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Going north

May - August 2016
A 79-day adventure by Merry & Merry Read more
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  • Going north
    Day 26

    Day 3: Happy Swampday!

    June 9, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Thursday is Swampday!

    Today I crossed 16 swamps, about a third of my hike was through marsh land. Thanks to waterproof boots and my hiking poles, it was no problem to cross, even though I'd sink in 3-5 cm on some of my steps. Some longer stretches had long planks to cross the mossy wetlands on.
    Other than that, the weather was lovely again and I'm still amazed at the diversity you find in this landscape.
    Ooh, and I had my first bath and washed some clothes in an idyllic and cooooold lake on the way :)
    Now I'm having dinner by a lake and my feet are thankful for a break!    Read more

  • Going north
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    Day 27

    Day 4: windy mountain crossing

    June 10, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Is it really day 4 already? I have no idea how time can fly so fast when you're "doing nothing". Planning, cooking, navigation, packing and - you guessed it - hiking takes up all the time of each day. There has not been a boring moment so far.
    Today, I crossed a small mountain range Goppollfjellet. On the northern hills, there were still a few tiny patches of snow. Still no rain. But I did get a lot of strong & cold wind today while on the Fjellet. So I bundled up and made it over without any problems.
    The rest of the day were a few more very well maintained "plank walks" through swamps and a few lovely forest trails.
    I was so exhausted by 6pm that I put up camp early, since I'm in no rush... that also gave me time to do some laundry (=wash clothes in clear icy water).
    I'm now having dinner at my campsite and will probably fall asleep over my kindle soon ;)    Read more

  • Going north
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    Day 28

    Day 5: small forests & oceans of lichen

    June 11, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Today I had an early start, got up at 5:30 from the sunlight. I wasn't cold in my sleeping bag, but man was it cold outside. My tent was all frosted from the outside!!
    After a lazy morning reading and letting my tent dry in the sun, I started my hike around 8am, first along a river, through forests with small fluffy trees and then eventually above the tree line. Here the long stretched climbs to the top of fjell after fjell was covered in small bushes and lichen. I also had my first rover crossing, because the bridge had not been put out yet for the summer season. All went well and my feet were thankful for the icy cool-down.
    I hit my first rain in the afternoon, but didn't get wet (more equipment love!!!). Tonight, my tent is up high on the Jammersdalshogda, but nicely protected from the wind (of which there is none ;-)), with beautiful views of Rondane national park, my next destination in a few days.

    Other than that: Haven't seen another person in over 60 hours, but I feel in good company with books or audio books from Michael Ende, CS Lewis, Joseph von Eichendorff and Richard Precht :-)    Read more

  • Going north
    Day 29

    Day 6: chased by the clouds :)

    June 12, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The day started nice and warm, even as early as 6:30 when I packed up my stuff and tent. So with the nice weather I decided to wash my hair, which is trickier than it sounds :) First of all, the water came from a stream straight out of a snow field, and second, even though the outdoor soap is bio-degradable, you must be 50 meters away from water when using it, so it can degrade in the soil. It was a funny running back and forth with my water bottles ;)
    Other highlights today were 2 suspension bridges, another river crossing without a bridge (this time I used my sneakers instead of going barefoot), ooh and I saw a REAL person for the first time in almost 4 days! An older gentleman, watching eagles and other birds in the canyon. We hiked together for about 15 minutes.
    As I'm a bit ahead of my schedule, I decided to do a detour to see 2 waterfalls, a canyon and Flaksjøen lake. Totally worth it!

    The most astonishing thing for me today was the weather. I saw rain clouds around me all day, rain went down only a few hundred meters away from me basically all afternoon. I was ready, wearing all my rain gear and backpack protection on. Yet it never hit me. I was always going just in the right direction at the right time to stay quite dry. Then once my tent was all pitched, it started raining for a bit. It's quiet now with a gorgeous view, but I see dark clouds moving my way, so it might rain more heavily later - wish me luck ;)    Read more

  • Going north
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    Day 30

    Day 7: a well-worth detour

    June 13, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Another warm day and no rain until a bit after my tent was pitched at night! I like this trend and hope it continues on ;)
    Back in the wild I met just a few sheep today. The hike started through forests which I really enjoyed after being above the tree line for so long. I crossed several creeks and rivers, one with a suspension bridge and one I dipped into as a cold but fun (and much needed, hehe) bath - try taking a 5°C shower ;-). So even though I felt a little slow today, my detour was totally worth it!
    The second half of the day was back on top of a fjell with gorgeous views all around. I have to make myself stop and just enjoy the surroundings sometimes, not to forget on what a beautiful adventure I am on.
    Now I'm sitting in my tent, under the rain, eating tomato soup and Indian chicken stew. Yum!    Read more

  • Going north
    1
    Day 31

    Day 8: dancing around lake Furusjøen

    June 14, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This has been my longest mileage so far and it was amazing and I'm absolutely tired :)
    Starting early just after 7, I made my way through a few more hours on Skjerell mountain, taking another fairly long detour to go through a canyon in the north, hiking sometimes along small waterfalls and other times beside a fast moving stream, on its way to the large lake in picture 3 and 5 (which had been my view all day). Then I spent the next few hours right by that lake, only to climb up again and see it from afar for a few more kilometers.
    It was a warm day with little wind, so I had many flying friends around, but no bites so far, I think it's mostly little harmless flies.
    Tonight I'm sleeping without a rain cover for the first time, as it's supposed to be a clear night. I'm in the middle of the forest and enjoying all the sounds of the birds and the view of green all around. Hopefully it stays idyllic and dry, we will see ;-)    Read more

  • Going north
    Day 32

    Day 9: bittersweet stopover in Otta

    June 15, 2016 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    After a lovely night in the forest, with the birds singing, no trouble sleeping and thankfully no rain, I slowly made my way to Otta. It took a lot longer than I thought, since the trail was completely overgrown and for the most part untraceable. So I worked with my map and compass and in the thicker woods, I eventually ended up using some of the forest paths the lumber trucks use - which worked great.
    I got to Otta in the early afternoon, found a hotel and started my errands, like picking up my resupply boxes, planning my next 10 days, and washing all my clothes. I also took everything I hadn't used in the first 9 days and reassessed whether I could throw it out (see picture 6). The lighter the better, even though I feel perfectly used to my 20kg pack.
    My attempt to meet some locals and socialize over dinner failed - all restaurants were completely empty. So I got mine to go and had a wonderful Skype call with my mum over a burger and fries instead.
    Being back in civilization is good - I got into town and right away bought a basket of fresh strawberries. Things are convenient. But I can't help but feel like I'd rather be on some mountain in my tent right now ;) so this stopover is somewhat bittersweet.
    Tomorrow is my first rest day and I'll be lazy, reading books, planning my next resupplies, and writing my diary.
    This is a first: a post without a tent picture!    Read more

  • Going north
    Day 33

    Day 10: no hike, no backpack, no pics ;)

    June 16, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today was my first break in the little town of Otta. I made 2 visits at the post office to ship on my resupply boxes to my next 3 stopovers, planned my next 20 days and enjoyed some fresh fruit from the local supermarket. The day was rainy, so I didn't mind not being on a trail ;)Read more

  • Going north
    1
    Day 34

    Day 11: gone with the wind

    June 17, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Yippee I'm back on the trails!
    Today I started my 4-5 day hike to Hjerkinn, with a loaded backpack, into Rondane national park. It was very windy all day and my tent, too, is being pushed around as I'm writing my update right now. It was a lovely day, with old stone huts, many stream crossings, a few small snow field crossings and a few waterfalls.
    I'm camping near a tourist hut, which means I got to charge my phone while reading a book on my kindle in a comfy armchair and I can take a hot shower tomorrow morning :)    Read more

  • Going north
    Day 35

    Day 12: fresh water wherever you look

    June 18, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    After a stormy and rainy night, and more and more love for my tent which withstood both of them, I took a quick shower at the tourist hut. I'm now fairly high up at around 1300 meters and there's still a few snow fields and some ice one the smaller lakes. It's fun to slowly cross them if they happen to be in the way - the snow fields of course, not the ice ;)

    With the snow melting, there are little creeks and hundreds of mini waterfalls everywhere, meeting up to form larger streams and eventually rivers. It's quite beautiful and I'm so thankful for my waterproof boots!! And it means I can carry less water, since I have access to the purest drinking water every few minutes :)

    Ooh and today a picture of the inside of my cozy little tent, checking my route for tomorrow and then reading some more. What a life!    Read more

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