tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71267573101896273152024-02-07T03:20:55.764+01:00Going lighterExploring lightweight backpacking and MYOGThomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-60072321101138265902013-07-07T16:16:00.000+02:002013-07-07T16:16:22.420+02:00Highlights from Alvdal Vestfjell<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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This year Joe and I chose <a href="http://ut.no/turomrade/alvdal-vestfjell">Alvdal Vestfjell</a> as the location for our annual summer trip. After hiking <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.no/search/label/jotunheimstien">Jotunheimstien</a> together two years ago we´ve become good friends, and we both look forward to hitting the trail again for new adventures. I want to share some highlights from the trip in this post - I won´t do a blow-by-blow account which tend to turn out too long :).</div>
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<b>The landscape</b><br />
Alvdal Vestfjell is situated east of the Rondane national park. The terrain is gentler, less alpine, but you´ll still find some pointy bits (highest mountain is Storsølnkletten at 1827 m), and the weather is definitely typical of the mountains: quite unpredictable and making it essential to know how to dress properly and in general take care of yourself and look out for your hiking partner(s). Since the landscape is so open and vast, the wind easily picks up speed as it accelerates down the smooth valleys. One minute you´ll be walking in an area with just a gentle breeze and then around the corner the wind will whip your face red and make you put on your windshirt in a hurry to keep warm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a lunch break out of the stiff wind. The SL-3 was great to have for this purpose!</td></tr>
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You´ll also find green valleys with plenty of wildlife, flowers and streams and lakes with crystal clear water that you can drink without filtering (except when you spot sheep in the area). We didn´t see any wildlife except for birds, sheep (of course, what´s a holiday without stepping in sheep poop) and 1 lemming (only Joe saw that mind), but apparently there is a 1000 strong reindeer population in the area, as well as moose and wolverine. I reckon we probably were in the proximity of larger animals at some point, but I guess they heard or smelled us long before we would´ve been able to spot them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some flowers still thrive in the tough environment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft, moist ground covered in Reindeer Moss.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful trail from Breisjøseter to Flatseter.</td></tr>
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<b>Places to stay</b><br />
We opted to both camp and stay in cabins. The area used to have several cabins, around 6-7 I think, but nowadays there are only 3: Breisjøseter (privately owned, staffed), Korsberghytta (DNT, 13 beds, food storage) and Storgrytdalsseter (DNT, 6 beds, food storage). We ended up staying at Breisjøseter and Korsbergytta, as well as Bjørnhollia (pitched outside) when entering Rondane at the end of the trip. Our first camp was idyllic with beautiful views of the plains and a small pond right in front of us. The mozzies were around, but didn´t really bother us much.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First camp site at Follandsvangen. Slept great. Understood why there is a floor in mesh inners.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Korsberghytta. It´s the three buildings in front. There is a private cabin just next to the lake too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our stay at Korsberghytta. It was a bit worn down, but the food storage had lots of goodies and the visitor´s log was an interesting read :). We had the cabin to ourselves. The last visitors had been there a week ago. A couple did appear later, but chose to stay in the annex instead.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the living room at Korsberghytta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Breisjøseter enjoying a beer and a well stocked library of books about the mountains. The owner was super friendly.</td></tr>
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<b>The slightly scary camp</b><br />
After staying at Breisjøseter we hiked down the valley, passing Flatsteter, and then changed direction to climb further up for a high camp. We were once again hiking into a stiff, cold wind. The landscape was more barren and uninviting. We´d planned to hike to three small ponds in an intersection of several valleys, but chose to set camp earlier in what seemed a sheltered spot - at least it was a lot calmer than further up as Joe found out when he went for a recon up there. We pitched our SL-3s and made sure every peg was firmly in the ground and all guylines deployed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitched for the night.</td></tr>
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Everything looked great, we had dinner in Joe´s crib and then retired to each of our shelters. The wind then picked up and shook our mids quite a bit, but then calmed down again. It didn´t take long before it picked up again and it started raining. I didn´t feel 100% secure that the SL-3 would be ok for the whole night so I gathered my stuff so I would be ready to move over to Joe or get out if need be. After some hours I fell asleep, waking up occasionaly when the shelter shooked. At some point it really picked up and I zipped open the door and peaked out - it looked dark, cold and alien out there. I got what I call "the awe of the mountain" feel and to be honest wished I was somewhere else, or at least in a shelter that I had more experience with.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The awe of the mountain"</td></tr>
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The tent did make it through the night fine though and the morning greeted us with sun and glorious views.<br />
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<b>The definitely a bit scary mountain plateau traverse and the amazing cloud bit</b><br />
After our high camp we had a long day ahead of us to cross a mountain plateau to get into the valley leading to the entrance to Rondane. A cold and stiff wind still faced us as we climbed higher, noting that setting camp the night before where we did was a great call. At some point we had to cross a snow field in blazing sunshine and with clouds passing over us at high speed. We had entered the cloud layer. Almost across the snow field I stopped and looked back to check that Joe was ok. A window in the cloud then suddenly appeared and I saw a towering cumulus cloud that was so close that it made me dizzy - it felt like watching a great mountain right in front of you, it was amazing. We both fumbled with our cameras to no avail - it was gone as soon as it had appeared.<br />
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After the snow field we reached the plateau and started heading west. It was blowing hard now, I had to hike in my Xenon. Visibiblity was low, but we were able to spot the cairns and made good progress. The thought of this section going to last 4 hours like it said on the map made me quite depressed - it was a barren, godforsaken place to travel through. Not a place you´d want to be alone in case you´d be sick or hurt yourself. With that kind of wind and temperature (4C or thereabouts) you wouldn´t be able to survive long without shelter. That´s why I´m getting one of those "<a href="http://jerven.mediabook.no/5/">Fjellduken"</a> arctic bags before my next trip, something I never thought I´d need to carry in my pack. Thankfully we moved below the cloud cover after maybe an hour and had some great views in front of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3NDdsqLRjrxal0B3IhgdK-8MmEWWTVNHVpzjJSTHqC3R5zEBsvMNcIhzimqQPfhP7Jw2dB7VeX7nsTX7osZ9PzfSOLEQ1ePu1cZIRZcuBhQ_0w8bwX07ggklvHAXAD5c6h7TDg73Tw/s1600/P1030008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3NDdsqLRjrxal0B3IhgdK-8MmEWWTVNHVpzjJSTHqC3R5zEBsvMNcIhzimqQPfhP7Jw2dB7VeX7nsTX7osZ9PzfSOLEQ1ePu1cZIRZcuBhQ_0w8bwX07ggklvHAXAD5c6h7TDg73Tw/s640/P1030008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley opening up in front of us as we got below the cloud cover.</td></tr>
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Later that day we reached the DNT cabin Bjørnhollia after abandoning a pretty terrible camp site (wet, no proper place to put pegs, lots of mozzies) for the comfort of a well manicured lawn in front of the cabin. It also gave us access to showers and great food, something we both welcomed at this point.<br />
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Our little adventure ended the next day after hiking through Illmannsdalen and out to the Spranget parking lot where people tend to access the national park. We´ve already agreed to do another trip next year - looking forward to it! Thanks for the trip, Joe.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-82706051718238476792012-08-21T22:32:00.000+02:002012-08-22T09:39:30.445+02:00ProtectedNo, not from mafia thugs or an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oH1Oj2FYVw">alien invasion</a>, but from close encounters with condensation laden silnylon walls. I do love the <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.no/2010/08/first-impression-of-tarptent-moment.html">Tarpent Moment,</a> but being a single skin tent, and a small one at that, it is nice to have some protection.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc05IRf_mOkKxHUs8e6VZkt0-cTUFfWGk3k9QPZKyYqUbFvasoE-vQubYNXj12mD6ErK6sKMgC-F2WnLOn0VZnU2yaCjy2lbFwbf9Odc_TCm_Q74rTH_uJUB5u-8rzfbtmN7n1Qjc0kQ/s1600/P1020397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc05IRf_mOkKxHUs8e6VZkt0-cTUFfWGk3k9QPZKyYqUbFvasoE-vQubYNXj12mD6ErK6sKMgC-F2WnLOn0VZnU2yaCjy2lbFwbf9Odc_TCm_Q74rTH_uJUB5u-8rzfbtmN7n1Qjc0kQ/s640/P1020397.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last morning on my trip to Krokskogen with Joe.</td></tr>
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While in Slovenia this summer (UL Summit 2012) we had nights with no wind, high humidity and wet ground, perfect for condensation to form, and believe me it did. I remember watching the drops hanging from the roof of my tent, just waiting for a rain shower or a gust of wind to release them to a bold dive into my face or quilt. Great then that Tarptent offers a breathable, water resistant ripstop liner for the Moment and Rainbow/Double Rainbow. It attaches easily to existing hooks and loops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jucrTH9ehzd-HfyP3qsUbmEyy5BOoRf5HxejAAfRzfzj8CxRUYa0qZVnUC06rkfrOgac8Vf8ExlWzySs505zg877FZ_9nMmlDqScQ220bplFRcGEugH3VpaVZlPUYSwO1YjVFi-UCw/s1600/DSC00143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jucrTH9ehzd-HfyP3qsUbmEyy5BOoRf5HxejAAfRzfzj8CxRUYa0qZVnUC06rkfrOgac8Vf8ExlWzySs505zg877FZ_9nMmlDqScQ220bplFRcGEugH3VpaVZlPUYSwO1YjVFi-UCw/s640/DSC00143.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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After returning from Slovenia I quickly ordered liners for Helen´s <a href="http://www.tarptent.com/double-rainbow.html">Double Rainbow</a> and my Moment. My first impression is very positive. I had anticipated to lose some of the available space in the tent, and I did, but not to an extent that it is a negative at all to me. It just feels natural to have it installed and I was surprised to feel some added warmth, but that may just be me imagining things.<br />
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After installing the liner in my Moment, and pre-attaching guylines on the sides, my Moment weighs in at 977g (excluding pegs).
The cost of the liner is 30 dollars + shipping. From my first impression I highly recommend getting one, but I have of course yet to try mine in anger. I´ll report back soon :).<br />
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Please note that Moments manufactured prior to December 2010 lack two of the clips needed, but Tarptent provides them with the liner, including instructions on how to install them. It was quick and easy to sew them on. I used a sewing machine, but hand sewing works too.<br />
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<strong>22. August update</strong><br />
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Henry Shires commented in an e-mail:<br />
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<em>One quick note is that our documentation for the Moment liner is incorrect. We wrote that instruction sheet some time ago with the intention of actually manufacturing the two extra clips into the Moment at our Seattle factory. That hasn't happened yet but we do install them here for people who order the Moment with liner (and send out clips for people who order liners retroactively).</em><br />
<br />Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-33070402336221045342012-07-24T00:40:00.000+02:002012-07-24T14:40:53.093+02:00Krokskogen loop with Joe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A weekend of bog hopping in my neighbourhood with my hiking buddy <a href="http://thunderinthenight.blogspot.com/">Joe Newton</a>? After experiencing terrible weather and bug conditions in Vassfaret, hiking with Beni and Marco, I think Joe was looking forward to some sunny days in the forests and hills around Oslo.<br />
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My original intent was to take Joe to Østmarka so he could packraft and summit "Pølseberget" (Sausage mountain) which can only be done when the conditions are right and after years and years of study and mental preparation. <span style="background-color: white;">Sausage mountain will always be there though, and I found I wanted to see if we could hike at higher altitude than we´ve done previously. The highest hills in Oslo reach up to 7-800 metres and they´re to be found in the northern area.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The book "Markas 150 beste sommerturer" described a loop of Krokskogen of 38 km which I thought looked suitable for us. Krokskogen is in the western part of Marka, an area I´d never hiked in before. From the pictures it looked interesting, offering some amazing views from the area around the hill "Gyrihaugen" (682 metres). So that´s what we ended up doing.</span><br />
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Joe arrived with the overnight train, trying desparately to catch some sleep while having two talkative and constantly moving italian women in the seat behind him. It didn´t help much then that NSB (national railway service) had graciously given him a luxurious kit consisting of a fleece blanket, ear plugs, eye mask and inflatable pillow. After my attempt at a fry-up at me and Helen´s place we headed downtown to find the bus to "Sollihøgda" ("T4 buss mot Hønefoss") where the trail starts. Didn´t find the bus stop in time so we had time for coffee and gear sightseeing before the next one. We almost lost the bus once more when it just drove by, the driver pointing at the other side of the street. Bolting through the heavy rain we got on the bus and we were off to a new hiking adventure. When we got off the bus at Sollihøgda we were dry again and eager to go.<br />
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It was great being on the trail again in the warm and sunny weather. A gentle breeze brought smells of flowers, grass, pine and heather to our noses. We weren´t in a big hurry so we took time to take pictures and shoot some video (I think Joe is putting one together later).<br />
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When we´re not shooting photos, we were catching up on recent events. It was very interesting to hear about the recent trip to Vassfaret. It sounded like they´d faced some really challenging conditions with awful weather and masses of bugs. I hope Beni and Marco will return to Norway at some point to have a nicer experience.<br />
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After a while we entered a lush area which reminded us both of the scenes from Endor. Joe did a Chewbacca impression which made made me laugh.<br />
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The trail is very varied, but it´s not the most maintained. Trees had fallen over it at places, some trail markings were in need of refreshing and so did some of the signs. We were now climbing steadily, closing in on Gyrihaugen and our planned camp close to a small lake.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The trail was at times muddy and boggy, but never as bad as last year when we hiked Jotunheimstien, after an especially wet summer, which also meant that the bugs had a lot of catching up to do - yes, that meant sucking blood form as many humans as possible in the shortest time possible. Believe me, we noticed. On this hike we didn´t see many mosquitoes, but the noseuums were out at times and were having a field day until we got out our headnets.</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vGJVarlb8RFtQN5LR-ESiIepUfKMZwJG6q0pTKnUqmMDn3M79OmPgUWn63TP_tDtjxx9T-qIE21hqJJz3v4D8UQGYP8M7yMnc9AdjtlmnThzeaVaBzNBqEXTB5Ap88jJJnaYZtob5w/s1600/P1020328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vGJVarlb8RFtQN5LR-ESiIepUfKMZwJG6q0pTKnUqmMDn3M79OmPgUWn63TP_tDtjxx9T-qIE21hqJJz3v4D8UQGYP8M7yMnc9AdjtlmnThzeaVaBzNBqEXTB5Ap88jJJnaYZtob5w/s640/P1020328.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After a while we realized that we´d chosen the wrong trail at a junction, but that was a lucky coincidence as the trail went parallell with the cliff to the west of the hill. We were 5-10 meters from it but in a strange way I could feel the dropoff beyond the edge. The views were beautiful though with a sense of looking down at the landscape, like from an airplane.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-P6_AOOGr4WMQiRhKfnUAo0U1K363wRRg1Yqy_UpYMtFUanOkEzsdLlrr3225EXDi5Bp08dl1V5OQtGNMO38_w1tgKvETfzgnK_IKRUETFa-M_ZnVDU52wf7EV6UMQnHpGJKkgFO5A/s1600/P1020331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-P6_AOOGr4WMQiRhKfnUAo0U1K363wRRg1Yqy_UpYMtFUanOkEzsdLlrr3225EXDi5Bp08dl1V5OQtGNMO38_w1tgKvETfzgnK_IKRUETFa-M_ZnVDU52wf7EV6UMQnHpGJKkgFO5A/s640/P1020331.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was great getting to camp, having some dinner and relaxing after a long day hiking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWmNd3TzjbPH1PRtbK2gybCYQnLwFYqxGmSdMLfG4cppxDsdXNfTSzWepqJv-ZTN7eV-Qm8YWa0sPtMx7Um0mnTAbw4w_XAFiC_xwKxInOzqUmcSO0FBf4VmE1uR7MoeoYF6tiB_RNw/s1600/P1020340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWmNd3TzjbPH1PRtbK2gybCYQnLwFYqxGmSdMLfG4cppxDsdXNfTSzWepqJv-ZTN7eV-Qm8YWa0sPtMx7Um0mnTAbw4w_XAFiC_xwKxInOzqUmcSO0FBf4VmE1uR7MoeoYF6tiB_RNw/s640/P1020340.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from camp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a2mJZd9YabZZOKC7IAKYUikl05wrQIkU51Mh5BMq6tOh9v7jm8AcJl0iBqMGSOX5jq1jflu0nQcty-SKPIbzNJyngh0fZNc6R0aFEGiIU5G3qskZlpJ8epSOQVD-PCfgtm-9ewQTwQ/s1600/P1020339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a2mJZd9YabZZOKC7IAKYUikl05wrQIkU51Mh5BMq6tOh9v7jm8AcJl0iBqMGSOX5jq1jflu0nQcty-SKPIbzNJyngh0fZNc6R0aFEGiIU5G3qskZlpJ8epSOQVD-PCfgtm-9ewQTwQ/s640/P1020339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used my Tarptent Moment, Joe his SpinnTwinn and Yama 1.25 bug shelter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zBD3pBVGqAdE-xHoscZclgc5i2eaL02RXjVMlxMrhv4-nb3Ht30KoYQVni7u9qVh3D7nzZwN5VubNY3b4lIZpRTjbvbOll7ih-wW9s9L5PU2E63mLCIv9QZx2odhDBnDObqXafF5TQ/s1600/P1020343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zBD3pBVGqAdE-xHoscZclgc5i2eaL02RXjVMlxMrhv4-nb3Ht30KoYQVni7u9qVh3D7nzZwN5VubNY3b4lIZpRTjbvbOll7ih-wW9s9L5PU2E63mLCIv9QZx2odhDBnDObqXafF5TQ/s640/P1020343.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe cooking dinner with his Ti-Tri. He did a good job, especially since he wasn´t using the Inferno insert with it.</td></tr>
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We were both surprised to see the temperature drop to 4-5 C during the night, making it quite chilly. My "new second hand" Neoair short surprised me by leaking, even after I had repaired it the night before the hike and tested it. I ended up having to reinflate it 2-3 times during the night, not exactly helping warmth and sleep. Luckily I had brought a section of CCF to sit on that I could place under my torso for some extra insulation.<br />
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The next day was as beautiful weatherwise as the first. Joe even made me a steam baked muffin which combined with some nice coffee gave me a great start to the day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnn1XKXnbVgudfsQr0Esh7Yr96SxXoIDJxQyhqB38bDDb_0tkTbU-VSnFq4P6Tcqi_3qw8a7XGNyTUnUOKCRFsPv-32xaOcx6IF3zYF_AABEW_b2RGcNXdrnWWYJnLsEmxfrTt-Xm0Q/s1600/P1020348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnn1XKXnbVgudfsQr0Esh7Yr96SxXoIDJxQyhqB38bDDb_0tkTbU-VSnFq4P6Tcqi_3qw8a7XGNyTUnUOKCRFsPv-32xaOcx6IF3zYF_AABEW_b2RGcNXdrnWWYJnLsEmxfrTt-Xm0Q/s640/P1020348.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm, steamed baked chocolate muffin, gooey inside.</td></tr>
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Close to camp there is a geographical feature that has been given the name "Mørkegangen", a spectacular crack in the hillside with a very steep path leading through it. A ferrata style metal hand rail has been placed on one side so that hikers have some support while going up. It´s not dangerous to walk up, but quite physically demanding since so much height has to be gained in such a short distance. After breakfast we decided to take a look it. We hiked maybe 500m and then arrived at the very top of it. We´d talked to some locals the day before that said it´s not recommended to descend it, so we just watched the views and took some pictures. The drop down to the forest floor below is huge and it felt pretty exposed. I wouldn´t have brought kids up there for sure, or any person that isn´t predictable. For us two though it was a great experience. Fantastic views. I would never have guessed we have something like this near Oslo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN1Zc10HrfbmYncV6B1i7xoGJrTjbWybhHR1IhvenXSd_5ykvj10I7ZyaebSDl5Nfhll1dkiORhEB0nTFCpRxBDDAUinYcVJ8CqFaK_ZmIukN0SByuF5IGr_mjDlouyaAOhqLWwvN2w/s1600/P1020350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN1Zc10HrfbmYncV6B1i7xoGJrTjbWybhHR1IhvenXSd_5ykvj10I7ZyaebSDl5Nfhll1dkiORhEB0nTFCpRxBDDAUinYcVJ8CqFaK_ZmIukN0SByuF5IGr_mjDlouyaAOhqLWwvN2w/s640/P1020350.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOjNwVLOhY_eHejqfo3fNfutsXZIY_LtctLCMP17BLqNKsRRWyR8kva8apQ0X92b-HqJOzWcSjUaqYJg01Ea8GEtNW59MFgG1Yky7NsnR0JLwLSoPoUdEn3l2_yzouRR-424eRwNfqg/s1600/P1020353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOjNwVLOhY_eHejqfo3fNfutsXZIY_LtctLCMP17BLqNKsRRWyR8kva8apQ0X92b-HqJOzWcSjUaqYJg01Ea8GEtNW59MFgG1Yky7NsnR0JLwLSoPoUdEn3l2_yzouRR-424eRwNfqg/s640/P1020353.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWsWvyHU6-4m947fC_Qrbxtd8aVfMX_dQQAVNHwyGcvpeiBaVEIxotRH70PyaZO_LIbA8C0roma8z-i9PBTYlYkIrZe9c2xSG6zQSGM3bhnuGkbIMhaDvv70JZHuHh1AqUilxx7pnYA/s1600/P1020360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWsWvyHU6-4m947fC_Qrbxtd8aVfMX_dQQAVNHwyGcvpeiBaVEIxotRH70PyaZO_LIbA8C0roma8z-i9PBTYlYkIrZe9c2xSG6zQSGM3bhnuGkbIMhaDvv70JZHuHh1AqUilxx7pnYA/s640/P1020360.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scary place to stand.</td></tr>
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All smiles, we continued on the trail, climbing up to the vantage point, Gyrihaugen, which provided views in all directions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_O0eNtKOb77vsidZE7k3OPdjeYgrOsMIBuu8nl8W_E_XC_HcaEF0MbP7NDcpZjrJerN0l5TUKpd9nBfxy8F5MsuZZGT1tA4mDjK8WnO_hf7BB2deRkTX-gJhPVUTP99wCIfhdzyEfGg/s1600/P1020361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_O0eNtKOb77vsidZE7k3OPdjeYgrOsMIBuu8nl8W_E_XC_HcaEF0MbP7NDcpZjrJerN0l5TUKpd9nBfxy8F5MsuZZGT1tA4mDjK8WnO_hf7BB2deRkTX-gJhPVUTP99wCIfhdzyEfGg/s640/P1020361.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tough going.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zO1bvp715irSYDinemEnCejY0DHO5SVlZ9e-4PJ7VbgRw5qRgKCgK4Y-RnAEDn3mdi6GM-bSxYdasOjnCx_7Ahx7n2aHCMYfEoAI-t2KCQS4geD6qygfKpyF0rWsH9un4p1XEm4J3g/s1600/P1020364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zO1bvp715irSYDinemEnCejY0DHO5SVlZ9e-4PJ7VbgRw5qRgKCgK4Y-RnAEDn3mdi6GM-bSxYdasOjnCx_7Ahx7n2aHCMYfEoAI-t2KCQS4geD6qygfKpyF0rWsH9un4p1XEm4J3g/s640/P1020364.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But well worth it for the views. Strange to see a lake/pond so close to the drop off beyond it.</td></tr>
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The rest of the day was spent walking trails through the forest, now turning south towards our destination, Skansebakken. We saw very few people on the trail, in fact we only met 2 persons on the trail during the first day.<br />
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Lunch was had at Løvlia, a place that we hoped would provide waffels, cinnamon buns, soda and the like, but turned out to be closed for the summer and being taken over by sheep who had pooed all over the place. Still we found a bench and table where we could sit down and enjoy the sun and more of the savory, fatty raindeer sausage that Joe had brought. After a while a bird photographer turned up and joined us. He was just out for a day walk and had also believed the place to be open.<br />
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After lunch we studied the map and saw the blue fork and knife icon next to a place called Heggelia. Burgers and fries and other naughty food was on our mind as we closed in on that place some hours later, only to find out that they too only served food during winter. We could get some limonade the old lady said, but we passed on that offer, instead moving on to find camp. Turned out it was a long road walk to the place we had planned to camp, and then it started raining. After maybe half an hour the old lady came driving in her red car and gave us a lift to the lake "Søndre Heggelivann" where she said people use to camp. She had the heater on full and sitting in the front seat, close to the heater, I immediately started drying, steaming up part of the front window. We probably didn´t smell that great either :). After she dropped us off we spent quite a while finding a place to camp, ending up pitching in the forest and eating our dinner close to the lake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LY4lpdPaGsJBV_ULSODB_9bcSM97tFnzOuMbqdnBmiQXYzIYyJB0sPf8muSRbheSML4GlXJRFWUzXnix6rDSJB7kexh8k8kCbReD9zZwAFBzm9Rqff1udQHB3_zUf5RVVkbgL3GGPQ/s1600/P1020378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LY4lpdPaGsJBV_ULSODB_9bcSM97tFnzOuMbqdnBmiQXYzIYyJB0sPf8muSRbheSML4GlXJRFWUzXnix6rDSJB7kexh8k8kCbReD9zZwAFBzm9Rqff1udQHB3_zUf5RVVkbgL3GGPQ/s640/P1020378.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taste this! (Dates and apricot couscous with raindeer sausage, it was nice actually)</td></tr>
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As I lay in my tent with the sun going down I had a great display of color and shapes on the tent fly.<br />
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The view wasn´t as nice the next morning when I had heaps of condensation, some of it dripping on me. No surprise really since the ground was damp from the rain shower the previous evening and since it was chilly and no wind. Going to get the liner for the Moment for these conditions.<br />
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Joe had condensation on his tarp too, which goes to show that ventilation isn´t enough under certain conditions.<br />
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We now only had 8 km to the finish line, so we again took time to shoot video and take pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHLram7pAZa8Dyow-C-Zz5qPaKkj91He4CLiPFYfMm7S2w8Rcpt_2xR4NiozyBiqxHRZfei5xMFkLQCqzVbQdVPunEiEk8HXp65Su12bmLyblj8NTkXnXwtqntOP-Y6yGlEzWK0uGJA/s1600/P1020400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHLram7pAZa8Dyow-C-Zz5qPaKkj91He4CLiPFYfMm7S2w8Rcpt_2xR4NiozyBiqxHRZfei5xMFkLQCqzVbQdVPunEiEk8HXp65Su12bmLyblj8NTkXnXwtqntOP-Y6yGlEzWK0uGJA/s640/P1020400.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe setting up a video shot.</td></tr>
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And so ends another great hike with Joe. I hope we get to hike again next summer.<br />
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<br />Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-88688815888501958642012-04-25T23:36:00.000+02:002012-04-26T09:48:15.290+02:00Red team, blue teamGetting to know and meet another lightweight (ultralightweight?) enhtusiast is a chance not to be missed, so when Tor Magnus asked if I wanted to hike with him in Nordmarka last weekend I jumped at the opportunity. We´d already been in contact through <a href="http://www.fjellforum.net/">www.fjellforum.net</a> where Tor Magnus eagerly spreads the message of small packs and big smiles.<br />
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Tor Magnus met me at work in downtown Oslo. Before heading out on the trail we filled some meths into our bottles, getting curious glances from my colleagues wondering why I was dressed for outdoorsy pursuits and refilling pink liquid :). I was quite impressed that Tor Magnus had been able to pack everything he needed into his huckePACKchen. Myself I´d reached for my red Golite Pinnacle the previous night, quickly filling it with what I needed for some proper glamping.<br />
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Since Tor Magnus needed to catch a flight back to the Netherlands on sunday we decided to start at Sognsvann and do a loop from there. Sognsvann and the area around it is maybe the place with the most foot traffic in the whole of Nordmarka, but since he hadn´t been there before I thought it made for a sensible choice for a weekend of hiking. The subway got us there quickly. Out the windows we saw the suburbs of Oslo pass by under a grey sky, just like the forecast had said. The forecast also said something about snow, but at the time I wasn´t completely convinced it would happen. I think it was more on Tor Magnus´ mind since he´d only brought a summer top quilt.<br />
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We got off the T-bane at the Sognsvann stop, put on an extra layer and hit the trail. Light, soft rain was in the air as we moved along the well-trodden trail. Since it was already quite late we aimed to camp next to the pond called Lille Åklungen, only a couple of miles from the station but still well into the forest. I had images in my mind from being there last summer and hoped to see no ice on the water, but it was still there.<br />
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This didn´t detract too much from our eagerness to pick the ideal campsite for our two hammock setups. One of the big attractions about hammocking is the almost limitless possibilities when enough trees are present. Put two slightly geeky outdoor people there with too much time on their hands and it´ll take quite some time to find the right trees and that feel good pitch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tor Magnus´ rig in front: a modified Hennesy Backpacker hammock, Hennessy hex tarp (nice). My rig in the back: Warbonnet Blackbird hammock and OES Maccat Deluxe tarp.</td></tr>
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After geeking out we went over to the lean-to that some previous visitors had set up, complete with a small fire ring Since it was cold and raining we decided to drape a tarp we found over it. Tor Magnus proceeded to build a small fire, displaying solid skills from his time as a scout (why wasn´t I one, dad?). Even though it was small it provided some much needed warmth and cheer. We had dinner and hot drinks while discussing gear (he´s even more into gear than me) and life in general.<br />
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Both tired from the week that had been we retired to our hammocks. In cold and wet weather like we had it always feels plain wrong to take of shoes and warm clothing, but it sure felt good to step into a world of down. I moved around quite a bit to find a nice position and after a while Tor Magnus let me know that he could feel everything I did since we were both anchored to the same tree :).<br />
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It took me a while to go to sleep and I woke several times during the night, sometimes a bit cold and sometimes to change my sleeping position. Didn´t get as much sleep as I wanted but what I got was good quality. A lie-in would have been nice, but around 0630 Tor Magnus started his day, quite evident to me because of the movement of the tree connecting our two hammocks. He proceeded to have breakfast from the hammock while still covered with down.<br />
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I spent some time looking at the surroundings which was now covered with a blanket of snow and snow was still in the air.<br />
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After having had breakfast and lots of hot drinks we proceeded to Store Åklungen and on to Ullevålsseter where *everyone* goes on sundays to have a coffee and a pastry.<br />
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We bought some coffee there from two older ladies who didn´t seem to be expecting guests that early, and then went out again to enjoy the sun. I laid my hammock out to dry since one of the ends had gotten a bit damp. My Pinnacle was a bit wet too since during the night snow flakes had slowly drifted sideways through the air, cheekily ignoring tight pitched catenary curves and landed on top of it where it was laying beneath my bum - the underside of my hammock that is.<br />
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Small birds, tame from all the encounters with people, darted to and from, trying to grab small crumbs where they could. It almost felt like cheating to be able to study them up close, being used to studying them from my living room window through binoculars.<br />
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We proceed northwards, aiming for Bjørnholt at the south end of the lake Bjørnsjøen. On the map Bjørnholt was shown with a blue cup icon so we hoped to see it staffed and offering hot coffee and a place to have lunch. The first leg was marked trail, but since it was quite slow going because of a thick snow layer, we opted to follow the forest road for a while.<br />
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After a while the forest road ended amidst a cluster of old buildings. My GPS told us that we could follow an unmarked trail to hook up with the blue trail to the north. We decided to trust electronics and satellites and was soon on the marked trail as promised. The first part was quite slow going though because of lots of trees that had succumbed to high winds and crashed down to block the trail. Nobody seemed to have bothered clearing the trail from all the debris which probably is because it isn´t the most travelled.<br />
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The northbound trail took us over a hill which sapped a lot of strength from us since we were postholing here and there and having to navigate some slippery bits.<br />
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Bjørnholt was finally in sight and we quickly located the cafe, finding it filled with all sorts of goodies but deserted. A nice fire was going in the big cast iron oven in the middle of the room. Nobody showed up so I went to the next house to locate the owner. She smiled and apologized for not being around. Lots of goodies were quickly bought and we enjoyed ourselves immensely lounging in front of the oven. A cat was there too, one of those cats with an extra toe which always makes me think of sail ships. It was white with speckles of black and with superbly soft fur. I enjoyed running my hand along its coat, thinking of my own cat which died a year ago. Soon after he was moving over to one of the other guests, making sure he felt at home too and at the end retired on a big pillow close to one of the walls.<br />
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Full and content we moved south, following the forest road again to be able to be at our camp close to Sognsvann in time. The weather was improving and we both enjoyed being out, but we were also mindful not be run down by the many mountain bikers which were out too, speeding along the forest roads that criss-cross Nordmarka. We left the road and got onto to the trail again, following an unmarked trail that my GPS confidently said would take us where we wanted to be. A steep climb and descent took us to the pond where we had planned to camp, a nice nice place with few people passing by on the trail next to it, and with lots of dry wood to be found.<br />
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We had dinner and hot drinks and discussed the day that had been, both being quite content. I was pleased to hear Tor Magnus saying he´d had an excellent time on our first hike together.<br />
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The night was uneventful. I slept toasty warm after having adjusted my setup since the last night. Tor Magnus reported the next morning that he´d being a bit cold which was strange since he had been very comfortable the first night. A warmer top quilt is about to be ordered he said. I had some thoughts about gear too, but most of all I thought about giving my girlfriend a big hug when I got home. Ok, I have to admit that I thought about a warm shower, beer and crisps too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new layer of nice had started forming during the night.</td></tr>
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So that´s how this little report ends. Wait a minute, you might wonder why the post is called red team and blue team? I think you´ll figure it out ;).<br />
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Have a great week!<br />
<br />Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-1909387502171264002012-03-18T21:05:00.003+01:002012-03-18T23:01:31.258+01:00Winter experience close to home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Winter is coming to an end here in Oslo with spring just around the corner. Tell-tale signs are everywhere: small, furry buds are appearing on branches, the chorus of small birds outside our kitchen window is intensifying and easter candy in yellow wrapping is apperaring in the local supermarket. We did actually have 5-6 inches of snowfall last week, but that is all gone now. Yesterday (March 13th) the norwegian meteoroligists recorded a record high temperature of 16.1 degrees celsius which is quite amazing for early March in Norway.<br />
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I´ve never been much of a winter hiker/camper, much preferring the warmer months. I had however planned to do more of it this year, even some cross country skiing, but that didn´t happen for various reasons. What I did manage was an overnighter some weeks ago in the Østmarka area close to where I live. We´re not talking wilderness hiking far away from civilization here, but it´s still good winter experience to be had for a novice. Helen couldn´t join because of an injury that needed to heal, but I´m confident she´ll soon be hiking along me, making me laugh and enjoy life more than ever. I leave you with pictures from my hike and wish you all a great week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7oXALv8FOkWohSMitKRl1RilnVurX_grP_lAV6F4qbqgALSW50PmxCmZK6YOgoBcLhV9GZPL2nx9PNwLbs5DvBw_xg8G1Q36liz0qvUoFL2xpjmqKWYZf12i1q9ta2mw088yNfpzQA/s1600/P1010883.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7oXALv8FOkWohSMitKRl1RilnVurX_grP_lAV6F4qbqgALSW50PmxCmZK6YOgoBcLhV9GZPL2nx9PNwLbs5DvBw_xg8G1Q36liz0qvUoFL2xpjmqKWYZf12i1q9ta2mw088yNfpzQA/s640/P1010883.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">Walking out to the campsite. Some of it was on prepared ski trails where I had no use for my snowshoes. They did come in handy later though.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">While being passed by skiers I did realize that I wasn´t travelling in the most effective manner possible :).</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the huge front pocket on the Paramo. It´s like 50 litres of capacity isn´t it?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close to the campsite now, just had to take a right and climb a hill. Light was fading fast so I was eager to make camp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">After the Duomid was pitched I started cooking dinner, needing first to melt some snow. At this point the wind had picked up a lot and visibility was low . I was warm and comfortable though with all my layers on and didn´t mind having to wait for my hot water. It did take longer than usual with the wind blowing like that. I was quite pleased with how the duomid coped. All the pegs had been hammered into the frozen ground and I was confident that all my guyouts could be trusted to hold throught the night, which they did.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2S0ul6vQlLH4GuZm9wOBPnzWNTjhlGbdUjhNcScsqQwvK4FiZbMBQTkkZL8gf4cZBrn549GTLT_0NNyRUYSuwqxWeYCKAwr4eVYFlmW_k1FH376dJOp6cWQ2lOnpf_QTc1lNSBYFEA/s1600/P1010894.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2S0ul6vQlLH4GuZm9wOBPnzWNTjhlGbdUjhNcScsqQwvK4FiZbMBQTkkZL8gf4cZBrn549GTLT_0NNyRUYSuwqxWeYCKAwr4eVYFlmW_k1FH376dJOp6cWQ2lOnpf_QTc1lNSBYFEA/s640/P1010894.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It´s so nice to lay in the sleeping bag, warm and comfortable, waiting for dinner to be ready while the wind is blowing hard outside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1J4zJ8MhUcFccQebRtmGXHO179HFVFSIlXzbLOfNGZpavdFkqPNYr61-xhnccdoeaTgI2dv6Ua1g7FTHXpl8XyQSbpvToifrTPZ6xHz5okjNEyMnoJ0TaopQkD8OHW6Rq-wxwA-9IA/s1600/P1010896.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1J4zJ8MhUcFccQebRtmGXHO179HFVFSIlXzbLOfNGZpavdFkqPNYr61-xhnccdoeaTgI2dv6Ua1g7FTHXpl8XyQSbpvToifrTPZ6xHz5okjNEyMnoJ0TaopQkD8OHW6Rq-wxwA-9IA/s640/P1010896.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I awoke to a beautifull morning, quite the opposite of the day before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melting snow for breakfast. It went quite quickly with the MSR Whisperlite doing it´s thing under beautiful, calm conditions.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvqSmaf4_dgPJfm3s2kBTZYKcKlR5G8IH5vCIb7jL37IDHdd19urG5BMC1-zbPYnJ4XsyC4hzsclEYwMcNtW3V8iOaCJTMCDqD6e_LVDFduKjGg98iteGb_1cTRK9-v_ETMZMNF1WCQ/s1600/P1010901.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvqSmaf4_dgPJfm3s2kBTZYKcKlR5G8IH5vCIb7jL37IDHdd19urG5BMC1-zbPYnJ4XsyC4hzsclEYwMcNtW3V8iOaCJTMCDqD6e_LVDFduKjGg98iteGb_1cTRK9-v_ETMZMNF1WCQ/s640/P1010901.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still, at this point I regretted not having carried more water :).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking on and enjoying the morning immensely.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_yJuPUH5JRJvES-0Xsd8uBMfAoo20Z2MrREBubYK6bHA7VIpRqaueo48rfONuUfT7ZVwvSuem1sS-7zMoOdfOcWmmu5y3GkI-Cc1r-ykLJrCmjhNcC9MaDaNH0DpYqte1TtjNaCR2Q/s1600/P1010904.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_yJuPUH5JRJvES-0Xsd8uBMfAoo20Z2MrREBubYK6bHA7VIpRqaueo48rfONuUfT7ZVwvSuem1sS-7zMoOdfOcWmmu5y3GkI-Cc1r-ykLJrCmjhNcC9MaDaNH0DpYqte1TtjNaCR2Q/s640/P1010904.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4mFfaTFqRfGINezDIjM3XR26ICEUaaBOB2Ts8cpOqOrvbtpW_noiMRLFhidIu6GiGDuKvMTFArEVIpuJAHkNAFqV1swpHC8dmtkufj33JLlOS9gY2OIk6TS2NdTFFLOOAdXrO101XA/s1600/P1010907.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4mFfaTFqRfGINezDIjM3XR26ICEUaaBOB2Ts8cpOqOrvbtpW_noiMRLFhidIu6GiGDuKvMTFArEVIpuJAHkNAFqV1swpHC8dmtkufj33JLlOS9gY2OIk6TS2NdTFFLOOAdXrO101XA/s640/P1010907.png" width="480" /></a></div>Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-62937955196494908562012-01-13T12:34:00.006+01:002012-02-14T21:42:36.775+01:00First impressions: Fire-Maple 116T<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifenY6ji791kNOUWvLCOIHukBII5SULRwewiUvwWHRv2deytEdC9DTPkIh7wNQnrYQdgAbhHmRdodQzpai5kn-ED0sxud3_iMgW-134vl8VqE-RxsafVLbEgzF_a8eYc_JHOEyT0cGYQ/s1600/P1010865.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifenY6ji791kNOUWvLCOIHukBII5SULRwewiUvwWHRv2deytEdC9DTPkIh7wNQnrYQdgAbhHmRdodQzpai5kn-ED0sxud3_iMgW-134vl8VqE-RxsafVLbEgzF_a8eYc_JHOEyT0cGYQ/s640/P1010865.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire-Maple 116T</td></tr>
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Jakob from <a href="http://www.packalatt.se/">www.packalatt.se</a> approached <a href="http://www.nordiclightpacking.com/">Nordic Lightpacking</a> in October 2011 to test the <a href="http://www.fire-maple.com/myWeb/EN/Productscont.php?pId=17&pType=14&bigid=11">Fire-Maple 116T</a> gas stove. I took on the task and have been able to use it on some dayhikes since, enough to be able to share my first impressions and thoughts about it, including those of Helen who´s been trying it out too.<br />
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It is worth noting that the 116T has been reviewed by several people already, and is available under other brand names, for instance the <a href="http://monatauk.com/inc/sdetail/509">Montauk Gnat</a> (tested by <a href="http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2010/04/first-look-monatauk-gnat-video.html">Hendrik</a>) and the <a href="http://www.vango.co.uk/accessories/ultralite-gas-stove.html">Vango Ultralite</a>.<br />
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<b>Is it still relevant?</b><br />
With the appearance of the Jetboil Sol Ti some people might argue that stoves like the 116T are not relevant anymore. The Sol Ti is such a polished package, offering low total weight, speed and very good fuel efficiency which means it´s now a viable option on longer hikes. Phil demonstrated this on his TGO challenge this year, only using a single 100 gram canister for the whole trek. It is not perfect though; nothing is, and that´s what makes stoves so interesting in my view (yes, I´m a collector, there I´ve said it). So, what has the 116T got to offer? In my view it is simplicity, flexibility, affordability, simmering capability and a wide flame pattern.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7p0K01_L6Yvy0_w9bRyMLDelAWULlf3h9qIlch8jgi0NtZ4jhXfDzPdpb55ji0Yz5TAgGHV112Uq75rgQiaBizDJc63QtnOg559pZXU2wUIiQ7y1FMZQe_nG3EfElrs_Z1_MJ1TZyw/s1600/IMAG2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7p0K01_L6Yvy0_w9bRyMLDelAWULlf3h9qIlch8jgi0NtZ4jhXfDzPdpb55ji0Yz5TAgGHV112Uq75rgQiaBizDJc63QtnOg559pZXU2wUIiQ7y1FMZQe_nG3EfElrs_Z1_MJ1TZyw/s320/IMAG2382.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Simplicity</b><br />
The 116T is cut to the bone in terms of functionality to get the weight down. It is advertised as weighing 48 grams; on my scale it clocked in at 47. It doesn´t have piezo ignition which might have been nice, but from what I´ve read they tend to stop working after a while anyway. There is not much that can go wrong with it. The adjuster is the only sensitive part in my view; it looks like it could bend or break if pressure is applied to it from the wrong angle.<br />
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<b>Flexibility</b><br />
It is obvious, but still worth mentioning: this stove can be used with a multitude of pots compared to something like the Sol Ti. The pot supports are quite wide and so is the flame pattern. It will easily accomodate something like the wide Evernew 900 (the pot supports almost reach the edge of the pot).<br />
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<b>Affordability</b><br />
If you get the Vango version it is 21 pounds when bought from their website (postage unknown), and I found it as low as <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VANGO-ULTRALITE-GAS-STOVE-CAMPING-SINGLE-BURNER-STOVE-/160590764747?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Camping_CookingSupplies_ET&hash=item2563f49acb#ht_2462wt_1052">15.29+2.99 postage</a> on the UK ebay site. The price on www.packalett.se is <a href="http://www.packalatt.se/gaskok-toppmonterat-p-77.html">350 SEK + postage</a>.<br />
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Paired with something like the <a href="http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16256&category_id=283">Alpkit MytiMug</a> (currently sold out) for 25 pounds, you´ve got quite an affordable UL cooking setup. A windscreen is also needed, but it is an easy MYOG project. Helen and me recommend getting the <a href="http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product116.asp">MSR Titan kettle</a> though if you can afford it. It is such a sweet pot.<br />
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<b>Simmering</b><br />
The 116T has fine control over simmering so you´re less likely to burn that porridge you´re craving for breakfast. A stove like the Sol Ti in effect only has one setting and that is full blast. To be fair it can be adjusted a bit, but not to the point of being able to simmer effectively.<br />
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<b>Wide flame pattern</b><br />
The flame pattern of the 116 is quite wide so you´re less prone to getting burned spots like with a Primus Micron or a MSR Pocket Rocket which both have a focused and narrow flame.<br />
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So what´s bad then?.<br />
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<b>Wind</b><br />
Like most top mounted gas stoves it is quite sensitive to wind so you need to use a windscreen, and even with a windscreen it won´t be totally undisturbed. A windscreen adds weight. The one I got with the stove (not normally delivered with stove) weighs in at 85 grams. To be fair a MYOG one would weigh a lot less, but might not be as durable.<br />
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<b>Fuel economy</b><br />
I have not done any measurements myself, but from I´ve read it won´t be able to compete with the likes of the Sol Ti with its heat exchanger and throttled output. This means you may have to carry two canisters instead of one on a longer trip, and then there might be better options in terms of weight carried over time.<br />
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<b>Loose pot supports</b><br />
This doesn´t really affect function, I just don´t like that they are so loose. I noticed it right away and though it made it seem a bit flimsy.<br />
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<b>Use in cold weather</b><br />
To be able to use this in cold weather you need take some measures to keep the canister warm enough for effective operation, for instance by having it in your pocket until use and placing it in a bowl of water when in use. Still there is a <a href="http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-cold-can-i-run-my-gas-stove.html">limit to how low you can go</a>.<br />
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I´ve also mentioned the flame adjuster looking more vulnerable than the one on the Primus. I have no experience to back that up with though, and it´s quite similar to other popular stoves like the Optimus Crux.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
All in all I like this stove and wouldn´t hesitate to recommend it. However, if you´re only going to boil water and you can afford it, I would look long and hard at the Jetboil Sol Ti as it seems to be a very good option for a lot of people.<br />
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<a href="http://helenswonderings.blogspot.com/">Helen</a>´s opinion:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">On first sight the stove is small, light, reasonably well made, a back to basics but lighter version of the cartridge stove most of us have used at some point during our hill walking or backpacking 'career'. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The stove was easily assembled, the cartridge screwed in easily and it was easy to use the wire adjuster to open up the gas and to close it off (though for a numpty like me, having 'on' and 'off' written somewhere would be good! You soon find out which is which though...). </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Boil time seemed decent enough, it does all the things you would expect of a basic cartridge stove. What I like about this is that for daywalkers or people getting into backpacking, especially into lightening their packs, they could use one of these to make a good weight saving compared to more conventional cartridge stoves (like my Coleman F1) but without having to shell out huge wads of cash. It seems to be a no brainer to me to buy this rather than something like a Jet Boil Sol Ti, or a Back Country Boiler, or any one of the other, "approaching £100 mark" stoves, for what benefit? Spend less on a decent little lightweight stove like this, and use the rest of the money to get to the hills or to lighten up other areas of the pack!</blockquote>Jacob from <a href="http://www.packalatt.se/">www.packalatt.se</a> has told me that readers of this post will be able to buy the stove for 250 kr (normal price is 350). Just use the coupon code "glighter".Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-77820664215445650892011-09-13T22:21:00.000+02:002011-09-13T22:21:55.913+02:00The headnet as a multi-use itemA great way to go lighter is to find items that can perform several roles, allowing you to reduce the number of items in your pack. The classic cotton bandana is probably the ultimate example, protecting you from the glaring sun, prefiltering your water, drying your body after a swim, protecting your hands from glowing pot handles etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBptplLest5tv_I8OAphlQqUhqu6iUkIooleDlig37G99zvqa9v8EVcr94SJdwMPC0jKWyRpinNSGevs6lCyLgMqDFoUGr9eCl6EdCCJz3rlE1ZN5Nqvn88Oni_IRmBFiA2bYqARmYTQ/s1600/headnetempty.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBptplLest5tv_I8OAphlQqUhqu6iUkIooleDlig37G99zvqa9v8EVcr94SJdwMPC0jKWyRpinNSGevs6lCyLgMqDFoUGr9eCl6EdCCJz3rlE1ZN5Nqvn88Oni_IRmBFiA2bYqARmYTQ/s640/headnetempty.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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This summer I've discovered another contender, the headnet. Apart from keeping the mosquito hordes at bay, it is a great pillow (the mesh is surprisingly comfortable next to the skin) when stuffed with your puffy layer. It is also a very good prefilter, much better than the bandana, and a very functional stuff sack. Some of you may be worried about the durability, but it is better than expected when made out of high quality noseeum mesh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX50XmWsbxWRLthiLNPfy4z_FmOtWSnrWh9MFLyuKLshjwfWq_DMhyqOl5W_aZVD5wWgaQcydF7IJgBRbce6TbbeRWj5R62BORMQUX0gt0Cq2J7PcwttQS9mx60xrsRepXUn4enMA_g/s1600/pillow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX50XmWsbxWRLthiLNPfy4z_FmOtWSnrWh9MFLyuKLshjwfWq_DMhyqOl5W_aZVD5wWgaQcydF7IJgBRbce6TbbeRWj5R62BORMQUX0gt0Cq2J7PcwttQS9mx60xrsRepXUn4enMA_g/s640/pillow.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pillow mode with my Montbell Down Inner stuffed inside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Ozumj_P0rRsHSV4gAqKGKWtkfIvnXJg9PNP3e8IwF7QlD5Cr47MQ29XTLNmnGAB0IbcY0Hx-1l4n9a4voaupR4Ao21XndtkR3HhqbSqJPdhWosj1ZnjtNgVqqyKkUk9Bgg_6vB9nQ/s1600/prefilter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Ozumj_P0rRsHSV4gAqKGKWtkfIvnXJg9PNP3e8IwF7QlD5Cr47MQ29XTLNmnGAB0IbcY0Hx-1l4n9a4voaupR4Ao21XndtkR3HhqbSqJPdhWosj1ZnjtNgVqqyKkUk9Bgg_6vB9nQ/s640/prefilter.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prefilter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlf-w3dCWgcolBEfYZVylCNc3UOB3rBZwEgk-Ia_qZfeSNwp3yu9c63K9JzrcNsRszu1bUYGSqf66YgyRY-tM0rfjOapzy-8S73T1p0UqrUXZ_EKgKWGG7RZMnrJroPKTjzmxKRIroA/s1600/clothesbag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlf-w3dCWgcolBEfYZVylCNc3UOB3rBZwEgk-Ia_qZfeSNwp3yu9c63K9JzrcNsRszu1bUYGSqf66YgyRY-tM0rfjOapzy-8S73T1p0UqrUXZ_EKgKWGG7RZMnrJroPKTjzmxKRIroA/s640/clothesbag.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clothes bag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I made mine according to the <a href="http://www.andersj.se/mygghuva1.htm">plans that can be found on www.andersj.se</a>, and using noseeum from my thru-hiker down quilt kit (yes, I'm cannibalizing that bad boy). It only took me 1-2 hours. It's a great project that I know you will enjoy and the result is oh so functional and weight saving.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very light and packable. Only 11 grams including the blue rubber band which is a multi-use item too!</td></tr>
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Please feel free to leave comments about other multi-use items that you know about. I am very interested in discovering more, and I am confident I am not the only oneThomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-27072282143252063442011-08-25T09:36:00.001+02:002011-08-25T10:02:46.491+02:00And the winner isAccording to random.org: Helen J. Fisher!. She has an abundance of good karma stored at the moment :). Congrats.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-84932496236097757712011-08-13T14:06:00.001+02:002011-08-13T14:08:09.029+02:00Raffle time: aLOKSAK set<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRPZHQ4S_DkpIr81-GVD4sfbfSMXAJLM0XT4J92rLuHfJRHYlWEXfB-jQ2Fm9Dc_Ns2kstL8bGsCfG7sqn2t0IKHXRtyVNho7jixjcEQbV-ONNf3Uhfe2eheAAQU-cXfRtcbVcB3p3w/s1600/aloksak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRPZHQ4S_DkpIr81-GVD4sfbfSMXAJLM0XT4J92rLuHfJRHYlWEXfB-jQ2Fm9Dc_Ns2kstL8bGsCfG7sqn2t0IKHXRtyVNho7jixjcEQbV-ONNf3Uhfe2eheAAQU-cXfRtcbVcB3p3w/s400/aloksak.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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It's time for another raffle! This time it's for a set of four aLOKSAK waterproof/sandproof bags/pouches that are excellent for storing and protecting important items like your passport, first aid kit, electronic devices etc. The sizes are : 5"x4", 4.5"x7", 6.75"x6" and 9"x6".<br />
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To be part of the raffle I ask you to share an important lesson you learned while out hiking, or a practical tip that other readers might find useful.<br />
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I'll draw a winner with random.org the 25th this month. Good luck!<br />
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Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-89356810224247385092011-08-07T22:48:00.008+02:002011-08-07T23:33:41.232+02:00Jotunheimstien - the second week part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBXnttuDnPuRriwq1wnITfzEz5WfmFL1-UMjIFHYiHQG4zi6VqspWpJJx7Iyw0SQTV_dDBf36_nD7-shFeT3s62eY4rL-54zJ454oDwN2Wl-nL-d-bjrA2ZfBvmq9by7IN6Zd0Y0rOw/s1600/utsiktjoetopp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBXnttuDnPuRriwq1wnITfzEz5WfmFL1-UMjIFHYiHQG4zi6VqspWpJJx7Iyw0SQTV_dDBf36_nD7-shFeT3s62eY4rL-54zJ454oDwN2Wl-nL-d-bjrA2ZfBvmq9by7IN6Zd0Y0rOw/s640/utsiktjoetopp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe looking at the mighty mountain ranges in the distance.</td></tr>
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The 14th of July, after a nice, comfortable stay in the DNT cabin "Skjelbreidhytta" we set off once again. 10 metres from the hut we entered a steep climb that took us above treeline. We both felt strong at this point and had no trouble doing the climb without stopping to catch our breath. I voiced this to Joe and he agreed completely, we we're both definitely more fit than we started the trail back in downtown Oslo.<br />
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The trail was very nice, at times almost qualifying as "super trail", but not quite getting that accolade because of stones at places that threatened to trip us over, and a pack of sheep that just didn't get that it would be sensible to go left or right instead of being pushed directly ahead by us for several kilometres. One of the lambs was apparently brighter than the mum and her sibling, and at times tried to venture out to the side, but the mum just didn't get it. After a while Joe got the bright idea to charge them which made them panic and finally run to the side so we could pass them. Note that it was a light charge :). We both love animals so we didn't want to scare them too much in the process.<br />
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While on this stretch of trail we passed a peak which was supposed to have nice views of some 60 peaks, and even a sighting board of sorts with the names of each. We both wanted to take a look at that, eager to see more of the mountain ranges ahead, so we hid our packs behind a tree, registered a GPS waypoint (very wise suggestion by Mr. Newton) and climbed upwards, aided by our trekking poles. We did indeed get some fine views, but no sighting board was to be found, so we were probably not where we were supposed to be after all. I was glad I'd included my binoculars in the resupply box. We swapped them between us frequently so we could both get glimpses of the peaks we were soon going to be seeing up close. The GPS waypoint "Sekkene" was real helpful on our way down since I could follow the arrow on my GPS compass all the way down to within 3 metres. Quite impressive. We would've found them without the GPS, but it was a lot quicker that way.<br />
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Maybe half way to Kittilbua, while we were taking a short break, Joe told me he was feeling a pain in his shin. He massaged and stretched it as best he could and walked around putting weight on it to try to diagnose the severity of the problem. I suggested that we should reduce the pace and take our time not to worsen it.<br />
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We continued on in sunshine and on nice trails, across fields and bog (the drier kind) and through clusters of trees close to the treeline. I had read that we would be able to buy waffles with brunost and rømmegrøt and all that good stuff at Kittilbua, and that motivated us in big way, especially Joe which loves that stuff more than any foreigner I've met. That last stretch seemed to take forever as our mouths watered.<br />
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Suddenly Joe stopped, apparently in great pain. "I think this is it for me", "Sorry?" I said. "Yes, this is probably the end of the trail for me". He took off his pack and sat down, rubbing his shin and looking worried. This didn't look good at all. We were both silent and feeling sad as I led us slowly along the last bit of trail before we reached Kittilbua.<br />
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To our surprise Kittilbua wasn't staffed and there were no waffles or stuff like that to be found. It was actually just a regular DNT hut that was closed, needing one of those DNT keys which we both carried (Helen: remember). A table with benches was close by and we sat down there to have lunch, discussing the situation. It looked grim indeed. I suggested we stay the night at the hut to see if it might improve, but at the same time I advised him not to continue if his shin wasn't a lot better the next day. I didn't think he should risk the rest of the hiking season or year for that matter just to complete this trail. He could always return to complete it. In a way we were lucky to have this happen close to a DNT hut and to a road, so that he could be picked up by friends and family instead of a search and rescue chopper. Joe called his friend to let her know about the situation and to be prepared to come pick him up the following day. While he was doing that I realized that the waffles etc. was available at the wilderness museum 500m away, so I went over there to shop and to ask where we were in relation to public transport etc.<br />
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The wilderness museum was as devoid of humans as the very thing it was constructed to present, so the woman and her companion looked startled to have somebody walk in the door. Pancakes, Solo (the best soda available in Norway) and some candy was quickly bought and I asked her about transportation for Joe. Apparently we were an hour or so from Vestre Gausdal and no buses or other means of transport were available. She did however offer Joe a ride in her old, colorful car down to Vestre Gausdal. I thanked her and said I would let him know.<br />
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When I returned Joe was massaging his shin, not feeling better. We moved our stuff into the cabin and I proceeded to collect water in the river and heat some water for washing and dinner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe having his mac n' cheese, his favourite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The hut was nice and we both enjoyed staying there, even more so when we were joined by a biker guy who'd just come in from Rondane, having hiked there for three days. He had some ointment for Joe to try, but that didn't help much. The beers he offered us helped more :). We spent the evening talking to him and listening to the crackle from the wood oven placed in the middle of the room.<br />
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The next morning Joe felt a bit better, but it didn't take long before he told me it was as bad as yesterday. I finished packing and got ready to move on. I considered quitting the trail too, but I felt a strong urge to complete it, having planned for it so long and done so much of the trail already. Since Joe was going to get picked up by his friends I didn't feel too bad about leaving him there. If I'd quit too I would had to return to Oslo alone and what was the point in that?. Before leaving we took some pictures, I said my goodbyes, gave Joe a hug and started my day on the trail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzapCxTusqd7U76HwVi3qMwMJpR46PGYN2JWWS-9z_ikeD2EjcSsPNuwYCSYRiKAKI182IaqGc6b_9xOrtivPCSXmEhcscXg8nolyl-UxiE0ThD0XN3fmwIGvUjM3h-Tl9m0LcGOdUA/s1600/hadet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzapCxTusqd7U76HwVi3qMwMJpR46PGYN2JWWS-9z_ikeD2EjcSsPNuwYCSYRiKAKI182IaqGc6b_9xOrtivPCSXmEhcscXg8nolyl-UxiE0ThD0XN3fmwIGvUjM3h-Tl9m0LcGOdUA/s640/hadet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last photo before I left Joe to wait for his friends to pick him up. That checked Rohan shirt of his is way cool btw :).</td></tr>
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First order of business was to get the morning backtrack out of the way. I followed a short piece of trail onto the main road and then went too far, not seeing the trail markings. This time I couldn't blame the gear talk :). Before moving any further I stopped to take a look at my map and GPS to make sure I was 100% sure of my position. This is something I've started to do after reading about <a href="http://www.pcthandbook.com/about-me.php">Yogi</a> and her tendency to do so. I think it is a wise habit. I soon figured out where I was and continued along on a forest road herding 20 cows in front of me, a nice change from sheep, and then followed the familiar red markings through forest and bog (the not too bad kind).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too bad this bog.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGR_zJUEdebFltA6n6KAimDvhziX1kE2Fn8vDHj5eOR4MfTjMGwR8pqjU94oWM6HhT1vvCSEXWD-yxwoqDeQWQBqrkuEzEpvySwlq4YutOIVqeuDjWMvm4Pju6n_vAhazm-VMikz5HQ/s1600/alenelunsj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGR_zJUEdebFltA6n6KAimDvhziX1kE2Fn8vDHj5eOR4MfTjMGwR8pqjU94oWM6HhT1vvCSEXWD-yxwoqDeQWQBqrkuEzEpvySwlq4YutOIVqeuDjWMvm4Pju6n_vAhazm-VMikz5HQ/s640/alenelunsj.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having lunch with my bug friends who were joined by the red biting ants, my favourite.</td></tr>
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From the map I saw that I was to climb a hill, but I didn't realize I was at the top before I reached a 5-6m sighting tower which I of course had to climb to get some views. The views were stunning.<br />
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My goal for the day was to get to the staffed hut, Liomseter, something that would turn out to be a long walk. If I were to do it again I wouldn't push for Liomseter, and instead camp a bit more than halfway. Having set a goal I was determind to reach it though and kept at it. My tweet from the next day sums it up :<br />
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<i>"Long day yesterday, 32 km in various terrain, bog, hills, valleys, rivers, rivendell like forest, amazing views. Arrived late at the staffed hut Liomseter where i had dinner, beer, shower and a nice chat with some guys who were very curious about the trip and lightweight backpacking".</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBmm35piKr_J7hkW2CM2UdqpcaQoCEy-upsFN7xg2oQT6pOD_4b1rDZo8NE_ok9dXOeeCKRKFw6fkhiSkaZ_Ijly59dQAWt7uG_SmTH3_5c6Hfjd3ddJfAdwaf2oQfOB7KoHKzi0BQw/s1600/landskapalene1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBmm35piKr_J7hkW2CM2UdqpcaQoCEy-upsFN7xg2oQT6pOD_4b1rDZo8NE_ok9dXOeeCKRKFw6fkhiSkaZ_Ijly59dQAWt7uG_SmTH3_5c6Hfjd3ddJfAdwaf2oQfOB7KoHKzi0BQw/s640/landskapalene1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
It was nice to be higher up with less bugs, a nice cooling breeze and some spectacular views. A rainstorm to the west was looking a bit threatening, but it didn't turn out to be a problem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbnKl2JiM76A2YtocBgoGxsJUQ6gFtGWcLXLNfxOkrPNnyjVnIThYvgUtAshq9UZK8O_OjqFQdr-aNsCz69RAJ6_dhBwI_ZUFDCpVHPR_eUXiBCz3cDfdlSuswOYrfCY7F1G1pIUsYA/s1600/br%25C3%25B8nnvann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbnKl2JiM76A2YtocBgoGxsJUQ6gFtGWcLXLNfxOkrPNnyjVnIThYvgUtAshq9UZK8O_OjqFQdr-aNsCz69RAJ6_dhBwI_ZUFDCpVHPR_eUXiBCz3cDfdlSuswOYrfCY7F1G1pIUsYA/s640/br%25C3%25B8nnvann.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This well was right beside the trail and offered splendid water. I was careful not to contaminate it and used my pot to scoop with.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6D0ymkpg9Y643_uh0FykxjG4xX6zmbeQc2Ip3aOh0FPEqNexU4Q72C87CTaLkpMVwHArxFGhnF4WB9GqLgSygH6nIE2UMuX18SDkbyWw4OrrOcbopKKoZvdah9wzmlKhdEIQ1NaaSA/s1600/rivendell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6D0ymkpg9Y643_uh0FykxjG4xX6zmbeQc2Ip3aOh0FPEqNexU4Q72C87CTaLkpMVwHArxFGhnF4WB9GqLgSygH6nIE2UMuX18SDkbyWw4OrrOcbopKKoZvdah9wzmlKhdEIQ1NaaSA/s640/rivendell.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a beautiful place. The camera just isn't able to capture it.</td></tr>
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I was getting pretty tired by the end of the day, especially after a long boggy section. Suddenly the trail markings disappeared and I couldn't see where I was supposed to cross the river to the left of me. I spread out my map on the ground and touched the screen of my GPS to wake it up, and then tried to figure things out before moving on. A couple of particularly eager swarms of mosquitoes and noseeums took an interest in me, almost making it impossible to study the map. I decided to go back and then when I was just about to move I saw red trail markings going upwards, in the opposite direction? This puzzled me. I decided to follow them to see if it could be some eccentric trail design. The trail went upwards a bit, and then turned to the right in the direction I had come. What is this?. I moved a bit in that direction and then suddenly it dawned on me that I was supposed to have followed this path from the get go. I had been lured by signs of people moving through the grass to the left of it and thought that to be just a poorly marked piece of the trail. I turned around, backtracked and found the trail again which led to the river crossing. Stupid in retrospect, but it's easy to get confused like this, especially when tired at the end of a long day hiking.<br />
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It was getting late now, and looking at the map I thought I would be lucky to get to the hut before they turned of the generator at 11 PM. I hiked over a hill and expected to be forced to hike over yet another one, when I realized that my two maps overlapped quite a bit, so I was actually only 4.5 km as the crow flies from my destination. <a href="http://www.blackadderhall.com/sounds/hoorah.wav">Hoorah!</a>. I powered on and was soon at Liomseter where there was a band of clarinet players giving a concert to the dinner guests. I talked to the nice hostess and she told me I could have dinner even though I was half an hour late. I was really happy with that, not having expected to get anything being that late. I just had to wait for the band to finish their perfomance. That gave me time to shower, wash clothes and sort everything out. What an excellent hut! Dinner was great and I had a nice conversation with a couple of guys who were very interested in hearing about our adventure and about lightweight gear.<br />
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I felt very refreshed the next day, and that morning's backtrack was only half a kilometre, not bad at all. Having located the begnning of the trail towards Storkvelvbu, I climbed higher, moving through the forest and breaking treeline to enter a nice trail which allowed for fast hiking. When I started out at the hut there was a light drizzle and a light breeze. That changed after a while though with the wind picking up, rain pounding my back and temperature dropping to a measly 7C. I was getting cold, so I stopped to don my woolpower long johns and my rain pants, as well as my MLD event rain mitts with gloves inside. That helped a lot and it didn't take too long before I arrived at Storkvelvbu, which I initially had planned to bypass, but since the weather was so poor I decided to stop and have lunch there. A group of youths were there already and was about to leave. I said hello and asked if they were from the DNT youth association or something, but no they were just a group of friends who had decided to go hiking. While they prepared to leave I put the kettle on and started to prepare lunch. The hut guard/host arrived after a while and we had a nice chat. He was a bit surprised to hear that I, and the youths that has just left, were continuing on to Storhøliseter. Must people tended to stay at Storkvelvbu he told me. After a while he left me to finish my lunch, and retreated to his own hut close to the main hut where he told me he had the wood oven going and his dog lounging beside it at the moment :).<br />
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It wasn't exactly pleasant to leave the hut to hike on in that weather, but I wanted to reach the goal I had set for the day. The visibility was very poor and it was now just a matter of getting to the next hut. I was quite chilled when I got there and very thankful not having to spend the night under my Trailstar!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPiIMDgDcsqaRLXkot-nqd0qAUSfS0yMZ8w2pTw8dKd7_VS6WyB7BxYcdqjplcATrJVyvu3Ajm_Sn6t9nhZX0Td_PChPRwbN0Il-95bi2RjdpVWOI24fWVozYB-kzuR2n_l29afSdzQ/s1600/kaldtskyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPiIMDgDcsqaRLXkot-nqd0qAUSfS0yMZ8w2pTw8dKd7_VS6WyB7BxYcdqjplcATrJVyvu3Ajm_Sn6t9nhZX0Td_PChPRwbN0Il-95bi2RjdpVWOI24fWVozYB-kzuR2n_l29afSdzQ/s640/kaldtskyer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZRBP1gAuH36QCKX3A2gGnK3RS3O_U3t4HxNK6dL2yFNPe5-yEZpQwgPjaIHA8N6mbooU4ErKb7a8uB9XgIrpHxNfx30Lzzb0_6O9cLxHiKEtYRpOd2dEIjt-p7PkzHT6uBJPRhjLrw/s1600/kaldh%25C3%25A5nd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZRBP1gAuH36QCKX3A2gGnK3RS3O_U3t4HxNK6dL2yFNPe5-yEZpQwgPjaIHA8N6mbooU4ErKb7a8uB9XgIrpHxNfx30Lzzb0_6O9cLxHiKEtYRpOd2dEIjt-p7PkzHT6uBJPRhjLrw/s640/kaldh%25C3%25A5nd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold. Wet, windy, cold temps will do that too you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Instead I got to spend the night in my own room, to eat dinner with the youths and to talk to a couple of german guys who had a lot to tell about their trip in Norway.<br />
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Only two days remained now before I could finish my thru-hike! Since the youths had done the dishes the previous evening, and apparently were stressed out about getting going, I offered to sweep the floor etc. after them, something I don't think they realized they had to do. I told them I would try to catch up, which I had tried to do the day before just to have a goal to work towards, but without success. Cleaning up after them was a bad deal and it took me 45 minutes of sweeping and packing before I could get on the trail myself. I knew it would be a long day with a 500m climb and descent at the end, but I felt great and hiked on at a mile crunching pace. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xOigJ35f4mtt2Lxn3l_oll8U04uzaQaWz3E9RyHwnRFhLFZGc_bksu7Kvl1HrkR7WMs3sOHPmX2nzsOBnqRlwjdrMq0_Sv05LXvyBinJg3bblCqTWghzgIzNv3Es8FX0B1NGCz46eQ/s1600/bwlandskap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xOigJ35f4mtt2Lxn3l_oll8U04uzaQaWz3E9RyHwnRFhLFZGc_bksu7Kvl1HrkR7WMs3sOHPmX2nzsOBnqRlwjdrMq0_Sv05LXvyBinJg3bblCqTWghzgIzNv3Es8FX0B1NGCz46eQ/s640/bwlandskap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I must have gained a lot on the youths because when I passed the Oskampen hut, I saw their packs outside and them having lunch inside, but I decided to move on to have some privacy when having lunch. I pitched my Trailstar to get out of the wind and drizzle. The Trailstar is great for this purpose!. I then hiked on and reached the point where I was to start climbing the last mountain to get to Sikkildalsseter, the staffed hut which was my destination for the day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6xojKe6LlQTW3vOoempyVzzML28SD-OIJAHzegmZi_Z2npBqh54waSyH6aJTnJPlUweQydbKvUs6dcmKOGP0HmLejQ6Z8iDWLZKnVlOB5Iua6mtLJxRvMnrmcfyb8xYsXWuCQF0wKA/s1600/500m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6xojKe6LlQTW3vOoempyVzzML28SD-OIJAHzegmZi_Z2npBqh54waSyH6aJTnJPlUweQydbKvUs6dcmKOGP0HmLejQ6Z8iDWLZKnVlOB5Iua6mtLJxRvMnrmcfyb8xYsXWuCQF0wKA/s640/500m.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Before the climb I decided to fill my water bottles, not expecting to find any water on the mountain. Suddenly a <a href="http://www.nrk.no/contentfile/file/1.5382351%21img5382312.jpg">røyskatt</a> popped his head up and looked curiously at me! :). What a beautiful animal. His companion also appeared and they moved swiftly among the rocks, disappearing and appearing again. My camera battery was of course flat, so I couldn't document this. I wanted to give them something, so I brought forth a babybel cheese and waited to see if they would approach to eat it. They tried their best to approach via the small passages between the rocks, but they were never sure enough of their safety to take a bite. I decided to move 5-10 metres away, and then one of them appeared in the spot I had been sitting, scouted around for me in all directions, and proceeded to eat that delicious piece of cheese :).<br />
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The climb up the mountain was quite tiring and I had to stop several times to catch my breath, but the views were spectacular at every rest stop!.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yBB-FpHL-GJsWP5o5RTfmnMsG2XBLmiWH5NHbTf_oLHp5oc6_e9kENWEf12u5wNoN4dSkuCEK8P7JkAnBcZ54wckhKVs4LN-XDAUWhewhBAEQhn7pZg4aqwIpNX4Aj47v4oYQIpV7A/s1600/500m2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yBB-FpHL-GJsWP5o5RTfmnMsG2XBLmiWH5NHbTf_oLHp5oc6_e9kENWEf12u5wNoN4dSkuCEK8P7JkAnBcZ54wckhKVs4LN-XDAUWhewhBAEQhn7pZg4aqwIpNX4Aj47v4oYQIpV7A/s640/500m2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Suddenly, at 1350 metres, I saw a small group of reindeer ahead of me, maybe 75-100 metres away. The wind was blowing in the direction I was moving so they had no doubt smelled me. I stopped in my tracks and watched them a long time (I loved my binoculars at that point!), before they in their smooth, flowing way of moving moved on up to the right and disappeared over a ridge. I saw 3-4 more groups before suddenly seeing a large pack 50+ animals. Wonderful. I spent quite some time just watching them. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4clQOfgubSXzRwfAXADDdsYcvFbLB1v19mkFrA_wyIfSPzm4CCyo_01hawEZPd7G5zchmfo5qJihG-bA4dMgjr5WOy9561m2tGkqE4Mq8kEHe8YGu45j0rF6PgGr2kSBCbUvMCCMEA/s1600/reinkamm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4clQOfgubSXzRwfAXADDdsYcvFbLB1v19mkFrA_wyIfSPzm4CCyo_01hawEZPd7G5zchmfo5qJihG-bA4dMgjr5WOy9561m2tGkqE4Mq8kEHe8YGu45j0rF6PgGr2kSBCbUvMCCMEA/s640/reinkamm.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUD5P7WiYI6EU9J6KjuM_KwssIST3lxXmOZ2VL8RxTJ-8pWV6PVkzogclP4fIz5ZChbbPIUFwyTEBeAfKjZBo0ZHupmf08XEOD0H43Zut2Ovg11YisOGqu1EI0xDXMdDPZLTbchczMw/s1600/rein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUD5P7WiYI6EU9J6KjuM_KwssIST3lxXmOZ2VL8RxTJ-8pWV6PVkzogclP4fIz5ZChbbPIUFwyTEBeAfKjZBo0ZHupmf08XEOD0H43Zut2Ovg11YisOGqu1EI0xDXMdDPZLTbchczMw/s640/rein.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three reindeer running to join the pack. Too bad I didn't get to photograph them on the ridge with that sky as the backdrop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIg6RPgIzcNxUWAZTh6sHuLD13szErtYXd7_lSsUloNtGy2nBze6DJNIKvDQ0UP6w_DEfFuevukLYPffU1sUkmtB63d-N99XCj0ktMohBtg2X8QdojH4yxplpEYtZ9gryl4e5K1V7EA/s1600/flook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIg6RPgIzcNxUWAZTh6sHuLD13szErtYXd7_lSsUloNtGy2nBze6DJNIKvDQ0UP6w_DEfFuevukLYPffU1sUkmtB63d-N99XCj0ktMohBtg2X8QdojH4yxplpEYtZ9gryl4e5K1V7EA/s640/flook.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big pack. Hard to see because their camouflage is so effective. Click to zoom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUD5P7WiYI6EU9J6KjuM_KwssIST3lxXmOZ2VL8RxTJ-8pWV6PVkzogclP4fIz5ZChbbPIUFwyTEBeAfKjZBo0ZHupmf08XEOD0H43Zut2Ovg11YisOGqu1EI0xDXMdDPZLTbchczMw/s1600/rein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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I soon got to the top of the mountain and saw the sign telling me that I was now at 1525 metres, the highest point along the Jotunheimstien trail.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKiGa3DkLern-AeuxkP0C0AobFKlSB-zgO-mZ5zW2qSxaDDJC173ESI5-XOkEnzIuyXAhm9qo-ry1y5_Y48CUS4L2osGULqRXhSGi0tjxmDXXGs9SqaAAulRVXP-RyDQOW_g8euNmUQ/s1600/highestpoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKiGa3DkLern-AeuxkP0C0AobFKlSB-zgO-mZ5zW2qSxaDDJC173ESI5-XOkEnzIuyXAhm9qo-ry1y5_Y48CUS4L2osGULqRXhSGi0tjxmDXXGs9SqaAAulRVXP-RyDQOW_g8euNmUQ/s640/highestpoint.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looked 10 times better in real life, believe me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I just had to descend 500 metres now to get to Sikkildalsseter. The views were once again beautiful and I cried "Woooohooo!" as hard as I could muster in pure excitement and joy of life.<br />
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The hut, or hotel is a better description, had only two other guests, so getting a single room was very possible indeed. I even got dinner and I enjoyed that immensely, only wishing my trail buddy Joe could have been there to enjoy it with me.<br />
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I awoke to the last day of the thru-hike, an easy 5 hour hike along a lake and through a mountain pass to arrive at my destination, the DNT hut Gjendesheim beside the lake Gjende. The youths I had hiked with earlier were staying in a hut outside the main building. This time they played a game to catch up to me. I was very much taking my time however, not taking any chances that would get me hurt and not being able to complete the trail. The weather wasn't that great with rain showers coming and going, but the trail was interesting with rock fields, several pieces of "super trail" and a close encounter with horses grazing at a large field.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1qHmVABi4JzOLeIUecUjtKjU_ALCExtnfbn5ujZRBc6k82gr7rdOyuSJH4_bhcLjnL5C15QLBu4Z-BViek0PPi6axkCDwiHVDy4K5vIdq7dMluwrNj0o67Yka8NfGLsOUYExCpYKww/s1600/ur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1qHmVABi4JzOLeIUecUjtKjU_ALCExtnfbn5ujZRBc6k82gr7rdOyuSJH4_bhcLjnL5C15QLBu4Z-BViek0PPi6axkCDwiHVDy4K5vIdq7dMluwrNj0o67Yka8NfGLsOUYExCpYKww/s640/ur.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5SyY1OrgTLjsWpcikGSxt-vEVar4h48Dlb8jA_bmsnWaVhCBId2M326FbWrcdWRc6_9EN18xMw5TYl6eN5rNqUzGXLnmI621uZ8Ab_RHwtVuROk1fydschD5BTK4GPshNVeQNmJo5w/s1600/hester2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5SyY1OrgTLjsWpcikGSxt-vEVar4h48Dlb8jA_bmsnWaVhCBId2M326FbWrcdWRc6_9EN18xMw5TYl6eN5rNqUzGXLnmI621uZ8Ab_RHwtVuROk1fydschD5BTK4GPshNVeQNmJo5w/s640/hester2.jpg" width="640" /></a> Going through the pass I got particularly pounded by rain, and I could feel that my rain pants weren't waterproof anymore, but I was very close to my destination now. The last bit was trail that got nicer and nicer until it ended up in a parking lot with lots of caravans around. It was now just a matter of walking some kilomtres on the road until I reached Gjendesheim, grinning from ear to ear!.<br />
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320 km/199 miles was done, only a 12th of the PCT, but an accomplishment for me personally. I had made a good friend in Joe and gained very useful experience for my PCT thru-hike attempt in 2012. More about that in a later post.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-33804640308930430992011-08-02T22:19:00.005+02:002011-08-02T22:56:20.967+02:00Jotunheimstien - the second week part 1A full zero day at the B&B did us a world of good. We ate a lot of filling and both healthy and unhealthy food, got some visitors, washed our clothes, sorted out gear, repacked, stretched, read and got energized for the week to come. <br />
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Our resupply boxes were waiting for us when we arrived so our packs were going to get heavy again, but we were happy to get a healthy refill of snacks, dinners, breakfasts and other stuff. My friend Glenn, his girlfriend and their newborn baby, drove up from Fetsund to meet us, which I really appreciated. It was so nice to see them both again and to see the baby for the first time. Glenn had brought us more meths ("Rødsprit" in norwegian) and he took with him gear we didn't need and surplus food (i actually had too much snacks).<br />
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Joe had previously commented on my many stuff sacks and how it complicated things for me, added extra weight and meant I didn't utilize the volume of my pack to its fullest. I had already started to do some changes when we stayed at Lygnasæter, and I continued at the B&B. I sent home several stuff sacks with Glenn and instead just stuffed clothes, bug inner etc. into the pack liner. My new setup was my food bag at the bottom in its own plastic bag (the GG one), minus the food I needed for the day, followed by the trash compactor liner which had the sleeping bag and sleeping clothes at the very bottom and then clothes, followed by the cooking setup and so on. At the very top I had the day's food plus for instance my rain gear if the weather was looking grim. This was a much better setup for me and I was thankful for Joe's advice and insight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekQSEhlSZppCsd8DelLFl1J-YMjjdBHjIH8prkvIDKPFeJFdNSd0FD2ncCUJZqhBTPO8mbflF6swuJZXBdm35BeCXgpYekiQvTAb9Xk5-NwLCaxifjKH9EFyqmnBdwdtKqABtrdjFVw/s1600/stuffsacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekQSEhlSZppCsd8DelLFl1J-YMjjdBHjIH8prkvIDKPFeJFdNSd0FD2ncCUJZqhBTPO8mbflF6swuJZXBdm35BeCXgpYekiQvTAb9Xk5-NwLCaxifjKH9EFyqmnBdwdtKqABtrdjFVw/s640/stuffsacks.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuff sacks going home. Bye bye.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe organizing his gear and admitting to having slight OCD.</td></tr>
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When we browsed the guestbook, several previous guests complimented the breakfast warmly, and it was indeed very good with nice bread, eggs, ham and different jams. The morning we left for the trail we took our time and made sure our bellies were full, paid the nice hostess and gave her a healthy tip for picking up our resupply boxes and then set off.<br />
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We started the day with our usual morning backtrack which consisted of us being high on energy and happy about being on the move again, talking about gear (always that topic in the morning for some reason) and then missing some of the red trail markings. The first one was indeed easy to miss as the tree with the mark was quite well hidden by trees and vegetation. We decided to make an arrow to aid future hikers, and in the process we probably acquired some good karma for later. Might come in handy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdDGpmBRIs575UvGViI1loEzE-YB_cyv9mI97BAw9mLZYRYdudQis_YthYEHkZWNzayYQSwvxIEIIJxIjTNUkmxflmvWvzMiD2DpefO1nT5i5_gQAt9yDWNb2bVyV0btOhbhMWa4Tng/s1600/pil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdDGpmBRIs575UvGViI1loEzE-YB_cyv9mI97BAw9mLZYRYdudQis_YthYEHkZWNzayYQSwvxIEIIJxIjTNUkmxflmvWvzMiD2DpefO1nT5i5_gQAt9yDWNb2bVyV0btOhbhMWa4Tng/s640/pil.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The weather was superb and we hiked on in good spirits despite the backtrack. A series of forest trails led us onto large, open fields covered with grass, bog and tree stubs and cows (?). This meant slow hiking in blazing sun and it didn't take long before Joe let me know that he wasn't enjoying this :).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SErrxW1YuPPzLVVS4ghPgm5xOIL9UL-_c5ng6B8dH4EgJn2EN5AkEmMA_cbsGZj12bhoNnBSc0xRToA-32ymhkyXK0njSJmfUqczcjP8iLSQdBRFMyhm0QFJLJgb29pwWFtqsenOvA/s1600/joengstubber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SErrxW1YuPPzLVVS4ghPgm5xOIL9UL-_c5ng6B8dH4EgJn2EN5AkEmMA_cbsGZj12bhoNnBSc0xRToA-32ymhkyXK0njSJmfUqczcjP8iLSQdBRFMyhm0QFJLJgb29pwWFtqsenOvA/s640/joengstubber.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I wasn't a huge fan of that particular section either, but it didn't take us too long to get through it. The next part was a lot better when we walked along a ridge, closing in on Snertingdal. At the time we didn't know that we would soon pass a well stocked store (ice cream, hot dogs, burgers and so on) and that it was only open until 5 PM. Well, I had read about a store in Snertingdal, but didn't think we would pass by right next to it and I didn't really now that we were so close to Snertingdal at the time. Actually, I'm glad we didn't know because then we would be hurrying along at a frantic pace!.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Hpj0klQVbaVswwibkaxZXJ3prDgtYjXndqxno23fnUCXj-KnkmFlOmWsH_gP9PashTIn2IsDjFW7phlxxIvmEPoYvGf1hCrfF0o4ErmL2Orylpm41yyg0XDXmQemdun7ZHK6r7rQng/s1600/engskr%25C3%25A5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Hpj0klQVbaVswwibkaxZXJ3prDgtYjXndqxno23fnUCXj-KnkmFlOmWsH_gP9PashTIn2IsDjFW7phlxxIvmEPoYvGf1hCrfF0o4ErmL2Orylpm41yyg0XDXmQemdun7ZHK6r7rQng/s640/engskr%25C3%25A5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The ridge walk was very nice, with one part nice enough that we both shouted "super trail!". The enthusiasm faded when we saw the closed store and the lost possibilities, oh the lost possibilities. We stood there looking through the windows for some minutes, thinking about our bad luck but at the same time also imagining eating all that was in there. A farmer gave us a curious look and we understood that it was time to move on. A steep slope led to a farm which we passed and then we lost the trail. The farmer that had given us a curious look shouted from a far that we should go along the field to the right to find it. We waved back happily and continued on. Not long after we got to a football pitch which we both admired for a long time, imagining the perfect pitch that could have been done there, oh so flat. We also spent some minutes trying to find some kind of tap or water hose, but for some reason there was none and we gave up. Should have gotten that <a href="http://www.dealextreme.com/p/high-quality-klom-31-piece-set-hook-lock-picks-16416">lock picking kit</a> ;).<br />
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We hiked on for a while and arrived at a lake we had planned to camp next to. Turned out to be a bit rough terrain and few suitable spots to set camp, so we ended up pitching on some kind of a grass covered parking lot with masses of noseeum.<br />
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This was when I found out that I had lost or forgotten my headnet. I took everything out of my pack and went through it all meticulously, but to no avail. Joe was still in his shelter when I said "Joe, I have some bad news...I can't find my headnet". There was a long silence and then he answered "You what?"..:"Have you gone through everything?", "Yes, everything", again followed by silence. The headnet I was using I had made for his friend who was going to Rondane with him (also a serious bug hangout), so I told him that he would need to tell her to buy one in Bergen before their trip. He answered "Never mind about that, that will sort itself out, I'm worried about you". That was good to hear in a way. I put on my windshirt, cap and pulled the hood over the cap and then it wasn't too bad. I would cope I thought to myself; its really only needed in the evenings and I can always stay in my bug inner and let Joe cook. In the meantime Joe went through his things to see if it could've somehow ended up in there, but no. He also tweeted about my situation, telling everyone that his headnet was now worth 100 euros :). I'd also made a pacer pole out of one of my hiking poles earlier, plus we'd done a 33 km day, so dinner eaten in a parking lot with noseeums as company was done in mostly silence.<br />
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We both slept well that night, but had quite wet shelters from condensation in the morning. Not a problem though since the weather was again super nice and we got to dry them during our lunch break in the sun, with a nice cooling breeze flowing through our selected spot. On our way to the lunch spot we had breakfast beside the road, hobo style, including a knife fight for the last remaining headnet. My Mora 840MG was no match for his puny UL swiss army knife (muahaha). Still, we left the fight as friends and Joe could keep his headnet :).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So nice to be able to dry everything in the sun during our lunch break.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast beside the road, hobo style. No noseeums and Joe found a very nice well close by (hero!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgDCvlrIZGXujZRS-VDaq1lyxkJMWV0JDNtU49kDG4MLIAncAcwnoxb4xazvDkjsJiwotlThSLz9ioKQbns6rprtrI5e047fT4z68U2W5QWcrFEOafyH_RbWUYiHhZ6Xwht6hJj1-_w/s1600/wemal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgDCvlrIZGXujZRS-VDaq1lyxkJMWV0JDNtU49kDG4MLIAncAcwnoxb4xazvDkjsJiwotlThSLz9ioKQbns6rprtrI5e047fT4z68U2W5QWcrFEOafyH_RbWUYiHhZ6Xwht6hJj1-_w/s640/wemal.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battle commences!</td></tr>
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Having had lunch we continued on along the trail, and then did a kilometer or two on tarmac before leaving the road to walk for some kilometres on gravel road, parallell to a lake. This is when we both felt that we were starting to enter higher ground, our destination for the day being the hut <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=no&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=no&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.turistforeningen.no%2Flillehammer%2Fcabin.php%3Fca_id%3D204&act=url">Skjelbreidhytta</a>, which was close to a climb we would do the next day, going above treeline for the first time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaCGPrG1FQioJj_VCAMuHMhDVNIPVkC3WT-39lVw7NMvi3D3OYy4zRa-tBtf_k_3l756HToG_CBxrh3i8Y8-d0V5hxAzmbACyGNhnQoNHzBj_1xrqiVqIUvqiy0zgCBj9gWAnOXkWKw/s1600/vei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaCGPrG1FQioJj_VCAMuHMhDVNIPVkC3WT-39lVw7NMvi3D3OYy4zRa-tBtf_k_3l756HToG_CBxrh3i8Y8-d0V5hxAzmbACyGNhnQoNHzBj_1xrqiVqIUvqiy0zgCBj9gWAnOXkWKw/s640/vei.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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As we walked along the road the sun was frying our heads and necks. Joe used his Euroschirm umbrella to good effect and got curious looks from the farmers we passed. I used my bandanda (the ultimate multi-use item!) to shield my neck and that helped a lot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGsxuFRellQrXCy-SB8_sxfo2sXNxroRfWjgPe58v2SzXupgC0EoVgUihwGHg3NfVmnDN8qPQOl94VhMdS1OCfdu0SS_ChSGqfea_TSQrm8sqoQpyFIIEohLmzUNKDuFaTjfn3qCsag/s1600/sunumbrella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGsxuFRellQrXCy-SB8_sxfo2sXNxroRfWjgPe58v2SzXupgC0EoVgUihwGHg3NfVmnDN8qPQOl94VhMdS1OCfdu0SS_ChSGqfea_TSQrm8sqoQpyFIIEohLmzUNKDuFaTjfn3qCsag/s640/sunumbrella.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is something you don't see very often in Norway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupi9IidyLjZKJXXQkDiUQQCX6iz7eGPkUtlNr56bH1h_PHvRsE_zqa-2eca1Ub3EN3OL1gtgvVR9HVefbeSgpiPMaSMO_gIJeQ5CI1u7909ahyphenhyphenuRiR6yAR88QdL4Ad7U2wg8axVoe0g/s1600/samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupi9IidyLjZKJXXQkDiUQQCX6iz7eGPkUtlNr56bH1h_PHvRsE_zqa-2eca1Ub3EN3OL1gtgvVR9HVefbeSgpiPMaSMO_gIJeQ5CI1u7909ahyphenhyphenuRiR6yAR88QdL4Ad7U2wg8axVoe0g/s640/samurai.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>It was still tough going because we were at this point getting really tired (we would end up doing 30 km that day). I was struggling with tender feet too, something that Joe had only had the first two days. To keep going at a good pace I set short duration goals like getting to specific piece of gravel some 20 m away. That might sound strange, but it helped to motivate me.<br />
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We finally arrived at the hut and I was surprised to see a guy there doing apparently serious maintenance work. "Hi, you're doing maintenance? We can still stay here right?". His reply : "No", with a grin on his face. Turns out that wasn't the hut after all, it was a bit further on. We were both relieved to hear that!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lkBmHgqY9ZtRpQ-8HmoEulkqVPUoXDsaGAFomLlySwEfU7XspNF3zKdGTDuZgzQSmwYpVspFlTt-c6BbVscaQPJqQ_7t4fv9v3VEW2TH-FOHx02iGIXyMRwt63SXfe0Ogtagef6D2w/s1600/hytte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lkBmHgqY9ZtRpQ-8HmoEulkqVPUoXDsaGAFomLlySwEfU7XspNF3zKdGTDuZgzQSmwYpVspFlTt-c6BbVscaQPJqQ_7t4fv9v3VEW2TH-FOHx02iGIXyMRwt63SXfe0Ogtagef6D2w/s640/hytte.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hut we were supposed to stay in! :)</td></tr>
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We found the hut deserted and quickly opened the lock with the DNT key (available to members of the norwegian tourist association to open these kinds of huts). The hut was very nice and clean, but a bit cool so we put some birchwood in the wood oven and did our chores, heating water to have a proper wash with soap, cleaning gear, hanging stuff to dry out and air out, getting dinner into our bellies. The view out the window was beautiful with cows and sheep grazing on the field close to us, and a vast landscape bathed in the last rays of sunlight. Before I went to bed I made a couple of extra insoles from a sit pad I had gotten from Leif. That would turn out to be a big relief for my tender feet in the days to come. The next day we would climb even higher and we were both looking forward to it.<br />
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Last part coming up soon!.<br />
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Take care.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-81836210447713741332011-07-25T01:19:00.010+02:002011-07-26T01:25:01.363+02:00Jotunheimstien - the first weekThis is a LONG post so grab a cup of coffee and a yummy biscuit before starting to read this :). I could have made this a lot more concise, but I want to have all the details as a sort of diary for later.<br />
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As I'm writing this I have my TV on in the background, reporters are talking about the horrible terrorist attack we've experienced here in Norway. It's nice then to look back at one of the best outdoor experiences I've ever had, thru-hiking the Jotunheimstien, not just because of the trip itself, but also because I made a new good friend in the space of just a couple of weeks. I'm going to talk about the trip in general in this post, followed by future posts about gear and such.<br />
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The trip came about when I was tweeting with Joe about hiking adventures for the upcoming summer vacation. Joe asked about long trails in Norway and I told him about both Rondanestien and Jotunheimstien. As he was planning to hike in Rondane with a friend, he thought Rondanestien sounded ideal. I asked if he wanted to hike together, but not Rondanestien because that it something I'm already doing with my friend Glenn who's just become a dad, and therefore can't hike for a while. After sending Joe a link to <a href="http://www.pvv.org/%7Ebct/stien/">Bjørn C. Tørrisen's report</a> from his thru-hike in 2008, he was keen to go, and the planning started. E-mails went back and forth, discussing the route and the gear.<br />
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We came to the conclusion that I would take care of maps and route planning and I had a great time doing it. The entire trail is 320 km / 199 miles long and is estimated to take 17 days to complete if following the <a href="http://www.turistforeningen.no/jotunheimstien/index.php?fo_id=2339">official route</a>, split into sections, as described by the <a href="http://www.turistforeningen.no/english/">norwegian tourist association, DNT</a>. Bjørn had done it in a record 11 days so we figured we'd get it done in at least 13-14 days, but that was never a goal in itself, completing the trail within a deadline I mean. As it would turn out, we spent 16 days on the trail including a full zero day after a week and a couple of easy/half days. We've had a lot of rain here in Norway this spring and summer so it was very time and energy consuming to move through the boggy areas, and wet trail along the route. It slowed us down quite a bit. After a while we started talking about being "assimilated by the Bo(r)g.".<br />
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Joe arrived by an overnight train from Bergen with a bus leg included because of the maintenance work underway at the central station, and hadn't slept much when we met up. It was great to finally meet him after we'd been in contact through the <a href="http://www.nordiclightpacking.com/">Nordic Lightpacking blog network</a> and via email and twitter. I think we got along very well almost immediately, talking about the upcoming trip, gear and our other blogger friends. After grabbing coffee and somehting to eat we walked the short distance to where the river "Akerselva" starts and began the hike up along the river Akerselva towards Nordmarka.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Akerselva.</td></tr>
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It was beautiful day with 20-25C temps and just a gentle, soothing breeze, a perfect start to the journey towards the giant mountain range some 300km away from the buzzing urban life in Oslo. From downtown we walked along tarmac roads, paths, forest roads until we reached Hammeren and the start of Nordmarka. Soon after we got our first bit of trail magic when we found wild strawberries that tasted fantastic, a bit more citrusy than their bigger cousins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild strawberries, yum!</td></tr>
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Our first lunch stop on the trip was Øyungen, a very popular area to camp. We had what was to be the longest lunch break of the trip, which included a nice little nap. Having started super early it was no problem lounging in the sun for a while.<br />
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Our trek continued along trail which was almost drowned by different flowers and <br />
plants taking the space they saw fit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80rI7fN7z16FTV1vhzP-6332B1ujBB9zXZdoIxRuls1aJyjmatJiCDG4Qx3dMpA08loX1Fq-M0ZS9pAiAiZFVqbVZ5yApb_YK_cpNlQH5cZwCAy3_SPpFSYFj8ECaXBF9-P6nckWQPg/s1600/vandreiskogen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80rI7fN7z16FTV1vhzP-6332B1ujBB9zXZdoIxRuls1aJyjmatJiCDG4Qx3dMpA08loX1Fq-M0ZS9pAiAiZFVqbVZ5yApb_YK_cpNlQH5cZwCAy3_SPpFSYFj8ECaXBF9-P6nckWQPg/s640/vandreiskogen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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It was really hot, and our packs weighed the most they would ever do on the trip, so we took short breaks frequently and made sure to stay hydrated. Since we didn't see any signs of livestock we drank from some streams and used aquamira on the water we got from lakes and such.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xqLnPLFTs-VIjhXeWBKqqLTYThcC2vRFT8DwcXVE-CXXCHL8iJj1089YKjmm12X_vdJlKyKrEVsAWENhKBWJEi7YvlzI9WPePPBMu3UNufsqBE6UiIWHX8gv0Wrh_S-s9GB_25WwOA/s1600/drikke0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xqLnPLFTs-VIjhXeWBKqqLTYThcC2vRFT8DwcXVE-CXXCHL8iJj1089YKjmm12X_vdJlKyKrEVsAWENhKBWJEi7YvlzI9WPePPBMu3UNufsqBE6UiIWHX8gv0Wrh_S-s9GB_25WwOA/s400/drikke0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2D2YRPev9RoiynHb2RDLLPErhlQ_Py6jIpSlzRkmBy-Zw7kaD8foR4py6RAOJAAcLhmTRMcnsTwaJiZAnovv0kQIy44WGl0hcvfMvD2BY19sGJBwbwhoQGwC2AxUiAsqgNfWpITPVVQ/s1600/toflaskerfiltrere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2D2YRPev9RoiynHb2RDLLPErhlQ_Py6jIpSlzRkmBy-Zw7kaD8foR4py6RAOJAAcLhmTRMcnsTwaJiZAnovv0kQIy44WGl0hcvfMvD2BY19sGJBwbwhoQGwC2AxUiAsqgNfWpITPVVQ/s400/toflaskerfiltrere.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br />
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According to the route I had set up we should've camped close to the huts "Tømtehyttene", but we both felt great and it was still early in the day, so we carried on along the trail towards Hakadal, a trail I've walked several times before with other friends.<br />
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Close to the spot we'd chosen as a camp site we met a man walking along with his bike. This puzzled us a bit since the conditions weren't exactly suitable for mountain biking there, and that wasn't a mountain bike. Anyway we chatted a bit and during the conversation I asked him about water sources, if it was safe to drink from streams and lakes in Nordmarka without treating the water. According to him he had never had any issues with that, having been active up there a lot and drinking everywhere (but being cautious when seeing cattle and sheep). Still, we opted to treat whenever we were in doubt, and we never had any issues from the water during the entire trip.<br />
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Our first campsite, the highest point along the trail between Øyungen and Hakadal, proved to be less than ideal. It was open and airy with a nearby pond as a water supply, but with only moss covering the rock surfaces there, making it impossible to get the pegs in, we had to go into a neabry forest to find a suitable spot to pitch our shelters. As we went about doing that we got introduced to our new, most irritating friends, the mosquitoes and noseeums. I was glad to have brought my headnet because it came to good use. That combined with a windshirt and long pant helped keep them at bay. As we made dinner we felt rain was in the air, and true enough we got hit by some drops soon after. Dinner was a low tone affair as we were both tired and annoyed by the bugs, especially Joe I think :).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV_Vv80krKFK8pFd3iwDx7_hJn2GVzgntebObtGUHeOOvV6F3oTDc8iOcEeonTxJSR3gFZL9FGq4jRZ6h3oqEXGhn5YSBcjjk4ADPf3OreOGP_YN46giyyotc72W8Sj-T_ciGBv7gbQ/s1600/xvmoc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV_Vv80krKFK8pFd3iwDx7_hJn2GVzgntebObtGUHeOOvV6F3oTDc8iOcEeonTxJSR3gFZL9FGq4jRZ6h3oqEXGhn5YSBcjjk4ADPf3OreOGP_YN46giyyotc72W8Sj-T_ciGBv7gbQ/s400/xvmoc.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe having a great time getting to know his new buzzing trail companions.</td></tr>
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The next day we moved on to Hakadal, a village down in a valley. When we arrived there I asked some people if there was a store there (hiker hunger already appearing), and sure enough there was supposed to be, plus a 7-eleven, one some kilometres from where our next leg started. Both of us immediately started vocalizing a desire for the national dish of Norway, hot dogs with all the condiments added, as well as some kind of sports drink. We never found the 7-eleven, but the store was nice with kind people who even said hello (never happens in Oslo) and let us refill our water bottles in the back room. This was when we started to discuss the possibility of hiking this trail and grocery shop along the way instead of carrying food for a week, like we both did at the time. Joe was of the impression that it could be doable, but that it probably wouldn't mean that we would save so much weight, more that we would be able to eat better food.<br />
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After backtracking to the trail we started one of the toughest climbs of the trip, for me anyway, carrying a full pack, 2 litres of water and some food from the store I hadn't be able to finish eating. The trail then flattened out and after a while we arrived at the lake Stor Øyungen where we had a nice lunch, cooling our feet in the water and watching a family some hundred metres away closing up the hut and going home, probably after having had a great weekend. Had a great conversation with Joe here, slowly starting to get used to having to speak english all the time (at the end of the trip I was actually thinking in english).<br />
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We headed northwards, through bog, on trail and on forest roads, very varied hiking which would become typical of the days ahead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-DE05qKRfzRB2hlDD2wtR1Ps-HRj-r-zz25iUhQY1Z_dJEywRqF3XaJ7tZ9epw6_gKh87Lkc86MRbufZhB_M9Ck857ZljloqkEq7rlUXLetwUcg2CVu7nhpdxEz0tN7rsibATGYCTg/s1600/myr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-DE05qKRfzRB2hlDD2wtR1Ps-HRj-r-zz25iUhQY1Z_dJEywRqF3XaJ7tZ9epw6_gKh87Lkc86MRbufZhB_M9Ck857ZljloqkEq7rlUXLetwUcg2CVu7nhpdxEz0tN7rsibATGYCTg/s640/myr2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to hit the bog.</td></tr>
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Feeling good we decided to aim to stay the night at the hut "Råbjørnhytta" where I've stayed before with Glenn and other friends of mine. It's a great spot with a lake close by, a rowing boat available for guests and more. Hiking there was swift and enjoyable as we got into a mile crunching pace.<br />
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A woman and her two kids were there already and they were quite amazed to hear what we were up to, having themselves just returned (by car) from Jotunheimen were they had been on top of Fanaråken. First order of business was to get all our gear out and dry stuff etc., and then have some dinner.<br />
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I slept well that night except for my sleeping bag being super warm for the conditions at this point and for a single fly that was driving me crazy. As soon as I was about to fall asleep it would buzz close to my ear and bring me back to consciousness. After a while it flew up to Joe in the top bunk and I could hear him being annoyed, but still asleep.<br />
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Breakfast was real nice in the cozy kitchen there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nd7RTn7EJxxlugjbJNmz-aD1YherLKrxeYM4JFB_Cjjn3c99-0ra89kK788y3c6KDEfw_pv-6RkIYbprjso9vjox7EOcxn8vV2Kd4LasQXN2xHsHv07TTeiqiuHkV02g0YPAMbnD5w/s1600/r%25C3%25A5bj%25C3%25B8rnlunsj2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nd7RTn7EJxxlugjbJNmz-aD1YherLKrxeYM4JFB_Cjjn3c99-0ra89kK788y3c6KDEfw_pv-6RkIYbprjso9vjox7EOcxn8vV2Kd4LasQXN2xHsHv07TTeiqiuHkV02g0YPAMbnD5w/s640/r%25C3%25A5bj%25C3%25B8rnlunsj2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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An hour hike from Råbjørnhytta we hit Snellingen where they were doing maintenance work on the hut and therefore making it inhabitable. We did however get some great, ice cold, water from the well and had a nice lunch on the hill, surrounded by sheep constantly signalling to each other about their whereabouts, and being curious about us human intruders. Some approached to get food, but we didn't give them any, wanting some peace and quiet while eating :).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcLUD64AXGJivTtsXpBCuLl_goYCcfNk1I-d3-o1eLiOhyQGme-lz7-P2h_-2V-lgm4EFJxREx5O3MV8qfcB7_W4onNNG9v4sShdVBNW7RqqW_IR0Jj3RlCf-0cROXhP8j9wktvGTog/s1600/wishitwasbeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcLUD64AXGJivTtsXpBCuLl_goYCcfNk1I-d3-o1eLiOhyQGme-lz7-P2h_-2V-lgm4EFJxREx5O3MV8qfcB7_W4onNNG9v4sShdVBNW7RqqW_IR0Jj3RlCf-0cROXhP8j9wktvGTog/s640/wishitwasbeer.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried to write "wish it was beer" on this :):</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8fir4iguC2Z2xbqtTBIr1uqXA1de_wOcLWbnfbpggW2ZAiOWAq_5b_LmBeF5fNb_OYeKG9T8NmLmQ-v70XmXznm6isDWFtsQkOWBpLhAIDenqGnfdby7S3lUa0YXFXTS6aVZ8G8ZyA/s1600/snellingen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8fir4iguC2Z2xbqtTBIr1uqXA1de_wOcLWbnfbpggW2ZAiOWAq_5b_LmBeF5fNb_OYeKG9T8NmLmQ-v70XmXznm6isDWFtsQkOWBpLhAIDenqGnfdby7S3lUa0YXFXTS6aVZ8G8ZyA/s640/snellingen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Our next leg took us to the best camp of the trip, at Avalsjøen. A long the way we again experienced very varied trail conditions, from calf deep mud and sheep poo mix, to clear streams and smooth grass. We managed to put one of our infamous backtracks into the mix too after not trusting that not seeing blue markings is a bad omen (we would repeat this several times, trust me, before learning from our mistakes).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0AESEtzopJjKDQD_tWQzFP3EZE-j19h-S1E5m1dEOtkVZBkqIQeTiGUn0sEhgOuvj6cdR_nHL-RsHTRa7JwhODKNScSA7-RLtcweEuj1rUIPWff8ZqtqcSnL-7-un6l0FdZ6rMrY0w/s1600/joeplensti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0AESEtzopJjKDQD_tWQzFP3EZE-j19h-S1E5m1dEOtkVZBkqIQeTiGUn0sEhgOuvj6cdR_nHL-RsHTRa7JwhODKNScSA7-RLtcweEuj1rUIPWff8ZqtqcSnL-7-un6l0FdZ6rMrY0w/s640/joeplensti.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoooooth trail</td></tr>
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It was amazing to arrive at the *small* peninsula at Avalsjøen in nice weather, with a breeze keeping the bugs away, and the possibility of taking a swim to rinse away the sweat and dirt from the hiking day that had been. I quickly took advantage of that and felt super refreshed. Our yellow shelters looked great, giving us a feeling of being the hobo circus just having arrived to town. After dinner and having everything hung up to dry, we retired to our yellow MLD homes and caught some much needed sleep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cPng4Ie54cRDFH5v-C31bl5JTFmuJ1ltKfOyN3fgS1rOA-c8bjmizZyFqMmW8pfuxl01TtH7Ed6cwVia_Ch4FZOyTp1K0vGfMjNtP-zkHec9KQewmmIAwJCdUusO4Yzqf1lwiqf4Lw/s1600/avalsj%25C3%25B8en1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cPng4Ie54cRDFH5v-C31bl5JTFmuJ1ltKfOyN3fgS1rOA-c8bjmizZyFqMmW8pfuxl01TtH7Ed6cwVia_Ch4FZOyTp1K0vGfMjNtP-zkHec9KQewmmIAwJCdUusO4Yzqf1lwiqf4Lw/s640/avalsj%25C3%25B8en1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice to relax in the nice weather having set camp and all chores done.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikV3zgoTZjrVrHfGnn3iMfgoFvzmP_CidlWqRNUD-KRG-BRTeDOJNcPM83Fj8I1_n3T2w8usypOtAQ2yLOL34tJr3_KGDX9BYkGwcskYmv6ojnAytgvLwROsPIPkJl9_fJl26yHET-bw/s1600/snellingentsduomid2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikV3zgoTZjrVrHfGnn3iMfgoFvzmP_CidlWqRNUD-KRG-BRTeDOJNcPM83Fj8I1_n3T2w8usypOtAQ2yLOL34tJr3_KGDX9BYkGwcskYmv6ojnAytgvLwROsPIPkJl9_fJl26yHET-bw/s640/snellingentsduomid2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe's Duomid in the front, my Trailstar in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWret8NXW6c49l7Q8mSJtsibGwZ6viwkf-CFjSgSNEbOxAsmrZSagRRho9Tb2R_ukpC1kCblYwFbaZHhxLXWTrtYI4zZ_X1RBIz2cdAojrXF6lrZDEnFfq5Q9HqOccEu7T1y3U40KQQ/s1600/knots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWret8NXW6c49l7Q8mSJtsibGwZ6viwkf-CFjSgSNEbOxAsmrZSagRRho9Tb2R_ukpC1kCblYwFbaZHhxLXWTrtYI4zZ_X1RBIz2cdAojrXF6lrZDEnFfq5Q9HqOccEu7T1y3U40KQQ/s640/knots.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm teaching Joe how to set up a super tight clothes line.</td></tr>
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The next day was one of the toughest of the trip, trying to get to Lygna where we could rent a cabin for the night. Turned out to be 30 km hike on wet trail with sheep poo, bog, but also some real nice trails, especially along the lake Vassbråa.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmRvH_bG7YKo_CTvKgcvx_nuscjXqCkWRt-61XIIf6slV7W7uz1_3iG9UWhEPVT4uUsx8BaoJuKuT9KcdCsTqgUH0zZ64meQxoPdTUEBaDkdJ2Fdt_NxPRhoLXXcCw9B78VHRxAp6-g/s1600/thomashobo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmRvH_bG7YKo_CTvKgcvx_nuscjXqCkWRt-61XIIf6slV7W7uz1_3iG9UWhEPVT4uUsx8BaoJuKuT9KcdCsTqgUH0zZ64meQxoPdTUEBaDkdJ2Fdt_NxPRhoLXXcCw9B78VHRxAp6-g/s640/thomashobo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to look the part :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6GOk9FTrJ8DcRv9tVis54sT-VcSQdI6ZAnMcNQ1oVtmjIAw2FqIObu3M3HsftBXNu0hAO-bnbtFKx23VqsPkNJcULrvffquYyHFv_-zCdRI1_xWfyFMi7XPPlcKk3_u7aBIBuQbMqg/s1600/thomasinnjs%25C3%25B8bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6GOk9FTrJ8DcRv9tVis54sT-VcSQdI6ZAnMcNQ1oVtmjIAw2FqIObu3M3HsftBXNu0hAO-bnbtFKx23VqsPkNJcULrvffquYyHFv_-zCdRI1_xWfyFMi7XPPlcKk3_u7aBIBuQbMqg/s640/thomasinnjs%25C3%25B8bw.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really nice hiking along the Vassbråa lake.</td></tr>
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We stopped at the hut there to have a peak inside and it looked really cozy. The water from the well (with one of those old mechanical pumps) was some of the best I've ever drunk in Norway, almost articifal looking. Incredible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-9L1DrrPfip0OwUf9SyxVzvGMN4db0EWebJ8K7E7kegF5n1kuXtKuirvZXXBYUiJ6dvscK-CGcFRdJ768tPKqtFNdOeDPqHZ6D_Hrn2z-5nsWpDM9T27SNlvWLzHAjayyZVZcxgWw/s1600/supervann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-9L1DrrPfip0OwUf9SyxVzvGMN4db0EWebJ8K7E7kegF5n1kuXtKuirvZXXBYUiJ6dvscK-CGcFRdJ768tPKqtFNdOeDPqHZ6D_Hrn2z-5nsWpDM9T27SNlvWLzHAjayyZVZcxgWw/s640/supervann.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantastic water!</td></tr>
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After a lunch stop and rehydrated on the "super water" we did some serious mile crunching, powering up a long the road to the trail head in record time, and then climbing a hill in stride, both feeling very strong and energized. After crossing the hill however, and being hit by bog after bog, our spirits sunk quite a bit. That last section to Lygna seemed to last forever. I think Joe was having a tough time here and I went in front as I still had some strength left (this is something we did naturally during the trip, taking the lead when we felt the other person needed support).<br />
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This might be a good time to say something about the dynamics between me and Joe on the trail. What I really liked was that we helped and supported each other all the way. Like for instance the time when I lent my aquamira to Joe and he returned it also having treated my water, helping each other with washing hands before meals, or just small things like picking up each other's hiking poles. Small things like that means a lot. I also liked that we didn't have to talk all the time. We had our periods during the day where we would talk a lot about gear and life in general, but then we might be quiet for a while as we concentrated on getting some hiking done and getting to where we wanted to be. On the other hand I noticed being affected moodwise the few times Joe wasn't feeling well, which is to be suspected when being such a close-knit team, and being friends that care about how the other person is feeling. Of course it worked the other way too, Joe lifting my spirits several times. Just something to observe. It was quite a different experience hiking alone, which I'll tell more about later in my next post.<br />
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Anyway, we made it to Lygna, rented a cabin, bought hot dogs and cheese doodles and chilled out after the chores were done.<br />
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We got soft beds with smooth linen so I slept like a baby, looking forward to meeting my friend Leif the next day to hike with us in the area where he grew up.<br />
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After breakfast Leif arrived and we hit the trail again in nice weather, even though yr.no had forecasted overcast, go figure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8zfVxvjmXrqbuKqn864fr4W7KbiK5RbUCb7TUzS3KIpPE2avig7usQi2LJCYhzhREbD2Xiw_DVEeEGSYHbZwva-2w5tbm84l5mK5urQ03i4VvzHXD9J_MUNFahjqwOBV3hFb36CEsw/s1600/leifbakjoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8zfVxvjmXrqbuKqn864fr4W7KbiK5RbUCb7TUzS3KIpPE2avig7usQi2LJCYhzhREbD2Xiw_DVEeEGSYHbZwva-2w5tbm84l5mK5urQ03i4VvzHXD9J_MUNFahjqwOBV3hFb36CEsw/s640/leifbakjoe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2ATZPVY4r-zdJLSR1YWiVxNFVfnEBKz1_dsruHys3lgql01-pTvkb4Jn2jNcCHJGrYwSNocpzhJgC1TPuEu4DqPSpSjVv_IyTEeSBWy8E0kdVZ5zzNv93mtBpiGuSUdz2OyjCNZMGQ/s1600/leifogjoepausebw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2ATZPVY4r-zdJLSR1YWiVxNFVfnEBKz1_dsruHys3lgql01-pTvkb4Jn2jNcCHJGrYwSNocpzhJgC1TPuEu4DqPSpSjVv_IyTEeSBWy8E0kdVZ5zzNv93mtBpiGuSUdz2OyjCNZMGQ/s640/leifogjoepausebw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Our campsite for the night turned out to be a spot to the west of the pond "Hauktjernet". To get there we had to traverse a lot of high grass first, because I stupidly suggested we go that way, until Joe figured out that some kind of service road had to exist since we could see a hut close to where we wanted to camp. Soon after we arrived it started to drizzle, so I assisted Leif in setting up his enormous 4 by 3 meter Helsport tarp.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwOjingtexTNtzzz7wT-I8_Pu4VAtHiMv0vwkh5R3FK9VvDH8ep5e0p0zZjsbe9dj3Ir4KiRyAIGORyZNqegWyopOp75oe1SR-Uq02ZOk5nySIOlQnG6LFmKoOB5Rha9VvDqEBos7xA/s1600/tarp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwOjingtexTNtzzz7wT-I8_Pu4VAtHiMv0vwkh5R3FK9VvDH8ep5e0p0zZjsbe9dj3Ir4KiRyAIGORyZNqegWyopOp75oe1SR-Uq02ZOk5nySIOlQnG6LFmKoOB5Rha9VvDqEBos7xA/s640/tarp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLz0VuFLsLINyOF2RgIUXSq_ALrevOrUfPOaHBDafWECmjJatJ7_ypv2it9eeaO2vQmFWZL8N0LVC21dRdQFv57wcicQA4oHJo1BI6hblGFGgomu4m7er2oRO42lxprA1AtAg8aVW6A/s1600/hengek%25C3%25B8ye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLz0VuFLsLINyOF2RgIUXSq_ALrevOrUfPOaHBDafWECmjJatJ7_ypv2it9eeaO2vQmFWZL8N0LVC21dRdQFv57wcicQA4oHJo1BI6hblGFGgomu4m7er2oRO42lxprA1AtAg8aVW6A/s640/hengek%25C3%25B8ye.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the highlights of the trip for me, seeing Leif enjoy himself.</td></tr>
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That was a welcome place to hang around, chatting and eating dinner, even though the bugs were fierce!.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnvQMmD4UMas3-vJjw8tW0Yl2AMeTAmaIgdX5xnteD5NY9tfJm3M18o_HCRSVGUeCcthLJZ-pYbryPWu1Qh11egnEgaeTYZC95vL_Hw8xhYQl8-NoLIT4SIMI1VCk1M3NlbKaiFiabw/s1600/2msl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnvQMmD4UMas3-vJjw8tW0Yl2AMeTAmaIgdX5xnteD5NY9tfJm3M18o_HCRSVGUeCcthLJZ-pYbryPWu1Qh11egnEgaeTYZC95vL_Hw8xhYQl8-NoLIT4SIMI1VCk1M3NlbKaiFiabw/s400/2msl.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leif had a superior bug net.</td></tr>
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Slept ok that night, but woke up to a wet camp. All in all a miserable camping experience, even though we had some laughs and good conversations under that giant tarp :).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3GbIcZi_zzfqOpTzjajDuMGlhUq_Kcjd7NyYuGQWIh9tSgm3H6K37HWx4oByiKcaXOsVgtAPgUn50mqL6No2jafKfdgCaBtbcWetIBleOgJN35Cir_m9O9h2MSONmmk_iOQjlU74-w/s1600/myr3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3GbIcZi_zzfqOpTzjajDuMGlhUq_Kcjd7NyYuGQWIh9tSgm3H6K37HWx4oByiKcaXOsVgtAPgUn50mqL6No2jafKfdgCaBtbcWetIBleOgJN35Cir_m9O9h2MSONmmk_iOQjlU74-w/s640/myr3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next day we ate a healthy dose of GORP and climbed the hill "Kvitingen", followed by a ridge traverse in bog, bog and bog. This turned out to be one of the toughest days on the trip, espcially for Joe I think which I could sense was real fed up with bug traversing and generally tired. Leif wasn't feeling that well either.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi695IlMXOk6-qMcBDMcQtgkLYJ4FZd3e15wA5NZMHVy_Tlq1jRDoXJAEi6yozAJNsY8-SGVTIMfgrq5bGJRkeYcyf8s_ydAdoXdNW1gnMl-M-jSHBuJII0eFzDsZZItnMRUZkO0rJCzQ/s1600/myr5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi695IlMXOk6-qMcBDMcQtgkLYJ4FZd3e15wA5NZMHVy_Tlq1jRDoXJAEi6yozAJNsY8-SGVTIMfgrq5bGJRkeYcyf8s_ydAdoXdNW1gnMl-M-jSHBuJII0eFzDsZZItnMRUZkO0rJCzQ/s640/myr5.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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After getting through all that bog we contacted Leif's father who came and picked him up, bringing him home to a cleansing shower and other good things in life. Joe and me looked for a suitable spot to set camp and found another miserable one with masses of noseeums. We had a quick dinner and retired to our shelters to catch some sleep.<br />
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At about 3 am i awoke to rain hitting my trailstar hard, and a puddle at the end of my inner. Turns out that one of the corners of the inner was slightly outside the tarp so rain had been able to get to it. The bottom of my (down) sleeping bag was wet, as well as my sleeping pad. I spent a couple of minutes thinking things through (wasn't exactly thinking clearly or quickly at 3 am), and then excited the inner, put on my wet clothes and proceeded to fix things. Got some sleep afterwards, but miserable camping experience noentheless :).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZREJQLT58B_jSN2rwbJCuQh7AxER9X6SqtWFQPW-8hi6jg_qrMHIYNUuZkP-4XwYQTWgMJM8l7_TffP4uXqt8mbn2XO6ya-o-ObTO3vS64RKWh35cV8-ApyAm1G1DMa7OPtyz_2MIvg/s1600/P1010249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZREJQLT58B_jSN2rwbJCuQh7AxER9X6SqtWFQPW-8hi6jg_qrMHIYNUuZkP-4XwYQTWgMJM8l7_TffP4uXqt8mbn2XO6ya-o-ObTO3vS64RKWh35cV8-ApyAm1G1DMa7OPtyz_2MIvg/s640/P1010249.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a wonderful morning!. At least I was inside my belowed bug free inner.</td></tr>
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The next morning we decided to leave camp as soon as possible and to have breakfast somewhere else with fewer bugs(!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBn7iFub2pN6ZKBeTg4oZ1IyQutrdhW9P3Nwg53n5UfhE0FOGuvXmDeMRJUGgHaCDuiAptmjsasFu3EesXENuaEJqpjdVLsw6uLzRuec-lwvZT8IPyun1RcrHFx9da8e1LjbeRy9CTPw/s1600/frokost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBn7iFub2pN6ZKBeTg4oZ1IyQutrdhW9P3Nwg53n5UfhE0FOGuvXmDeMRJUGgHaCDuiAptmjsasFu3EesXENuaEJqpjdVLsw6uLzRuec-lwvZT8IPyun1RcrHFx9da8e1LjbeRy9CTPw/s640/frokost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunhSzT_CQ__R6NCFJE_0TkjVvRFZTtbPx4wcOWq-_rSQ5Z-qigzb2s27q5PM6NectN_O22icHJX3INilxOawNSeYBGINVUmUanAccYFFupmOG2rCPW1IZitVDeqkB9FNmdIDqfFvgsg/s1600/frokost3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunhSzT_CQ__R6NCFJE_0TkjVvRFZTtbPx4wcOWq-_rSQ5Z-qigzb2s27q5PM6NectN_O22icHJX3INilxOawNSeYBGINVUmUanAccYFFupmOG2rCPW1IZitVDeqkB9FNmdIDqfFvgsg/s640/frokost3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD3ZqjVdLm9et3dsH03BJ_8l8H8xwHy7zMAFDH7hP516XdLApZ3U2ikUpQommspRKwbO1EIBGZk6r_yi8cpGnGGB-T1RAmLgmevDkMDq43q8XO7OFkvQGkgF-ijOxbSWAmZQXXUnDzQ/s1600/oatmeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD3ZqjVdLm9et3dsH03BJ_8l8H8xwHy7zMAFDH7hP516XdLApZ3U2ikUpQommspRKwbO1EIBGZk6r_yi8cpGnGGB-T1RAmLgmevDkMDq43q8XO7OFkvQGkgF-ijOxbSWAmZQXXUnDzQ/s640/oatmeal.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oatmeal with dehydrated apple slices, almonds, linseeds, milk (powder)<br />
and hazelnuts. This stuff supplied lots of energy for the morning to come!</td></tr>
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Our next leg was to Vesterås where there was supposed to be a cafe of sorts and a parking lot. We reckoned we would find a nice, level spot to camp there. At this point we really felt we were moving onto higher ground, seeing mountains in the distance and some great views of the valleys.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcR7WYsDI_LsKFY5HxhhTIwetqCoTwzib6X2lBDIdCtIuswvfDIA__0teHod54vZsmZPMOrj9NC_vTGAKHiurKm1EQ7yKqKDYa5Zy5VTng1wp8SaAwmN3tgefsg6bTaFdvk1GMfe4iNQ/s1600/gapahuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcR7WYsDI_LsKFY5HxhhTIwetqCoTwzib6X2lBDIdCtIuswvfDIA__0teHod54vZsmZPMOrj9NC_vTGAKHiurKm1EQ7yKqKDYa5Zy5VTng1wp8SaAwmN3tgefsg6bTaFdvk1GMfe4iNQ/s640/gapahuk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lean-to was supposed to be our shelter.</td></tr>
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What was about to happen next was the biggest slice of trail magic I've ever experienced. When we arrived at Vesterås we found it deserted, reduced to a large field where horses were grazing. They were curious about us and approached cautiously, allowing us to pet them, but also eyeing and smelling the trail snacks in our pockets. We left them and walked down the road to find a suitable spot to pitch.<br />
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I asked Joe if it he thought it would be "awfully rude" to ask someone to pitch on their lawn. He didn't think so, so I proceeded to knock on the door of the nearest house (which turned out to be a hut actually). A smiling, old lady said hello and told us that we were welcome to pitch in the garden, "but isn't it wet there and don't you want to stay in the small hut in the garden instead?" (a hexagonal hut with a fireplace inside, complete with benches with furs on them). We were so happy to finally get to pitch our shelters on flat ground (super flat!), and modest, that we said pitching our shelters on grass was fine, but that we'd love to eat in there because of the bugs. After pitching our shelters so perfect and taught that they looked like something out of a catalog, we went inside the hut. The woman soon arrived again, carrying birchwood to make a fire. She asked if we wanted to make a fire to warm ourselves and too cook on, and if she should do it for us? We accepted and were soon blissfully watching hiker television #1, the best channel by far.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiker televison, channel 1</td></tr>
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The next morning while packing down, the nice woman approached me and asked if we wanted to have breakfast with her. We accepted and were treated to a really nice breakfast with meatballs, cheese, juice, grapes, coffee and more, all the while having a nice conversation about her family and the hut. When we were about to leave she told us that she could drive us to the store the coming wednesday if we wanted too, an extremely kind gesture, but we politely declined as we had food enough and would soon be resupplied. Her kindness didn't end there; she also gave us a huge piece of chocolate with raisins and nuts to enjoy during the day. What a woman! I got her address so we'll send her something to express our thanks.<br />
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This was the day we were to arrive at the B&B, and it wasn't a long one either, so we were both in good spirits. It rained some, but the sun found its way through the cloud cover at times.<br />
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The last section was along a tarmac road and it didn't take us long to find the B&B. The woman who met us was very nice and showed us the room, kitchen and the other facilities available.<br />
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Half of the trail was now done and we looked forward to a full zero day the next day, but also to the next section which would take us higher up, closer and closer to the mighty mountains of Jotunheimen.<br />
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More about the last section in a week or so when I get back from a hike on Hardangervidda. I had planned to write it all in this post, but this is getting way out of hand lengthwise :).<br />
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Hope you liked it. Feel free to comment. I will as I mentioned earlier write some posts later about gear, lessons learned and one with useful information about the trail itself.<br />
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Take care, and be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them. The recent events here in Norway have reminded us that we can't express our love and affection to each other often enough.<br />
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Love you Leif, Joe, Hendrik, Helen and the rest of you awesome people in the UL community.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-52734552910329312572011-07-02T18:13:00.005+02:002011-07-02T19:32:43.902+02:00Preparing for JotunheimstienI'm already four days into my summer vacation, but haven't really felt like time off to be honest because I've been very busy preparing for my upcoming Jotunheimstien thru-hike with <a href="http://thunderinthenight.blogspot.com/">Joe</a> :). We're leaving real soon for the 320 km trek that will take us from Oslo to the mighty mountains of Jotunheimen, which is probably the finest alpine area in Norway. We'll start off at sea level and then move through forests, marshlands, past lakes and ponds, up and down hills and finally move through some fine alpine scenery above tree level as we get close to our destination.<br />
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The path is well marked and documented by the norwegian tourist association and is estimated to take 17 days to complete. I'm guessing we'll do it in 12-14 days. We got inspired to thru-hike the trail after reading and watching <a href="http://www.pvv.org/%7Ebct/stien/">pictures from a thru-hike</a> done by Bjørn Chr. Tørrissen in 2008. He did it in 11 days which proves that it is doable in a lot less than 17 days, but 11 days is an average of 29.1 kilometres per day which is quite a bit. We're not out to set any records; it's our holiday after all :).<br />
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<b>Some gear choices</b><br />
Ultralight? Lightweight? Well, no I'm not even breaking the lightweight barrier (base weight of less than 15 lbs / 6.8 kg, that is everything carried except for consumables like food, water and fuel) on this trip. At the moment I'm at 7.3 kgs, but I feel it's a good setup for the conditions we might face. It's summer, but it's Norway after all, so it can still get challenging, especially in the mountains.<br />
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Shelter (1050 g)<br />
I'm going with the <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-impressions-mld-trailstar.html">MLD Trailstar</a>, combined with a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauperaa/5777540211/">Pyranet 1 inner</a>. I chose the Trailstar for the stability, huge protected space and the possibility of cooking under cover, and it's yellow. The combined package including stakes is about 1050 grams with stakes, so not the lightest, but I'm keen to try it. I've also considered my <a href="http://gossamergear.com/shelters/spinntwinn-tarp.html">SpinnTwinn</a> and <a href="http://www.alpinlitegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=30">Alpinlite Gear Bug Shelter 1.25</a> and the <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-impression-of-tarptent-moment.html">Tarptent Moment</a>.<br />
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Backpack (1060 g)<br />
My newly acquired <a href="http://www.ula-equipment.com/circuit.asp">ULA Circuit</a> which I'm impressed with so far. I think this will be a good option for the PCT next year so want to give it a real test on this trip. The suspension and padding is great so it won't be uncomfortable to carry the upwards of 15 kgs we'll start off with. Would love to have used my huckePack, but I'm afraid it would be uncomfortable (I know Hendrik will disagree on this).<br />
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Sleeping (860+403)<br />
<a href="http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=sleeping%20bags&cat=ExtremeLite%20Series&viewpost=2&ContentId=17">WM Ultralite</a>. A 20 degree bag, so may be overkill for this trip, but again this is a prime candidate for the PCT, so I want to give it a real test. I've been very happy with it so far. I could have chosen my <a href="http://www.jacksrbetter.com/Wearable%20Quilts.htm#SierraSniveller">Sierra Sniveller quilt</a>, but I know how breezy the Trailstar and similar shelters can be, so I'm opting for the warm cocoon like goodness of a traditional bag. Pad will be the Neoair regular.<br />
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Cooking<br />
MSR Titan kettle with Ti-Tri Caldera Cone and the meths stove. I was thinking of bringing a wood burning stove, but opted for meths because it will allow me to cook under the tarp, the simplicity and because I won't get soot on my pot and everywhere else (not a big deal when on a short trip, but I think I'll get tired of it during a longer trip).<br />
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<b>About food</b><br />
This is the real crux of trip planning. How much food do you really need? It looks like I can't really ever bring enough if we'll be steadily cranking out the miles. The amount of calories needed is quite substantial. I'll just have to view this as a learning experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dehydrating "Rice and lentils"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrez3dVr-jPDYu8aENXuMA4gkBppf2Kn0vHKFelzEkg1T1JGyPrVlm9jzJnZ25mG-U2OONToImZfz_avgWmZWZESDzn0PMA7-uRBmsHjhqJt51nckvcB_l126OXEZb-M-DIL7KVdvgJw/s1600/P1010129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrez3dVr-jPDYu8aENXuMA4gkBppf2Kn0vHKFelzEkg1T1JGyPrVlm9jzJnZ25mG-U2OONToImZfz_avgWmZWZESDzn0PMA7-uRBmsHjhqJt51nckvcB_l126OXEZb-M-DIL7KVdvgJw/s640/P1010129.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfasts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a week we'll stay at a B&B and pick up supplies that we have mailed in advance. A frend of mine will probably meet us there too and can bring or take excess food off our hands :) <br />
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Here's an example of what I'll probably eat during a day:<br />
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Breakfast: oatmeal with nuts, dried fruit, milk powder. 1 dry portion is 120 grams / 4 oz.<br />
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Lunch: tortilla(s) with sausage (Mørpølse) and parmesan or babybel cheese.<br />
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Dinner: rice and lentils + tortilla(s). 1 dehydrated portion of rice and lentils is 130 grams / 4.5 oz.<br />
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Snacks during the day: 150-200g homemade gorp, snickers bar, sesame bar, homemade lara bar.<br />
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I'll just have to see how it works out. We have a few options to buy food on the way if need be.<br />
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I hope to have some energy left when we get there to explore some of the area, but I'm guessing I'll head home to Oslo to kick back and prepare for my next trip to <a href="http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/Theme/The-Mountains/Mountain-guide/Hardangervidda/">Hardangervidda</a> later in the month. I'll be going with my brother and hopefully a guest from England :).<br />
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<b>Trivia</b><br />
1(!) large tortilla (nothing added) is about 200 calories.<br />
Olive oil is almost 900 calories pr. 100 grams / 3.5 oz.<br />
The world hot dog eating record is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifHRmmhGHao&feature=related">68 in 10 minutes</a>.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-873706342902215182011-06-13T00:02:00.011+02:002011-06-13T00:32:10.552+02:00Weekend hike to SkålsjøenA different format this time; just wanted to share some photos from an overnighter I did some weeks ago to Skålsjø in Østmarka. <br />
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">I didn't get going before 3pm so when I arrived at Skålsjøen (about a 15 km hike) the sun was setting.</td></tr>
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<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">Loved the reflections in the water as the sun set and the water was gently rippled by the evening breeze.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ij9Llz64KfQTHnHuXOzG8zPZHWgC3SS_VGidp5wDaPDClmc89XQiaeZLacURbuPfTzHkcQWRGFaxvDigO81FCtAgG8Bwp9z2FjT3_2IT7MST15qZRpee_CdfeQ2l1qLchw4MbRBncQ/s1600/vann1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ij9Llz64KfQTHnHuXOzG8zPZHWgC3SS_VGidp5wDaPDClmc89XQiaeZLacURbuPfTzHkcQWRGFaxvDigO81FCtAgG8Bwp9z2FjT3_2IT7MST15qZRpee_CdfeQ2l1qLchw4MbRBncQ/s640/vann1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skålsjø, looking southwards from my campsite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNFFufSfDgANTTm9XMcxiC_1LzsOmy7rl_iAHpjd_Od-ReT1kwq2uO8eBjOuEv_tI0lKu1cMh0le4omTyCKecLyqQxE4LgyBjp3DBO602wsNuiR2W1smgDdFUENpZs6JuDS6nMLsCMw/s1600/food.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNFFufSfDgANTTm9XMcxiC_1LzsOmy7rl_iAHpjd_Od-ReT1kwq2uO8eBjOuEv_tI0lKu1cMh0le4omTyCKecLyqQxE4LgyBjp3DBO602wsNuiR2W1smgDdFUENpZs6JuDS6nMLsCMw/s640/food.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Dinner was dehydrated "Lentils and rice" made from the <a href="http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=392">recipe</a> by hammock forum member "Babelfish5".<br />
It's yummy! and its the only recipe I've come across that asks for a can of coke to be added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSQooNi5rgSKtYbSTiBChK32f_Ds0kMyZjd1m8-uhI7hRFdK079wrHSYmdhdLjfhIu7QJOQlSN4VJjBZgzSuGZZG7XZ2xUeAttlf-sHw5Wl01dGJ0OczmLhYNa3WUs2qK06VkLRdmMg/s1600/natt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSQooNi5rgSKtYbSTiBChK32f_Ds0kMyZjd1m8-uhI7hRFdK079wrHSYmdhdLjfhIu7QJOQlSN4VJjBZgzSuGZZG7XZ2xUeAttlf-sHw5Wl01dGJ0OczmLhYNa3WUs2qK06VkLRdmMg/s640/natt.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">The sun has dipped below the horizon and I'm lying in my hammock, feeling comfortable and warm, watching mosquitos<br />
struggling in vain to get into my hammock to suck my blood with their <a href="http://www.harunyahya.com/books/science/mosquito/miracle_mosquito_05.php">precision instruments and local anaesthetic</a>, but it was not to be. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwdX7Tp_vpb1rJ4TFEipuxct4P4OBaAs10AV3fdlABlPn_fiiKzfHisXKHaWpGbxi1YXj_90TizMFam0By0IrsVeBt6NdOsZE_7a8WPnGwbm4B7m45-zWVxNgPKWFh-6L4nCCoI0TyA/s1600/innihammock1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwdX7Tp_vpb1rJ4TFEipuxct4P4OBaAs10AV3fdlABlPn_fiiKzfHisXKHaWpGbxi1YXj_90TizMFam0By0IrsVeBt6NdOsZE_7a8WPnGwbm4B7m45-zWVxNgPKWFh-6L4nCCoI0TyA/s640/innihammock1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">It took some time before I fell asleep, and I had to get up during the night to pitch the tarp as the wind picked up.<br />
I needed to adjust my underquilt a bit too. After all that though I got some quality sleep for sure. I've never slept<br />
through the night in a hammock, but the sleep I do get is better than when I'm ground based :).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8LYRJOwXLIX4lQtasHVp-ez2dYz9ePAr1WlIO5qpVtMJ-xpOwSCYiHFPL1tB9nRs7ZXFo3I8V2BfGHKgDp3hYxXwcCm24dEZPNKGLOKROFYpuarCtKKDwZFX8hT2weMgl0De3NTetA/s1600/morgen1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8LYRJOwXLIX4lQtasHVp-ez2dYz9ePAr1WlIO5qpVtMJ-xpOwSCYiHFPL1tB9nRs7ZXFo3I8V2BfGHKgDp3hYxXwcCm24dEZPNKGLOKROFYpuarCtKKDwZFX8hT2weMgl0De3NTetA/s640/morgen1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRzPUSbXtHkjhV5Q7SxgY-ygFw6obQcLPviWDIP_16-wI0u1fvgSOLoVsQGjL4VtTNw1bOdH5YEQ5sSicR_AfRi5AsRyuXf5BEeF6F0PcFViNBhVAevSJ4wPC6m6HCp-71EV2Hs5-Xw/s1600/terroc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRzPUSbXtHkjhV5Q7SxgY-ygFw6obQcLPviWDIP_16-wI0u1fvgSOLoVsQGjL4VtTNw1bOdH5YEQ5sSicR_AfRi5AsRyuXf5BEeF6F0PcFViNBhVAevSJ4wPC6m6HCp-71EV2Hs5-Xw/s640/terroc.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">My shoes were utterly dry the next morning, a first for me. Must have been the night breeze that speeded up the<br />
process. Love these shoes (Terroc 330), but found out that they're slightly too small for me. A larger pair is en<br />
route and will be used on Jotunheimstien with Joe this summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSe5uObTZ4mu7D-zyA6g981JW_cUsxbzhHeHg6Nzc5-cQGMNPsiOlHr21brhsXlexE3a3SRn7M20VXJTdovW-4bzz2_EjGMH4mODQVyXKYuFVhOOf4r4Lf8unQ46P1a9hpoXbtG3v2IA/s1600/hammocksolbak.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSe5uObTZ4mu7D-zyA6g981JW_cUsxbzhHeHg6Nzc5-cQGMNPsiOlHr21brhsXlexE3a3SRn7M20VXJTdovW-4bzz2_EjGMH4mODQVyXKYuFVhOOf4r4Lf8unQ46P1a9hpoXbtG3v2IA/s640/hammocksolbak.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e9K7TB82_Ahs9Tbeg61Q9Rp_LbrZpr9t2bqDEJ-xwqtblBjGFfranoNE6xnlYEfwxUkSN1UkRNBmpchkOALY8lPfcOuLiCnBGngZ1GbFV2upg8EWhOdEGslcZkEh6zna6cbDUYa-QA/s1600/hammocksolbak2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e9K7TB82_Ahs9Tbeg61Q9Rp_LbrZpr9t2bqDEJ-xwqtblBjGFfranoNE6xnlYEfwxUkSN1UkRNBmpchkOALY8lPfcOuLiCnBGngZ1GbFV2upg8EWhOdEGslcZkEh6zna6cbDUYa-QA/s640/hammocksolbak2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">My hammock rig: Warbonnet Blackbird double layer 1.1 w/stock suspension, MacCat Deluxe Spinn<br />
Tarp, Hammockgear.com Winter Incubator (overkill is underrated) and Hennesy snakeskins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELE1R-MmfhRog8ZmkG0JmZeIT6i9dgE42KXoLuEZ96yFl5CCOMQ9OEbSUgsthPpC3DZNcNLKsqMBDe_a4Z9pHxWmbNHd203h7ilymgP8jYDhyphenhyphenN2gPhKVQSaq2jun3oL_TYdfbld_PVQ/s1600/gps2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELE1R-MmfhRog8ZmkG0JmZeIT6i9dgE42KXoLuEZ96yFl5CCOMQ9OEbSUgsthPpC3DZNcNLKsqMBDe_a4Z9pHxWmbNHd203h7ilymgP8jYDhyphenhyphenN2gPhKVQSaq2jun3oL_TYdfbld_PVQ/s640/gps2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">I couldn't be bothered to backtrack the way I came to Skålsjø as the last bit was hard going through soggy ground,<br />
so I checked my map and decided to plot a direct course for a trail about 800m west of my campsite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6gsWTGwmQRjiXtP6DLW_y2AKs06o_kxY2s77Y_Kx6IbPYFoYmC9No8Zuz8LlKO2M5RBeXSQmGROhvE0-VpzFo6PwHXDY0kjHqH0rTKfuKB5IO4pevb7Z8han52gggmMF01NTM-H_cQ/s1600/gps1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6gsWTGwmQRjiXtP6DLW_y2AKs06o_kxY2s77Y_Kx6IbPYFoYmC9No8Zuz8LlKO2M5RBeXSQmGROhvE0-VpzFo6PwHXDY0kjHqH0rTKfuKB5IO4pevb7Z8han52gggmMF01NTM-H_cQ/s640/gps1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Turned out to be quite time consuming to move through that dense forest and to climb over a couple of hills. I<br />
would've been lost pretty quickly if I didn't have my GPS. In the photo above I've got just 85m left. At first I<br />
couldn't see the familiar trail markings, and I was afraid something was amiss with my electronic map, but then<br />
I saw the blue trail markings and smiled affectionately to my GPS (I may even have kissed it).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpLJvt4VytNxMr9C_SUrcCxB_uSb724QwXS8b5uxB2aMh2Cf4ArpUMS1REWM8KdXj_LL9tMYEzasotorJ7uFlE1xySM3pD-GZqzCkQo7uqt3KsBmd5djlMHxb5Z2X-fjD9G2nd8cOhQ/s1600/pop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpLJvt4VytNxMr9C_SUrcCxB_uSb724QwXS8b5uxB2aMh2Cf4ArpUMS1REWM8KdXj_LL9tMYEzasotorJ7uFlE1xySM3pD-GZqzCkQo7uqt3KsBmd5djlMHxb5Z2X-fjD9G2nd8cOhQ/s640/pop.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these. They're called "Torvmyrull" in norwegian. Nice to just take a break and watch them move with the wind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="375" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25002210?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXDHwTf2hbus5wG8fz4QGaoQncQQmJowTSxac0jwfKadvu4MUZ76fnCwOQWmlNp09a3fr38Hvi4twY2fLrRoWQWh_AVCDVzFKaoIZ2jQJZZmkx7Qu3HIiDZ6rleAJ5zpyYH7YMeJhzQ/s1600/bratt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXDHwTf2hbus5wG8fz4QGaoQncQQmJowTSxac0jwfKadvu4MUZ76fnCwOQWmlNp09a3fr38Hvi4twY2fLrRoWQWh_AVCDVzFKaoIZ2jQJZZmkx7Qu3HIiDZ6rleAJ5zpyYH7YMeJhzQ/s640/bratt.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">The last part of my hike was on the "refugee trail" that was used during the war when Norway was occupied by<br />
the germans. It's pretty steep at times and not designed for comfort, but still very nice. Imagine people, young and old, fit and unfit, travelling along this trail, bound for the neutral Sweden. Must have been rough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My trip ended where it had started, at Østmarksætra, a trailhead I use a lot as a starting point for my trips in "Østmarka". I'm always amazed how energized I feel after a hike like this even though I've been hiking hard for hours each day. Small adventures can be found not far from your doorstep, that is if you're blessed with hiking terrain close to where you live like here in Oslo.<br />
<br />
Have a great week!.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0Lørenskog, Norge59.85020666327447 10.96536395645750959.789420163274471 10.903595956457508 59.910993163274469 11.027131956457509tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-55993121417953359272011-05-18T17:31:00.004+02:002011-06-13T00:59:07.448+02:00Laufbursche man purse, I mean hip belt pocketSeems like the <a href="http://laufbursche.blogspot.com/">Laufbursche</a> hip belt pocket has been become quite the fashion accessory among the german UL crowd; just look at the pictorial evidence present :) :<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMhNRlMzLBQtPDPAIzubwrVEBRF_X470XiBnRGaCw0cqicQnJXZ1uC_i0mF_mJGBZfobyvnCoiVkqKe9Q4nt36R1NQ8iLr8u7pf5-BRW4Gpwl3RB-CmX6gNuXA3alGVrPsw2r4g-bdA/s1600/bevis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMhNRlMzLBQtPDPAIzubwrVEBRF_X470XiBnRGaCw0cqicQnJXZ1uC_i0mF_mJGBZfobyvnCoiVkqKe9Q4nt36R1NQ8iLr8u7pf5-BRW4Gpwl3RB-CmX6gNuXA3alGVrPsw2r4g-bdA/s640/bevis.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original photo by quasinitro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I ordered two of those hipbelt pockets when I bought my huckePACK, but it hadn't occured to me until now that it can be a great everyday pouch to carry attached to your belt, for instance to have your camera, snacks, gloves etc. handy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI565J5sfkEky0J997FqCFX228ZurMyhZD_4btTMShyT9Gel77-x7D4aRYIDiqwGx4xkDTVNdhyphenhyphenHOf2HHMRu7jqgRweT5eOWNw43u3aFLmmqaa2g2hX1IA8mRndHvmSFsL3QUIBiQTGQ/s1600/settforfra.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI565J5sfkEky0J997FqCFX228ZurMyhZD_4btTMShyT9Gel77-x7D4aRYIDiqwGx4xkDTVNdhyphenhyphenHOf2HHMRu7jqgRweT5eOWNw43u3aFLmmqaa2g2hX1IA8mRndHvmSFsL3QUIBiQTGQ/s640/settforfra.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Let's take a closer look at it shall we?<br />
<br />
Mateusz offers these in two sizes ands made out of different materials: durable mesh, Dyneema X and two types of X-Pac. I have the medium X-Pack VX07 version in black, weighing in at 35 grams (1.2 oz) on my scale. This is how he describes the fabric:<br />
<br />
<b><i>X-Pac VX07</i></b><br />
<i>X-Pac is a very unique fabric. With its multilayer construction it combines several properties: abrasion-resistant 70den-ripstop-Cordura on the outside, a 50den polyester taffeta layer on the inside, a strong Polyester fiber reinforcement and a PET film in between. This makes the fabric extremely tear-resistant, waterproof and gives it a very good structural stability The dacron-fibers give the fabric its typical diamond-shaped structure.</i><br />
<i><br />
Properties: </i><br />
<i>70den ripstop Cordura</i><br />
<i>Polyester fiber X-PLY reinforcement</i><br />
<i>PET film (for waterproofness)</i><br />
<i>50den polyester taffeta</i><br />
<i>Grammage: 165g/m² Color: black (outside), grey (inside)<br />
Application areas: mainbody, back panel, bottom, lid, hipbelt, hip belt pockets</i><br />
<div><br />
The fabric seems very strong, and with the addition of a taped zipper (YKK) it is waterproof, something I like a lot. Hipbelt pockets made out of mesh or other non-waterproof materials is a pain when it rains and you have to move the contents into the pack or another dry spot. These can be considered a real extension of your pack in terms of volume.<br />
<br />
On the back of the hipbelt pocket there are elastics configured in a way that I think makes it compatible with a lot of packs. There are two tall ones for a large hipbelt and two that are divided by a row of bartacks. This division makes it compatible with narrower hipbelts and with ordinary belts too, hence the fashion phenomena :). There are also four mitten hooks for secure attachment. The hooks are pretty stiff and takes some effort to open and close; my only gripe with the pocket (and it's a small one). The quality of manufacture is immaculate. The man is a perfectionist and it shows.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0blnOowKd-xUDLRAKf5ePf74xD1qCQ33jplJTbTyRWOuIoJ2V9zYI9MJbJxKhkdAEZWKVCoVpjr_-GotnkMVjXYfkgE6w0gbsRBVjq1IRefYNzWRT_MZYWHmiAZ_uAyvSynitI2WMA/s1600/bak1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0blnOowKd-xUDLRAKf5ePf74xD1qCQ33jplJTbTyRWOuIoJ2V9zYI9MJbJxKhkdAEZWKVCoVpjr_-GotnkMVjXYfkgE6w0gbsRBVjq1IRefYNzWRT_MZYWHmiAZ_uAyvSynitI2WMA/s640/bak1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BbmzO6Zq7F_x1BDbip-qgJqBCg-pnL-iYDHsYU51NPY42gEZrqfrFibocFsanEW18mI36UKzuKlQfBMBNtyZ1ruafCAkM6AxI4QkL67JF2H28AYfTKFLiIUbgL6M9emMIVbBnUJxng/s1600/bak2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BbmzO6Zq7F_x1BDbip-qgJqBCg-pnL-iYDHsYU51NPY42gEZrqfrFibocFsanEW18mI36UKzuKlQfBMBNtyZ1ruafCAkM6AxI4QkL67JF2H28AYfTKFLiIUbgL6M9emMIVbBnUJxng/s640/bak2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The front of the pocket has the now familiar Laufbursche logo which reminds me of 80s sci-fi, like my favorite movie, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_hYs1jBy8Y">Bladerunner</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-DAZDXzKiFSHX9Nwdvgseb_PTGz-AyL44DhSRuA9YjgDbRCfU7-pt76xDZnWxqMO-OPa6OloWvGY2_PycFSNOJQYYmLm9bB-0Lx-EufBxJXgBR14ac9Teq7kKm6yox8loBCXmUsLAw/s1600/forfraclose.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-DAZDXzKiFSHX9Nwdvgseb_PTGz-AyL44DhSRuA9YjgDbRCfU7-pt76xDZnWxqMO-OPa6OloWvGY2_PycFSNOJQYYmLm9bB-0Lx-EufBxJXgBR14ac9Teq7kKm6yox8loBCXmUsLAw/s640/forfraclose.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here is Mateusz's own feature description:<br />
<br />
<i>The LAUFBURSCHE hip belt pocket fit to the huckePACK, as well as also to the huckePÄCKchen. Of course they can be also fastened to any other backpack.<br />
</i><br />
<i>The hip belt pocket features: </i><br />
<i>YKK 3C Aquaguard zipper; 2 slider</i><br />
<i>On the right / on the left suitably and everywhere else you want.</i><br />
<i><br />
Volume:</i><br />
<i>1,5L (medium)</i><br />
<i>1,0L (small) </i><br />
<br />
<i>Dimensions:<br />
The dimensions are given in width - depth - height.<br />
17 / 6 / 13 cm. (medium).</i><br />
<i>17 / 4 / 13 cm. (small).</i><i> </i><br />
<i>Fabrics and weight:<br />
<br />
Medium:<br />
DxG =35g<br />
X-PAC V =36g</i><br />
<i>X-PAC T =30g</i><br />
<i>Durable Mesh =35g</i><br />
<i><br />
Small:<br />
DxG =30g<br />
X-PAC V =31g</i><br />
<i>X-PAC T =25g</i><br />
<i>Durable Mesh =30g</i><br />
<br />
You might be wondering about the price. I won't quote what I paid because it's been a year and he might have done some adjustments. Get in <a href="http://laufbursche.blogspot.com/p/impressum.html">contact</a> with him if you want more info.<br />
<br />
<div>So there you have it, a quick review of a high quality product that is both versatile and a joy to use. I highly recommend getting one.<br />
<br />
</div>Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-58648336378245618092011-05-04T22:19:00.009+02:002011-06-13T01:00:41.350+02:00A weekend getawayBeen stressed out at work lately and low on energy. Knowing that the trail always provides some adventure and time to reflect and build up the energy reserves, I took all the kit I needed to work on friday and headed to the woods as soon as I was done.<br />
<br />
My plan was to start hiking "<a href="http://www.turistforeningen.no/jotunheimstien/index.php?fo_id=2341">Jotunheimstien</a>" from Snellingen saturday morning, but I would soon find out that it was a bit optimistic. I had taken a brief look at the map and the suburb Maura seemed like a nice spot to start from, walking westwards from the centre for a while and then southwards toward Snellingen.<br />
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After first taking the airport express train and then a connecting 30 min bus ride I arrived at Maura and started walking. It soon dawned on me that this was farther than I thought, and that I would need a campsite long before I got to Snellingen as the sun was beginning to set. A quick route calculation with my iPhone told me that my original plan would've taken me 3 hours (13 km) to walk along a road with high speed traffic. At first I tried to hitch a ride, but that is really difficult here in Norway - we're nice people, but maybe a bit sceptical to strangers, or maybe it's all those hollywood movies?.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s6WmEoMY2Lo" width="480"></iframe> <br />
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It didn't improve matters that the highway authorities had put a fence along the road to keep animals from crossing the road, making it impossible for me to enter the woods! Luckily I found a door in the fence after walking some kilometres and was able to find a nice spot to camp for the night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6IQruwhZMSf6D4oe8WfDP1Io524b8-GGYBhKAxciSVBgRd2Yo2qlbCAGG6aFsnPouTCJc5DVvRz3yarK8Z-seZqAotklrL_AFjAxdkLj2OB2InhHKff0jjatGWaPI5UVeeaoLWRmbw/s1600/P1000870v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6IQruwhZMSf6D4oe8WfDP1Io524b8-GGYBhKAxciSVBgRd2Yo2qlbCAGG6aFsnPouTCJc5DVvRz3yarK8Z-seZqAotklrL_AFjAxdkLj2OB2InhHKff0jjatGWaPI5UVeeaoLWRmbw/s640/P1000870v2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Even though I was hardly in a wilderness area, it was nice to be in the forest again hearing the birds chirp away, seeing flowers in bloom and taking in the smell of pine trees.<br />
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First order of business was to pitch the <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-impression-of-tarptent-moment.html">Moment</a> which is so easy and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWZQKivY2SA">fast</a> it is ridiculous: spread it out, insert pole, put in stake at one end, drag the whole thing thing towards the other end, put in the last stake and then tighten a bit with the linelocs. After a couple of minutes it's up and tight as a drum. Next order of business, for me anyway, is to get the down bag out so it can fluff up, as well as the pad etc. so that I don't have to struggle with that when I just want to go to sleep after dinner and Mintuu. I slept really well that night and woke up with a smile on my face thinking about the day to come.<br />
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Lots of bugs were clinging to the mesh wall of my tent and I felt fortunate to have been protected during the night. I just love that <a href="http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2009/10/interview-henry-shires-from-tarptent.html">Henry Shires dude</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2G8uGZekRDN5Wj-ziGPU80jyZOmWxLg5F0HIh_CODDErjN0iA2vPC8fgp1o742w2AC79O5gXmMUXk6K_mdEuGy2GPSOf13xCYdPVesjYYJtLzw6QFRDW5R7aZXO4jTV66IcYFFr3vg/s1600/P1000868.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2G8uGZekRDN5Wj-ziGPU80jyZOmWxLg5F0HIh_CODDErjN0iA2vPC8fgp1o742w2AC79O5gXmMUXk6K_mdEuGy2GPSOf13xCYdPVesjYYJtLzw6QFRDW5R7aZXO4jTV66IcYFFr3vg/s640/P1000868.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Having had breakfast and spent way too much time packing and enjoying the morning sun I left the forest and started walking westwards along the E35 highway, catching curious glimpses from the passersby in their cars racing along at close to 100 km/h.<br />
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After a while I found another door in the fence which according to my map led to a trail that would take me onto Rondanestien (Rondane trail) where I've <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.com/2010/10/section-hiking-rondanestien.html">previously walked with my friend Glenn</a> (but in the other direction :). It wasn't straightforward to find it though since the trail was very poorly marked and apparently hadn't seen much use in the recent years, eventually disappearing under vegetation and debris. I ended up losing the trail, so I got out my iPhone and the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/no/app/navida/id356821974?mt=8">Navida GPS/map app</a>, as well as my map and compass. Found out that it was useful to orient the map on the iPhone with the liquid compass like I do with paper maps and after a short while I was back on track again. It was a relief to get onto Rondanestien with its familiar blue markings and to be able to pick up speed again.<br />
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A couple of hours later I arrived at <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=no&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=no&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fut.no%2Fhytte%2Fraabjoernhytta">Råbjørnhytta</a> and found it deserted. I had a long lunch there, taking the time to dry my socks and have lots to eat and drink.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3epmqUd2_Gd4IWTR_Bih1obzjMPsdKj7Sob7r3R05GemIr5GB8KHjB_oKnRHeBMXmoFat83Z6KPLQYhZh8WwYuf3QoM9X8oaMQ3nwUl51tcgiBz8s7_yRDquYvy6ou4F5B_BGWxg_w/s1600/P1000898.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3epmqUd2_Gd4IWTR_Bih1obzjMPsdKj7Sob7r3R05GemIr5GB8KHjB_oKnRHeBMXmoFat83Z6KPLQYhZh8WwYuf3QoM9X8oaMQ3nwUl51tcgiBz8s7_yRDquYvy6ou4F5B_BGWxg_w/s640/P1000898.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The place was crawling with eager ants biting me when they had the chance. As a diversionary measure I offered a piece of milk chocolate as a gift. They curiously approached it and instinctively realized they would never ever be able to pick it up and carry it back to their queen, so they started snacking on it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppPksMvdkeZ7dhYtEMtTFNq6-VyRYqFSbf0PPUTXGRqr3qFAug856o9PoNJOFhwo63h3Nw1od4wZmVrVEEPmZ2cOUE8TZlK7uoRT3KaPAbQv4KYtLWMm7_W6vy2O1DoMSWWp29SSvWw/s1600/P1000896.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppPksMvdkeZ7dhYtEMtTFNq6-VyRYqFSbf0PPUTXGRqr3qFAug856o9PoNJOFhwo63h3Nw1od4wZmVrVEEPmZ2cOUE8TZlK7uoRT3KaPAbQv4KYtLWMm7_W6vy2O1DoMSWWp29SSvWw/s640/P1000896.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
After lunch I set course for Snellingen where I planned to either set camp for the night, or head northwards for an hour or two. Hiking along the trail was great with nice views of flowers in bloom, the sun glinting in lakes recently thawed up and birds singing along.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5GS9iYxAUl8a7U-AyJ9WAyBHhrrdh3b-Vq5vrkS6mrNyg-PaErKPrVHFYKbu9PsiNHj_5HIvsn3alRqyvwdm9xoRPlSmNSEOmzROrrQeB3PhYMQH0hT7Czr8L455Xs4vzvjLtQHG5w/s1600/P1000900.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5GS9iYxAUl8a7U-AyJ9WAyBHhrrdh3b-Vq5vrkS6mrNyg-PaErKPrVHFYKbu9PsiNHj_5HIvsn3alRqyvwdm9xoRPlSmNSEOmzROrrQeB3PhYMQH0hT7Czr8L455Xs4vzvjLtQHG5w/s640/P1000900.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail was full of dry cones and other bushbuddy fodder so I sort of regretted not bringing a wood stove this time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After maybe a hour I reached the remnants of an old farm ("Økrisætra" i believe), the buildings still in good shape, probably being maintained by local people. I stopped to drink some water and take a look around, taking pictures as I went.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T3GpQLB95Zx7dV09nAOvk4nOWmevYlIXp6oXszHSx8uM7yXLFjE7ZxMcec35o7M2_5I52W3kJWMuj36EofaLqUJw7BWFFnSPcCr03biL0z7oqdFXMYPTlSZKzpvPdlrn3Csw3VHtPA/s1600/P1000883.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T3GpQLB95Zx7dV09nAOvk4nOWmevYlIXp6oXszHSx8uM7yXLFjE7ZxMcec35o7M2_5I52W3kJWMuj36EofaLqUJw7BWFFnSPcCr03biL0z7oqdFXMYPTlSZKzpvPdlrn3Csw3VHtPA/s640/P1000883.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe they had their cattle in these buildings. There are small openings at the rear for shovelling out you know what :).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiYPbWdvAh3VyXPagP3rWQ69WVxlVobGdiCGhlzQvTJA6aeSd2ggTLLVr7PYSYTRty8dU0JAKepao1Nl5indI9foYqVthO8IAvt-ZbCl5TvbWRf5YmyJIlWxgkixJ7gyJNJiC2WbK7Q/s1600/P1000890.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiYPbWdvAh3VyXPagP3rWQ69WVxlVobGdiCGhlzQvTJA6aeSd2ggTLLVr7PYSYTRty8dU0JAKepao1Nl5indI9foYqVthO8IAvt-ZbCl5TvbWRf5YmyJIlWxgkixJ7gyJNJiC2WbK7Q/s640/P1000890.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare photo of the author. Yup, it's the Absaroka. Regrettably it didn't fit me well so it's <a href="http://www.kaffelykke.com/gearswap/ads/blp-absaroka/">for sale</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Refreshed I moved along, recognizing places I had already been while hiking with Glenn.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzdBg8wmkv-iECkoXmybjO36buepMPQEzugz-9ZEOLbmAfpIemGZf52tIbFDdceHzLQdTfygLvR3lU1uwNODI5B2B288blxL77x3IUL5Qh1cYflrRxflq3UgUQOFnV0a0asbYO9JvUw/s1600/P1000912.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzdBg8wmkv-iECkoXmybjO36buepMPQEzugz-9ZEOLbmAfpIemGZf52tIbFDdceHzLQdTfygLvR3lU1uwNODI5B2B288blxL77x3IUL5Qh1cYflrRxflq3UgUQOFnV0a0asbYO9JvUw/s640/P1000912.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While scooting along i noticed this battered tree which reminded me of a dragon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This part of the Rondane trail in Nordmarka is nice but it is not very well maintained. Several places I saw trees that had fallen and bridges and other aids in need of repair.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfZQrQX5sEW5q1bzR_VINJjylvwwmJtGD25_VLm7oNrm2kQwUTcShgkyrdq5UdXjleKwlSqDbWhQ9PNi-Lvd-XqRABZT1vH5mqriq5lwZwe8fIdSvYjBYF3rza54M1xskcXUH1kiJKQ/s1600/P1000913.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfZQrQX5sEW5q1bzR_VINJjylvwwmJtGD25_VLm7oNrm2kQwUTcShgkyrdq5UdXjleKwlSqDbWhQ9PNi-Lvd-XqRABZT1vH5mqriq5lwZwe8fIdSvYjBYF3rza54M1xskcXUH1kiJKQ/s640/P1000913.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
After hiking a couple of hours I arrived at <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=no&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=no&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fut.no%2Fhytte%2Fsnellingen">Snellingen</a> as a nice sunset was developing. I collected water in the well close to the DNT hut (deserted too) and found a nice spot maybe 100 metres away overlooking the valley.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dAatnBhzbHIuN1T2nhr470pq5Q0wOvrSDh8hqiYw5ZS70DQWwV2WqPeLrvm15f_F6Udg47LlaFUrE41IJnY0PrAXPrePIlUUUf2wor3ynuWomlHHArZcGjUjzvEN6JWW5wZ9M21xnQ/s1600/P1000917.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dAatnBhzbHIuN1T2nhr470pq5Q0wOvrSDh8hqiYw5ZS70DQWwV2WqPeLrvm15f_F6Udg47LlaFUrE41IJnY0PrAXPrePIlUUUf2wor3ynuWomlHHArZcGjUjzvEN6JWW5wZ9M21xnQ/s640/P1000917.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Before dinner I treated myself to dry socks, mintuu and a heroic attempt at a nap in the tent which was quickly getting warmed by sun. This was easily the one of the best moments of the hike. Knackered after hiking for several hours but very content.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo8HvldQdtczzuZVjqu-rXK_QKy0SSP7fbgIjUdxJkOs0YlcxvNU5HzVFYoGJFQgwWr6a5upuH1b8TLJPwVeuU60NOpXwXYrzYnocK5QgXmQIK2lxUJyHX-HP5oPI6T2Obhlnr6QyIg/s1600/P1000915.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo8HvldQdtczzuZVjqu-rXK_QKy0SSP7fbgIjUdxJkOs0YlcxvNU5HzVFYoGJFQgwWr6a5upuH1b8TLJPwVeuU60NOpXwXYrzYnocK5QgXmQIK2lxUJyHX-HP5oPI6T2Obhlnr6QyIg/s640/P1000915.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Didn't sleep as soundly as the previous night and woke up actually at one time feeling a bit cold even though I was cocooned in my 20F down sleeping bag. Guess I was a bit hungry in the wee morning hours - no fuel, no warmth.<br />
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We've had one of the nicest months of April ever in recorded history here in Norway, weather wise that is :), so I was not surprised to see nice weather yet again when I exited the tent. After packing up I decided to head for home via the train station at Harestua, a couple of hours away. I chose the wrong trail at first, or so I belive as it apparently took me too much in a south easterly directon when I checked my compass, so I backtracked and picked another one that meant the trip to Harestua would take a bit longer, but hey - at least I knew where I was going.<br />
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It was now that I made the cardinal mistake of reviewing the train times (damn you, cell phone coverage in the woods). I found out that if I kept a good pace I should be able to take the train leaving at about 1 pm and not have to wait for 2 hours at a deserted train station. Mmmm, two extra hours of spare time at home; just couldn't resist it, so I hurried a long as fast I could, checking my progress as I went. After a while I realized that I had been in the exact same situation a couple of years earlier, getting stressed out when trying to reach a train in time, when I visited Snellingen with a friend of mine. At that time we managed to hop on the train with just seconds to spare, but this time it was a matter of 4 minutes, just enough to remove some layers and compose myself before entering the civilized world again.<br />
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It's always a strange feeling to get a on a train hurtling along at high speed after being on the trail. We hit a rain shower after some minutes that quickly covered the windows with rain drops, and I was glad to be inside and heading home.<br />
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It had been a nice getaway.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-19394203537198235702011-04-10T02:30:00.002+02:002011-04-10T12:40:52.678+02:00First impressions: MLD TrailstarIt's mostly been gear talk on the blog lately, but spring has finally arrived here in Oslo so I'll soon be spending lots of time outdoors and writing trip reports!. It's such a high to see everything come alive again after a long, dark and cold winter. You can tell I just love subarctic winters right?.<br />
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This time I want to talk about a shelter I bought this winter, the <a href="http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=102">Trailstar</a> from the cottage gear manufacturer <a href="http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/">Mountain Laurel Designs</a> (MLD for short). I have yet to try it in anger, so these will just be my first impressions. MLD categorizes it as a "hybrid tarp shelter", something in between a tarp and tent. Personally I view it as an advanced tarp, a pretty unique one at that.<br />
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What makes it unique in my eyes is the simplicity of the design and the amount of sheltered space it provides to 1-2 hikers, not to mention what everyone raves about: it's ability to shed wind.<br />
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The Trailstar is basically five identical panels of silnylon, sown together to form a star shape. It's held up by a hiking pole in the center (reinforced with dyneema to cope with the stresses) and a total of ten tieout points (5 is typically needed for a standard pitch). A second hiking pole is often used to raise one of the sides to make entry and exit easier like in the picture above. There's also a loop at the top of the shelter so that you may hang it from an overhead branch and create a large sheltered space where people can hang out. That's what I'll try to do at some point anyway :). Inside there are 5 small loops that can be used for various purposes, for instance to hang a bivy net hood, a tent light etc.<br />
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Not much more to say about it really. There are no zippers, vents, buttons, mesh or anything like that. Very little can go wrong with it. I like that.<br />
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I got mine in yellow, but you can also get in grey and olive brown, and with an optional stake set. The weight of mine is 542 grams including the stuff sack. It will be slightly heavier after it's been seam sealed. The price was 155 dollars when I bought it. Now its gone up to 169 dollars. Still a very nice price for such a versatile shelter. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you get some very solid guyline/cord with it, the strongest looking I've seen to date.<br />
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<b>Pitching the thing</b><br />
The Trailstar can pitched in many configurations and at different heights. A low pitch of for instance 100 cm (39 inches) with pegs in all tieout points looks very bomber and should be able to survive the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VoMesUd2Q">harshest of winds</a>. Here's mine in that configuration with my Talon 22 daypack in front of it as a size reference:<br />
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Such a low pitch will of course decrease the usable living space by a lot, but it makes quite a difference in stability I would believe. MLD talks about a tight ground pitch being 36 inches, so you can go even lower if the conditions get really bad. A higher pitch at 47 inches (120cm), or maybe 44 inches, is what I hope to use the most as it makes the living space very roomy indeed for a single hiker.<br />
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Everyone talks about this being a very simple shelter to pitch. With practice I believe it will be, but I didn't think it was all that easy when I made my first attempts. I read <a href="http://www.stevenhorner.com/?p=1051">Steven Horner's instructions</a> and aimed for a high pitch. It was not sure how loosely I should lay it out on the ground and at what length I should adjust the guylines as a starting point. Pegging all 5 points also made it a squeeze to get under to set up the pole. Now I only peg 4 to begin with. I guess all this will become second nature after a while and that a pitch can be made in 1.5 minutes like MLD states, or maybe a bit more to make it drum tight.<br />
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I'm really looking forward to trying the Trailstar out this season!. I have a good feeling about about this particular piece of kit.<br />
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More about the Trailstar:<br />
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<b>Reviews</b><br />
<a href="http://www.stevenhorner.com/?p=1003">Steven Horner's review</a><br />
<a href="http://www.andyhowell.info/Colin-Ibbotson/Trailstar-review.pdf">Colin Ibbotson's review</a> (PDF)<br />
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<b>Pitching instructions</b><br />
<a href="http://www.stevenhorner.com/?p=1051">Steven Horner's instructions</a><br />
<a href="http://bloggerzed.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/trailstar-bus-stop-shelter-pitch/">Bus stop shelter pitch</a> by Blogger Zed<br />
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<b>Videos</b> (all too few to be found):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rIxFHdl6Rds" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tnNQ7dM9DFk" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe>Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-35738164351594417692011-02-05T21:48:00.007+01:002011-02-07T21:41:52.376+01:00First look: Woolpower Full Zip Jacket 400<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauperaa/5411063509/sizes/l/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3m7vtzeA_0z1Cx9Ui6LxsmWkHQ0luChDtim92D3DDXCjeyoeO4vYU1FKLsHYome7nZdaenTAK5djDW1hSmtHwCcoKn5ucb_2alosJobiGDU0Tz5vmAktTAriyQISWOT8JqaFXBbBL1A/s400/asscoverage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A year ago Hendrik from <a href="http://www.hikinginfinland.com/">www.hikinginfinland.com</a> wrote a <a href="http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2010/02/gear-talk-woolpower-merino-awesomeness.html">great post</a> about <a href="http://www.woolpower.se/">Woolpower</a>, a swedish maker of high quality wool garments with some unique traits. This spurred my interest and I subsequently bought a "long johns 200" that I was impressed with. Wanting to test more of their offerings I contacted them to inquire about getting some items to test. They gave me a nice discount as a gear tester and a short time ago I received a box of goodies, among them the midlayer garment called the "<a href="http://www.woolpower.se/en/asp/produkter_2_7234.asp">Full zip jacket 400</a>, which I'll give my first impression of here.<br />
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The full zip jacket 400 is part of their midlayer range and is noticeably thicker, warmer and heavier than their <a href="http://www.woolpower.se/en/asp/produkter_1.asp">200 range</a> (baselayers). While the 200 baselayers feel very light and airy, this feels more like an advanced sweater.<br />
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It's got extra large cuffs with thumb loops, great ass-coverage (I know that just sounds wrong in so many ways) and an extra thick and warm collar. A zip neck completes the feature set.<br />
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What really is unique about the Woolpower garments is the <a href="http://www.woolpower.se/en/asp/material.asp">fabric</a> which is a mix of merino wool and synthetic. The inside, where most of the wool is, has small terry loops that trap the heated air from your body and wick moisture to the outside where it can evaporate. I've observed this process while going on walks with my 200 baselayers. My back will get sweaty, the loops will get damp as they wick, and moisture will appear on the outside, eventually evaporating and venting through my windshirt.<br />
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The outside is mostly synthetic which makes it tough and resistant to wear and tear. Some syntehtics added to wool garments is clever in my opinion. I've owned 100% merino garments which feel and function great, but they are very fragile and fall apart quite fast getting holes and tears.<br />
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The zipper, though seemingly proprietary, seems very solid too, and will probably last a long time before needing service.<br />
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So, when is this a good item to use? It is very warm, so even in winter this is not an item to wear while doing strenuous activities like snowshoeing in heavy snow or climbing hills on skis. I think it is best suited to being used in camp and as a piece to wear in daily life during winter. This is bomber winter insulation that may not appeal to the most hardcore UL people because of being heavier than down or syntethic insulation pieces, and not compressing well, but personally I like it a lot so far and will gladly carry the extra weight to enjoy its warmth and bomber construction. There is something very comforting about wool garments like these. I will write a review when I've had the chance to get some long term experience with it.<br />
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Like:<br />
<ul><li>Warmth</li>
<li>Robustness</li>
<li>Collar</li>
<li>Long back</li>
<li>Thumb loops</li>
<li>Extra large cuffs</li>
<li>Slightly oversized medium</li>
<li>Sticker with the name of the sewer of my particular piece (Inta Bartule).</li>
</ul><br />
Dislike:<br />
<ul><li>Woolpower logo on the back of the collar</li>
<li>A bit baggy cut on the forearms (small nitpick as it may be a good thing if wearing something thick beneath)</li>
</ul><br />
Other comments:<br />
<ul><li>Would love to see a hooded version of this and of the 200 base layers (including thumb loops).</li>
<li>Visit <a href="http://lightweightoutdoors.com/?p=1811">lightweightoutdoors.com</a> to learn more about the flexibility of layering.</li>
<li>I also higly recommend <a href="http://www.woolpower.se/">Woolpower's website</a>. Nice design and lots of info.</li>
<li>And lastly, on a completely different note alltogether, check out this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNd4RaOAo_4">video</a> if you have the slightest tendency to like 80s music. What a band they were. I feel old :D.<br />
</li>
</ul>Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-74748032234789458132011-01-01T16:05:00.002+01:002011-01-01T16:06:25.596+01:00And the tarp goes toThe last entry: Niels! Congrats - can you send me an e-mail (thomas_gauperaa*at*hotmail.com) with your full address?.<br />
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I wish you all a happy new year!Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-19572601676366739432010-12-31T21:11:00.002+01:002011-01-01T00:12:23.514+01:00Review: Montbell Thermawrap ParkaEveryone seem to be writing about their favourite gear of 2010, so I thought I should do a review of the Montbell Thermawrap Parka, an light insulated jacket that is definitely a fave of mine. It's got lots of great features, but it is still not without its flaws. Nothing is perfect right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCl379xtmppgGaO8Sg5TU_mz2kKAjP7pK_ZWLWw1WhawC0d8F2W2xKZaEkv6YG8xlrgM0vrvTzGuVS_lYzz4zfg8EXFMYnHijcBkM_xA8Z9YTpw9LFbmxcmIH-t47K3TsHeLQZ-pBAA/s1600/parkafront.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCl379xtmppgGaO8Sg5TU_mz2kKAjP7pK_ZWLWw1WhawC0d8F2W2xKZaEkv6YG8xlrgM0vrvTzGuVS_lYzz4zfg8EXFMYnHijcBkM_xA8Z9YTpw9LFbmxcmIH-t47K3TsHeLQZ-pBAA/s400/parkafront.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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The Thermawrap Parka is basically a light, windproof and water resistant hooded jacket with a layer of synthetic insulation. Montbell describes it as:<br />
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<i>"simple, light weight, synthetic insulation that remains thermally efficient when wet. Whether it be a frigid mid-winter bike commute into the office or a harrowing belay high on the Compressor Route"</i>.<br />
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That the jacket still insulates when wet is of course a big plus compared to a down equivalent, like the Patagonia Down Sweater, which would collapse when water soaked through its shell. Still, wet insulation is something you want to avoid in any case, so I would recommend carrying a rain shell too if there is a chance of rainfall. Mine is a size large and weighs in at 13.4 oz (380 grams) on my scale. It's worth noting that these run small due to it being a japanese jacket. I normally wear a medium, so order a size larger than you normally wear.<br />
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The fabric used in the outer shell and lining is 15 denier Ballistic Airlight nylon with a DWR (Polkatex). Its very soft to the touch and does an outstanding job in blocking the wind - so much that I will be taking a long hard look at their windshirts when I wear out my Montane Litespeed. <a href="http://www.montbell.us/products/techinfo/techsys/material/material10.html">Montbell brags about the DWR</a> treatment, claiming it can resist 100 wash cycles. This has not been my experience. I don't think its either more durable nor more effective than that on other garments I've tried <br />
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The insulation is 80gr/m2 <a href="http://www.montbell.us/products/techinfo/techsys/material/material35.html">Exceloft</a> which I've found is very effective even though the layer is pretty thin. I think the jacket feels so warm because of a combination of the insulation, the ability to block wind and the very nice hood. Talking about the hood, lets move on to features.<br />
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The cuffs have what Montbell describes as "wedge shaped stretch panels". I like these for two reasons: comfortable fit + sealing to avoid drafts and snow.<br />
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The hood is adjustable and has a nice, snug fit. My only gripe with it is the adjusters that are close to the face and can be irritating at times when they stick out.<br />
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You also get two zippered pockets, dual hem adjusters and a micro fleece beard guard. Montbell also includes a stuff sack.<br />
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<b>Long term use</b><br />
I've been using the jacket a lot since I bought it, both when out hiking and in daily life. When hiking I've mostly used it in camp and at rest stops as insulation and it's done a great job. In daily life it is my goto jacket for most of the year and it's always kept me warm with a base layer beneath it. We've been having some really cold weather here lately with temperatures plummeting to -15C and that's more than it can handle, so I'm using a MH Monkey Man fleece as midlayer to boost warmth. This is a very warm combo though so its not something to use while on the move.<br />
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The DWR wore away like all of them do eventually, so I had to use some Nikwax spray to reapply it. Tiny holes have appeared on the back due to abrasion, leading to small dots of insulation leaking out. Nothing to bad, but I would've expected it to take more abuse. I've also been having problems with the zipper splitting - I guess this is normal zipper wear, but I have seldom encountered it in other jackets. In my opinion they should've used a stronger and more durable zipper.<br />
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<b>Sizing and availability</b><br />
Montbell products are not available in Norway so I had to get the Parka from the states. They offer a wide range of sizes and both a <a href="http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=73&p_id=2301405">mens</a> and <a href="http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=73&p_id=2301406">womens</a> version. Note that the parka is part of a series of synthetic insulation products - they also have a jacket, pant and vest.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
So, is this something I would recommend getting? Yes, I think so, but maybe not for longer trips like thru-hikes because of the relatively weak zipper. Overall I think it is a great insulation piece which is really versatile, and quite affordable too.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-54477995815894595142010-12-18T14:08:00.000+01:002010-12-18T14:08:22.113+01:00Raffle: backpackinglight.co.uk solo tarpI have a very nice solo tarp from backpackinglight.co.uk lying around not getting the attention and adventures it deserves, so I'm giving it to one of you readers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj6xC2yBMtg0ucCU4PFf75SMjT6DOnFPdY_njAfuoJNwaQ1vTulZl8KRCpFH9CxtMP31yiywyk4pvyA6_JwKZdH6I1K7MaxoSzzsEkgI4fXnI6uVJRbT2KQe_k07WDJoZgYwe6xLY-Q/s1600/bilde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj6xC2yBMtg0ucCU4PFf75SMjT6DOnFPdY_njAfuoJNwaQ1vTulZl8KRCpFH9CxtMP31yiywyk4pvyA6_JwKZdH6I1K7MaxoSzzsEkgI4fXnI6uVJRbT2KQe_k07WDJoZgYwe6xLY-Q/s400/bilde.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The tarp isn't brand new, but it's not far from it having only been pitched in fair weather a couple of times to practice, never in anger. It's a high quality silnylon tarp with several pitch options. More information can be found on the <a href="http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product156.asp?PageID=112">product page</a> at backpackinglight.co.uk.<br />
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To participate you only have to give a short presentation of yourself - I'm curious about who my readers are. Please leave a link to your blog or your twitter feed if you have one.<br />
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I will use random.org on the 1st of january 2011 to find out who gets the item.<br />
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Thank you for following my blog - I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend and take care.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-60730197152527528372010-12-05T19:42:00.002+01:002010-12-05T19:47:45.435+01:00How to stay warm in -40 C<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIaPA0nr5fbKCbagPcF6a8ZYt1ifh7TfHyNE7n39UbB9PQfzE-O4Mv_lTOk1ERXnr1M_LWumvBETj1vTHMoS6bV1XbDJLic9_AQ75TKF3ZDT9YX9mDlyf58nvkd6F5W_OWsgFJCqiVw/s1600/monsenindex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIaPA0nr5fbKCbagPcF6a8ZYt1ifh7TfHyNE7n39UbB9PQfzE-O4Mv_lTOk1ERXnr1M_LWumvBETj1vTHMoS6bV1XbDJLic9_AQ75TKF3ZDT9YX9mDlyf58nvkd6F5W_OWsgFJCqiVw/s400/monsenindex.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Earlier this week I found an interesting infographic showing what clothing Lars Monsen and Hardald Tunheim recommends to stay warm and without frostbite at -40 celsius (-40 F). I don't know anything about Harald Tunheim, but <a href="http://larsmonsen.no/">Lars Monsen</a> is probably the most well known outdoors person in Norway. If I bring my stove on a trip people will often comment "that is so Lars Monsen". He's super experienced after being an outdoors person all his life, and after completing several challenging expeditions, like crossing Canada with dogsled. He's made several TV shows and written books about his expeditons and about gear and techniques.<br />
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Here's the infographic with a translation to english below:<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How to dress for extreme cold</b></span></i><br />
<i>These are some clothing tips from harald Thunheim and Lars Monsen, both dog sled drivers. They have both experienced extreme cold and know how to dress to avoid frostbite.<br />
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<i><b>Head</b><br />
Wool beanie with opening for face (my comment: balaclava?).<br />
(Harald Thunheim prefers a fur cap with sides that can be connected below the chin with velcro. He also uses goggles and a face mask if there is a lot wind).<br />
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<b>Neck</b></i><br />
<i>The neck is covered with wool.</i><br />
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<b>Upper body</b><br />
Wool sweater with neck, vest or down jacket.<br />
Two wool shirts, short and long sleeve.<br />
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<b>Outer layer</b></i> <i><br />
Windproof jacket made out of a strong fabric, and with a solid hood. Should be long so that it covers the buttocks.<br />
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<i><b>Hands</b><br />
Outer layer: Sealskin mitts that covers much of the lower arm (windproof).<br />
Inner layer: Wool mitts.<br />
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<b>Legs</b></i><br />
<i>Two wool long underwear bottoms.</i><br />
<i>Outdoor pant or fleece pant, preferably with reinforced knees.<br />
Thick, insulated field trousers.<br />
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<b>Feet</b><br />
Thick wool socks, two pairs.<br />
Shoes made from pure wool.<br />
Use shoes that are a couple of sizes too large. Insert thicker and better isolated insoles as the cold comes from below.</i><br />
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<b> Don't shower every day</b><br />
Lars Monsen thinks that a layer of dirt protects against the cold, so don't shower as often.</i><br />
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This clothing setup is of course mostly geared towards dog sled drivers and people staying mostly stationary in camp, as well as people who don't like deodorant. Any heavy physical activity would probably make a person hot and sweaty, needing to shed some layers, but then again : -40 C is pretty cold.<br />
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<b>Staying comfortable and dry when moving in -7 C</b><br />
I went for a walk today in the forest close to where I live and I learned something, I always do when I am out. The temperature was -7 celsius (20F) with some light snow falling and no wind.<br />
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When I left I was wearing synthetic socks with wool socks on the outside, hikings boots, high gaiters, Woolpower long underwear bottoms, Lundhags pants (cotton/poly blend), synthetic baselayer from Stormberg, Patagonia R1 hoody, Polar Buff, beanie, Marmot Driclime windshirt, fleece gloves and MLD rain mitts. I started out a little chilly and then I felt my back getting warm, so I removed the windshirt. After a while my ears got chilled so I put on the hood/balaclava of my R1. This shedding of layers and putting them on again continued the whole trip, with the goal being to not get sweaty.<br />
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Now you might say that getting sweaty isn't a big deal, and in summer it isn't, well except for potentially scaring friends and wildlife with your body odor, but it is in winter. Imagine you're working hard, walking on snow with your snowshoes on. You've felt your baselayer getting wet from perspiration, but you've not stopped to take care of it because you're a lazy or you don't want to make your friends wait. After a while you decide to stop to eat something and snap some photos, but you're stilling wearing what you wore while moving, not adding any insulation. Now you're not moving anymore so your body isn't producing warmth like before. Since you're still somewhat warm you're still sweating some and the sweat is evaporating from your skin, taking warmth with it. After a while it stops evaporating, but your baselayer is still wet and water transports heat 25 times more efficiently than air, hard facts that you definitely don't like in that situation. So, you really want to be observant and shed layers when needed to reduce sweating, and you want to put on some insulation as soon as you stop. I knew all of this beforehand of course, but I haven't been this focused on it before, mostly hiking in warmer conditions. In winter it is essential to be mindful of this.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-48762784987548628172010-11-21T23:31:00.016+01:002011-06-28T10:33:05.102+02:00Onwards, on snow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauperaa/5194876536/sizes/l/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbrNuijBkDYFk9N2EtfwGVXahOlzTOvqkJfCwzSCjP9xv7lizdeuGrD-VKa7tzj-PBQF-VcnhYslyraJAPzS8o4Hr7wQPCWYcoH0Izfbc3HFdBrZcGCjgx-gDYgk2qmTrPxT79-2WnA/s400/thomasforangrenmedsn%25C3%25B8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Glenn and me are still on our way to Rondane, but the going is getting tougher. A month ago we were camping in typical late fall conditions with temperatures around 5 degrees celsius and rain. This time we were trodding along in 10-15 cm of fresh, wet snow. Physically demanding hiking, but also exhilirating to be on the move in such a beautiful, serene landscape, muffled by the soft snow.<br />
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This time we didn't leave early to take advantage of the light - we just accepted the fact that it would be dark most of the time anyway (the sun sets at 3:45 pm here now), so we didn't rush it and left at 5 pm, taking the train to Eidsvoll where we left the trail last time.<br />
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It was quite chilly when we got there, with a stiff breeze from the north making us quickly put on beanies and hoods to stay warm. First order of business was to get some bone dry firewood to reduce the effort of making a fire. We hoped the local gas station would have some, but they didn't. They told us to try the local Europris shop, not far away. A bag of 25 litres of birch wood was quickly secured and we were on our way to find a suitable place to camp. To get to where the trail started we had to walk several kilometres along roads that criss-crossed the landscape of fields and farms. It was dark and we made sure to have our headlamps on so we would be visible to traffic. The red blinking light on the battery pack of my <a href="http://www.alpkit.com/gamma/">Gamma headlamp </a>worked great to make us visible also from behind (thanks for that feature Alpkit!). At some point we realized that we wouldn't reach the trail head before it got too late, so we got off the road and climbed to the top of a hill to find a suitable spot there. It was hard going to get up, especially with the added firewood, but we found a nice spot, put up the Nallo and got a fire going.<br />
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After the now obligatory-on-all-our-trips chips+beer combination, and Real Turmat, we retired to our sleeping bags, Glenn opting to sleep outside with a bivy. I slept very well that night (yay!), only waking up a few times to change my position, but then dosing off quickly. My WM Ultralite bag and Exped Downmat 7 kept me very warm and snug, even though I wasn't feeling toasty when it was about time to get up, probably because I was getting hungry.<br />
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We'd agreed to get going earlier than last time to take advantage of the daylight, so at 8:30am I got up and tried to wake Glenn.<br />
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He was deep asleep inside his warm cocoon of summer bag, winter bag and bivy, so it took some shouting and shaking to get him to react :).<br />
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A thin layer of snow had fallen during the night, covering the gear we had left outside. Glenn was happy that he had made a little tarp for his multifuel stove before retiring the previous night.<br />
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Breakfast was porridge in a bag for me, and porridge in a pot for Glenn. I wanted to try one of the homemade prepackaged meals I had left from this summer's trip with my brother. It's basically just microwave porridge mix with cinnamon, nuts, home-dehydrated apple pieces and nuts. Great stuff and so nice to just eat from the bag and not having to do any dishwashing afterwards.<br />
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After breakfast we proceeded down the trail at a good pace, happy to be on the move again. The snow slowed us down, but we were all smiles nonetheless. The first part was still close to civilization as we passed farms and houses, but soon the trail moved into the forest. Being the first people on the trail that morning, we could see the footprints of several animals on the fresh layer of snow from the previous night. We could even spot the miniscule tracks of forest mice. Amazingly we also saw insects buzzing about close to the snow, but of course at a more sedate winter pace. Still, I didn't know that any insects were active this time of year.<br />
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After hiking something like four hours, we found the hut we were planning to stay the night in, the "Lysjøhimet", a hut that is available for people hiking on the <a href="http://www.pilegrim.info/en/">"Pilgrimsleden"</a>, the Pilgrim way to Nidaros in Trondheim. Much of the early part of Rondanestien is basically Pilgrimsleden, they share the same path <br />
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The hut is not fancy by any standards, being open to anyone all year round, and probably not having people look after it on a regular basis. It consists of a bedroom, kitchen and a living room with a fireplace and a cast iron oven. The kitchen has some plates, mugs and cutlery, but that's basically it. This used to be the main building of a farm (husmansplass) that was operated until the 1940s. The old cast iron, wood fired, stove is still there, but we didn't use it. Interesting to take a closer look at something like that though. I guess the people using it on a daily basis got their technique down, being able to regulate the heat by feeding wood to the different fuel chambers.<br />
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The house was freezing cold, so we soon started to look for some firewood. The shed outside had a nice supply (we left money for what we used) and both the oven and the fireplace were soon in afterburner mode, heating the place up so that we were able to warm up and dry our gear. It was so nice to just sit in front of the fireplace and talk and relax - not a single work related thought entered my mind. It's been pretty busy lately.<br />
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The next day we cleaned the place and brought firewood from the shed to the next visitors. We also wrote an entry in the visitor's log book. Most people seem to visit the hut in the summer months, and many of them are from other european countries, like France and Germany. One of the entries was in german - maybe Hendrik can translate it if he reads this blog entry. I think they thought the place needed to be renovated, but then they found the fireplace and that made all the difference.<br />
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Like the previous day the going was quite tough, with an extra layer of snow that had fallen during the night. Once more we were able to study tracks made by animals running around in the early morning hours. Maybe you can identify these tracks? Glenn thinks it's from a fox:<br />
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We had lunch close to a lake where people use to go swimming during the summer. I had gotten a bit sweaty during the last hour and paid the price by getting a bit chilled. It's so important not too overheat when hiking in winter conditions. The key is to continually put on and off layers and not being afraid to wear very little at times, maybe just a baselayer and a windshirt, and then putting on the puffy layers when stopping to eat or take a break.<br />
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Rested and fueled up we continued northwards, just enjoying the views.<br />
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After maybe an hour hike we reached an intersection where the Rondanestien and Pilgrimsleden parted ways, our starting point next time. The hut Lysjøhimet was 100 kilometres from Oslo, with 320 to go. I reckon we're something like 310 km from Rondance now. We both feel that this is a project that we will be able to complete, probably next year. This being such a good experience to me personally, makes me want to do more winter camping. It's a great feeling to be able to have a good time under such challenging conditions, well compared to the hiking I do the rest of the year anyway.<br />
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So what did I learn from this trip?<br />
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Temperatures around 0 degrees celsius makes for challenging conditons. Everything gets wet eventually and it will be hard to dry your stuff if you don't have a fire going for a long time, or if you don't heat your tent with the stove (be careful!). I've found that a thick transparent plastic bag used as a pack liner works best to keep things dry. Silnylon bags etc. just get wet. I've ordered some cuben drybags from MLD to try too.<br />
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Next time I will wear even less than I did this time when moving to avoid getting a sweaty back - it wasn't a big problem, but getting chilled at the lunch stop wasn't necessary.<br />
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Don't make a fire under trees laden with snow like we did. The hot air that rose made the snow melt and drip on us :)<br />
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Some gear reflections:<br />
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<a href="http://www.woolpower.se/en/asp/produkter_1_7342.asp">Woolpower long bottoms</a> - great! very warm and surprisingly light. I think I will get hooked on their selection of warm clothing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.samekniv.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=52&Itemid=67">Glenn's samekniv</a>, a HUGE knife traditionally used by the sami people of northern Norway. It's heavy for sure, but very versatile. It's for instance great for chopping branches and small trees. I've considered getting one myself, but have ordered a <a href="http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/73-Bahco-Laplander-Folding-Saw/">Bacho Laplander Saw</a> instead, as well as a <a href="http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/bushcraft-equipment-reviews/mora-840mg-review-the-best-beginners-bushcraft-knife.htm">Mora 840MB Clipper</a> knife. That should cover most scenarios.<br />
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<a href="http://gossamergear.com/packs/backpacks/mariposa-plus-ultralight-backpack.html">GG Mariposa Plus</a>. Like it a lot, it's the pack I use the most. Got pretty wet this time though because of the conditions we faced, but can't really fault it for that. I have a couple of other packs on the way now that I think will replace it, the <a href="http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2010/03/first-look-laufbursche-huckepack.html">Laufbursche Huckepack</a> and the <a href="http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bpl_absaroka_backpack.html">BPL Absaroka</a>. Have to reduce my "collection" since it is getting a bit out of hand, so will be posting on gear swap forums soon :).<br />
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Dryer lint. Not really gear of course, but thought I should mention that it is very effective as tinder!<br />
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Hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if they get to long winded, or if you have other comments. Take care and have a great week!.Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-42896411515910691542010-11-07T01:09:00.002+01:002010-11-07T01:11:59.130+01:00Onwards!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauperaa/5141123984/sizes/l/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJpFaht_zDMHniZ_TwKwmK_OpcFXjpPn11Kp_1vLRmcdcUQTTmQ4Oh44MYkJNha8OIluF37bmj-V7pqjNPBPkrT1F0_nJEV5n4z0quigzWyJUZFckd0tuGfl1ecmPU4_3ED-gBx5goA/s400/skog.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Text message from my friend Leif late friday evening last weekend:<br />
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<i>"Hi, do you want to go out?</i>"<br />
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Me:<br />
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<i>"I'm in the woods with Glenn :)"</i><br />
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Leif:<br />
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"<i>Savages"</i><br />
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Yes, I guess being out in the woods on a friday evening when it's dark, cold and wet is not what most people do, but me and Glenn were still having a good time, continuing our journey on the path to Rondane.<br />
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That friday we'd left early from work and gone by train and bus to get to where we'd left the path the last time. An hour or so hike took us to an area north of Gardermoen, Oslo's main airport. It was getting late and we had to find a spot to set up the shelter and make a fire and cook dinner. It was rather difficult because of the dark and wet ground which looked uninviting. Glenn wanted us to camp in the forest, but I insisted on going further to find a more open area. After a while we found one close to a large field. We put up the large 3m x 3m tarp first and then Glenn's Helsport 3-person tent so that the entrance was sheltered.<br />
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We used the rest to sit under while cooking dinner and enjoying the warmth of the fire. We'd been carrying plenty of bone dry firewood so the fire was relatively easy to get going even though we had light rain.<br />
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Mintuu, beer and Real Turmat was had before we retired to the luxurious by UL standards double wall shelter. It was even warm and dry as Glenn had been heating it with his multifuel stove, something I've heard of people doing, but never tried myself.<br />
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I slept ok and definitely warm enough in my new down sleeping bag on top of an exped downmat, but still a bit restless and waking up several times because of a stiff shoulder or from losing sensation in my hand or arm. Have to get that pad business sorted. Maybe I should try to inflate it less. Glenn slept soundly like always.<br />
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Breakfast was had inside the tent. We sat in our sleeping bags and ate yummy porridge that Glenn made in the vestibule with his stove. That warmed the tent as well, making it even better. I have to admit - tent life has some advantages, but then again I loved getting outside afterwards, taking in the cool and fresh morning air and looking at the weather, even though it was grim with a light drizzle and fog.<br />
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After packing up our gear we hiked north-east across fields, through forested areas and along roads. This section is probably the one that passes through the most populated areas.<br />
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For some reason I wasn't feeling 100% and I don't think Glenn was either. We soon found the root of the problem - lack of caffeine (we'd forgotten to bring coffee) - a short stop at the cafe at Eidsvoldbygningen took care of that problem, leaving us both super happy :D. We continued onwards along a dam, noticing the handywork of beavers. Lots of trees had bite marks and many had been successfully taken down. Got to admire the hard work they do.<br />
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We both hoped they would be left alone and not be taken down which happens too often. All to often animals have to pay the ultimate price just because they're following their instincts and in the process irritating and disturbing people.<br />
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The last leg towards our destination, Eidsvold, was mainly on tarmac laden road, and in rain and wind. Still, I was warm, dry and comfortable - feeling great compared to the last section where I was cold most of the time. It just goes to show that great hiking can be done when in company of good friends and good gear :).<br />
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Some reflections on gear:<br />
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<a href="http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=sleeping%20bags&cat=ExtremeLite%20Series&viewpost=2&ContentId=17">Western Mountaineering Ultralite</a> - I got this a couple of days before the trip so this was the trial run. I like it a lot! the size regular is a perfect fit for me. This may replace my Sierra Sniveller quilt for 3-season use. I think the added warmth of it being completely draft free and with a hood warrants the extra weight.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/montane_event_halo_stretch_jacket.html">Montane Halo Stretch Event jacket</a> - I've used this on 3 trips now and I like it a lot. I've never had a jacket that breathes better than this and I like the fit and features. Highly recommended.<br />
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Footwear: I chose to use boots from Garmont on this trip, as well as <a href="http://www.trekmates.co.uk/781/Trekmates-Cullin-Pro-Stretch-Gaiter.html">high gaiters from Trekmates</a>. This worked out nicely and kept me warm and dry.<br />
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Headlamp - I needed something more powerful than the <a href="http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/signal-and-elite/elite">e+LITE</a>, so I took the <a href="http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16345&category_id=253">Gamma from Alpkit</a>. Great piece of kit at a very affordable price (£ 12.50).Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126757310189627315.post-21560719035410756562010-10-03T22:28:00.006+02:002010-10-03T23:40:41.647+02:00Section hiking RondanestienAs some of you might know, I'm planning to hike the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail">Pacific Crest Trail</a> (PCT) in 2012, a 2650 mile trail that runs from the border to Mexico and all the way to the border to Canada. Why? you might ask, and plenty have done so when I've mentioned it. Well, ever since I graduated as a master of science in informatics in 2000, I've basically just been working and living a pretty standard life. I didn't even take a break when I graduated like many do - I just jumped straight into my first job and got going. By all means, I like my job, but somestimes it is scary how similar days, weeks and months are, sometimes to the point that I can't tell them apart. I think I really need to get out of the daily grind and take the time to experience something completely different, and that's where the PCT comes into the picture.<br />
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I know the PCT will be a huge challenge, so I'm trying to accumulate as much experience as possible before I leave. Lately I've begun section hiking "Rondanestien", a trail that starts in downtown Oslo (the capital of Norway) and then runs all the way to the center of <a href="http://goinglighter.blogspot.com/2010/08/rondane.html">Rondane</a>, a beautiful mountaineous area with several peaks above 2000 meters. The trail is 430 kilometers (267 miles) long and is supposed to take 23 days. Since I don't have the time to thru-hike it, I'm doing it section by section with my friend and colleague, Glenn. We've so far done three sections and made it to a spot a couple of hours from "Eidsvoll verk".<br />
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We're both trying to keep the carried weight to a minimum, but since these are weekend trips we are not being hardcore about it, bringing for instance what we want in terms of food and drink. One way we've decreased weight though is by sharing a 3x3 meter polyester tarp which provides lots of space and protection for the two of us.<br />
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The pictures above are from the previous weekend when we hiked in pretty cold weather, and the first day in rain too. Our first pitch, though at a beautiful spot (loved waking up to the view there), gave us a chilly night. We should've pitched the right wall all the way to the ground to block the wind. Even Glenn in his winter bag inside of a bivy got a bit cold. The next night (second picture) was better, but I still got a miserable nights sleep, having my bivy sliding on the slippery surface of my Neoair and having no pillow since I wore it (<a href="http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=27329">my MYOG west</a>) to be warmer. My quilt, the <a href="http://www.jacksrbetter.com/Wearable%20Quilts.htm#Sierra">JRB Sierra Sniveler</a>, is definitely warm enough, and gives great freedom of movement for a side sleeper like me, but I'm missing the cocoon feel of a mummy bag with zero drafts and less adjusting needed, so I'm therefore probably going to invest in a <a href="http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=sleeping%20bags&cat=ExtremeLite%20Series&ContentId=17">Western Mountaineering Ultralite</a> next year which is rated down to -7 celisus - a bag which has gotten rave reviews and seems to be the most commonly used by thru-hikers of the PCT.<br />
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Getting a good nights sleep in the outdoors is something I'm working on, and is essential if I'm going to have a chance of completing a trail as long as the PCT. Last weekend I slept kinda ok the first night and like I said, miserably the second. That coupled with having been cold most of the day because of wet feet and more, brought me to a poor state. I've got to find a way to be comfortable at night and warm at all times during the day to keep my energy levels high.<br />
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I mentioned shoes - I've been a big fan of using trail runners this season, using them for instance in Rondane with no problem whatsoever. The difference this time was that my Sealskinz socks were ruined from a hole developing in the heel area, so I opted to go with just normal hiking socks. For some reason I chose to wear quite light socks too, the <a href="http://www.bridgedale.com/Products/Product.asp?ProductID=14">"Trail light" from Bridgedale</a> I think, which are for "warmer conditions". This should prove to be bad setup. I didn't take long before my feet were soaked from walking in boggy conditions and my cold and wet feet started to sap my body warmth. Glenn lent me some thick pure wool socks which I wore on the inside with the Bridgedale on outside, which helped a lot since they provided a thicker layer of insulation and being wool they felt warm(er) even though they were wet. Still I would've preferred dry feet. Next time I will leave the trail runners behind and use boots, or maybe buy gore-tex oversocks and thick wool socks to use with the trail runners.<br />
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Hiking with Glenn has been great. A highlight on the last trip was when revealed that he had stealthily brought beers and potato chips! <br />
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I can't begin to describe how good that tastes at the end of a long day walking when you're thirsty, hungry and lost a lot of salt. Yummy!<br />
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I leave you with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauperaa/sets/72157624963092747/">more pictures from the two trips</a>, as well as my gear list for the last one. Take care and have a great week!<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="ta1"><colgroup><col width="861"></col><col width="99"></col><col width="99"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">SECTION HIKE FROM RUSTADSAGA TO DAL, SEPTEMBER 2010</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">BACKPACK</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Jam 2, 2008 model I think. (great pack!, only miss hipbelt pockets)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">624</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce3" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">CLOTHING</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Montane Halo Stretch eVent jacket (great!)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">415</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Mount Hardwear Epic rain/shell pant (main pant)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">222</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">MYOG thru-hiker vest with Climashield Combat insulation (so light and warm!)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">178</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Beanie</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">62</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Polar Buff</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">59</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">BPL Beartooth</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">277</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Fleece gloves</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">69</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Helly Hansen synthetic bottoms</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">141</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Bridgedale hiking socks, wool and synthetic mix I think</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">55</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Viking Tracker trail runners</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">1015</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce4" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">Integral Designs shortie gaiters</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">66</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Driducks rain jacket (to be used close to the fire to protect my shell from the sparks, but we never made one)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">151</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Montane Jetstream wind shirt</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">80</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">MLD rain mitts</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">31</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Smartwool mid calf socks for sleeping</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">97</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce4" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">Stormberg synthetic long top</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">191</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Stormberg synthetic bottoms (didn't really need, but nice to use two long bottoms when I was really cold)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">186</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">SHELTER</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">3m x 3m Dovrefjell Polyester tarp</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">733</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Stakes</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">83</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Tyvek Homewrap groundsheet</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">144</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">SLEEPING</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Tigoat Raven XL bivy</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">235</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">JRB Sierra Sniveller, stored in sea to summit 13L drybag</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">716</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Neoair regular, carried in stuffsack</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">424</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">OTHER GEAR</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce4" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">Recta thermometer and compass incl. Nite-ize biner</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">13</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Panasonic LX3 camera</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">261</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">3L Camelback with inline filter</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">357</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Helsport rain cover (I have to admit that rain covers doesn't work, the pack gets wet eventually)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">89</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Sea to summit long handled aluminium spoon</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">11</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Small stainless steel knife (should have left it at home and just used my Moira)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">20</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Moira Classic knife</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">52</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Kuuksa</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">86</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Downmat repair kit (Glenn borrowed my Exped Downmat 7)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">14</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Mesh wire bag</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">26</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Powermonkey charger for the iPhone</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">84</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Camera mount for the tigoat pole</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">8</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Some extra guyline</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">10</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Mini Bic</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">9</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Petzl e+lite</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">27</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Small cree flashlight, very bright (didn't really need it)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">74</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">2 x grip-clips</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">10</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">TOILETRIES</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Spinn stuff sack with:</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">6</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Lightload towel</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">15</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Toothbrush and tiny transparent jar with organic toothpaste</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">22</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">2 pack paper handkerchiefs</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">42</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">cleansing hand gel, small bottle</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">22</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">4 pcs paracetamol</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">2</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Small bottle with a littel bit of dr.Bronners (didn't use)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">15</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">Tigoat poles (not so happy with these, have ordered Fizan ones to replace them. Will probably sell the Tigoat ones)</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">234</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"></td><td class="ce7" style="text-align: right; width: 2.267cm;">7763</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;">grams</td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce1" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">(I started out with 1-1.5l water and about 2 kilos of food, and I of course wore some of the clothes in the list :). When I started my pack weighed about 9.5 kilos. Note that I didn't carry a stove or a pot. Glenn carried that for the both of us. )<br />
<br />
COMMENTS</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">- Biggest lesson learned: didn't bring the sealskinz socks since they're leaking in the heel area, so I had wet feet almost all the time which made me cold and miserable :-(. Didn't help that I brought too thin socks, the Bridgedale ones. Borrowed some pure wool ones from Glenn, my hiking buddy, and wore those with the Bridgedale ones on the outside, which helped, but too be honest I would have preferred heavier boots and dry feet. I will try some gore-tex socks to use with wool socks inside next time, or just wear boots</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce5" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;">- Should have brought a mid layer that covered the arms, not just a vest. Will bring the Thermawrap parka next time, maybe some insulated pants too</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro2"><td class="ce2" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><span class="T1">- Neoair and tigoat bivy is a bad combo, slides all over the place</span><span class="T2"> </span></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="ce6" style="text-align: left; width: 19.701cm;"><br />
</td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="ta1"><colgroup><col width="99"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="ta1"><colgroup><col width="99"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr class="ro1"><td class="Default" style="text-align: left; width: 2.267cm;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Thomas W. Gauperaahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12105502216379157728noreply@blogger.com12