Near Norway's End
I went hiking in the mountains this week. An organization, DNT, has a string of cabins throughout Norway and sells (among other things) topographic maps with trails laid out and estimated time for walking. There's a membership fee that gets you access to "self-service" and "no-service" cabins and discounts at fully "staffed" cabins.
No service cabins are cabins with a fully equipped kitchen, bunk beds (sleeping sheet required), blankets and firewood.
Self-service cabins are staffed by two volunteers (free camping for a week!) and come with the added bonus of a fully stocked pantry from which you can purchase tinned food, nutella, coffee, etc. You don't even have to hike out your own garbage!
Staffed cabins have a restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner (for a price) and reception (yes! there's a reception!) sells waffles, coke, candy, beer, bug spray, etc. But you have no access to a kitchen to make your own food. And there were showers! For two dollars. I didn't have a shower, that's just not in the spirit of hiking. It's such a bizarre concept and doesn't really feel like getting back to nature at all. But it's an easy way to take your kids on a hike. They had a few toys and games at the one I was at.
While staying at the first cabin, I discovered DNT suggests nine guidelines:
- Be prepared to all weather, even on short hikes (CHECK!)
- Don't hike beyond your fitness (CHECK!)
- Tell someone your route (CHECK!)
- Turn back in time, ie if the going gets too tough or if the weather gets too rough (Thankfully this wasn't an issue)
- Learn from the locals (Were the sheep telling me to wear a bell? Actually, the sheep disappeared by the second day!)
- Be familiar with the area (How is a person to explore any where?!)
- Take a map and compass (My compass is inconveniently somewhere in a storage locker)
- Never go solo (Now you tell me.)
(I've forgotten the last one)
As for my own personal rules, I:
- didn't take a knife (you can't carry that on the plane!)
- almost forgot a fire starting method but picked up a lighter at the gas station because that's important.
- didn't have any method to purify water
I had planned on hiking for four nights, staying at two self-service cabins and then two staffed cabins. I didn't know about the pantries so I brought all my own food. I hiked out on the fourth day because:
- my next cabin was a staffed cabin and the food was too expensive and not worth it and otherwise it's just a weird atmosphere and difficult to socialize since most people at those cabins are families.
- I realized that hiking in Norway is pretty similar in view to hiking in Canada and there were probably better (though more expensive) ways to spend my time taking in sights.
It was a fantastic and beautiful experience though and my neck got quite burnt while pulling myself up a snowy incline (better than the previous day when it snowed at the top of a snowy slope). And oh man my legs are SORE. I ate a slice of princess cake today that probably compensated for all calories burned during the hike.
I now have a huge hitchhiking karma debt as that was the only way to get to the trail-head and from the trail-tail. A lovely and youthful looking 48 yr-old Norwegian lady returning from 20 years in France and a failed marriage to a possibly blossoming relationship carried me to the trail head (as close as reasonable). An old Norwegian couple in an RV picked me up at the other end. Just about the best ride a hitchhiker could ask for. Old couples are a safer bet than anyone else, probably have an extra seat somewhere in their huge vehicle, AND they're travellers themselves and so they stop to take pictures of neat things.
The rest of that day was a bit crazy, and I ended up in Alesund. A happy happenstance.
No service cabins are cabins with a fully equipped kitchen, bunk beds (sleeping sheet required), blankets and firewood.
Self-service cabins are staffed by two volunteers (free camping for a week!) and come with the added bonus of a fully stocked pantry from which you can purchase tinned food, nutella, coffee, etc. You don't even have to hike out your own garbage!
Staffed cabins have a restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner (for a price) and reception (yes! there's a reception!) sells waffles, coke, candy, beer, bug spray, etc. But you have no access to a kitchen to make your own food. And there were showers! For two dollars. I didn't have a shower, that's just not in the spirit of hiking. It's such a bizarre concept and doesn't really feel like getting back to nature at all. But it's an easy way to take your kids on a hike. They had a few toys and games at the one I was at.
While staying at the first cabin, I discovered DNT suggests nine guidelines:
- Be prepared to all weather, even on short hikes (CHECK!)
- Don't hike beyond your fitness (CHECK!)
- Tell someone your route (CHECK!)
- Turn back in time, ie if the going gets too tough or if the weather gets too rough (Thankfully this wasn't an issue)
- Learn from the locals (Were the sheep telling me to wear a bell? Actually, the sheep disappeared by the second day!)
- Be familiar with the area (How is a person to explore any where?!)
- Take a map and compass (My compass is inconveniently somewhere in a storage locker)
- Never go solo (Now you tell me.)
(I've forgotten the last one)
As for my own personal rules, I:
- didn't take a knife (you can't carry that on the plane!)
- almost forgot a fire starting method but picked up a lighter at the gas station because that's important.
- didn't have any method to purify water
I had planned on hiking for four nights, staying at two self-service cabins and then two staffed cabins. I didn't know about the pantries so I brought all my own food. I hiked out on the fourth day because:
- my next cabin was a staffed cabin and the food was too expensive and not worth it and otherwise it's just a weird atmosphere and difficult to socialize since most people at those cabins are families.
- I realized that hiking in Norway is pretty similar in view to hiking in Canada and there were probably better (though more expensive) ways to spend my time taking in sights.
It was a fantastic and beautiful experience though and my neck got quite burnt while pulling myself up a snowy incline (better than the previous day when it snowed at the top of a snowy slope). And oh man my legs are SORE. I ate a slice of princess cake today that probably compensated for all calories burned during the hike.
I now have a huge hitchhiking karma debt as that was the only way to get to the trail-head and from the trail-tail. A lovely and youthful looking 48 yr-old Norwegian lady returning from 20 years in France and a failed marriage to a possibly blossoming relationship carried me to the trail head (as close as reasonable). An old Norwegian couple in an RV picked me up at the other end. Just about the best ride a hitchhiker could ask for. Old couples are a safer bet than anyone else, probably have an extra seat somewhere in their huge vehicle, AND they're travellers themselves and so they stop to take pictures of neat things.
The rest of that day was a bit crazy, and I ended up in Alesund. A happy happenstance.