Norway: Second Backpacking Day Pics

Norway: Second Backpacking Day

I though the first day of backpacking couldn’t be topped. Well, what was in store for me on day two was incredible.

After a filling breakfast of cinnamon oatmeal and a little bit of cleaning up, we were welcomed into the fresh, Norwegian mountain air by some welcome sun. The day before our views were somewhat obscured by fog, but not today. No! We had blue skies and it was warming up considerably. Good thing too, because our hike took us further up and there was snow everywhere. It was kind of funny seeing us in shorts and tee shirts hiking through the snow, up mountains and across snow fed rivers, but it was also incredibly gorgeous.

Every so often we would have to fill up our water bottles. If you have been backpacking before, you might know about these little things called iodine tablets. Iodine tablets are what make water potable when you are in the middle of nowhere and can’t boil it. Well, for those of you know what iodine tablets taste like (essentially you are drinking pool water), you will be very jealous to know that the water is so fresh in Norway that you don’t have to use these. Nope! We just filled our water up from streams. It was cold and fresh, the best I have probably ever had.

Well, after a few hours of trekking through some of the most indescribably beautiful scenery we made it to our second cabin. This cabin was the cabin a famous Norwegian actor would build. It was huge! Room for thirty people to sleep, a gigantic kitchen, leather couches, fire places, a drying room, a dining room with several long tables for family style dinners. Seriously, nice. Well, we weren’t staying here, but we did enjoy some bacon cheese from a tube on bread and cookies in the company of some other Norwegians and their dogs before heading to our day’s goal, Langfoss, or Long Falls for all of you who can’t read Norwegian.

It was sometime between the morning and our hike to the falls that I realized, there are mountains stacked on these mountains. Day one was full of uphill hiking and I thought we reached the peak. Day two was more uphill hiking. What? Where did that mountain on top of the mountain I just hiked up come from? Did I mention that Trygve said that we would be going downhill after lunch. This is when the second realization of the trip hit me, the downhill is Norwegian for more uphill, and then some downhill, but mainly uphill. Tricky bastards.

Well, the Norwegian downhill was well worth it. After many hours of tough hiking, we finally made it to the top of Langfoss. Let me tell you, it was the best view of the trip by far, and probably my life. I was looking down upon a sun-filled fjord nestled between two mountain ridges. Waterfalls and streams poured down the sides of the mountains. It was perfect. Picturesque is too weak of a word to describe it.

A photoshoot later we headed down along the side of the falls. I thought downhill (the real kind) was supposed to be easy, but this was one of the hardest parts of the day. We had to descend 600 meters of essentially near vertical terrain. I was trying my best not to fall or slip on the rocks, but also take in the views. Sometimes, while I was staring at my feet trying not to misstep I would look up and be reminded of what surrounded me. It was a bit of a pity I had to pay so much attention to not dying.

At the foot of the falls we took in the surroundings some more while Trygve and Cecilie hitchhiked back to the cars that we left on the other side of the mountain. We enjoyed some kebap in the town of Odda for dinner and then set up camp near the point of our next adventure. If you like the pictures from this day, you won’t believe the ones from day three.

Norway: First Backpacking Day Pics

Norway: First Backpacking Day

A little late, we wake up and have a Norwegian breakfast of bread, meat, cheese, and spreads. Kristine bought this fresh strawberry honey at the Viking festival which was really good as a jam replacement. Oh! And I finally had some good milk in Europe! Finally. After months of wishing I could buy some good, cold milk which is pretty impossible in Spain, my wishes were fulfilled.

We all made sure we were packed and ready for the mountains. Well, as ready as one can be for what we were about to embark on. We hopped into the car and headed off eastward, into the mountainous region of Norway.

The ride was gorgeous. Seriously, the country is something unlike I had ever seen. I never imagined myself winding through the mountains on roads that hugged the fjords, but here I was, taking it all in.

Soon enough we met up with Cecilie and Trygve, some Norwegian friends of Kristine’s, loaded our packs with food after a stop at a supermarket, and made our way into the mountains.

First, a little bit on Cecilie and Trygve. Cecilie is one of the most energetic and happy people I have ever met. For example, after our 14 hour, 15+ mile trek and climb through the mountains, she ran around 4 miles back to the campsite to set up for the night. Trygve is super outdoorsy. He planned the entire trip for us, and new all the best sites. He also lent us most of the gear we used. He was equally as excited as Cecilie, and since he was the most experienced with this type of lifestyle, he also had to do the running when necessary.

Well, like I said, we made our way into the mountains. A short drive and a few sheep filled roads later (I feel like I can qualify as an experienced sheep herder based on the amount of sheep that fled our vehicle) we were at the base of a mountain, near a waterfall that ran into the fjord, surrounded by sheep. This was the least picturesque it would get for the rest of the trip. Seriously, what a terrible country.

Okay, right, so we started on our way up the mountain, crossing over the waterfall at various moments, passing through expansive hillside fields and over giant boulders. Only a few hours in we made it to the first set of cabins. Trygve asked if we were interested in going a few hours more to the next cabin, but our large, out of shape, American asses were quite content on staying at these.

Wow, were these cabins nice. They were equipped with food, cooking utensils, a stove top, some had leather couches, beds, books, games, fire places. Everything you could want for a cozy cabin in the mountains, it was there. Hint: Stansted was the roughing it of the trip. Well, we settled into the cabin, prepared a fire and made tacos for dinner. Afterwards we enjoyed each other’s company over the Norwegians’ first smores and some rounds of Dutch Blitz.

Since it was still light out (Norway, by the way, never gets dark during the summer, even in the south), we took the row boat out for a spin. Oh, did I mention that these cabins were overlooking a mountain top lake and were equipped with row boats? We soon realized that we were terrible at rowing boats as we could only go in circles or lines approximated by arcs. It was still really enjoyable though. Eventually it got somewhat dark so we retired to the cabins and went to bed. What a day.

Hasta Luego Santander

All the posters are off the walls. Each shirt is out of the dresser and packed away. Nothing still hangs on the hangers. I have just about packed up my room. It is my last day in Santander. 295 days have passed since I first arrived, bewildered, confused, foreign. Today I leave, still bewildered, confused and foreign.

I head off to Bilbao today for my internship. And although it is only an hour away, it feels like I am leaving a huge part of my life. Everything that I have known and grown accustomed to in the past ten months is staying here, and I have to venture into the unknown again. Scary, huh?

One of the scariest parts is that I still don’t exactly have a place to live. I mean, I have been in contact with this guy since… yesterday. I think the place will work out. But that apartment isn’t free for another week, so before that I am supposed to live in an alternative apartment. And that isn’t free until tomorrow. So tonight… I stay with David, a kid from my classes who lives near Bilbao. And thank God, because I really don’t want to start off in a hostel. Hopefully he can show me around a bit.

Anyways, I am procrastinating. Everything may have been emptied and cleared away, but now it just sits on the floor or on the table tops. I am putting off packing and writing about Norway. They just seem like daunting tasks. Instead I am writing about packing, kind of like two in one. I think that counts at least.

Well, I guess this is good bye Santander. It has been great. Don’t worry, I will come back to visit very soon.