I
am writing to you 9,857km from home, all the way from Bergen in Norway where
it’s about 6 degrees, very wet and only gets light around 8am, meaning the
first bird chirps at about half-past-seven only, which generally translates
into "a great deal of rest".
I’m
doing the famous "Norway
in a Nutshell" tour. Actually, you only realise its famous once
you start exploring Norway on
the internet, which is normally when you know people who live there, or when
work takes you there, or close to it, as in my case.
Picture
this: I woke up around 6am today in a sleepy little town called Flam
(quickly, get a world map so you can follow my journey!). This was by
choice for I had come to hike and, in the process, to recharge my batteries and
feast on some soul candy!
I
got to Flam around 2pm yesterday following a 5-hour train ride from Oslo to Myrdal, and then a further magnificent 1-hour
thrill: a 20km, 900m plummet down the Flamsdal Valley
in the famous "Flamsbana".
Around
4pm, once I had explored sleepy Flam and settled into my hotel room, I took a
short walk; but it was getting quite nippy around 6pm and I wasn’t all that
well prepared. There’s always something you forget, like an anorak in
case it gets wet. In this case, it was a scarf that could keep the biting
wind away from my throat. By now I’ve at least learnt what’s great for
good hiking health: consistent doses of Echinaforce and olive leaf extract (a
natural antibiotic).
The
point is that you need to be strong for hiking, which essentially means you
need to have stamina, staying power. You don’t want to have to give
up and turn around almost in reach of victory all because of a cramp of
sorts – which is why water and natural energy snacks – like fruit and nuts –
are also so important. So, I retreated for the day, hungry for more, for
a different challenge.
And
that’s where today started. After a hearty breakfast around 9am I
set off for what turned out to be a 3-hour walk – completion times are always a
guide as you determine your own pace, plus you can stay as long as you like at
a spot that’s pure heaven to you.
My
mission this morning was simple: to reach the Flam church by walking all along
the river, crossing it shortly after the church and then returning to Flam to
catch the ferry to Gudvangen, from where a bus would take me to Voss and a
train would bring me to Bergen.
For
today’s lunch on the hike I have the hotel to thank – I
packed a few slices of cheese and salami, some crackers and then some very
yummy and convenient single servings of chicken liver pate (we don’t stock
this back home) that come packaged like the jams, honey and marmalade we
normally receive with a sit-down breakfast.
I
have a firm belief that food must be enjoyed no matter the mission or the
location, so pack light, but pack for indulgence because I assure you:
nothing tastes greater than a meal truly hungered, which is always the case
after a few hours of hiking.
Nature
often serves up her own treats on hikes, and today was no exception. The
trail often took me close to the homes of locals, so I could peep in and
get a feel for they way they live. About halfway to the church as I was
walking through the rough, I felt an unusual, out-of-place object
underneath my hiking boot. It was an apple.
When
I stood still to explore, I suddenly saw apples scattered all around me – I was
standing beneath an apple tree. You’ve got it: drawn by the
out-of-ordinary experience and the excitement of my discovery, I picked some
up, five in fact (you can pig out on fruit any day!) – I confirm they were
sweeter than I’ve ever tasted, completely unspoilt.
So
here’s another hiking lesson: in the heart of nature, far away from the earth
so down-trodden by the masses, you’ll find everything is purer, more beautiful
and you will so much closer to its origins, whatever that may be for you.
So,
trouser pockets bulging with apples, off I went again. The church was a
quaint experience. Surrounded by graves, all beautifully cared for and
boasting fresh, colourful flowers, it forced e to be quiet in an already quiet
place, reminding me of the fragility of life. When last did I honour a
moment of silence, I thought. I still can’t remember.
Within
the church property there was a smaller building, a storage area of
sorts. Its roof was of grass – how delightful – I still need to
understand why as this is turning out to be quite normal along the Norwegian
countryside. Perhaps its because of all the moisture that collects on the
roofs and the grass seeds that get carried there by the strong winds? See
how the mind is tickled pink when hiking?
I
had hoped that the "storage facility" at the church gave access to
toilets but, alas, not. Here’s another lesson in humility – when hiking
you need to be able to go in nature, no matter what. Nature, in my case,
has always honoured her part of the bargain by providing enough protection, but
today she had a mind of her own. No coverage whatsoever. It meant I
needed to pop into the local primary school after having crossed the river
bridge – I was desperate!
What
a bonus experience! It was, in fact, my first ever entry into a foreign
school, one I would not have experienced had I not been a hiker. I could
get a feel for the ambience, the general mood and standard (quiet, warm and
very clean), and see children at play the Norwegian way – surprisingly, one girl
managed to be rollerblading about. It was here that the moment got the
better of me, meaning I lost track of time – let the warning bells sound loud
and clear for you.
From
the school I headed across a field, having ignored a "No Access"
sign. About 500m on I got to a fence, absolutely stuck, yet
another "No Access" sign welcoming me. Now I was in
trouble. For fear of being caught I decided not to climb over, but rather
to manoeuvre myself around.
Unfortunately,
this was easier said than done. It meant clinging to the fence whilst
climbing down a steep hill of mossy stones – dangerous territory with even the
best hiking boots. This is where I started praying. Halfway down I
heard a voice calling – a farmer to the rescue, no trouble, thank God! He
thought it was his grandson returning from school, my lucky day, I guess.
The
first thing he asked me was where I was from. South Africa, I replied. He
looked shocked and asked: "Are you African?" – "I am South
African", I replied, but again he asked, looking even more puzzled,
"Are you African?" – and then the penny dropped: 9,857km away from
Flam, he thought I would be black. The memory? Priceless!
The
farmer gave excellent directions to Flam and I made it back with enough time
for a quick touristy shopping spree, getting my much-needed scarft and doing
some "sacred consumption" to solidify my memories of Flam that wowed
me so. What did I buy, you ask? A Norwegian thingie that would go
very nicely with our award-winning South African wines: two decorative corks to
solve the problem of already opened wine (so you don’t feel obliged to
finish it all in one sitting), sporting miniature pewter vikings!
At
3pm I boarded the ferry for the breathtaking 2-hour boat ride in the
fjord. I have been hiking since high school, and increasingly so over the
last four years. I assure you have never before encountered anything this
spectacular, this after having hiked in Austria,
Italy, Australia, Namibia
and South Africa.
And tomorrow, no matter where I hike, I’m likely to say the very same
thing. Fact of the matter is, every hike is special!
So,
if you’re still trying to find a sport that can float your boat, I hope I’ve
managed to whet your appetite. As is clear, hiking is an adventure,
whether a 3-hour walk in the heart of a fjord or a 20km adventure in the
Cedarberg back home. The reward is exactly the same, the lessons
distinctly different.
One
thing is always certain: never panic, it can cost you precious time (when you
need to catch a connecting ferry, for example) or be the difference between
life and death (like when the tide was changing and we had to cross an
estuary on the Goukamma trail in the Wilderness back home).
Life’s
too short, don’t rush it even more, take time to explore the beauty around you,
there’s so much more where that came from!
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
