Tuesday, July 20, 2010

24: Fjorda

Just got back from a canoe trip in the Fjorda area, a beautiful spot only a 1.5 hour drive by car north of Oslo. It's a very popular area with lots of visitors each season, but it still feels very much like wilderness with few people to be seen, especially if you stay away from the offical camping spots which has toilets, ready made places to build a fire etc. We had planned to stay for two nights, but opted to abort because of bad weather.

Here are some photos with captions - I don't have the energy right now to write a full report.














At Solviken kanoutleie, where we rented a canoe for the trip. We were three people with backpacks and groceries and had planned to use a 3 man canoe, but they were all taken, so we ended up using a 2 man one with good loading capacity (400kg). The rental price was 300 nok per day which of course included life jackets and paddles :)














We later found out that we could've bought firewood at the rental place, which we would've done if we'd known about. Next time (we will definitely be back).














My friend Leif enjoying himself.













My hammock tarp proved useful when we were hit by lots of rain as we arrived at the island. Later in the evening the weather improved and we could chill out with good food and beer (and mintuu of course), not really having to stay under the tarp, but we did so anyway for some reason :).






















Frying meat with the Bushbuddy running on dry cones :). We found that they turned into hot coals after a while which gave a nice steady heat. The BB was also nice as a heater under the tarp.














The trip back the day after was even nice than the first day as it wasn't raining and the wind had calmed. Such a beautiful, quiet place up there.













Like Tinny from Minibulldesign says: "Go out and hike, bring a friend and most importantly: have a great day!".

4 comments:

  1. Cool! We both did 24 hour canoe trips on the same weekend! Canoes are a great alternative to hiking and let you see the wilderness from a different perspective. It was also good to share the experiences with friends. Laughter is a great way to meet the challenges of the outdoors!

    The BBU was a joy to use on our trip too, managing to burn soaking wet wood and provide hot water and cheer on a rainy evening.

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  2. Joe's got it right there, Canoeing gives another perspective than backpacking, not better but different. I find most of all you move more quietly (at least have the potential to) and seem to appear less threatening to wildlife so you can get realy close up and see more. Nice pictures. They make we want to head North again!

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  3. Just read Joe's note of his recent canoe trip. Now this. It'll have to wait until the baby is born in October but perhaps this is one for next year - a canoe trip in Scandinavia...

    Just a thought - white-water kayaking is pretty exhausting but canoeing always feels much less taxing to me. That said, I've only done it for a few hours at a time - is it knackering on the arms or, as it seems to me, if your technique is good, the canoe and the shape of the paddle in the water are doing most of the work?

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  4. Thanks for the comments guys. Maz: yes, I found it a bit taxing on the shoulders and arms in the beginning, but then I adjusted my technique and found a rhythm that made it easier. I think it's just a matter of adjusting to a new movement. Probably wouldn't take long before it was second nature.

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