7 - Kial Travels “Joe’s Way”
A Cold & Wet Saga from Trekking in Norway
Desiring to plan a special Kial<>Joe trip, I found good direct flights from London to Bergen, Norway, which is the gateway to famous Norwegian fjords. The story from our week camping is “all time” and will certainly garner a laugh, as the logistics, preparedness and inclement weather truly tested “roughing it” and proved that there is little Kial hates more than being cold. I’ll interview Kial at the very end of this post (I’ve been writing majority of this post while next to her in Namibia) just for fun, and I still wonder if she’ll ever go camping with me again.
I wanted to share with Kial how I’ve spent most of the year - backpacking, cheap accommodations, public transport, talking to endless strangers, impromptu planning, rice & beans. I got the idea in my head of a multi-day camping trek in Norway’s renown fjordlands, especially after finding out Norway is one of the few country’s with a “Right to Roam” law which means you’re allowed camp anywhere. We debated kayaking and bikepacking, but because Kial was about to begin training for the NYC marathon, decided to center the trip around hiking. Although we were far north in Norway (about the same latitude as Anchorage) it was August - peak summer, 16 hours of daylight, calling for optimal camping conditions: temperatures of 75 during the day, 55 at night and 10pm sunset. Earlier this spring I spent weeks navigating across glacier fields and backcountry ski terrain, so confidence of putting together a self-guided epic adventure was high…too high?
Packing was the first of many challenges. Getting everything into carry-ons for a diverse itinerary of camping, a football game, trendy London and a wedding in Chicago was far from easy. Wedding clothes needed to be shipped, and the plan was to leave street clothes at MKs in London before heading to Norway.
After an east direct flight from Denver -> London (@MK that means you should visit more), we had 24 hours in London to prepare for the Norwegian trek. I rented a tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, a backpack (learned Brits refer to them as Rugsacks) and cooking gear from Decathalon (REI equivalent) in London. The gear was set to be delivered the day we landed, yet the first curveball of the trip was upon us when the package never arrived! I spent hours on the phone with the shipping provider, even chasing down trucks in the local area to see if they had the package. I had to eventually give up and think of a backup plan (which of course couldn’t be staying in hotels because Kial needed to travel “my way”).
Renting gear in Norway wasn’t an option, so I hit the local camping store knowing if we had to buy a few items, it’d be much cheaper in British Quid than Norwegian Krone. Buying all the necessary gear, I returned to MKs flat to find Kial still click-clacking at work, hands full with a trekking backpack, sleeping bags and a new tent. All I was missing was cooking gear. In typical outdoor-focused Norwegian culture and benevolence, last minute I found a youth group on Facebook that “loans” out camping gear in Bergen, and I could meet them the next day. Although I didn’t know the exact gear they would have, it was the best option at the time. Scootering to the garage of a children’s skatepark in Bergen, I hit the jackpot! I walked out with a full cooking kit, headlamps, a bigger tent (meaning we could return the one purchased in London) for no cost and a verbal promise to return the items in 5 days….talk about things that don’t happen in the US.
Clearly, the trip was already full of logistics-mania. A lesson in the difficulty of assembling camping gear away from home.
After a night in Bergen hitting one more camping store to buy stove fuel, backpacking meals, our bags were packed and we left any unneeded gear behind in the luggage storage of the Bergen Moxy Hotel.
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| Nervous smile? “I haven’t worn a backpack like this in 14 years” |
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| On the Tube. Next stop: Gatwick Airport |
The four hour ferry from Bergen to Fläm the next morning was stunning. The landscape first hugs the western coastline of central Norway and changes dramatically as you head inland to the 4,000+ foot glacial carved fjords.
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| Ferry pulling into Flam |
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Docking in the small town Fläm, a common gateway to fjords tourism, we walked to our shared campground right outside.
There must be some saying “Never pitch your tent for the first time while out camping” because although I’ve setup quite a few tents in my life, the complexity of the Norwegian tent design was appalling. Even with two separate groups of fellow campers stopping by to “help”, it took us 45 minutes to figure out how to pitch this damn thing - eventually learning that you had to pitch the rain fly before connecting it to the tent, which was sitting inside out and pole-less, and then flip the tent back over before attaching the poles. Confusing to describe, even more confusing to setup.. In the frustrating process, the one pole snapped, so we’d be spending the next four nights with a duck taped imperfect pole. Fantastic!
Fläm was too touristy for our liking but was a necessary launching point for us to collect beta on our trekking route plan. We enjoyed a final restaurant meal on the water sitting under the towering fjords above, next to a local couple who we watched giggle at us earlier while we struggled to setup the camp. I finally was able to laugh with them over a beer after they said they would’ve come over to help if they had any clue how to do it themselves.
Researching hiking trails before the trip, I had a good sense of the area and trekking options around Flam. Being in the fjords, it was was pretty clear that you are either hiking straight up and down, or heading to a new area at a higher elevation and lower temps to have less undulating terrain. With Kial rolling her eyes, I talked to every local, collecting information on the best-multi day route. Literally, every one of them (Kial’s editorial addition) Collecting local advice was in my blood after months of day-to-day backpacking, and yes, I made the decision to show up to this town with Kial, a tent, enough food, and no firm plan, but (just) enough knowledge and flexibility to put it all together.
Highly recommended was the Finse to Aurlandsdalen Valley point-to-point hike. Check it out on a site here. Considered one of Norways best hikes by the locals I spoke with, or “Norway’s answer to the Grand Canyon”, the hike cuts through the high mountain tundra and into deep valleys over 31 miles, meaning roughly hiking 5-7 hours per day over 3-4 nights. The helpful locals made this an easy decision; we were very excited to consider it as our plan and embark!
Up early the next morning to take the iconic Fläm railway to our trekking start point, we ran to get last minute groceries in town. The bad luck kept on rolling when we ran to the train station to learn that the railway’s computer systems were down nationwide. The conductor had no idea when we could depart. This was especially unfortunate news because we knew that rain and cold weather was forecasted for the late afternoon. We made the best of it, hanging and waiting with a cute British family of four who were spending the summer overlanding from UK to Switzerland.
After a few hour delay for the Oslo train IT team to reboot the computers, our train arrived to Finse, which would be the last town we’d see for days. Going up a few thousand feet in elevation meant the temp dropped a bit, which only added to the dramatic damp lunar landscape of Finse.
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| Scenic train ride to the trailhead |
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| “Town” of Finse. Population 35. Only accessible by train. Our last sight of civilization |
Collecting ourselves at the only hotel in Finse, outside it was cold (no more than 50 degrees) and rainy. I wondered how bad Kial wanted to just stay here for the night and sit by the cozy fireplace. We sat there debating our future while downloading GPS route data and the Norwegian emergency SOS app. After checking that we had enough food for 4 days, we mustered the courage to leave, knowing the weather was as calling for more rain and we were already behind schedule with the train delay. Just in case, I checked that the hotel had availability should we have to turn back. It was 2pm, and ahead of us was a 5-6 hour hike with 2k in gross elevation change, snow, and whatever else Norway could throw at us.
Keep in mind that hiking is a way of life in Norway. Norwegians love trekking, and anytime we asked how long a hike would take, they’d eye us up and down to guess our “fitness level” and say something along the lines of “well for a Norwegian three hours, but the average tourist it takes five”…So not once did anyone tell us we shouldn’t go out and hike right now, or ask us why we were hiking without boots (rocking Altra trail runners, which were actually more than ample) or in Lululemom pullovers (remember when I said packing was tough). I knew we enough warm gear and properly rated sleeping bags for the temps, but what about proper rain gear?
Setting off, everything was bliss. The trail was well marked, the scenery gorgeous, spirits were high. Kial was warm so she was happy.
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| Beautiful tundra-like landscape of the high mountains. Is that snow? |
We met a guy on the train who just completed the same trek, he told us there were huts/cabins along the way - with the first one being 6 hours out…just in case. He also prepped us for the snow / ice bridges we’d encounter the first day. Snow, August in Norway? Sure, no problem! Norway also has a great mapping app for backcountry huts and routes (better than All-Trails) which we planned to rely on. See our multi-day trek.
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| Our guide for the next four days |
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| Guy was right…we would have to cross the “snow bridges” |
Two hours into our hike the rain started coming down and the wind picked up. Ascending 2k in elevation, temps also dropped into what I’d guess were the mid-40s. At a certain point, the waterproofing spray and washing I did to my clothes before the trip didn’t matter… after after an hour of intense rain everything was soaked through multiple layers, head to toe. The dampness also of course caused the body temperature to drop, so keeping warm meant keep moving. Kial and I quickly went from enjoying the insanely beautiful and tundra-like landscape of Norway’s interior to hiking like we were on a mission. We didn’t talk, and would check in with one another at each river crossing or every 15 minutes saying “how you are you doing”. Answers went from “OK” to “Cold”. I started shivering, even while hiking at a fast clip. I knew I could warm up by putting on dry clothes, but I was reluctant to do so because that meant one less pair of dry clothes for sleeping or worse, an emergency situation. Our bags were covered with rain flys, but our outer layers was far from ample to combat the freezing rain storm.
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| If you look closely, I am soaked |
We huddled up, and decided to check in at the three hour (halfway) mark and make a decision on whether to keep going or turn around. The only positive is that we weren’t fighting daylight.
I did the most research (talking to strangers) on the route, the huts and have the most backcountry experience, so knew the decision would ultimately be my call.
The maps showed we were more than halfway. The decision was tough: turning around gave certainty on where we were going, that warm hotel room (it was hard, near impossible, to imagine setting up a tent with the inclement weather and how we were feeling), but it also meant a longer hike back, over a freezing cold mountain pass…whereas continuing on was a bit more unknown, but downhill (losing elevation = temps increasing) and the loose description of a hut that we knew existed, but would it be open? We had passed an emergency hut earlier in the day but it was locked, and we weren’t sure if this next one would be the same. If so, would we have to break in? What if we got colder? Turning around also meant giving up on completing the complete four day hike.
We stood there shivering, next to a river we would have to cross by walking through freezing cold ankle-deep water. We were far from relaxed, and stopping to talk meant getting even colder. Asking Kial for her opinion, she replied with a not so great quiver to her voice “I don’t know, you know the route better so you decide”. Still in my wet clothes, I noticed I lost quite a bit of motor skills in my hands from the cold and my arms felt like a slow moving robot, so I couldn’t accurately click on our route data on my phone to see how close we were to the camp spot, or hut if needed. My phone was also soaked and you know what it’s like to touch an iPhone screen in the pouring rain. Knowing the map wouldn’t make the decision for me, I put the phone away and remember a very difficult internal deliberation, weighing the options - but needing to decide asap because we were freezing and had to keep moving either way. I decided we should proceed. It meant less hiking, and if the hut was closed, I figured we would break a window because it was near unimaginable to setup a camp with how we were both feeling.
Proceeding on, I told Kial I had to change to dry clothes. She looked concerned (which she had full right to be because I just said we should proceed on) I told her to keep moving to keep warm. Changing my shirts felt like trying to dress yourself with both of your arms asleep. Teeth were chattering and it probably took one minute just to take off one soaked layer. Looking back, I obviously waited too long to change clothes as I was actually quite delusional from being frigid… caviler hiker turned idiot. Fortunately after ten minutes I warmed up and felt much better - well, until that set of clothes soaked through after an hour.
At hour five of the hike, we finally saw a house-like structure. We were still a ways away but both let out a sigh of relief! We hiked like maniacs, jumping over rivers across rocks, sometimes jogging, barely feeling the weight of our 30-45lb packs, as the end of the mission and frigid misery was in sight.
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| Photo of the cabin (taken the next morning post-rain) |
Getting closer to the house (fortunately realized it was much more than a hut), we saw lights on and both shouted with joy. We actually saw multiple structures and couldn’t wait to get inside. Opening the door, we entered the back hall of a very nice backcountry house/cabin. We immediately started delayering, and I’ll never forget tearing apart kials backpack for warm clothes and both us is holding a towel out for each other in this back hall as we stripped down naked, shivering, and putt on dry clothes, without a care if someone were to walk in.
Entering the reception area still shivering, I’ll never forget the “cool as a cucumber” young Norwegian hostesses. Our faces red, likely showing signs of shock, and bodies warming up, it was hilarious how flustered we were, and how unfazed they were. All they said “yea it’s rainy out there isn’t it” with a slight smile and a laugh “no worries we have a place for you to stay” of “how about a bottle of wine and a three course dinner”. Of course we weren’t complaining as we thought this was going to be a backcountry hut!! Only in Norway would a “hut” have such great amenities.
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| Warming up with wine (and a better pic of the real weather) |
Besides the shelter and warm meal, the best part about the hut was a drying room, where I laid out all the soaked gear. Fully drying everything out would give us a fighting chance at completing the full trek. Running into other trekkers who also took shelter at the hut, we knew we weren’t the only ones who just suffered through that freezing rain.
Ten hours of sound sleep later, waking up to a shining sun and dry bed, we were new people.
Checking the forecast with the hostesses, we found out there was additional rain coming, but they “promised” that it was nothing like we experienced the first day. Kial might’ve been a bit uneasy packing up again and probably would’ve elected to spend the rest of our nights in this stunning hut overlooking a lush lagoon, but of course we were going to proceed forward.
Another curveball, my phone broke sometime during the rainstorm. Fortunately we had the mapping data on Kials phone and a battery charger.
Setting off into the sun on day two of the trek, we hiked the remaining 25 miles of the route over three muddy bu beautiful days. We crossed the high tundra of the interior, with sparse vegetation and chilling temps, down into the thick forest along a riverbed and descending the last day back into the fjordland. The diverse scenery was unforgettable. Here are a few more pics before wrapping things up and interviewing Kial:
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| Stunning view from the cabin after it cleared up in the AM |
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| Do camp spots get better than this? |
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| Jaw dropping views from day 2 |
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| Lunches camping <3 |
Although we enjoyed our brief moments of sunshine, majorly of the days it stayed damp and muddy. Shoes were always wet, nights were cold, with temps I believe dropping onto low 40s. Kials sleeping bag was rated down to 30 mine for 50 degrees. Even with the sleeping pads, which increase the sleeping bag ratings (R value) it was chilly; kial slept in her beanie and one night I wore all the clothes in my bag - two pairs of pants, 3 tee shirts and two warm layers. IMO, it was chilly but I was never cold. On the other hand Kial maintains she was cold consistently for 4 days straight. The mornings when camping at these temps are always tough, but nothing like the prospect of hot coffee and warm oatmeal get you out of bed.
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| Cooooold |
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| Drying out all camping gear at the bus stop |
All in all, our Norwegian adventures were certainly memorable! It’s no wonder Kial’s portion of the world tour later this year would in one of the hottest, dryest countries in the world - Namibia post coming soon!
Things that didn’t work out in our favor:
- Camping gear didn’t arrive
- Train delay. Caused us to get a late start the first day which started the cascading snowball of hiking in the rain
- Weather: Wet, cold and rainy
- My phone broke, which had majority of GPS data and international plan
Lessons learned:
- Camping abroad requires an insane amount of logistics.
- Gear, gear gear!
- Perilous experiences bring you closer and yield crazy stories
- Preparedness comes before success in the dictionary for a reason?
- Getting too cold can impair judgement and decision making
- Kial needs a sleeping bag with a rating 30 degrees higher than I thought
- Norway is rugged. Even hiking during the hottest month of the year can be nippy
Prompts for Kial
Kial, how was your “vacation”?
- I took PTO days and it wasn’t a vacation. Memorable, truly unforgettable, but NOT vacation
What was your favorite moment in Norway?
- Day two of the trek with all dry gear and sunny weather, stopping for butternut squash soup and a beer at a little cabin in the afternoon
Did your trust in Joe ever fade?
- Honestly, no, but i was mad a couple times for what he had gotten us into
What lessons did you learn?
- When out of your element, dont try and force a plan that shouldnt be a plan (joe talked to like 30 people to get their thoughts on this other route that no one knew anything about or had done before rather than the one we did which was beautiful and well trafficked. Had we done the other one in this weather we would have been screwed). Also the proper gear like a rain coat and warm sleeping bag are essential, so maybe check weather before camping and also maybe dont go camping at all if youre trying to squeeze it into a larger 3 week itinerary of zero other camping. Also those just add water food packs are pretty good and nordic tents are difficult to set up.
Would you ever go camping with Joe again?
- I would if we were like actually prepared for what we were getting into, which to be clear, we were not prepared for this trip. That said, joe definitely made sure he knew the route and was prepared with maps etc before we started and throughout the trek prioritized making sure I was as comfortable as possible so bc of that i always felt safe <3
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| Finally, a dry spot in a cave! |
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Descending into the forested landscape day four
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| See we did have fun! |
