The aim of this trip was to canoe, climb and cycle from Bygland back to Kristiansand
Day 1
On the Monday we were to meet at Bygland around 1130 to unload all of the equipment and canoes. Over the following two days we would canoe on the Byglandsfjorden from Bygland to an island around half way down to bivi. From the island we would continue to canoe to just outside of Syrtveit.
Once we arrived we all unloaded the canoes and put on our paddling gear. As I was one of the more experienced in a canoe it was my responsibility to coach some techniques with Line. Some basic information was given whilst still out of the water. This included positioning in the canoe, the roles and how to handle a paddle correctly. Once this was explained we headed to the water to practice. Firstly, basic techniques like forwards and the ‘J’ Stroke was taught. As most people had never been in a canoe it was important to keep the group close to the shore and this was around 25m. Once people were comfortable in the canoe we decided that we would start to paddle down the fjord whilst we practised and taught different strokes. This worked really well as it allowed the group to cover distance whilst learning at the same time which worked pretty well. After around an hour of teaching techniques it was time to start our navigation legs. I and Line were to lead first before Jonas and Julian would take over. We were good with group management for the most part thought, making sure that they all stayed close to one another was a challenge as one canoe pair was harder to control as they both wanted to do their own thing no matter what we said.
Another problem occurred when we found ourselves further away from the shore than expected. This could have gone a lot worse if the weather decided to turn but luckily it was fine and we were able to get across to the other side.
Line was suffering with an injury so she was very keen to get into the same canoe as me due to my experience and, the fact that she may not be able to paddle to the best of her ability which may have affected someone with less experience. However, Line worked very hard during the two days so it was easy to paddle.
The weather also played a big part in the days paddling. It was fairly cold with intermittent snow which was unusual for the time of year. It was a first for me paddling in snow!
We arrived at the island we were to bivi in late afternoon and started to look for good sites. The idea was to build a big shelter (tipi style) that would allow 8 of us to sleep. After around half an hour we gave up on this idea and decided to split into more manageable group sizes though we would still stay in the same area.
The intermittent snow made it hard to keep equipment dry and also kept us in our bivi for most of the evening. Me, Jill, Sædis and Mike slept in the same shelter and just decided to eat and talk for the rest of the evening.
Day 2
The next day we packed up all of our gear, left no trace of our stay on the island and then got back on the canoes. As me and Line had led a long leg the previous day it was the other canoe pairs turn. The weather had improved and it was sunny with a light wind. The wind did pick up later which increased the swell. One canoe pair was struggling through this and slowed down a little towards the end but for most of the day the group set a good pace.
Once we arrived at the dam just outside of Syrtveit we bought the canoes up to the parking area where they would be picked up and walked around 1 km to Trollaktiv. This would be where we would stay for the night in specially built tipis.
Day 3
The forecast for the following day was to be bad weather with rain. By group decision the previous night we had decided to do the full 70 km cycle route back to Kristiansand today. The ride back would take around 6 hours. After collecting our bikes we set off at 0900 with the first destination being the bakery in Evje. We parked the bikes and all entered the bakery. Len even bought me a cake as it was my birthday the previous day! The rest of the day took a relaxed approach with the group taking a leisurely pace towards Kristiansand. There were some interesting points along the route including the dam at Royknes where we had lunch.
Towards the last 20 km a few people form the group were starting to get really tired. The majority of the group carried on regardless and did not wait so I felt it was necessary to hang back even though I felt fine. Towards the end of the trip a pedal broke off one of the bikes in the group in front. This meant that the people at the back managed to catch up to the rest of the group which was good as it meant that we could all arrive at the University together. Finally, we arrived back at the university after 6 hours of cycling.