Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

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By the time I had done all my chores and written the blog last night it was after midnight. When daybreak came at 0800 I was still in bed. I was tired, especially my legs. I got up to have a look outside and to my disappointment it was a beautiful day again. No excuses then.

However the angel perched on one shoulder and who was egging me on to Fondsbu was quickly questioned by the devil perched on the other. You’re late, your legs are tired, your achilles are sore, some vertebrae are sore and your due a day off. It was a one sided debate and I returned to bed after throwing some more logs on the fire. I eventually got up at midday.

I don’t have any concerns as yet but the only problems I can foresee are lower back or my heels. I have to take a little bit of care of them. I can always get to Nordkinn a day or 2 late but with a ruptured achilles I won’t be going anywhere. Regarding my back I could revert to a sledge and sacrifice some kilometres every day.

When I did get up I cleaned out the ash from the fire and was amazed at how much more efficient it was without the extra ash clogging it up. Then I ate a few tins of meat and ham. I have lost a few kilos but am not too concerned about losing too much weight yet. I need some reserves for the north where supplies are infrequent.

I then spent the afternoon reading old walking magazines which this cabin has a copious supply and working out my route again to Roros. From Otta I think I will go through the heart of Rondane and then pass through Avdal Vestfjell and then through the north west corner of Femundsmarka and enter Roros from the south. It should take me a minimum of 15 days from here at Slettingsbu.

I only left the cabin once and that was to get another bag of wood from the outhouse. Sensibily the wood supplied to these cabins is silver birch, a wood with an enourmous heat to weight ratio, compared to say spruce. In addition the bark of birch contains a lot of tar so it is easy to light.

By the evening I felt well rested and even bored so will be eager to get off tomorrow to the next place which is Fondsbu lodge. I know it is closed and I am not sure if it has some self service facilities or if I will be camping.

I have enjoyed my leisure day a Slettingsbu cabin. It has been good for me to relax in its warm candle lit ambience.

From tomorrow my journey north will take a marked swing to the north east and to the town of Roros.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 8:23 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.