Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 26km | Time 9hrs | Ascent 220m | Descent 490m

It was snowing when I got up but the wind was negligible. The sight was quite poor as in addition to the snow it was misty. Before I left at 0930 I entered the location of Tyinstolen and Fondsbu lodge into the fiddly GPS.

There was a section where the maps I had of the 4 km between Slettningsbu and Tyinstolen did not overlap. But I thought it would be easy to follow the compass and GPS.

When I set off I did not feel in top form. I had an irritating cough and all my joints felt sore. I felt a bit weak also, as if I had some minor flu.

The visibility was a bad as ever on the knobbly terrain. I sometimes could not see the ground beyond my skis. I did not know if it was going up or down. In addition there was a lot of deep snow. Progress was very slow at about 1 km per hour.

At one stage when I was off the maps I was confronted by a craggy ridge which loomed out of the mist. I could not go over so decided to go south rather than north to skirt it. This decision led me to take a 3 km detour and instead of meeting the main road at Tyinstolen I reached it at the very southern end of the lake. An error that cost me at least 2 hours, maybe 3.

The chances of getting to Fondsbu lodge were fading rapidly and I would probably have to camp en route. I was also feeling weak and sore. It had been a bad morning. I should have stayed at Slettningsbu cabin and nursed my cold rather than flounder about the deep snow and mist wasting energy.

In hindsight I realized that going to Slettningsbu was a mistake. I should have gone from Sulebu to Tyinkrysset. A very easy day of 3 hours. And then from Tyinkrysset to Fondsbu lodge and very feasible day. Slettningsbu had cost me a day and masses of energy.

Just then my luck changed. I spoke to someone who was working on the endless building project and eyesore at the south end of Tyin. He said the lady who runs Fondsbu lodge was already there preparing to open in a week. I knew Solborg from the days when I was climbing all the 2000 meter peaks. We got on well. I gave here a ring with the last efforts of the battery.

No problem, be delighted to see you, the water for showers is hot, we are not open but you can eat with us. This was wonderful news. I was delighted. I still had 19 km to go and it was 1330 so I would arrive in the dark but there was a marked track and this had been compacted by snow scooters so was easy.

The 19 km took me up the entire east side of Tyin lake. It was a great shame it was poor weather as this was one of the best views in Jotunheimen. Especially towards the sharp pyramid of Uranostind, but also of Falketind.

It was a long ski indeed with very little to see except for the private leisure cabins which dotted the shoreline. Most of these cabins were very tasteful and looked very picturesque with their log walls and grass roofs.

I eventually reached Tyinholmen at the north end of the lake. It was dusk now but the moon was breaking through the mist and just shedding enough light. I was very tired though. Both Achilles were sore as were my hips. It would be another rest day tomorrow for sure whatever the weather.

I had a final 4 km to go over a small rise and descent to reach the lodge. From the top of the rise I could see the lights on. A welcome sight. At last I arrived. Solborg could not have been more helpful and I was soon in the shower. It was as much therapy as hygiene.

After the shower a supper which exceeded my expectations by far. Copious amounts of tender organic reindeer steak and heaps of fresh vegetables. All this washed down by a very complimentary Italian red. Solborg, the caretaker and myself then spent the rest of the evening chatting about many topics especially history. This was great because Solborg is a conservationist of the highest caliber with strong and wise opinions.

I eventually got to bed at midnight. My muscles and tendons still sore. It had been a very mixed day from the annoyance and despair of floundering about in the almost white out conditions making no progress, to the best evening of the year so far.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 8:18 am 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.