The hard work is almost done - a new guidebook to hiking in Norway
Hiking along Visdalen in Jotunheimen on a very calm morning, summer 2017
Time has flown indeed. Five seasons have come and gone. End 2018, a winter of writing and researching in Amsterdam, and then springtime saw me working on my book in the public library in Stavanger. The third floor working area there became my regular hangout. Computer and thermos filled the daypack, the very same thermos that had been around so many mountaintops and valleys, its content providing comfort and warmth. Besides the hundreds of pages that I reviewed on that third floor, the incredible friendly and helpful librarians would go into the basement storage area and find the yearbooks from the regional DNT Trekking Associations that I wanted to consult. I don’t know how often I got distracted by the interesting stories told in those. A particular feeling of connection developed with these hikers across decades. And a strong feeling of hoping that this resource will stay viable and delight hikers for generations to come – indeed informed my own writing of the DNT and its resources.
And then, July 2019, another summer of hiking. This time in the amazing fjordscape of Ryfylke. Coming here and completing the challenging Lysefjord circuit was a long-cherished ambition. Ever since falling in love with this part of the world, circumnavigating the Lysefjord had been on my wish list. And what an adventure it was! After hiking the previous two summers in the higher alpine terrains of Jotunheimen, Rondane, Dovrefjell and Trollheimen, this was to be just a short, sweet route, the icing on the cake and an easier finish. Now things often turn out to be different when going out on a hike, so being prepared is always a good idea. In previous years, we regularly wore all our gear during trips, having to stay warm and protected from rain and wind. This time was different. All the heavy, warm gear stayed in the backpack during the trip, having to be lugged on the back. Instead we hiked mostly in our shorts and t-shirts, refilled the water bottles endless times with the fresh, cold and delicious water of the streams we encountered, swam in the oh so refreshing lakes and fjord, and had to slip, slop, slap sunscreen and hats countless times. It turns out hiking for days in 12 hours of sunshine and at a record 30°C has its very own challenges. Protecting yourself from heatstroke and dehydration are indeed necessary precautions you need to take. It also turned out that the Ryfylkeheiene have a lot of small, steep hills, meaning you are constantly going up or down, giving this route an unexpected second place for total vertical distance. ‘Kupert’ is the Norwegian understatement for such terrain. Of course, the rewards were magnificent too. Early mornings with lifting fog or a completely still fjord. Late evenings with endless sunsets. Lysefjord holds the top spot for vertigo hikes in Norway, with views to match. There was no need to keep stops short, due to cold and windy weather. Instead lingering was possible, enjoying views at leisure and cooling down feet in streams while having another cuppa. Why not, the day was going to stay lovely, the forecast was for a little bit of a cooling breeze later on, and so we took our time to smell the air.
Autumn and then winter again, a time of intense work. 4000 photos were distilled to 160 for submission; maps, profiles, diagrams, GPX tracks all needed to be prepared and the text finalised. None of this would have been possible without the incredible and fantastic support of my family, to which I am so indebted. My wonderful copyeditor Georgia subsequently helped me write an even better book, with her eye for detail and language. Now I am waiting for the proofs that are being prepared by my publisher Cicerone Press. It is an exciting moment and one that I have been working towards these last three years. Being part of their list of authors feels indeed an honour. A very personal epic journey is coming to its conclusion with the publication scheduled for June 2020.
(Related Content: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the publication is now January, 2021)
Photo credit: Hike along Visdalen is my own from a hike in the summer of 2017
