Continuing my series on memorable hikes…
Norway ~ Your Way was the name of the tour group we went with to Norway in 2007. An American partnered with a native Norwegian naturalist as a guide and he has organized one hiking trip through Norway every year for over twenty years. Ours was a group of about thirty. We traveled by bus for segments of the trip but mostly by our own legs, hiking from mountain lodge to mountain lodge. The good news was when we were not riding the bus it was carrying our luggage.
Norway is unbelievably beautiful, and indescribable. Ask anyone who has been there. We often wondered why my grandfather, at the age of 17, left this beautiful country to come to America. I know it was for economic reasons but it must have been hard. Thankfully we have contact with many relatives still living in Norway and we have built relationships with them. I love my Norwegian heritage, and my Norwegian relatives!
Because of the astounding beauty all around it’s hard to single out one memorable hike from this trip.
Our first hike was a six mile day hike near Geilo, northwest of Olso, to get our hiking legs in place. On the second day we started our lodge-to-lodge journey. We saw reindeer and mountain sheep while hiking and came upon pools from streams of melted snow and I took off my hiking boots to put my feet in the water. It was cold, but it felt good on the feet.
Every day, after a wonderful European (in this case – Norwegian) breakfast, we would make our lunches from the breakfast buffet and fill our water bottles. We also filled our coffee thermos’ for a morning coffee break, finding a place to sit on the trail and soak in the breathtaking views. We hiked between six to ten miles a day.
Sometimes it was difficult due to steep climbs, rocky paths and some snowy patches. We crossed many streams and one very challenging waterfall where we had to help each other across.
The scenery was spectacular with dozens of waterfalls, lush vegetation, and lots of wildflowers. This area we hiked lodge-to-lodge is known as the Grand Canyon of Norway. After our treks to the lodges we took several day hikes: we took a train up a mountain and hiked back down, another day the bus dropped us off so we could hike a back-country road to a small village on the sea. It was so picturesque and I remember stopping to smell a lot of roses!
We had a “free” day so we went on our own, without the group, and hiked a couple hours up a steep, defined trail and discovered a small mountain hut…a hiker’s cabin we learned…a one-room hut with a sod roof with a small Norwegian flag displayed outside, a pot belly stove inside with a small bed and table. There were emergency supplies if a hiker was in need of them. It was such a fun discovery. We signed a journal on the table inside and filled our water bottles in the clear mountain stream outside the hut.
The overall trip included so much more than hiking… we took a boat ride through a fjord, we shopped in Bergen, toured a Stav Church, and learned about Norwegian culture.
An added bonus for us…we extended our stay and spent time with my Norwegian relatives and had many more exciting adventures!