Last But Not Least: Trolltunga

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For the big finale of our semester my friends and me chose Trolltunga as our last trip. I was slightly unmotivated because we had to leave the summer and warmth behind and met the winter and snow up in the mountains.

Trolltunga

Our tour started at the parking lot where most of the people called us crazy because we wanted to go up there without snow shoes. After some group discussions and doubts we started without snow shoes at 9 p.m.. It was rainy and the first part of the tour is the steepest. Up in the village we found a sheltered site for our tent and we put it up very professional. Our group worked perfectly in a team. We cooked while it was still bright but already 11:30 p.m. .

On the next morning we started at 8 a.m. to reach the tongue while the snow was still hard enough to walk on. On ur way we found an emergency hut with a FC St. Pauli Sticker in it. Of course we had to take a picture of it. Everyone chose his own pace but once in a while the front persons waited for the rest to catch up. Finally we reached Trolltunga at 12 a.m. and had a one hour break up there. More an more people came through the snow however there were only a few with snow shoes and those were really struggling.

On our way back the snow started to get slushy which was a bit harder to walk on. In general it was not as hard as we were told the evening before on the parking lot. Some downhill parts we used our sit mat as a sleigh and slid down. This was great fun. At our campsite we packed our backpacks and started the end of our hike.

Down at the parking lot we had a nice and relaxing coffee break with cookies and amaretto. We stayed for one more nigh at the Fjord and went back home to the summer on the next day.

Self Organized Trip: Telemark

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When we started on Monday our plan looked totally different to the tour we actually did. Except for one person it was the same group constellation as on our road trip to the Lofoten this easter. Considering Tuckman’s theory of group development the dynamic of our group would change adding a new member. However the group dynamics did not really differ from the before mentioned trip. We still had insiders and jokes which occur to appear in the norming  or performing phase of groups. Hence our forming and storming happened rather fast.

Day trip: Gygrestolen

After our first day trip we found a nice camp site close to a school in Kongsberg. We were lucky and met an old mountaineer on the next morning. He told us to hike inmore beautiful area then the one we were considering before. Spontaneously we changed plans and went for a small tour in an amazing valley with waterfalls and cliffs. It felt more like a holiday than ever before when we were sitting on the rocks enjoying the sun and nearly floating down a waterfall. Although the latter was rather scary.

One's own pace.

In the evening we took of to walk to Eriksbu, a DNT hut 6 km from the street. At this time forming was done and storming began. There are some indifferences about leading going on because one of our members always ended up in the front somehow. He felt being in charge all the time so that he wanted someone else in front. However it was challenging to keep up with the guys anyways and in the end everyone chose its own pace.

On the next “morning” we did some walking around, had a nice break and were about to walk back when our new member suggest to reach the top of Åklinuten. This is when he actually took over the leadership for a bit and got our group to transform and perform. Transformational leaders are able to motivate their followers to perform better. Thus we walked up the mountain in the end of our tour despite the snow, time and effort. We had a breath taking view over the area moreover we saw the mountains of Hardangervidda and some reindeer.

On the top!

In the evening we reached the parking lot and put up our tents on the side of a waterfall with the luxurious view over the area. I would consider it one of the best camp sites ever.

Last evening: camp site and fire lighting

Last evening: camp site and fire lighting

On this trip I learned a lot more about light weight packing. We had serious discussions about different topics which is something I missed before. Additionally I learned more about what a group is capable of and in teamwork I started a fire twice.

11. Coastal course Randøya

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During the last week we learned all about outdoor recreation at the coast and on the sea. Each day we had two different activities which were taught by four different instructors. For the activities we stayed in the same group which was a mixture of Norwegian and International Friluftsliv students.

It's all about fish!

Observing my group was exciting because people behaved like they did in the beginning of this semester. This was when the International group came together for the first time and started to form. This forming restarted last week because of the new members. Additionally I observed the different roles which were played in our team and how they changed depending on our activities.

The island survival trip worked like a burning glass for the group dynamic and its development. All alone without an instructor as a fixed leader the team roles played by the members became quiet clear. One of us took over the leadership and divided the people for different tasks. This process felt like a natural forming and our group worked effectively. This process was definitely influenced by the circumstances. We were alone on this island and had to stay overnight with only our daypacks and of course you don’t take sleeping bags, insulation mats etc on a day trip. Additionally it was raining, the wind got stronger and it was quiet cold. It was no emergency situation but it was a situation were everyone wanted to be sheltered and next to a warm fire quickly. Hence there was a need for a leader who organizes the next steps.

For two hours we worked focused on our tasks. I started to really enjoy sawing dead branches to small pieces. It kept me active and made me feel effective so that my motivation didn’t  fade. Once our camp was ready we kept the fire going, had some fish and went to sleep. It was a cold and wet day and night however I enjoyed the experience even if it would have been amazing in the sunshine.

The other activities were net fishing, fishing, orienteering, kayaking, rowing, knots, driving a motor boat, preparing fish, shallow and deep water biology with wading suits and snorkeling. I can’t really tell which was my favorite one. The activities were all fun and my personal learning outcome was high this week. Beside all this it felt like a summer holiday.

School Camp at Helleviga

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Luxury Gapahuks

The week in Helleviga was interesting in different aspects. For the first time during this semester we planed activities, which were for students outside our group. Moreover we were in charge of the program so that we had to organize ourselves and look out that everything went well. Another aspect was about our group development because it was the first time after the Snow hole trip that we went on a trip as a whole group.

I was never interested in teaching children or adolescents. My plan was to do recreational work with adults and elderly people. During this week I started to like working with young people. In comparison to the work with adults it is more spontaneous and people are more exploring their possibilities.

A Shelter?

THE Shelter

Additionally I had some new views on leadership and leadership behaviour during these days. The first session I was responsible for shelter building. As the majority had never built a shelter, our influence on them was rather high. The smallest comment or gesture had a huge impact on the shelter that was to be built. When we wanted the next group to do something new, we just supposed another spot or gave them another idea or tip and the shelter turned out to be, as we wanted it. Furthermore the less information you gave the students the more they got into talking and thinking. Especially one group impressed us by building an igloo like shelter within 10 minutes.

The other days were not as interesting because our responsibility changed. We played some group dynamic games, which were funny however the learning outcome was rather low.

Touring with my friends

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This week I had some friends visiting me. We went for a small road trip up to Stavanger. On Saturday we walked up Preikestolen in sunshine, which was a breath taking moment once we were up there.

After this we stayed overnight at the rocky coast close to Stavanger were a howling dog kind of scared us.

Sunday we walked through the beautiful town of Stavanger with cute colorful houses, a harbor, cafés and small boutiques like in the Haga district in Göteborg. A perfect place to live.. someday 😉

 

Afterwards we stayed for some hours at Orre beach, which seemed like a holiday in Denmark.

Hiking

The road back led us along the coast and gave us more Norwegian impressions. Best thing to drive the 44 instead of 39!

Yeah and how else could we have ended this nice time which we spend together then with a relaxing home made waffle dinner on Monday evening?!

Thanks for these awesome days I had with you guys. We will have our Norwegian Evening soon back home in Hamburg.

10. Mountain to Fjord field trip

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The mountain to Fjord trip was meant to be a tour with a variety of outdoor activities. Unfortunately I got sick on the second day hence I went home after the canoeing. I decided to go home because I didn’t want to hold back the group or to rent a bike if I would only be able to keep up with the others using medicine. As I overheard there were some discussions about it in the group because people would have decided differently. It is interesting to observe these different opinions and how it discussions start because of an individual decision.

However I wanted to tell about the two days of canoeing. After our arrival we split up into boat pairs and two of the persons who already had experiences in canoeing started to teach the others close to the coast. Approximately one hour was used to practice different strokes and steering. During this time I realized why people get annoyed by others teaching them stuff they know already. As I am experienced in canoeing, kayaking and traveling in these boats it got on my nerves to be thought the technique I was already able to use. Of course one can always improve but this was not the aim of this lesson. The im was to teach beginners how to go from A to B which is a whole different hing than improving. Apart from my own experience it was of course a good plan to first teach some moves before starting the tour. Especially considering risk management the ability to steer your own canoe is obligate.

the group making a decision

Once we started and had our luggage fixed in our boats the weather changed. From sunny to cloudy to rainy to stormy to snow. The wind gave us a hard time moving forward and as most people were not this experienced in steering it took us a long time to reach the coast and make a break. The question was wether we should stop and build our shelters or continue and try to reach the island which was our aim for this day. Considering the weather conditions we came to the conclusion that we wanted to paddle a bit further and stop if we would be too tired. Leaving us the decision our instructor used a democratic leadership behavior. Discussing about this made us all take part in the decision and kept us active and motivated.

STORMING

As we reached a small bay and the weather stayed windy we then decided to stay. Some of us put up the shelters on the beach. My group found a nice and wind sheltered spot in the woods. While building the shelter we argued a lot about how to do it and how to improve it. We were criticizing and testing each other which is typical for the storming state during a group’s development. In the end we made a nice little shelter and played “rock, paper, scissors” about the sleeping spots. The girls lost and had to sleep on the sides which shows how not gender typical our storming process developed 😉 . Later this evening when the hail storm was gone and the sun came out, we joined the others around their fire on the beach. Unfortunately I melted my shoes and spilled a pot of water over the fire. Nevertheless I managed to keep it going.

On the next morning I was sick and during the night i didn’t get much sleep. I alway rolled down on my tent neighbor so that he pushed me and I had to crawl uphill again. It is not always just comfy and cosy once you are in Bivouac+Sleeping bag+ inlay+uncounted layers of spare clothes. Alright thats enough complaining. We paddled downstream and the river got wilder. We had a nice little break on an island relaxing in the sun. However it can’t alway stay nice and easy. In the end of the day we learned how to maneuver the canoe in wild water which requires a lot of energy and effective communication. Me and my boat mate had some issues about effective communication. In the end I was exhausted and grumpy, sorry mate I would like to blame it on the cold. In my opinion it was important to learn and repeat all these wild water strokes. Certainly it would have been helpful to practice exactly these maneuvers in easier water and in the beginning while we were all full of energy.

Weel, this was it. The next morning I went home. As it always influences a group when a member leaves I was curious about the stories of my team mates. Funnily some of the group members didn’t realize that I was gone until we were all back home in Kristiansand.. This made me wonder if a group’s development only changes i the members are aware about each other.

9. Student organised field trip: Dirdal

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We were five persons in the group for the self organized hiking trip. As two of us went skiing the weekend before and the other two joined us spontaneously, I was in charge of planing the route. I have planed routes before but it was the first time that I was of on my own to do it.

I had to consider that there were very strong and fast people as well as slower ones. Moreover I had do check for snow and the weather conditions as well as a spot which was nice to hike in. I really liked being responsible for all of this although we changed the route a lot during our hike. Now, after the trip, I am more familiar with the hiking pace and the daily distances in a heterogenous group. Moreover I learned to talk to the inhabitants at the place because of snow conditions. For myself I note that I prefer to walk in a slow pace so that I can enjoy the nature hence it is not important to me to walk long distances. To me hiking is something calming and relaxing, to others it is more of a challenge and a type of sports.

changed route card

Day 1: Dirdal to Kvernatjørn Øvre (16km) change: to Kvitlavatnet (8km)

View over the Fjord

The beginning was quiet steep hence we took a lot of small breaks which was nice because we were right above the Fjord. After this we had to walk through snow to get to a valley. Walking through snow is exhausting because you sink in at least knee high.

Captured in the snow

Taking another break we lost Ozzy who kept on walking. In the end Moritz found him on a mountain top. The answer to our question why he was up there: “I don’t know!”. We were released finding him because it’s never a good idea to split the group like this.

Mountain Fitness

Mountain Fitness

Dinner time

In the evening we found a nice spot for our tents which was close to a lake and not on wet ground.

 Day 2: Kvernatjørn to Fossankrå (19km) change: Kvitlavatnet to Dirdal (9 km)

The next morning was foggy so we stayed in our tents until 11h. As the view didn’t improve then, we started to find our way up to the mountains. Everyone chose it s own path and we serpentine uphill for approximately an hour. Up on the mountain we decided to walk straight back to the cars because there was snow everywhere and a longer turn would have been really exhausting considering these winterly conditions. We were changing the track breaker and followed each others steps. The nicest part of this day was when we went downhill to hit the old path. I sat down and it was like sledging! Back in Dirdal it started to rain so we decided to drive straight to Orre.

At Orre beach we spend the night and on the next day we decided to have an easy day. Everyone was free however we ended up walking along together. The group didn’t want to separate.  At an old bunker we stopped. We girls had a relaxing time in the sun while the guys were building a stairway up on top of the bunker. Can there be seen a gender related behavior taking influence on the group dynamic? I must admit it was  kind of a cliché situation. Furthermore once they were done building part of the group wanted to head back which we did although we didn’t need to stay together.

Birdwatching

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We split up into two groups to watch the birds. I was in the first group which had to build the bird watch shelter. We left from UiA at 1600 to drive about 30 minutes, left our cars there and walked about 1km uphill. On the way the instructor Svein told us different things about the flora and fauna e.g. the bud of the rowan (tree) taste like marzipan. Moreover it is possible to eat ants or their pee. Finally then he showed us the cane which was used as a candlewick in the old days.

The shelter

The shelter

When we reached the place to stay we started to build a shelter out of logs, ropes and tarpaulins. It became the biggest shelter ever build for a bird watch of UiA student as Svein told us. During this work it was easy to see different phenomenons of group dynamics. On the one hand there were people starting to build while others talked about how to set the shelter up best. On the other hand some social loathing occurred and increased with the time. I really enjoyed this building process and learned useful knots and different way of building shelters. This was kind of new to me.

Under Construction

Under Construction

Finally we finished the shelter and one after another put their things inside. Then were eating our dinner and setting up a hunting bird in a tree to scare away the capercaillies on the next morning. To not scare them from the beginning, we put a plastic bag over the bird and made a construction with ropes which enabled us to pull a rope from the shelter and lift the bag from the hunting bird. Afterwards we went for a small walk with Svein to learn a bit more about the nature. Birds like to sit on dead trees which oftentimes are affected by the birch polypore. About peat moss Svein told us a spine-chiller: while construction work in Denmark a dead body was found. The police was called and they detected that the man was executed 2400 years ago. The “Tollund Man” was preserved by theses peat moss. Furthermore we learned different songs of different birds and animals.

When it got darker we even heard the capercaillies close by which was why we went into the shelter and kept whispering. Much fun was to play asshole in the shelter with head torches. I won all the time which was I guess a bit annoying for my mates. Anyway we went to sleep after some time.

The next morning Katja woke me up pinching my nose. I guess I snored a bit maybe. It was 6:00h and everyone was asleep till Katja told me that she saw a capercaillie. Svein got up too and handed over his binocular. When I spotted the bird and heard Katja whispering into my ear “all in all it looks like a black chicken on a tree” I couldn’t hold it and started laughing. She was so right. After watching THE bird a few minutes we got bored and went to sleep. At 9:00h we got up and walked back to our cars. As the one and only bird already left we didn’t even have to use our construction to let the hunting bird appear.

Conclusion

Cosy and Comfy

All in all it was a great trip for group bonding. The tasks were interesting and not difficult. We had time to play and talk and joke around. Everyone had to be in the same shelter which gave us time as a whole group. The facts Svein told us were exciting and the one capercaillie made the trip successful.

 

Downhill in Hovden

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Laughing in the Lift

Today Anne, Jannis my friend from Germany and me went to Hovden. To close the skiing season and to use my downhill skis which I brought with me. Now I can proudly say that I used them and none can tell me that it was of no earthly use to bring them.

After month of cross-country skiing I was really excited about the feeling of downhill. The first try was rather slow and snatchy. However after a minute or so my senses for the downhill technique returned. And I must admit that I have never had such a good technique since I learned skiing four years ago. As Volker Nagel always says, there are similar patterns in sportive movements which improve your technique even if you practice something different.

The whole day was great fun as you can check out on the pictures.

8. Lofoten (28.03.-06.04.)

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Leg

Date

Starting point

Ending point

 Accomod.

Distance

Time

Sights (Route details)

1.

28.03., Sat.

Kristiansand

Kinsarvik

Cottage

375 km

6:00

Låtefossen, Hardangerfjord, Tveitafossen, Nyastolfossen

2.

29.03., Sun.

Kinsarvik

Hellesylt

Tent

500 km

8:25

Vøringfossen, Flåm, The world’s longest road tunnel from Aurland to Laerdal, Stagestein – view, stave church Borgund

3.

30.03., Mon.

Hellesylt

Steinkjer

Cottage

495 km

9:15

Trollkirka(cave), Atlantic route

4.

31.03., Tue.

Steinkjer

Mo i Rana

Tent

430 km

6:10

Seven sisters (Sandnessjøen)

5.

01.04., Wed.

Mo i Rana

Kabelvåg

House

675 km

12:00

3:20 h to Bodo + ferry (15.30-19.00) + 2 h to Kabelvåg

6.

02.04., Thu.

—

—

House

85 km

1:40

Henningsvaer, Svolvaer, Sildpollnes church (view)

7.

03.04., Fri.

—

—

House

190 km

3:15

Stornappstind (hill),Nusfjord, Fangtårnet (hill)

8.

04.04., Sat.

Kabelvåg

Grunnfør

Bird house

300 km

5:00

Reine, Å, Ramberg (beach)

9.

05.04., Sun.

Grunnfør

Storuman (SWE)

885 km

11:30

—

Night

Storuman (SWE)

Sveg (SWE)

Car

475 km

6:05

—

10.

06.04., Mon.

Sveg (SWE)

Kristiansand

780 km

9:50

—

—–

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10 days

 

 

9 nights

5190 km

79:10 h

 

For the easter break some friends and me went on a road trip to the Lofoten. As it was a road trip we didn’t do that many hikes. On the first walk in Kinsarvik we were supposed to see four waterfalls. However we didn’t find a single one. Close to Trondheim we climbed down into some caves named “Trollkirke”. The caves were out of armor and one of them actually looked like the inside of a church. This was fascinating. We did plan to hike around the Lofoten Islands but there was a danger of avalanches. In the end we made it halfway up on a mountain and a small roundtrip on another mountain which was not as high.

The Crew

Nevertheless we experienced an endless variety of impressions. Driving through Norway can’t be compared to driving through Germany. In Germany you see nothing because of walls etc. however in Norway you are driving along waterfalls, reindeer, fjords, small fisher villages moreover you have to cross the water on bridges or ferries and the weather conditions change in every fjord.

The Lofoten

Most impressive of course were the Lofoten Islands. The mountains rise straight from the sea and their walls point steep into the sky. Fluffy clouds get caught in their tops and slide down to the ocean like candy floss. The red small fisher houses stand out crouched down to the foot of the mountains surrounded by dried cod hanging everywhere. The air is salty fresh but the fish smell follows you everywhere. Finally you have the ocean crystal clear, turquoise.

The group and its development

When Zuzana had the idea to do this road trip on easter, we started to plan and search for people to join us. For this reason the formation of the group was kind of random. We needed more people to drive hence we asked everyone who was free during the break. When we took of on Saturday we met for the first time as this group. I knew Zuzana a bit and I had been traveling with her before. The others were part of my study program however we had not spend much leisure time with each other. It was a whole new group.

During the first days our group went through the forming. We were really polite and we didn’t stick to a certain kind of music. When someone had a request he expressed it more like proposal. All in all we talked about the weather, our next destination and the beauty outside. Storming began on the first evening when two people were planning the next day but the others were joking around and interrupting. We were testing each other and trying what one could do.

On the next day we felt more and more comfortable with each other. We started to request certain songs and sang along or danced to it. Still we were polite as we let everyone chose their music after some time. Interesting was the different roles people played in this group. There was one of us who knew a lot about the surrounding and sight which he wanted to visit. Therefore we followed him and listened to his stories. I would call him a leader in sight seeing. Apart from this there was the owner of the car who had a different mastery. The other group members followed her lead concerning the car and the driving. Hence there were two leaders in our group which were responsible for different situations.

To Meet A Target

The Inidividual In The Group

The norming started when we reached our flat on the Lofoten. From this pint forward we started to do things which we as individuals usually do. Some went to bed earlier, some worked more for the ai of the group while others started a bit of social loafing. Nobody had to fight for being in the group because we all were. From day to day our group developed a general acting pattern. We took selfies in a certain way, listened to one particular CD at least twice a day, started inside jokes and shared our kvikk lunsj’ with each other.

When we started our travel back on Easter Day most of us were sad and we didn’t talk much until we left the Lofoten. Somehow none of us wanted to stay anywhere else for another night so we drove from 9 a.m. Sunday to 1 p.m. Monday when we reached Kristiansand. In this dying phase of the group we took our last selfie, hugged each other good bye and met on the next day for ending the trip with a proper dinner. Afterwards we did not meet anymore in this combination. Until the self organized trip in June..

Denial