Follow Strider's Rambles

Intro

One of my favorite bands is A-Ha. They are from Norway and I long thought it would be fun to visit the country and see them sing in person. After college, I saw them in New York, which was much closer, however my dream to visit the country remained. Then I got into long distance trails and learned about the St. Olav Ways, a set of pilgrimage paths that end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. In Norway, the longest one is the Gudbrandsdalsleden and it travels 400 miles (643 km) from Oslo to Trondheim. While on the AZT, I told my hiking buddy Paul about it. He backpacked the trail last year and mailed me the guidebook. It stared at me as I planned my spring and summer. There was a month with no plans… so I bought a plane ticket to Norway!

Day 0

After a brief layover in Reykjavik, I arrived at the Oslo airport mid-afternoon, though with the eight hour time change it was technically morning in the USA. I investigated the public transportation; two trains and a short walk took me to the Oslo Youth Hostel Haraldsheim. My 6-bed dorm room had convenient beds that folded into the walls when not in use. The only other occupant was a guy, which gave me a momentary pause as I thought I booked a female dorm. However, I was tired and didn’t care that much. I walked to a nearby grocery store and got food for dinner and tomorrow’s lunch. (Originally I planned to get more food, yet it was a Sunday so the bigger grocery stores – with more GF options – were closed.) Self-checkout briefly challenged me until I used Google Translate to look up the word for apple. I returned to the hostel and cooked dinner in the common kitchen.

Back in the dorm room, I went straight to bed. As I dozed, two women entered the room. The first took one of the bottom beds, while the other immediately left. A short time later one of the hostel employees entered the room and asked the Italian guy to move to a different room… turns out it was a female dorm. I felt bad for him, about to fall asleep, and the hostel guy, probably not the most fun duty. The lights came on bright for the exodus. When another woman showed up a short time later, I put in earplugs. Happily the interruptions ceased after that and I slept until 5 am.

Day 1

After taking a shower, I was sitting in bed composing an email when a blonde woman entered the room. She was inspecting the still made bed left vacant by the Italian guy so I gave her details on the incident. She’d been transferred from another room, hence her early arrival. Her name was Annabelle and she was from Spain’s Basque country. I knew that region, thanks to a large Basque population and festival in Elko, Nevada, near where I grew up. We ate breakfast together in the hostel’s large dining room. It was a vastly impressive free breakfast spread. There were hard-boiled eggs, veggies, hummus, fruit, bread, granola, oat & cow’s milk, cheese, yogurt, coffee, juices, and more! Annabelle introduced me to a typical Norwegian cheese, brunost. It was a firm, brown cheese, mildly tangy & sweet, that she’d sliced thin off a block. I liked it.

Chatting with Annabelle was fun and easy. She was an independent journalist, in Oslo to cover an athletic event. She loved Norway and returned yearly. Annabelle and I showed one another pictures of the cats in our lives. We talked about running and kickboxing. I marveled at how our similar lives and perspectives spanned two continents. When we parted ways, she gave me a big hug. On my way back to the room, I saw a Leopard slug and heard beautiful bird song, wild critters!

The trail began with a gorgeous cement milestone, next to the ruins of St. Hallvard’s Cathedral. After getting a picture, I visited the nearby pilgrim center. I bought a pilgrim passport from a kind elderly woman who gave me its first two stamps; one for the pilgrim center and one for the Oslo Bishop. She also gave me the accommodation list for the western route out of Oslo. Apparently two other Americans had started earlier in the morning, on the eastern route. I chose the western route for various reasons: a beautiful forest, its more strenuous terrain, St. Olav purportedly grew up near Bønsnes Church.

The route through town was marked with the pilgrimage symbol in varying forms: tiles on building walls, stickers affixed to sign and lamp posts, stubby ground mounted posts, and wooden placards hung from trees or shrubs. It kept me alert and present. I did have a track downloaded in OnX that I referenced when I occasionally lost the path. I stopped at an outdoor store to buy an isobutane canister and at a cafe to use the toilet. Two playful birds looked familiar yet different and I used Seek to identify them as Hooded crows.

At 1 pm, I passed through Vigeland Park, named after the artist who had filled it with sculptures. There was a fountain surrounded by human forms intertwined with trees and a tall tower made up of at least 100 contorted bodies. On a picnic bench, I ate a late lunch. After the park, the trail passed through mainly suburban areas and rose gradually higher. I admired a couple apartment buildings that rose in tiers, bedecked with plants. Around 5 pm, I stopped at a grocery store and found GF bread, pasta, and biscuits. It was exciting to see so many GF options in a small corner store.

As I neared the edge of town, I was perplexed where to refill my water. Then the trail took me through a cemetery with spigots and watering cans, perhaps for gravestone flowers. I got water from one spigot, filtering it to be safe. After a church, the trail took me over a neat historic bridge composed of rocks. Then it passed a farm where cute electronic mowers moved about in expanses of green lawn, like outdoor roombas, very cool. The path became an actual trail of rocks and dirt. I stopped at a gapahuk, a three-sided wooden shelter similar to those on the Appalachian Trail. It had been overcast all day and a mist began shortly after I stopped. For dinner, I heated water and made pasta, adding cheese and arugula. A warm dinner was welcome in the moist, chill evening. I set up my air mattress and sleeping bag on the shelter’s floor. Sunset came at 10:30 pm!

Day 2

It rained all night; I eventually put in ear plugs to drown out it and the early morning bird song, sunrise being at 4 am. I woke a lot, my body was confused by all the light. For breakfast, I ate peanut butter & honey on bread. The rain had pretty much stopped, however I put on my pack cover and rain jacket to ward off drips from wet vegetation. The rocky trail had a good amount of water flowing along it in spots. At a stream, I filled up one of my water bottles. I encountered one lady with a dog who asked if I was a pilgrim. I took advantage of my pilgrim status a short time later, to use a golf club’s toilet.

After a suburban area, the trail turned onto the King’s Road, originally built to move goods between Oslo and Bergen. All around was the beautiful Krokskogen, the crooked forest. I put my rain jacket back on when the rain resumed. Around noon, I came upon a squat, 3-sided shelter with a sloped roof, a “hole kommune”. I sat in its dry interior and made hot coffee. I was about to eat a snack when I saw another pilgrim and called out a hello. She joined me, also eager for a snack break, and I made space.

Liv was a 69 year old Norwegian from Bergen. She spoke good English and had a backpack, though it was lighter than mine as she stayed in accommodation. We hiked together the next three hours, to Sundvollen. It was great to have company as the rain ebbed & flowed, yet never stopped. Plus, the trailside signs were all in Norwegian so she’d give me a brief summary. One sign told of a mythical creature, Huldra, that appeared as a beautiful woman with a cow’s tail, though most of the signs discussed history related to the road. One detailed a dozen flower species. Liv taught me a dozen Norwegian words and warned me of ticks and the one poisonous snake species.

We gradually ascended to the Kleivstua Hotel, then began a steep descent. Apparently this is a French thing, to build roads straight with a disregard for terrain. The great views of Tyrifjorden’s water were mostly obscured by clouds, though all the descent signs were in both English and Norwegian. In Sundvollen, I accompanied Liv to her hotel, where they let me use the WiFi to download a local weather app. It predicted rain the rest of the evening and night. Liv and I hugged goodbye, perhaps we’d meet again tomorrow. Then I found a dry nook near an apartment building where I had a much needed snack. The break gave me a chill so I put on my fleece under my rain jacket.

I crossed the water on a bridge with a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists and an upper level for vehicles. The path wound through suburban neighborhoods. In a small shopping mall, I used the public bathroom and refilled my water bottles from a sink. When I exited, the rain had ceased and there was a good breeze. My pants and jacket slowly dried and I kept my eye out for a good camp spot. On a hill, I spied a small forested area with light undergrowth. Nearby were piles of logs and a couple parked backhoes. I found a soft, flat spot and set up my tent; my first Norwegian camp site! I made a hot dinner in the vestibule and read about the next day’s trail sections in the Gudbrandsdalsleden guide book.

Day 3

I’d been up for a while, journaling and watching my tent slowly dry in the breeze. The sound of early morning tree felling drove me from my sleeping bag almost instantly. I was packed up shortly after and ate breakfast on a sunny bench downhill from my site. The view was of a brilliant green field edged by houses, tree covered hills behind them and blue sky above. I turned to see a couple trees fall, including perhaps one that I slept under.

A brief walk brought me back to the trail, which followed a paved multi-use path before turning south. Soon I was on soft-mowed grass, walking alongside fields. One was full of pea plants and I ate several tasty pea shoots. The trail wove alongside and occasionally through country yards and I marveled at the casual access to private property. That would not happen in the USA! I hiked the out & back to Bønsnes Church. It was closed so I did not get to see the lovely interior, however there was a timely toilet and a church stamp that I added to my pilgrim book. I wrote an entry in the guide book; the last one was from a Polish lady two days prior.

In a dark green field I saw a grazing deer, she had a tiny fawn at her side. I was about out of water when I came upon an outbuilding open to pilgrims; it had a water spigot at one end. I gratefully filled both my bottles and explored the cozy interior. The way continued along roads, forest paths, and field edges. At Norderhov Church, I came across Liv in the grave yard. She got ahead of me when she took a short cut rather than making the long loop to access Bønsnes Church, which she’d been to in the past. We went across the street to Ringerikes Museum, housed in what was originally the church’s vicarage house. While Liv laid in the grass, I met Jorg & Olaf, two German brothers hiking the west route from Oslo to Lillehammer. Last year they hiked the entire trail to Trondheim, taking the east route out of Oslo. They were drinking coffee from the museum. I went inside and got coffee and ice cream. We chatted, Jorg lives in Switzerland and Olaf in Germany. Soon Liv joined us, she got a waffle and coffee.

Liv and I set out together. She alerted me to a bird call that sounded like a count to seven and used her phone to identify it as a yellow sparrow. Liv talked about visiting the nearby Hadeland Glassverk. Shortly we parted ways as her night’s accommodation was nearby. Hiking down the road, I soon ran into Jorg and Olaf. A local had a pilgrim table out front of their house, with an insta pot and tea packets along with directions to a water spigot. The brothers were boiling water and invited me to join them for tea. Jorg spoke more English so he occasionally translated when Olaf wanted to say something and couldn’t find the English words. Like Liv, they were sleeping at various trail accommodations, theirs sounded more affordable.

A short distance down the road, the three of us stopped at a grocery store. Each store has slightly different GF products. At this one I found muesli and got more bread. I also got hummus, broccolini, and a smoked mackerel fillet to go with dinner. I’d been using matches, yet they’re annoying for frequent use so I bought a lighter with a moose on it! Handily I’d missed a brief rain squall while in the store. I really had to pee and found a discreet spot along a walking path, hidden from nearby houses by a thick hedge row. Not ideal, toilet access is the trickiest part of this trail so far.

A couple kilometers out of Haug, I came upon a gapahuk surrounded by a field full of sheep. I had a snack and considered stopping for the evening. It had an outhouse and I worried about finding camping. However, it was sunny and only 6 pm. I continued on a grassy path to a gravel road, which climbed steeply to a multi-use path with views of a distant river. The path crossed under a busy road and followed a quieter one for 3 km through a residential area. Alongside a busy highway, I found a moose crossing sign! Opposite it was a large patch of forest full of hiking trails. I followed one into the woods and found a lovely spot in which I pitched my tent.

Day 4

The light keeps waking me between 3-4 am. I went back to sleep for an hour then journaled before I rose to breakfast. It rained in the night and my tent was wet so I packed it in my exterior mesh pocket. Back on a multi-use path, I enjoyed the lack of trash along the roadside. Actually, I haven’t seen any trash along the roads here, I wish that was the case in the USA. When I reached Jevnaker Church, I was eager to use the toilet. It was locked…luckily the trail provides! A Hungarian man opened it after asking me where I was from. He was there to tune the organ. After I did my business, we chatted for at least 30 minutes about political systems and countries. He had excellent english and had been all over Europe. Then I followed him into the church to view the interior.

Leaving the church, I walked trails through woods, along field edges, and over a few rock patches. It felt good to be on trail! I crossed a train track and a couple fences via wooden ladders. The rest of the morning was on roads, occasionally a brief dirt track, with picturesque views of fields and rolling hills in varying green hues, red and white buildings sprinkled amongst them. My guide called it Norway’s Tuscany and it was lovely other than all the paved road hiking. I saw another pilgrim in the distance and caught up to her at a picnic table beside an old stone bridge. We ate lunch and I found out Reya was from Austria. She had a limited amount of time, therefore she hiked areas of interest and caught the bus to speed her travels.

It was 4-5 km into Granavollen, which had the sister churches, built adjacent, one grey stone and one painted white. The grey one was more appealing with red roofs and doors plus a boxy tower. In a corner of the church yard, I found a neat stone & wood tower with a medieval look, yet likely with a mundane use such as grounds equipment storage. A marker out front read 533 km, meaning I’d traveled 110 km. Across the road was a pilgrim center, though I found it locked. Looking in the mailbox for a stamp, I found a key and went inside. I charged my phone while I compared my anticipated mileage to the accommodation guide. Reya arrived and selected several trail souvenirs, leaving Euros as a donation.

In Tingelstad, I wandered around the old church. An hour later, I entered the outskirts of Brandbu and saw an orange tabby proudly carrying a mouse. The town had several grocery stores. I wanted a couple snacks and yogurt to go with my muesli; happily the latter was available in convenient squeeze pouches. Loaded with new food and confident that I would find camping, I hiked out of town. The paved path took me steeply uphill and I saw trees in the distance. In between clusters of homes, there was a wooded patch, in which I found a flat spot beside a faint pathway. I’d realized my pasta dinner was bland with little fat. This evening I added a Toro (popular Norwegian brand) GF white sauce; it was tastier and satiating.

Day 5

Not far from my campsite, I took a stone tunnel under a railway where a high-speed train went past, blue and sleek. Soon the houses were behind me and I turned onto a gravel road – kjølvegen – through thick forest. There were gurgling streams and singing birds, it was  entirely pleasant. I passed two Rastebu, resting huts for pilgrims. At the pinnacle of the day’s climb, I found a picnic table and three wooden crosses. I had learned that vegen translated as the road. A sign informed me that kjøl translated as keel or a wilderness between settlements. Apparently the road’s name fulfilled either interpretation as historically it was used twice to transport ships via logs under their keels.

On the descent, I watched a large brown rabbit hop around and graze on vegetation. When it caught sight of me, it sped off at an impressive pace, propelled by its powerful back legs. The white tail distinguished it as a Mountain Hare rather than the slightly larger European Hare. A bit later, I admired a patch of yellow flowers that Seek identified as Bird’s-foot Trefoil. As I approached Einafjorden Lake, the terrain leveled out. I ate lunch at a large picnic table beside a gapahuk on the lake’s shore. The sunny meal was followed by a brief spattering of rain.

As I continued on, thrice I heard clanging bells in the woods. Two times they were around the necks of cows, the other time it was sheep. I loved how the trail could be so varied! Over 400 meters, I left a paved road for a grassy track, crossed a bridge over a mid-size creek, climbed a fence via wood stairs, skirted two edges of a sheep field, and walked through a barn yard. On the outskirts of Lund, I figured out that I could make an in-country call using WhatsApp. I called Engen Monastery about lodging and was told that I could stay. I’d been watching the forecast, which called for heavy rain overnight and through the next morning. Also, my battery packs could use charging.

At the monastery, a kindly nun showed me to the guest house, across from the main house. I got a bedroom and access to a shared toilet and kitchen. It was quite luxurious since I had it all to myself! In the kitchen, I cooked an early dinner. Then I went to the chapel for the evening vespers. It was myself, two nuns, and two Norwegian attendees. The older nun was in a wheel chair, she and the nun I’d met took turns leading the hymns. The male attendee had a sonorous voice that complimented the high voices of the nuns. I followed along as best I could with my inexperience in singing hymns and pronouncing Norwegian words. Afterwards, in the main house, I chatted with the elderly nun. She stamped my pilgrim passport and I found out their order was based in France.

Day 6

I started my day with a yoga flow! Initially my tight leg muscles protested, yet they warmed up by the end of the session. At breakfast, I tried an instant Norwegian coffee and enjoyed the resulting hot beverage. It was a dreary day, composed of a grey sky and falling rain. On the bright side, I’d anticipated it and allowed time to linger indoors, planning to hike only 19 km and stay at lodging in Hoff. After all, another rainy night was ahead and the ground was saturated with moisture, I’d treat myself and perhaps meet another pilgrim.

Around 10 am, the rain lightened and I set out. I encountered a Norwegian runner who slowed to chat with me for several minutes. The light, intermittent rain gave way to overcast. My feet got drenched when I walked across a field of wet vegetation, however I was warm and dry elsewhere so it was fine. I listened to upbeat music and felt quite happy. Everything was so green and I saw a lot of flowers, including lupins, which Liv told me were invasive. Again I heard a bird that sounded like a ratchet; I hope to ID it at some point. The route was a mix of paved roads, dirt roads, and grassy paths.

In Lena, I stopped at a grocery store before proceeding the short distance to Hoff. Next to Hoff Church stood Hoffsvagen Bygdestua, a village hall. I’d gotten an email go ahead to stay the night, though first I had to track down Gunn Marit, a Norwegian lady in the midst of a confirmation. None of the well dressed people minded a grungy pilgrim, every local I’ve met thinks highly of walking the path. Gunn led me to the back part of the building and a German pilgrim named Martina gave me the tour. She was the first pilgrim I’d met who was both near my age and going all the way to Trondheim. We had a lot of fun chatting and I think she’d be a good hiking buddy except she had foot issues – blisters – and had slowed as a result. Plus I don’t mind hiking solo on this trail.

The hot shower felt amazing and I was happy to have WiFi access. I managed to heat frozen veggies in an unfamiliar microwave oven and ate them with tinned mackerel in tomato sauce. I also had a slice of tasty GF oat bread (found in a freezer) topped with Brunost, the caramelized whey Norwegian cheese. It’s fun trying local food. Martina made us herbal tea. In the large common room, we set up folding beds, placing fitted sheets over the mattresses and laying out our sleeping bags. Martina had hiked the Camino and I talked about some of my hikes. She said Germany’s roadsides have trash and that GF foods are not so prevalent, however the coffee and beer are better, ha. Out the window, we had a pretty view of green lawn and gravestones.

Two Norway reflections… Every doorway has a raised sill. At the Oslo hostel, I tripped over one or two before getting used to them. Yesterday the older nun explained that they exist to prevent drafts during the cold winter months. Secondly, it is easy to find GF products in tiny town grocery stores, which is refreshing as that is not the case in the USA.