A New Year, A New Hike

It feels like yesterday, the moment I touched the statue at Capo Passero, marking the end of my four year E1 adventure.

In fact, however, more a year has passed, I am back in the daily grind. Lucky for me though, I take another couple of weeks off work this summer.

The big question: what am I going to do?

Launching a new big project? Trying something completely different? 

Well, somehow I don't feel ready for a new big project like E1 just yet. Still, I'd like to do a bit of walking.

I have used the long winter nights to ponder my next move and eventually came up with Norge på langs (or NPL) – Norway Lengthwise. From the top to the bottom of Norway. Or vice versa. There is no given route. Hike your own hike. Whether you want to cut across Sweden or not, walk inland or closer to the coast – the choice is yours.

When I was hiking the E1 from Nordkapp to Sicily, without knowing back then (I only found out later about NPL), I was already doing roughly two thirds of the length of Norway (the green line on the map on the right), before making my down Sweden towards Denmark.

From Nordkapp to Roros, roundabout 2000 kilometers. The time spent on E1 in Norway was, looking back, the best of my whole 8000 kilometers E1 adventure. The scenery, the remoteness, being at the mercy of the elements, but also the people I met along the way – they all made my time in Norway unforgettable. There’d be so much to write about my time up there, but I don’t want to waffle on at this point. There is plenty of reading material here and here for those interested.

Since I have all these great memories, why not returning to this wonderful place and completing the length of Norway? Picking this low hanging fruit. From Roros to Lindesnes. Another 1000 kilometers to Norway’s southernmost point.

With my rough plan in place, I started looking for a date to hit the trail, suitable flights, planning a detailed hiking route, resupply points, etc etc.

A long story short: my flight leaves Zurich on July, 6th in the evening, arriving in Trondheim by midnight. From there, I will take the train to Roros, where I hope to arrive my Sunday noon. Somewhere between Trondheim and Roros, I will need to score a gas canister. Not an easy task on a Sunday in Norway. Anyway, if I get lucky, I hope to start diving into my adventure right after stepping off the train in Roros. 

Weather isn't looking to promising at the moment, with rain and not very summery temperatures. But, as the Norwegian say, there is no bad weather, just bad clothes.