Hardangervidda 2016, Day 3, Hallingskeid to Finse, 1st April 2016.

So, today is the day of our first proper trek, a journey that is about 18km long. We'd checked the forecast and discussed the journey at length with Bankt, who was an absolute mine of information. He was also great with the kids, sitting them down last night and patiently going through today's route on the map with them, highlighting the up hills, downhills, where we would be crossing frozen lakes and tips on what wildlife to look out for, which basically consists of a small white bird called a "Ripa", (pronounced 'reaper'), a rabbit and an arctic fox. Unsurprisingly all three are white, the first two for protection and the latter for stealth! Also, unsurprisingly (SPOILER ALERT), we were to see none! The weather forecast had been showing good for the morning leading to snow later in the day, so an early start was decided on. Unfortunately, Hallingskeid has no showers, something I desperately need first thing in the morning, so the 7.30am rise saw us all rinsing ourselves off in the wash rooms before preparing to head off for the day. Breakfast was a cup of coffee and a boller, a type of sweet Norwegian bun usually containing either raisins or chocolate.

With that done, it was time to head off into the wilds. Have I mentioned that both Scott and Amundsen both trained for their Antarctic expeditions in this area? Well, they did, and when you see the landscape it is easy to understand why. The Hardangervidda is the highest mountain plateau in Northern Europe and with it being above the tree line it lends itself to an Antarctic landscape. On the subject of Scott and Amundsen, and this is only my personal opinion, though it IS shared by many academics and explorers, not least Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Amundsen cheated!!!!! That he supposedly won a race with another person, Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, when the said Capt. Scott didn't even know he was in a race, sort of makes a little bit of a farce of the whole situation. That Amundsen had told everybody "in the know" that he was making an attempt on the North Pole adds to the skullduggery, and is most certainly not a very :"British" attitude. Add to all this certain facts like Amundsen buying up all, yes ALL, the trained dog teams capable of making the journey, and it all starts to take on a different light. Yeah, okay, I am firmly in Scotts camp! It's sort of kharma though that worldwide, if you mention the South Pole and Antarctic explorers, it is Scotts name that people come up with. Of course, that could be just because it is easier to remember/pronounce, but who cares?

The above photo is of someone's private hytte, though obviously not often used in the winter season! Note the plastic sheeting tied over the chimney just in case the building is buried that much in heavy snowfall. As far as weather for us was concerned, we were skiing into a very mild wind, which caused us no real problems, but the day was quite dreary even though the sun was constantly trying to assert itself over the cloud cover!

Above is Emma and I skiing along as Sean holds back to take a photograph. Just in front of Emma, who is leading, you might be able to notice a Birch stick or two sticking out of the ground. For those not aware, these sticks are what the DNT (Den Norske Turistforening) use to mark out the winter trails and are a godsend for navigation, as long as they can be seen of course. The trails are checked regularly by DNT staff on snow scooters but in bad weather can either be lost due to poor visibility of having been blown over.

Flying the flag!

Emma, sporting a woolly hat I found on Snowdon in North Wales last year. A good wash and it was as good as new. Waste not want not! 

Bearing in mind this was Emma's first attempt at touring on cross country skis, I was as proud as it's possible for a father to be. Not only was it her first attempt at touring, she had only ever skied on cross country skis for three days about 7 years ago. It was clear that she was struggling, especially on the uphill gradients, but she just gritted her teeth and got on with it, apart from one little wobble half way up a hill. Well, they do say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Having said that, I hadn't been out on skis since February last year and it had been a couple of years for Sean since being on cross country skis.

Along the marked DNT routes you will sometimes come across junctions, this one marking the directions to Hallingskeid, Finse and Geiterygghytta:

And on they went, Sean leads with Emma behind as they follow the marked trail of Birch sticks:

The wind picked up slightly as the day wore on and we struggles a little to find somewhere with a little shelter to have our lunch. Emma also needed a "comfort" break. I had bought her one of those strange contraptions called a "she wee", but in the end she decided to forego the intricacies of that simple device and, instead, bare the elements! A couple of large boulders appeared around a corner, giving perfect shelter for both the lunch break and the "other" break, one Boulder for each I might add!

After lunch, it was off again. We were all beginning to flag a little bit, so I was particularly worried about Emma, I didn't want to break her so soon! After lots of false summits, we eventually saw Finse spread below us, the railway station (the highest in Norway at 1222m), the hotel, the frozen lake and, just a little farther, Finsehytte, our destination. It seemed the closer we got, the slower we got and the more tired we became, like we just wanted to drop with exhaustion at the last hurdle. But NO!! We made it!!

We quickly booked in, dumped our kit in the drying room, packs in the bedroom and headed for the long awaited showers. Then it was time to do a little inventory. Emma, in her brand new boots, had not even a hint of a blister, lucky Emma! Sean had just the suggestion of a blister on one foot. I, in my old and supposedly well broken in boots, have a humongous blister on my left heel. I had suffered blisters on such a tour in the past, from the same boots, but following some advice took to wearing women's ankle length tights underneath my socks. The trip I took wearing them was bliss, with blisters being a thing of the past. This time though, I lost one of the pair of tights, so didn't wear anything. Big mistake! As we sorted through all our luggage though, the missing tight miraculously reappeared. Oh well. Anyway, following minor surgery with a Leatherman multi tool, said blister was drained, directed and dressed, and all in time for dinner.

Dinner at Finse was the usual affair or reverting to my school years. Long bench tables seated all those present at they hytte and the host came along instructing people how to collect their food, deposit their dirty plates and ensure the meal went with no catastrophes. And so it was, with the dinner being served with military like precision. 

One little luxury we allowed ourselves at Finse, well Sean and I anyway, was a glass of cider from the on site micro brewery. Mmm Mmmmh!!

Following a hearty meal, it was an early night for all of us.

 http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=12781851

Hardangervidda 2016, Day 2, Oslo to Hallingskeid, 31st March 2016.

In my rush to get the blog started last night, I missed one of the highlights of the evening, a deer coming to graze at the back of Hege's apartment! This saw all three of us rushing for cameras in the hope of snapping a photo of the animal. It was obviously a bit of a diva as it was quite happy to loiter and strike the occasional pose as we fumbled with cameras and settings.

Right, back to today. An early rise turned into a rather lazy morning as we sought to catch up on a little of the sleep we missed out on yesterday. We had plenty of time though, our train wasn't due to leave Oslo until 12.03pm, so we had leisurely showers and packed, and re-packed, our rucksacks. Last minute adjustments were made with some kit identified as surplus to requirements and not worth the extra weight. We were aiming for about 10kg and Emma ended up with 10.5kg, which was okay, she's no shrinking violet. Sean's final tally was 12.5kg and mine was 13kg so, all in all we weren't horrendously overweight. In addition to the sacks, we had to haul with us our provisions for the train journey, dinner at Hallingskeid, breakfast and a pack lunch for tomorrow. We eventually left Hege's about 10.45 and, with rucksacks, skis and provisions, made our way to the bus stop and headed into Oslo.

The central station in Oslo is a rather weird and wonderful place. Amongst the crowds are to be seen people dressed for expeditions into the mountains mixing with those heading for business meetings, tourists jostling with "hip" teenagers and then there is the seedier side to the station with groups of young male Africans looking to prey on the innocent. You really do have to have eyes in the back of your head at times! As much as I love Oslo I fear for the first impressions some people get when arriving at the rail station.

We found our track, track 3, and decided to wait out in the fresh air rather than experience the paranoia of watching all our gear in the main station and, after seeing off a train to Stavanger, ours duly arrived at the station. It was about 20 minutes early, but that gave us plenty of time to find our seats and settle in. Travelling on the NSB trains is an absolute pleasure. They are clean, roomy and airy, making train travel in Norway an absolute pleasure. It also meant that the ensuing four and a half hour journey was not a daunting prospect at all. Far from it, the Oslo to Bergen rail journey has been voted one of the worlds most beautiful trips in the world when it comes to rail travel. It is so wonderful that NRK, the Norwegian television network, made one of their famous "slow television" episodes about the journey in real time, documenting the whole eight hour trip. Our journey took us gradually higher and higher into the mountains.

Below is Geilo, a popular alpine ski centre.

Also on the train journey, despite the wonderful scenery outside the windows, Sean took time to partake in one of our favourite Norwegain cakes, kokosbolle, something we acquired quite a taste for on our road trip a few years back.

I could go on and on about the train journey, but would probably leave you feeling rather bored. Suffice to say, it is a wonderful journey and, if it appeals to you in the slightest, you must take it.

We eventually arrived at Hallinkskeid at around 4.30pm and it was quite different to when I last visited, about seven years ago. The station itself is actually inside a tunnel and when I last visited that tunnel had been made of wood. At that time it was a first for Hanne and I, actually embarking on a ski tour, and we wondered what we had let ourselves in for as we were the only ones to alight the train in a dark, cold and damp wooden railway tunnel. All that had been missing was the tumbleweed. That particular tunnel, however, burned down just a few weeks after our visit. Now there is a more modern structure and, in addition to a more welcoming station, we actually had a welcoming party. Well, a welcoming party consisting of just one person. Bankt was a volunteer with the Bergen turistforening who own the hytte at Hallingskeid and he had coincidentally just seen his son off on the train to Bergen, the same train we had just got off, so it was more good timing than a special welcoming.

Anyway, Bankt took us under his wing and escorted us down to the hytte, giving us the grand tour and letting us pick our own bedroom. We were to be the only guests this night.

Although owned by the Bergen touring organisation the hytte, as many privately owned hytte are in the mountains, is sort of affiliated with the DNT, Den Norske Turistforening. As such, the standards are pretty much the same across the board, as are the prices. Hallingskeid itself is not staffed as such, in the sense of meals being prepared for guests etc., but it does have a well stocked pantry.

The pantry is operated on an honesty basis, you take what you want and leave the money for it in a sealed envelope. There's plenty to choose from and more than enough for the discerning traveller. 

After settling into our room:

Bankt kindly offered to take us out on a small trip to let Emma get a feel for the skis. I'm just going to share the photos with you as they pretty much speak for the self:

Sean and Bankt

A toasty minus 5

On getting back to the hytte it was obvious the kids were starving. How so? Probably the chorus of, "Dad, we're starving!". So, on the stove went the new potatoes we had hauled all the way from Oslo with us, the moose balls in gravy and peas. 

Emma still isn't quite sure what's what with the moose balls, are they or aren't they? Whatever, she enjoyed them, as did we all, washed down nicely with a can of our favourite beer, Ringnes.

After dinner? Very little really, just chilled out in the lounge of the hytte which had a roaring stove as a centre piece before an early night for all three of us. This night however, the kids were taking no risks, ear plugs were the accessory of choice due to a certain persons snoring the night before!

Hardangervidda 2016, Day 1, Rhos-on-Sea to Oslo, 30th March 2016.

It doesn't matter how gently someone says your name at 4.15 in the morning, you still manage to levitate half a metre off the mattress in shock. Groggily, I hear Sean whispering, "Dad, it's quarter past four". Yep, cheers matey. After a hectic day yesterday, running around making last minute preparations for our journey, a few more hours sleep would have been welcome, say another eight! It was not to be though. A quick shower and then all three of us, Sean, Emma and I, off to John Lennon airport in Liverpool to hop on the plane for Torp in Norway.

As we fly along the Norwegian coast, in the distance we get our first glimpse of snow capped mountains. Our fellow passengers were the usual eclectic mix of passengers unique to Ryanair flights. The privileged few who think that, due to their special status in life, they just HAVE to pay the extra for priority boarding. Why do such people stroll to the front of the queue with such smug looks on their faces? And as for their kids, when it comes to smugness, they take it to a whole extra level. As for the flight itself, what can I say, Ryanair are Ryanair. They do what it says on the tin, get you where you want to go as cheaply as possible. I get so hacked off with people moaning about Ryanair, people who know exactly what they are going to get by booking tickets with them, but then expect first class service. Ryanair ARE a budget airline!! They even got us to Torp about 15 minutes early, what more could you ask for? Okay, legroom, decent food, clean toilets, cabin crew that speak the same language, pilot and co-pilot that probably weren't flying Eastern European military aircraft just the week before, soft landings and easy take offs, cleanliness, but hey, that all costs money!

So, we land at Torp (with a bump), sort out our luggage and head out to the Oslo express bus for the two hour bus trip to Oslo. As is usually the case there takes place a mass migration from Ryanair plane to airport bus. This means that, if you have suffered a two hour flight with insufferable people, invariably you have to settle down to a similarly annoying and insufferable bus trip. In our case this meant a gaggle women with their extremely badly behaved young boys who were allowed to run free shouting and screaming at their leisure. I sort of wished I started mimicking the love of my life who never failed to carry with her a pair of earplugs on such journeys. We may live and learn, but don't necessarily always pay attention.

On arrival at the central bus terminal in Oslo it was just a short trek to the water front to catch a bus up to Manglerud where we had booked accommodation through Airbnb. I used the same accommodation last year on my first trip arranged through Airbnb and was so impressed I wouldn't consider staying anywhere else in Oslo. Hege, the host, is a lovely lady and it is more like staying with a friend. For those interested in details for the accommodation, I will post some further details at another time. Suffice to say that after our 4am start, it was nice to reach our destination and breathe out.

As we had some spare time to kill, we decided to take a trip down to the city centre and take in a few sights, starting with the opera house which Emma had not seen before. A short bus trip followed by an equally short walk, and there we were:

From the top of the opera house you get quite a good view of the Oslo waterfront, including the horrendous (my opinion only) "barcode" buildings.

Well, I was probably asking a little much of the kids (OK, they're 18 and 21 but they'll always be kids to me) after our early morning start and, as should have been expected, all anyone wanted to do next was go to nest and chill out. Back on the bus, back up to Manglerud, a quick stop to buy pizza, Grandiosa of course, Norway's most popular meal, and back to the apartment. We also purchased some supplies for our stay at the first hytte tomorrow, Hallingskeid. This would consist of moose balls!!! No, not literally, but meat balls made of processed moose meat!

Hege had returned home by then, so what followed was a relaxed evening with someone who already seemed an old friend, whilst the sun set over Oslo fjord.

One final piccie, this is the welcoming you get when you arrive at Hege's place, a personal note on the large blackboard. 

The pilgrims tale (2014) day 6, Sunday 14th September

I awoke this morning after a rather strange, even surreal, night. I had taken a walk from the pilgrim centre into the centre of Hamar to get some food. Hamar itself is a very typical Norwegian city with some very fine looking old buildings at its heart. My route into the centre took me through the residential areas of the the city and I again took the time to enjoy the Scandinavian architecture I love so much. It had been a beautiful day, and there were still many people about enjoying the late summer weather. As I got closer to the city centre, I entered an area where there was some quite considerable construction work under way and from here, in the distance, I could see plumes of smoke climbing into the sky and hear the body numbing base beat of dance music blasting out into the night. On reaching the city centre, I found a large open square with seating constructed in an amphitheatre style. Doesn't quite sound right that does it?, square and amphitheatre in the same sentence, but I'm sure you get the picture. At the heart of this arrangement was a large stage from where the smoke makers and sound systems were doing their stuff. It wasn't a concert as such, just more like some sort of public entertainment. My lack of Norwegian language frustrates me sometimes as I would have loved to learn what it was all about, but that WILL change. Another thing I noticed was the large ammount of Romany looking beggars scattered along the main concourse at regular intervals. I had seen this before in Oslo, but had thought it was confined to the capital, so was quite surprised to see it here.

I found a food store and decided to go Norwegian. Meatballs? Lopskaus? Fish? No!, a Grandiosa pizza, Norway's most popular dish. I also picked up a cold beer, only to be reminded at the checkout that it could not be sold after 8pm! Gutted! 

My return journey was along the same route where, in an area devoid of street lighting due to the construction work, I had a bizarre interaction with a car full of Eastern Europeans in a battered old Vauxhall Cavalier. I say bizarre because it was so unexpected, but what it really was was an attempted street robbery. Suffice to say, they picked on the wrong person and went away empty handed. The strange thing was, although angry about the incident, I wasn't angry that they had picked on me, I was angry that they were behaving in such a manner in my beloved Norway.

I woke early this morning so that I had time to grab a bite to eat, tidy the centre, pack for the flight home and walk to the railway station with plenty of time to spare. I should again mention the pilgrim centre at Hamar. It has accomodation for six people in one dormitory type room. In the main room of the centre is a large dining area and a computer available for the use of the traveller. There is a large, well equipped kitchen with a small offering of foodstuff for sale, shower room and toilet. All for the reasonable sum of 300nok. Here are a few photos;

I packed my rucksack for the last time, left the centre, and headed for the station. To say I felt a little dejected and a bit of a failure would be something of an understatement, but as I took stock of myself I knew I was making the right decision. My achilles at the back of my left ankle is swollen and painful, I'm assuming because of my altered gait due to the hip issue. Likewise, I have blisters in some very unusual places at the bottom of my left foot. If I had had more time I could have taken a few days out to rest and recuperate, but as I had commenced the walk so late in the year time really wasn't on my side. Additionally, a couple of days laid up might not have been enough, it could be up to a week according to a concerned Dr who has been following my journey. None of this made me feel any better, even though I knew I was making the sensible decision.

Today was going to involve planes, trains and automobiles, though not in that order. Train first. I had a little heart flutter when I arrived at the railway station to find that EVERY train that day had been cancelled, it quickly transpired that buses had been arranged in place of the cancelled trains and, thankfully to to repairs being underway on the railway track. I had enough time between the legs of the journey to allow for the extra time needed to travel to Oslo by coach instead of train, so wasn't too perturbed. It also allowed me to really take in how far I had walked. ONE HUNDRED MILES!!! As I gazed out of the window, I caught glimpses of the path I had followed along lake Mjøsa and through the woods. 

On arrival at the railway station in Oslo I made my way to the bus station and, having a couple of hours to kill before the express bus to Rygge for the flight home, I left my rucksack in a luggage locker and headed through the city to the waterfront. It was a beautiful, blazing hot Summers day, and I could not forego the opportunity to take in a few of my favourite sights.

    Akerbrygge

    Akershus

    City hall

And a few shots from around the city centre;

I mentioned before about my previous experience of the regularly spaced Romany beggars that line the length of Karl Johans Gate. Their numbers consist of middle aged upwards men and women sat at the side of the road, many displaying a variety of disabilities. Now, their ranks are swelled by young girls, working in groups and dressed in a bright array of traditional clothing, selling copies of a magazine I can only compare with the "Big Issue" homeless magazine in the UK. When I say selling, it is more of a hard sale. When the seller is ignored by the prospective benefactor, they proceed to tag along looking more and more upset, verging on tears, in a more and more desperate attempt to extort money from their target. On realisation there will be no funds forthcoming they give up, turn to their colleagues, have a laugh and target their next victim. The girls were working in teams of up to six and were obviously related to the older beggars if their interactions were anything to go by. As a natural people watcher, I found them quite fascinating to observe. Here they are taking their mid-day break, courtesy of Burger King;

Back to the bus station and I hopped onto the Rygge express bus where I boarded my flight and eventually reached home in the early evening. Was I happy to be home? Not really. I just wish I had started the trek earlier and allowed myself enough time to complete it in its entirety. I felt I was returning home leaving a job unfinished. Did I enjoy my trek? Not really. It was damned hard work, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment in the distance I covered. I learned a lot, about my ability to make the most of a bad situation and to push myself further than I thought I could. My expected daily mileage was, in reflection, ambitious. The guys at Cotswold had suggested that 10 to 14 miles a day was a good distance to cover. I had opted for 20 and paid the price. As I said before though, my schedule had really been set by the time of year I had chosen to begin the walk. I'm sure I will return to complete the pilgrims path, it is certainly my intention to do so. Next time I will be better prepared though. I will have a more realistic expectation of what the path entails and be physically and mentally better equipped.

On the subject of equipment, all the gear I had from Cotswold Outdoor in Betws-y-Coed held up, and behaved, brilliantly and I cannot thank them enough for their assistance. The Solomon boots took pretty much every type of terrain and condition you could throw at them and, after a good clean, look brand new. The rucksack was cavernous and held everything I needed. It was easy to adjust on the move and was comfortable to wear. I particularly liked the side pockets that had an additional opening that allows you to access the pockets from the front whilst the pack is on your back. The stove was what it was. Relatively light and compact, easy to use and ideal for one person cooking. Thankfully, the tic remover and mirror combination never saw the light of day!! I would again like to thank them for their support and advice.

On a final note, if you have enjoyed following me over the last week, and my ramblings (see what I did there?) have kept you amused, please don't forget that my main hope was to raise money for Cancer Research UK. You can still donate at justgiving.com by searching for "Walking the Walk" or following this link https://www.justgiving.com/Walking-The-Walk2/ or, if resident in the UK, text OLAV 99 followed by the ammount you wish to give, i.e £5, to 70070.