He notes the similarities in land between northern Wisconsin and his native Sweden and is aware that many Swedish immigrants made their homes here. He says, however, that he didn’t do an Internet search using Google Earth, for example, before he arrived. “I wanted to see with my own eyes,” he said.

    Once a week, Mattias said, he sleeps at a hotel. In Rhinelander, he stayed at the Claridge Best Western, where he met people participating in the Muscular Dystrophy Association Motorcyle Rally, held in Tomahawk over the weekend.

    By Sunday night, he hoped to reach Brantwood. He averages about 5 km per hour, but conceded that he might be sleeping in an open field near the highway. As he says, challenges like this help him to learn “a lot of things about yourself.”