Memoirous

Today was the day of the big push. Maybe I should be glad to have the naysayer, it made me think about this day's hike and want it more. So happy to have done it!! First off this morning reindeer wandered into the yard while eating breakfast. The mountain was shrouded in low clouds. I waited. And waited. I couldn't wait any longer and left around 8:20. There was a metal bridge over a raging stream with cascading waterfalls. Then the climb/up began. It took me 4 hours to get to the top. I had an eating break in the emergency hut right next to the trail. There was also a porto at the top. There was a stoney walk around and then another significant up. There, there was a cluster of little lakes. Then more of a stoney walk. At one point I took a fall. Truthfully, I'm shocked I haven't fallen until now. There's a sense that one has: I'm going down and there's nothing I can do about it. Just try to land right. After rolling to my feet I took inventory. My foot mus...

I told myself: Do not let that horrible lady into my head. Yet, last night when I went to bed, I was obsessed. Before I left, folks wished me well, but also told me be safe. Hmmm. Some of my workmates did summer school abroad. We all bade them good luck, fall in love, have fun! When I go, it's don't die. When the warden said I couldn't go over the mountain it threw me into all kinds of self-doubt. This has occurred on other trips, notably when I biked from Amsterdam to Norway . As I was going up on the Lysevegen, I met a German couple loaded down on touring bikes. The woman, whom I just met, told me I'd never make it. I was confused; they were way overloaded and they did it. No, they'd taken a shuttle. Anyway, I carried on despite their negativity–and had the best down hill, switch-back experience of my life. So today was about redemption. I got up early and packed, ate breakfast and left at around 8:20. One guide said 15 km, some said 14. The longest is said to be ...

I've had a GREAT 3 days of hiking. I've been able to do the miles and climbs, no problem. That's why when the lady warden at Tarnasjostuga said to me that the day after tomorrow I couldn't go over the mountain, I didn't know what she meant. Was the weather turning bad? She mentioned I'd have to take a boat to Ammarnis. I was so confused. Later a group of trail runners arrived. They ran all the way from Ammarnis –about, I'm guessing, 43 km.-- I asked them about this mountain she referred to. I'd seen no mention of climbing a mountain in the notes about the trail and that particular section. They said there is an elevation gain of 1000 meters. The section is the longest at 19 km: 12 miles. I'm pretty sure I've trained for this. The only thing I can't predict is bad weather. I'm doing close to 3 km an hour. 15 up and down should take me 5 hours, add 2 more. If I leave at 8, I should be finishing around 4-5 pm. My pack should be light since I...