Spiterstulen to Fleskedalen
Distance: 40km
I know I repeat myself but it's another rainy night. Heavy rain. Putting my backpack raincover on top of my leaky rainfly as additional layer helps me from getting even wetter.
I wake up around 4 but remain in my sleeping bag since it's still raining. Despite a long day ahead of me. At 5 it stops and in no time I am ready to hit the trail. After a short while, I meet Monika in front of her tent, cooking a porridge. She's is flip flopping Norge pa langs. At the moment, she's heading south, but taking a different route than me. Since she carries food for up to 3 weeks (!), no need to resupply. I must admit, I'm impressed.
It's time to move on, rain starts again. Several river crossing make the hike challenging. Fording these high flowing rivers requires care and since it's ice cold glacial melting water, it's pretty uncomfortable as well.
Luckily, the rain stops, make my life instantly more pleasant. It even gets better, when I head straight for a rainbow, popping up in front of me. Like yesterday, my hike takes me over a mountain pass. Again rocky, again slow going. For most of the time, I follow a hiker. With the approximately same pace, I follow him a couple of meters behind until I eventually close up. A bit of chit chatting and when Leirvassbu, a massive hut complex, is finally in front of us, we go in, have two well needed cups of coffee each.
It's raining again outside and our motivation to head out there is not really there. So we chat some more until I really have to leave. The late start, the slow trail and now the long break. I'm far behind my schedule for today. It would become a long day...
Thanks to an unexpected gravel road, the next 5 kilometers are surprisingly easy going. Also afterwards, descending to Skogdalsboen, progress keeps being good. Shortly after the hut, I spontaneously decide to jump into a river. Taking my smelly clothes with me into the water. It feels great thanks to sky, which cleared up. I put back on my wet clothes to dry wear them.
The trail gets rougher again. Progress on these last kilometers is painfully slow. I feel tired, ever step requires plenty of effort.
It's the view that keeps me going. As I get closer to the fjords, the valley narrows, huge waterfalls everywhere. A spectacular view.
Yet, the views only help so much. During a last steep descent to some flatter grounds, I feel every muscles in my legs. And when I struggle to find a campspot, my mood drops completely.
Anyway, now, after pasta and porridge, laying on my new sleeping pad, my world feels in order again. Yes, it was a long day. Too long maybe. I sure came close to my limits. Maybe not something I need every day, but every now and then I think it's a good thing to check where they are.
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Fredy Koster (Tuesday, 16 July 2024 17:56)
Spectacular scenery, up and down. Imaging it wouldn't rain so much.
Rob Firmin (Tuesday, 16 July 2024 18:40)
Kia ora! It's the ungodly hour of 4.11am. That night visit to the little room, which was over 40 minutes ago. Wide awake! Bright as a button and 9.8C. Bedroom drapes wide open so we can see the sunrise as it unwrap each morning. Right now there's a heavy fog over the city. The street lamps look so haunting through the fog. It is still! It is quiet! But ... it is uncomfortably warm. I've since putthe fan on.
To pass the time, and hopefully induce sleep ... I thought "go and see if Sandro has written an update" and so you have. In typical fashion - always interesting to read, and so easy to put myself in your place. The imagery is always poignant and strong. And, as usual, always ably assisted with your wonderful photographs.
It is now quite noticeable - the increasing daylight hours. It wasn't that long ago, that 7.00am was still the blackness of night, but it is no more. Daylight is now welcoming us to our day. The pace of earlier light seems to be picking up. And gone is the time of the sun disappearing over the hill behind our place, and the temperature dropping suddenly. Dark is now not creeping in at soon after 5.00pm. We're still able to stand on the front verandah looking over the city, watching the bejeweled bright diamonds of sunset light upon the windows on Durie Hill, and Bastia Hill. Beautiful.
Our temperatures of late have been so unwinter. More reminiscent of mild Summer days. And, to boot, we've had very little rain.
Spring is well and truly upon us now. The sure signs are daffodils in the fields and peoples gardens, lambs of lambs, our Magnolia tree, awash with heavy white blossoms, and the Kōwhai are beginning to bud. Tui are beginning to show themselves in numbers through our garden. We are already waking to morning chorus of Tui song. Pretty soon we are expecting (like last year), a proliferation of Tui in the garden as our 13 Kōwhai come into flower. Last season we had up to 12 Tui darting and scrambling though the garden, singing their way from tree to tree. Plus their distinctive rapid wing beat as they dart about. Beautiful! You know the song of the Tui.
Enough about here, and us.
Continue to enjoy your space and place.
Take care. Noho haumaru � �
George Mills (Tuesday, 16 July 2024 20:56)
Spectacular photos. Sounds like heavy going in that rain but you are still covering good distances. Send some rain here we need it. The tripple green dots on the Fillow Me map had me confused for a bit but I got it sorted in my head. Good to hear there are other trampers out there. Looks like a lot more towns for you today. Have a coffee and press on.