Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 22km | Time 6hrs | Ascent 400m | Descent 70m

I slept well in the small cabin. When I woke there had been a change in the weather. The crisp minus 14 of last night was now a mere minus 1 and the trees swirled in the wind as the clouds raced across the sky.

Having tidied the cabin I left as it was getting light at 0900. It was a joy to shoulder my lighter pack. Those 4 kilos made all the difference. It was now a tad over 20 kilos and I felt I could cope easily with it

The road was deserted as I headed up the valley. Great granite crags rose on each side. Their exfoliating buttresses covered in pine. Everywhere small rivulets which flowed over the slabs had frozen into ribbons of white ice. An Alpinists dream.

As I reached the very small hamlet of Roysland a few snow flurries came. This did little to allay my fears as to just how bare the hillsides were of snow. There was plently of ice, just hardly any snow.

When I reached the hamlet of Breland an hour further along the empty road these snow flurries had joined into a heavy shower and there was a good 5 cm on the road. I passed numerous cabins beside frozen lakes on this stretch, all looking very pretty in their forest clearings.

After a quick 6 hours, during which I was barely troubled by my pack I reached Ljosland itself. The end of the snow covered tarmac for me. Ljosland is a small farming hamlet at 530 metres altitude. It also has a Fjellstue.

A Fjellstue is a venerable part of the Norwegian culture. They are old mountain lodges where generations of people have initially riden to, and now drive, to start their mountain walking holidays. There are many hundred Fjellstue in Norway. Most are at least 100 years old and are crammed full with old artefacts and rose painted furniture. The cracked log walls ooze charm and exude a warmth.

Ljosland was not so old but still had the charm. It also had a very friendly young owner and hot showers. In the first bit of hygiene this year I basked under the hot flow until my bone marrow was cooked. Then a clothes wash and a wonderful meal.

The young owner of Ljosland also told me that there was plenty of snow in the mountain ranges immediately to the north. Getting to the first of the mountain cabins, called Gaukheihytta would not be a problem. It should take about 7 hours max. I am eager to try out my new skis tomorrow and to see how they work with the short skins.

It had been another problem free day. Today was essentially the last bit of the first section. Tomorrow I begin the second section which is from Ljosland to Haukeliseter. This second section should take about 2 weeks. During this section mobile coverage will be erratic so updates could be few and far between. The map will still update though.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 5:21 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.