Hardangervidda 2016, Day 8, Tuva to Ustaoset and Oslo, 6th April 2016.

Our first "lazy" morning for a couple of days. No rush today, just a short 8km hop from Tuva to Ustaoset to meet up with the train to Oslo. Now, I mentioned yesterday that on my arrival at Tuva Aileen had recognised me and inferred there was a story behind that. Well, the last time I visited Tuva with Hanne, as I have pointed out already, was in a howling wind. Overnight, that wind increased horrendously so that by the next morning we were faced with a near whiteout outside. This was the day we were to make the journey down to Ustaoset to catch our train to Oslo, just as we were going to do today. We had pre-booked our train tickets through the NSB and as we had been able to secure them at the 'minipris', we were not entitled to a refund if we cancelled them. Also, being on a tight schedule, we needed to get back to Oslo in order to make our flight back to the UK. For that reason, and rather stupidly, we prepared to set off to Ustaoset. The same German couple we had travelled to Tuva with from Krækkja were also eager to make the same train and were going to travel with us.

We were advised by others not to make the journey, but chose not to heed their advise and continued anyway. We probably travelled only around 100m before we realised the stupidity in our decision. We could see nothing, not even the next stick on the marked trail. Realising the error of our decision,  we hurriedly turned back to Tuvahytte. I think those present were all pleased to see us return, especially Aileen. We then spent the next few hours staring out of the window desperately hoping that the weather would clear in time to allow us to get to our train, but increasingly coming to the realisation that it was not going to happen. I think Aileen took pity on us and eventually arranged for her husband, Peter, to ferry us to Ustaoset on his snow scooter.

We jumped at the opportunity, but it was hardly a easy ride and I think Peter forever regretted his decision to take us that day. The journey of maybe a couple of kilometres seemed to take forever. The snowscooter 'capsized' on a few occasions, tipping us off and into the snow. Several times we got bogged down in snow drifts and had to dig the scooter out. Hanne was terrified, as I would probably have been if I wasn't too busy being concerned for both Hanne and Peter, who was himself do no spring chicken. Eventually, Peter got us over the hill behind Tuva and into the valley at the bottom of which lay Ustaoset. As soon as we were over the hill the weather cleared so we hopped off the scooter, said our thank you's to Peter, and skied down to Ustaoset, all the time worried for Peter and his return journey, alone, to Ustaoset.

When we eventually arrived home we wrote a long thank you card to Aileen and Peter, later receiving a lovely reply from them. It was for this reason that Aileen and Peter remembered me and were happy to welcome me back, particularly as I had now brought my children with me. On talking to them, it transpired that after Hanne and I had left the hytte that day the weather only worsened and nobody else left for three days, so we had been lucky. For one that we had managed to get away and for actually having survived!!

This morning though was a much different prospect. Our train wasn't until 3.05pm, so we had plenty of time and decided to explore the students overnight snow caves once we had finished a leisurely breakfast.

The snow caves were really quite impressive and, I have to say, I was a little envious of the students who had had the opportunity to be taught all these methods of outdoor winter survival. The three teachers that were escorting the teenagers, who surprisingly elected to sleep and eat in the hytte, were a mine of information on outdoor survival and were more than happy to impart their knowledge and give us a tour of the snow holes. When it was time for them to leave we bade farewell to them as they headed off on their onward journey to Krækkja.

It was with a heavy heart that I re-packed my rucksack this morning because I knew the holiday was coming to an end. I had treasured the time I had spent in the mountains with my son and daughter. This wasn't a sea and sun holiday with family members running off to pools, beaches or bars. This was 24/7 in close proximity to each other, and if you have taken the time to look at the size of the bedrooms, you'll know what I mean when I say CLOSE proximity. Yes, of course, such a holiday is hard work at times, skiing 20+kms a day with 10-15kg on your back, but to me the satisfaction is complete when the day's journey is finished. The satisfaction that you have challenged yourself and achieved your goal. It doesn't have to be a huge goal, as shown by our two smaller tours from Finse, you just need to be realistic and only attempt something that is actually achievable. Each day brings its highs and lows, the highs of the amazing panoramas you are constantly surrounded by on the Hardangervidda and the odd low or two when your thighs are burning on steep inclines or your pack is dragging you down. The highs of seeing your children pushing their comfort zones and achieving so much. Suffice to say, it had been a wonderful time for me in the mountains and, I hope, for Sean and Emma too.

Okay, so we couldn't resist it, we delayed our departure so that we could have one last waffle each. Truly, if you are ever within a hundred kilometres of Finse, make the effort to go that extra distance and try one of Aileen's waffles. I tried all I could to pry the recipe from her but, alas, it is a closely guarded family secret. 

Waffles finished, plates cleared of every last crumb, we don skis and head off toward Ustaoset.

We started ascending again as soon as we left Tuva, but I knew it was only going to be a short climb before a long descent to Ustaoset. As we crested the last rise, we looked down into the valley to see trees for the first time in a week and the small dots of scattered houses in the town below.

The descent was looooong and steep, I think we all experienced at least one fall. Trying to slow yourself down on such a steep and narrow track on thin skis is a lot trickier than on Alpine skis, and it is still a skill I haven't quite mastered. We descended 278 metres in pretty quick time down to Ustaoset and all the time were presented with quite an incredible view of the other side of the valley.

We arrived at the railway station in Ustaoset with plenty of time to spare, so used the washrooms to have a bit of a freshen up and change into some "fresher" clothes. As we waited for the train, so it began to snow, which was for some reason a rather fitting end to the adventure. The train journey back to Oslo went without mishap and was just as mesmerising from a scenic point of view as last weeks journey unless, of course, there was hot pizza in the offing!

The four hour journey went smoothly with us arriving at Oslo around 7.15pm. 

A short walk took us to the sea front from where we caught the number 70 bus to Manglerudsveien and Hege's apartment. As luck would have it, the bus stop we got off at was right next to a Jokers store, so we made a quick shopping trip to pick up a couple of Grandiosa pizzas, Norway's most popular meal, and for Sean and I a couple of cans of our favourite Norwegian beer, Ringnes. A short walk took us to the apartment where we showered, ate and, dead on our feet by now, had an early night.

http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=12844460

Hardangervidda 2016, Day 5, Finse to Klemsbu round trip, 3rd April 2016.

After our shorter circuitous route to Appelsinhytta followed by a little sight seeing yesterday, we decided to do another circuitous route but this time a little longer. So, a 12km route to Klemsbu was decided upon. It would still give us the chance to ski with lighter rucksacks and give Emma a little more time to adjust to skis. It's also a route I have never travelled before and was keen to do. There's not a lot to say about the day really. Another splendid breakfast at Finse before sorting kit and waxing skis. It was a pretty similar day to yesterday, overcast with little wind. The thermometer mounted outside the hytte read zero degrees centigrade, so the appropriate wax was applied and off we went.

The route to Klemsbu from Finse is literally straight up and I was a little worried it might be a little too much for Emma, but she went off like a shot and pretty much kept up quite a blistering pace.

As we approached Klemsbu the hytte appeared quite ghost like out of the windswept landscape. As we had climbed, the wind had got stronger and stronger and was blowing up the powder like snow to reduce visibility quite drastically. The hytte was a welcome sight and we were looking forward to some hot waffles. 

Klemsbu is actually owned and run by Finse 1222, but what we hadn't checked was whether or not it was actually open today. We assumed that, with it being a weekend day so close to Easter, it must be open. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Instead, we found a small vestibule packed with about eight people sheltering from the weather whilst they grabbed a bite to eat. In fact, it was so packed there was just not room for us at all. Instead, we found ourselves perching precariously on a flight of steps leading up to some strange sort of loft door that seemed to lead to the roof. We later learned that this was actually the entrance to the hytte when the snowfall was so deep that the ground floor door couldn't be used.

By the time we had finished eating, the wind outside had picked up so much that to continue the circuit back to Finse would have been senseless, and very uncomfortable. Instead, we elected to just reverse our course and travel back the way we had come. The plus side to the return of course being it is all downhill! As good as that sounds, travelling downhill on mountain skis, which are basically cross country skis with a steel edge, can be a little daunting for the inexperienced, and I class myself amongst that group. There are none of the carving turns executed on Alpine skis or sudden changes in direction. Nonetheless, Emma excelled, zig zagging her way down the slope in a very feminine manner that ensured progress with safety. Sean and I took the more masculine approach, to hell with caution and we'll treat the injuries later!

Suffice to say, we made it down safely to comments from the kids as to how enjoyable a day they had had, so a good result for all. Our return to Finse saw a beeline to the bar for another of their wonderful home brewed ciders.

The end of the day saw a discussion as to what to do with our remaining days. I was happy that Emma could cope with a bit more of an epic journey rather than us remaining coupled up at Finse. A suggestion was to travel to Krækkja tomorrow, about 24km and not a trip for the faint hearted. The option from there would be to do another round trip the following day and spending a second night in Krækkja. Alternatively, we could ski to Tuva the following day and head back to Oslo the day after, cutting short the time in the mountains by a day but also allowing for a days sightseeing in Oslo. It's a team effort so the decision was open to a vote. The end result? Krækkja, Tuva then Oslo a day early to go to the Edvard Munch museum amongst others sights.

 

Day 2, Saturday 12th April 2014

An early start today found us being the very first vehicle in the car park of  the Alnabru shopping centre, just a few minutes drive from our home bas in Manglerud, Oslo. I have never seen the centre so deserted as it is usually much later in the day that I have visited it in the past, my nsme NOT being synonymous with "The crack of dawn"!  We dashed into the centre and quickly negotiated our way to the XXL store, the local branch of Norway's largest sports equipment chain. Now, for those of you who don't know, Spring brings a massive re-organisation of sports stores in Norway. Walls that had been festooned with row after row of skis, ranging from cross country and back country/mountain skis to Alpine and Rondane equipment disappear almost overnight. So too do the racks full of various ski poles, shelves full of goggles and mountains of shoes. They are replaced, unceremoniously, by bicycles of all types and there associated equipment and paraphernalia. Prior to this metamorphosis the stocks of Winter gear gradually dwindles away stock that is sold ceases to be replaced. Consequently, when we arrived at XXL, we found not one single pair of mountain boots to fit Sean, let alone skis or poles. Plan B, the nearby G Sport, a much smaller than XXL. I wasn't holding my breath. But they had skis, boots and poles!! Admittedly, not a great number of either, but much more than XXL and, more importantly, they had Sean's size.  After much deliberation and running backwards and forwards by an extremely helpful member of staff, we eventually settled on a particular pair of skis and a pair of well fitting boots. 1899NOK for the skis, 895NOK for the bindings and fitting and 1499NOK for the boots. WHAT???????? Aaaaaaargh!!!! "Any chance of a discount for buying them as a ski pack?" ask I. "Yeah sure, no problem, there is 30% off anyway and I will see what else I can do!" I wasn't expecting that. 4293NOK reduced to 2400NOK! Result! I also came to the conclusion that I have some sort of ski fetish, I have this overwhelming urge to acquire more skis. Owning four pairs and relying on the generosity of in-laws for storage means that my fetish is met with a little dismay every time I turn up with yet more skis. I have now found that my needs can be assuaged by purchasing skis for others which, although costly, means less aggravation, so smiles all round. 

    Sean and his new fjellski (mountain skis)

After depositing the skis back at basecamp (Manglerud), we decided to catch the T-Banen (metro) into the city centre, do a little exploring and check out where we need to go in the morning. A wet and windy afternoon ensued;

    Two views of the outside of Oslo central train station

After getting our barings at the railway station I took Sean to the opera house so we could get a birdseye view of Oslo. I have now seen the "barcode" skyline from a number of different angles and in many different types of light and weather conditions, and it still looks aweful to me. I suppose you have to be content and either love it or hate it, but I do wonder if the architects, in trying to outdo each other, are having a private joke at the expense of the general public! You decide.

    The "barcode buildings"

Having climbed all over the opera house I thought it was about time I actually looked inside. "Swan Lake" is due to be performed at the end of the month and in the lobby of ther building the dancers were having a live rehearsal for the pleasure of those present. I have to admit to being quite mesmorised and left feeling I have missed out on something. Now, on the "to do" list is; watch a ballet. I don't think Sean was quite so impressed though.

As soon as I got the familiar "Dad, I'm bored" look, we moved on. This time to the palace, another location Sean had not visited. I had hoped to see the changing of the gaurd, but nothing looked to be happening. I did decide though, as those on duty appeared far more relaxed and nonchalant about their duties than their Buckingham palace counterparts, to ask one for information;

Me, "What time is the next changing of the gaurd?"

Him, "I'm not allowed to say!"

Me, "Can you tell me if it is sooner or later?"

Him, "I am not allowed to say!"

Me, "Okay, it's raining, we are getting wet, is it happening soon enough for us to continue standing in the rain?"
Him, "No, I wouldn't bother"

Me, "Thank you."

That was helpful enough for me, a British guardsman at the palace would probably be flogged for less!

Time for a coffee and a cake then, and coffee and cake time means W.B.Samsons where they do some lovely cakes and pastries. http://www.samson.no/

Finally, back to Manglerud to pack and spend the night worrying if I have put everything in the rucksack  and if Sean will be able to drag me out of bed at 0600!

God natt for now.

Day 9, Saturday 19th April 2014

We had two options today. One was to be up at the crack of dawn, miss breakfast and head up the Hardangerjøkulen for a 20km round trip before getting the train to Oslo at 2.20pm. The second was to have a more leisurely morning, enjoy a last breakfast at a DNT hytte and then head toward Hallingskeid. Sean and I had a long discussion about what to do. There were two trains available to get us to Oslo, one at about 1030hrs, the other 1428hrs. Although we wanted to arrive in Oslo with time to try and catch up with friends, we definitely wanted to get a little more skiing in, so the morning train was not an option. This left a decision to make as to whether or not to try for the Hardangerjøkulen, or play safe and have a more leisurely morning. I have to admit I am maybe a little more reckless when it comes to deadlines, whilst Sean was wearing the trips "sensible head". Ultimately then, we agreed to head toward Hallingskeid. This meant we could take our time about getting up, dressed, packed and fed. The dormitory we had slept in held about 18 berths so, needless to say, it was a little cramped when everybody was getting up together.

We managed to salvage all our gear and pack it away without mishap. We had already elected to travel light this morning, so our plan was to leave the majority of our kit in the drying room and just take the bare minimum. Then it was down to the dining room for our last breakfast, and we definitely made the most of it. Porridge for me this morning, whilst Sean enjoyed both porridge and some boiled eggs. We made our pack lunches for the mid-day meal, filled our flask with hot chocolate and we were ready for the off. The day was very much like the day before, bright sunshine and practically no wind, and after both getting a little sun burnt the day before, we made sure we applied twice the amount of sun cream as previously!

The route between Finse and Hallingskeid is quite flat and we made very good speed from the start. How fast was brought home to us when we passed the first pair of Norwegians. Now, I am not being smug about this fact, it is all about measuring our own abilities. We know we are not as good on cross country skies as someone who has been skiing the winter trails since they could first stand up, so we measure our improvement by how we are holding our own in relation to Norwegians on the same trails. The fact we had caught up a pair of Norwegians, without making any conscious, competitive decision to do so, made us feel quite good about how we were both progressing. Certainly, Sean himself had taken to cross country skiing like a fish to water and it was so nice not to have to stress about how he was coping and just enjoy the time with him. So on that note, we just enjoyed the day. 

And what a day it was too, here are just a few shots to give an idea of the beauty of nature we were experiencing;

You can't help but smile in such wonderful surroundings and conditions!

After we had travelled about 5.5km, we reached a point where it seemed appropriate to turn back and strike out toward Finse. On the way, we came across the Finsehytta tracked vehicle that we had noticed breaking down half way across the lake the night before. It had obviously been too cold to carry out repairs during the night, and it had just been abandoned where it stopped.

As we re-crossed the lake, we paused to watch the kiters who were out in force on the flat frozen ground, flying their colourful foils and catching some quite big "air" as they hurtled backwards and forwards. It really was an idyllic setting. We reluctantly trudged back up the short hill to the hytte and quickly sorted our gear before enjoying one last glass of the cold, home brewed cider to wash down our lunch.

Then it was off to the famously high railway station to await our train to Oslo. As we had a little time to spare we took a little stroll around the small outpost.

Above is the hotel, Finse 1222. You may also have on occasion seen the photos we post from the webcam at Finse, and here is that very same camera on the side of the railway station;

This is the memorial to Scott and his men outside the hotel;

And another look at the novel walkway between the two parts of the hotel. How to make the best use of a bit of left over rail track and a spare railway carriage!

A picture postcard view of Finse;

Our train arrived on time and we boarded for the return journey to Oslo. This time we were a little more awake and took the trouble to pay a little more attention to the countryside we were passing through, it really shouldn't be missed, even if you have undertaken the journey before.

We eventually arrived in Oslo and jumped on the metro to Høyenhall from where we walked to Manglerud. And that was it, the end of our trip. We had just one more night before returning to the UK. First things first, a "proper" shower. By that, I mean it was time to have a shower for the first time in a week that didn't shut down after three of four minutes, bliss! Then we had to stow away skis and gear, by which time we were starving! But where to get food from on the Easter weekend? We rushed to a local store and, as expected, it was shut. I then thought a nearby kebab and pizza place might be open, Easter not having much meaning to the proprietors, so we rushed there, arriving 5 minutes after 10pm only to find the owner locking up for the night!!!! Oh well, back home and an early night then! It had been a lovely evening though, and a picturesque sunset over Oslo.

Day 8, Friday 18th April 2014

This morning held much promise from the get go! Firstly, there was no overwhelming sound of howling wind from outside. Secondly, there was no spindrift being forced through the gaps in the window frame. And lastly, bright, blazing sunshine was streaming through the threadbare curtains. Woohoo!! As we had gone to bed so early last night, we had avoided any "indiscretions" or mistakes in protocol when sharing such close confines with a couple. This morning though was a little different. It meant scrambling around a little bit beneath the covers to preserve modesty before jumping out of bed and dressing. Hoping for a good day today, we had pretty much packed all our gear last night so were good to go after breakfast. This was the sight that greeted us on this mornings walk to the main hytte;

No comparison to the morning before! We also noticed that not everyone wanted to avail themselves of the comfort of a DNT hytte. Either that or there was no room left at the inn!

Once again, we ate a hearty breakfast, made our pack lunches and had our thermos flask filled with hot water, the Cadburys hot chocolate previously having been added by us. Once we had checked out, we were ready to go but then, disaster. It starting with Sean mumbling about having been sure he had left his boots next to mine in the porch. I was then aware of him searching quite frantically through dozens of boots before he proclaimed, "here they are!" I watched him put one of the boots on, and a strange look past across his face. "These aren't mine!" It was clear what had happened, someone owning the exact same pair of size 45 Alfa boots had clearly mistakingly taken Sean's boots. The fact they were a complete muppet for having done so was beside the point, and didn't help our dilemma! I quickly ran around outside, inspecting the boots of everyone who was still there, but no joy. Whoever had taken them had gone! Okay, nothing for it, the remaining boots were now Sean's. He had discovered that the remaining boots were fitted with insoles and, once removed, they fit him like a glove, just as his original boots had. What a relief. I only hope the person who took Sean's ended up with terrible blisters for their stupidity as they clearly needed a size 45 boot filling out a little with insoles. Surely they must have felt the difference? Anyway, no harm done, crisis averted.

So two happy bunnies left Geiterygghytta bound for Finse. We were still taking the alternative route back, slightly longer than our outbound journey with a more up and down terrain. As we set off, the only other souls we saw were a couple with a dog in front of us. It really was a gloriously sunny day with very little breeze. No sooner had we finished the first uphill section we were sweating buckets! Buffs were removed and "pit zips" and every other vent were undone. We eventually reached the point where we had had to turn back two days ago and saw that we had clearly done the right thing by turning back, as if there was any doubt anyway! After about three kilometres we were caught up with and passed by a Norwegian couple that had also been staying at Geiterygghytta. By the way, I haven't mentioned what Geiterygghytta means, it is Norwegian for "goats back hut"!? Anyway, the couple passed us with a "Hei hei" and we exchbanged pleasantries about what a wonderful day it was, and off they went.

Ah well, what did we care, we were just thoroughly enjoying they days skiing.

A short while later we reached a small frozen lake that we had to ski across when we heard some shouting. We looked to our right to see the same Norwegian couple a short distance up a hillside digging into the snow for a refreshment stop. "Would you like to join us, it is a wonderful spot?" says he, whilst at the same time removing all his upper clothing! "No thanks" says I, "We will go a little further, but thank you"!

A short distance later, we reached a point called Kyrkjedøri, which literally translates as "Church doors". Skiing towards them as we were, on the right hand side is a towering peak at a height of 1729m, and on the left another peak of 1744m. Why they are called church doors I do not know, but looking at the evidence of past and imminent avalanches, I can only assume that folklore dictate you say a prayer before travelling between them and from there they were thought of as the church doors.

    The church doors in the distance

   An avalanche waiting to happen

    Passing through the "Church doors"

By this time we were a little hungry and it seemed an appropriate place to stop for a bite to eat and a drink of hot chocolate.

The skiing was going great, although we were still struggling with downhill sections but hey, so what. It is all just a case of taking the rough with the smooth and, believe me, there was far more smooth than rough!!

People often wonder what I find so fascinating about a landscape void of vegatation, fields, houses etc., but you have to experience the place to really appreciate it. I can understand why antarctic explorers are drawn back again and again to the barren white plains of the poles.

We continued onwards in the blazing mid-day sun before eventually seeing Finse in the distance. 

Once again we had made good time and I was chuffed to bits at how Sean was adapting to cross country skiing. We skied down into Finse and across the lake to Finsehytta to check in. Needless to say, with all the good weather, the place was heaving and we again found ourselves dengrated to a dormitory, this one not quite so opulant as the previous nights accomodation. We were in dormitory B, and to get there meant entering dormitory A through a heavy steel door which, if you weren't careful crashed to a close behind you. You then had to walk through dormitory A which was lined with beds on either side in ranks with no privacy between the berths other than a higher divider at the point a persons head is. You then had to pass through another heavy steel door which was also on an extremely strong spring and crashed to a close. Then you were in dormitory B which, like A, had two ranks of beads on either side of the room lined up like soldiers shoulder to shoulder. We sorted our kit, hung to dry what needed airing and went down to the lounge where we purchased two very fine glasses of cider which is brewed on the premises. At 75NOK (£7.50) it had better be good. As the weather was so nice, the staff had put out tables at the back of the building, the area that was basking in the sunlight, and we sat outside taking in the views of the Hardangerjukølen and the neighbouring lake.

It was all so idylic that, after the first cider, we felt obliged to buy more! And look, no wind;

All of this meant a very happy, but smelly, dishevelled and sunburnt, father and son;

After a couple more ciders, (yes, the house would have to go on the market when we got home) we sat down to a late dinner at 9pm and had a tremendous view of the setting sun over the mountains.

Trout was on the menu for the night and another slap up three course meal ensued. It was much appreciated by that point as the sun, cider and skiing had left us very hungry. We were sat next to a Norwegian couple in their 60's at dinner and, as always, the conversation flowed and we put the world, and Norway, to rights. After dinner, we relaxed for a short while before yet another early night. I went to bed quietly pleased that all guests have to sleep in a hytte bag (similar to a sleeping bag liner) or their own sleeping bags or any other type of personal cocoon, as that would be the only thing preventing me or my neighbour kicking each other during the night, we were that close!