I've already written extensively about some of my Norway hiking experiences, notably my
24 hours of craziness last month, but it's worth mentioning that Sunday hikes are an institution of Norwegian culture and something that I've been trying to experience as much as possible. It's not always easy convincing myself that I should leave the lazy comfort of my couch and coffee, but once I'm out in the woods without another soul in site, waterfalls, ferns, berries and birds all around, I know I've made the right decision.
This Sunday, thanks to some fantastic weather, I was more ambitious than usual, clocking in about 14 km (the map below underestimates because it can't capture all the twists and turns on the trail).
Sunshine and 75 degrees is about as perfect as it gets, with a cool breeze hitting the viewpoints and ridges. I revisited some of the spots I had seen during my Marka24 hiking race, but it was much more pleasurable seeing them in daylight and not during a rainstorm. Particularly satisfying was going back to Mellomkollen, which is where our team had to turn back, get our bags, and come back up the steep hill again in the middle of the night. It turns out that it is a gorgeous lookout point, which I completely missed during the black, cloudy, bitter chaos.
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| Amazing view from Mellomkollen |
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| Yellow points to Maridalsvannet (the main drinking reservoir for Oslo) and red points to the Oslo Fjord. I am WAY up here. |
Another highlight of my tour is the discovery of an abundance of berries! Known in Norwegian as blåbær, or blueberries, they are actually closer to huckleberries, rather than the big light-blue mild berries that most people are used to in the states. But my family isn't most people, and summers spent in the mountains picking huckleberries sent my berry radar into overdrive. Sadly, I had to pull myself away after 20 minutes of picking so that I could make it out of the woods on time, otherwise I could have spent hours there. My mother would have gone crazy with her "leave no berry behind" mindset, since every corner and new sunny ridge brought a new field of plump, purple/black berries. I picked just enough to eat along the way but am hoping to make an afterwork trip that is focused just on the berries this week.
After tearing myself away from the blueberries (which in my head will still be known as huckleberries), I headed up and down some hills, through some amazing forests, and past a few cool, sparkling creeks. I came across just a few people during my 4-hour hike until I made it to Øyungen, another boat-free lake that provides water to Oslo. I was in a hurry to make it back to the bus, so I skipped a swim, but plan to get out again and try out the crystal clear water as long as this amazing weather holds out*.
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| A small cabin area known as Liggern |
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| The view from Liggern down to Øyungen |
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| A very refreshing creek to wash my feet in after 3 hours of hiking |
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| An old dam just up the creek |
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| Øyungen, a pristine lake just 20 minute bus ride from downtown Oslo. Amazing. |
* My next blog post will likely include dozens of gratuitous beach and sailing photos, and long descriptions of the ridiculously amazing weather we have been having. I am now officially spoiled by this past month of sunny and 75 degrees and will never be able to have a too hot or too cold summer again.
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