Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance: 17km | Time: 5.5hours | Ascent: 120m | Descent: 90m.

I was up at 0700 and heard the frost dripping of the trees. The temperature must have climbed 10 degrees in the night to just above freezing. I thought a change to the crisp cold weather was on the way. I eventually left a 0900, just as it was getting daylight proper.

It was a quick easy walk through Viblemo and on to Konsmo. Here there was a shop open. I treated myself to a second breakfast here. It was just what I needed after the puritanical dried granola mix previously. 

After Konsmo the road undulated a bit until it came to the long frozen lake of Nedre Oydnavatn. It had a complete covering of ice and a couple of foxes had ventured across it, but it looked far to dodgy for me to contemplate skiing across.

I followed the road up the east side of the lake past a couple of well kept hamlets for a good 7 km until I came to the north end. Here the river from the upper lake Ovre Oydnavayn a km further to the north flowed it.

There was a campsite where the grass beside the river was not too hummocky and the ice was thin enough for me to kick a hole for water. In fact it was quite an idyllic spot. I had the tent up quickly and retired into it as it was getting dark at 1600.

It was another grand day. The weight of the rucksack somewhat spoiled it and I have to cut 5 kg. I will not be able to move quickly through and across snow with a 27 kg rucksack and have to get it down to 20 kg.

The top candidate for the weight reduction are the 3kg of laptop and accessories and the very comfortable 4.5 kg Bergans rucksack down to a 3 kg Norrona one, both 120 litres.  If so, it will mean updates are sent on a mobile phone via email without pictures. However, my phone is refusing to send emails just yet, so this chapter remains unfinished…… whatever happens the satelite location device will stay and will transmit my position each evening, even if there is no mobile network coverage, as is often the case in Norwegian mountains.

I am now about half way through stage one from Lindesnes to Ljosland further north which is where the snow apparently starts and I can head up onto the first of the mountain plateaus. Once on the plateau there will be mountain cabins to stay in with the occasional camp.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.