In contrast to our expectations we were welcomed to a relatively warm and dry Norway. The Norwegian winter was still waiting to break out, so that we could explore the first places having an unusual sunny and warm weather. But as we wanted to test our equipment before starting the longer tours into snow and colder conditions, we were really looking forward to experiencing this in Norway. A few days later everything became white and we enjoyed lots of snow and in addition to that minus degrees: Just in time for the first overnight trip.
Packing my backpack for the one-day-overnight-trip in Jegersberg, I already realised that I had a few items (i.e.: a change of clothes), which were not essential for this one day trip. But I decided to take them in case I would need it or just for pretending to go away for longer. I put everything in bin bags to keep it dry in case the backpack became wet. It was a good thought but the binbags were too soft and ripped. For the next time I’ll use stronger and also smaller ones, as it is easier to fit a few smaller bags in my little backpack and milk all possible space.
Staying active is an important aspect while being outside in the cold. We had a great afternoon with different games referring to group dynamic, fun and exercise. Three aspects which are not always easy to fulfil but lead to a very enjoyable and warm atmosphere and body temperature. The other activity included a cooking competition with the trangias. It was really interesting to see how easy and fast it is to cook a tasty lunch/dinner with less ingredients in one or two small pots. Every group made it and we could all taste different food from Asian pasta to salmon with vegetables. What I personally took out from the task is that a Trangia with gas works faster than one with red spirit, this means that you spend less time on boiling water for example. Another lesson I learned was that it’s really worthwhile to have spices and if you don’t have them salmon is very advisable because it has already its own taste.
The next essential step was to light a fire, as it was starting to be getting dark and particularly because the fire makes the camp become comfortable and cosy and creates a nice area for gathering. A few of us headed in different directions to try to collect dry wood, this was not the easiest job in a snow paradise like we had. At last we found enough wood (especially branches which ones still hang in the tree, away from the cold ground and dry enough). I was really motivated to light the fire and started to prepare everything around the fireplace with Jonas. It’s very easy to set the tampon on fire but needs a lot of patience till the small branches catch alight, this requires a lot of oxygen again. At the beginning it’s more efficient to blow into the small pile of wool and branches and to use for example a sitting mat a bit later to waft. Slowly but surely, we got a nice burning campfire.
To dry the wetter wood, we arranged them around and over the fire across some stones. It seemed to be very stable, when we put two pots on it, filled with snow to be melted. Honestly, that wasn’t the best idea. A few minutes later – it was bound to happen – one of the branches broke and the pot now filled with water extinguished almost the whole fire. This was a shame. We saved what could be saved, kept the fire going and placed the pots from now on next to the fire on the ground.
While cooking dinner with my cooking group I was mostly involved at the fireplace to do stick bread. It was a highly enjoyable job as I had it nice, easy and warm. Anyway, I am interested in cooking with the trangias and will try to push myself into more cooking next time. We had chilli sin carne with stick bread, that was very tasty, filling and hot. In general, it is very pleasant to have a warm dish in the cold.
With regards to the tents, we worked pretty well as a team and had no problems in setting it up. Only the election of the place did not work so well. We chose a flat spot on a hill under a big tree, this made ourselves save from getting flooded from the ground but not from above. Unfortunately, we had plus degrees for the day we were out, which lead to the snow melting and creating a lot of big water drops falling from the tree. I was not happy with the place we’d chosen but I was also told to not be so sceptical and sensitive, and as the others seemed to be okay with the place I stopped arguing against it. It didn’t have any bad consequences for us as the tents are waterproofed and it got cold in the evening again and stopped ‘raining’. But we created a wet situation that could had been easily avoided by pitching the tent away from the tree. In different situations it’s especially helpful to take advantage of rainless time to dry the tent out and not to struggle with more wetness. Apart from that we decided to cover (with snow) the outer lower edge of the flysheet of one side of the tent only, because it was due not to be very windy and this allowed the moisture to pass out of the tent.
When I went to bed I took a hot water bottle with me, this made it even more enjoyable. I would recommend that to everyone. Very cosy! Anyhow it got a little cold later in the night. As I went only with the woollen underwear to bed, it was easy to put some more layers on: A hut to keep the warm inside my body, a fleece for my upper body and a second fleece wrapping around my hip. At first that helped and let me relax more in my sleeping bag. Anyhow I felt cold around my legs. But it wasn’t that bad that I thought about leaving the camp during the night as others did. I had a bit a cold night and less sleep but made it till the morning. Next time I will tighten my sleeping bag close around the neck to lose less warmth through a big opening. Furthermore, I would put a closed cell foam mat under my thermarest, that less cold can run through from the ground. As a last point I really enjoyed the fresh air all night long and that we didn’t had a bad snorer in our tent.
The packing and striking in the morning went better than I expected it to be. We were fast and organised and didn’t had any struggles with putting our things together. Most of the group went home immediately after getting up, that was also my thought in the morning. But my cooking group had planned to have breakfast, that was already prepared when we were ready to leave. To be honest, it was very pleasant to get something warm and filling after a cold night. I really appreciated the boys work and the idea of having that warm breakfast of porridge and fruits. Unfortunately, it was a bit less porridge. It had been added on my bringing list, but as I had no idea how much to bring for four people, it needed to be tested: 80g/person is too less, 100g/person might be better for the next breakfast.
To sum up, I can say that at daytime and during the evening my layer system (made of woollen underwear, fleece, warm jacket, waterproofed jacket, ski socks, softshell trousers) worked very well as I didn’t feel cold and that I enjoyed tasty food, a cosy campfire and good group atmosphere. I learned more about where to built up a tent and setting a fire and got some ideas, which ones need to be tested, to avoid cold at nighttime.