Day 38: An Involuntary Quickie

Umbukta to Grasfellkoia

Distance: 10km

My hiking day starts shortly past five. Not morning but late afternoon...

While the trail is quite nice to walk, it's a continuous up and down. Quite steep at times. As a result, despite the short day, I feel rather exhausted when I reach the hut 15 minutes after sunset. However, it's not only the hike that was tiring. The whole day was somewhat exhausting.

It starts at 08:00h. After a filling breakfast in the restaurant's kitchen a say goodbye to my lovely trail angel and head to the road, trying my luck to hitch a ride to Mo I Rana. Well, after a 4 hour wait I get lucky and get a ride to a shop in the outskirts of Mo. As it's Sunday, most parts of the shop are off limits, yet I get everything I need.

On the parking lot, I rearrange all the stuff, getting rid of all the packaging. People passing by usually watching me closely what I am doing.

30 minutes later, I try my luck again. This time the opposite way. Many cars are passing by, none stops for the first three hours. The cars are all shiny and new. The sort of cars that usually never stop. It's usually the older cars that stop. The older the higher the chances of getting a ride.

And one of these old cars finally gives me a ride. Not far but at least out of town. Surrounded by pine trees, I start waiting again. Slowly but surely I get restless. My hope of making it back to Umbukta are vanishing.

Then an old, battered car pulls over. A couple asks me where I am headed. Even though they go the other way, they drive me 20 kilometers to Umbukta. What a great experience. They saved my day.

Once I get off the car, I turn on my tracker and start hiking immediately. No time to waste the remainder daylight.