Red team, blue team

Getting 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 www.fjellforum.net where Tor Magnus eagerly spreads the message of small packs and big smiles.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :).

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.

I spent some time looking at the surroundings which was now covered with a blanket of snow and snow was still in the air.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A new layer of nice had started forming during the night.

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 ;).

Have a great week!

Winter experience close to home

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.

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.

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.

While being passed by skiers I did realize that I wasn´t travelling in the most effective manner possible :).

I love the huge front pocket on the Paramo. It´s like 50 litres of capacity isn´t it?

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.

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.

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.

I awoke to a beautifull morning, quite the opposite of the day before.

Melting snow for breakfast. It went quite quickly with the MSR Whisperlite doing it´s thing under beautiful, calm conditions.

Still, at this point I regretted not having carried more water :).

Hiking on and enjoying the morning immensely.

First impressions: Fire-Maple 116T

Fire-Maple 116T

Jakob from www.packalatt.se approached Nordic Lightpacking in October 2011 to test the Fire-Maple 116T 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.

It is worth noting that the 116T has been reviewed by several people already, and is available under other brand names, for instance the Montauk Gnat (tested by Hendrik) and the Vango Ultralite.

Is it still relevant?
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.

Simplicity
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.

Flexibility
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).

Affordability
If you get the Vango version it is 21 pounds when bought from their website (postage unknown), and I found it as low as 15.29+2.99 postage on the UK ebay site. The price on www.packalett.se is 350 SEK + postage.

Paired with something like the Alpkit MytiMug (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 MSR Titan kettle though if you can afford it. It is such a sweet pot.

Simmering
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.

Wide flame pattern
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.

So what´s bad then?.

Wind
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.

Fuel economy
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.

Loose pot supports
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.

Use in cold weather
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 limit to how low you can go.

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.

Conclusion
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.

Helen´s opinion:

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'. 

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...). 

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!

Jacob from www.packalatt.se 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".

The headnet as a multi-use item

A 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.



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.

Pillow mode with my Montbell Down Inner stuffed inside.

Prefilter.

Clothes bag.

I made mine according to the plans that can be found on www.andersj.se, 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.

Very light and packable. Only 11 grams including the blue rubber band which is a multi-use item too!

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 one

And the winner is

According to random.org: Helen J. Fisher!. She has an abundance of good karma stored at the moment :). Congrats.

Raffle time: aLOKSAK set

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".

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.

I'll draw a winner with random.org the 25th this month. Good luck!

Jotunheimstien - the second week part 2

Joe looking at the mighty mountain ranges in the distance.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Joe having his mac n' cheese, his favourite.

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.

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.

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 :).

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 Yogi 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).

Not too bad this bog.

Having lunch with my bug friends who were joined by the red biting ants, my favourite.

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.

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 :

"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".

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.

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.

This was a beautiful place. The camera just isn't able to capture it.

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.

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. Hoorah!. 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.

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 :).

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!

Cold. Wet, windy, cold temps will do that too you.

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.

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.

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.

Before the climb I decided to fill my water bottles, not expecting to find any water on the mountain. Suddenly a røyskatt 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 :).

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!.

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.

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.

The big pack. Hard to see because their camouflage is so effective. Click to zoom.

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.

This looked 10 times better in real life, believe me.

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.

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.

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.

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!.

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.