The Mountain to Fjord trip took place in late April in Southern Norway. The trip began in Bylands Fjord and ended in Kristiansand. Much of the area was forested; consisting mainly of pine trees, blueberry bushes and moss. Lakes, swampy marshlands and a river were also seen. Several waterfalls were also spotted on the mountains which added to the already scenic views. The temperature for the trip was generally around ten degrees during the day and down to lower temperatures over night. It was also mainly overcast with small patches of sun and some light showers on the Thursday.
The itinerary for the trip was as follows:
Tuesday: Bus to area. Break off into groups and discuss norms. Canoe downstream towards Evje. Stay overnight on an island or embankment.
Wednesday: Continue paddling towards Evje. Stay overnight in tipis at the TrollActiv sight. Option to partake in white water rafting.
Thursday: Receive mountain bikes and ride approximately 20km to climbing crag. Spend day climbing and abseiling, learning the set ups and working on shelter creations. Spend night at the crag.
Friday: Collect bikes and ride the remainder of the way back to the University of Agder in Kristiansand.
The main aims for the trip were to gain experience in climbing, canoeing and cycling as well as improving our camp-craft in regards to shelter building.
Canoeing:
Canoes have been around for thousands of years with them originally being carved out of trees – in particular birch trees. Nowadays, most canoes are made out of plastic or fibreglass materials. Canoeing is the activity of sitting in a canoe and using a paddle along with your own strength to propel you forward (Winkler, 2008). We canoed in pairs. Generally the stronger / bigger person sits at the back. This allows the canoe to glide easier through the water as the front of the canoe is slightly heightened. The front person is the main paddler – they continue to paddle and are in charge of paddling sides because they cannot see what the back person is doing. The back person’s main job is to control the canoe. They are in charge of keeping it in a straight line. In order for the canoe to move forward in a straight line one needs to have proper technique.
Hold the ‘Tgrip’ on the paddle with one hand and place the other hand on the neck of the paddle (at the bottom of the shaft). When paddling, your aim is to push the paddle through the water using the flat side of the blade – slicing the blading through the water will get you nowhere.
The way in which you sit in the canoe is optional with the two main options being to sit with legs bent at a 90 degree angle and feet planted firmly or to kneel.
When one person is paddling on the left, the other must paddle on the right and vice versa – this keeps the canoe going straight.
Forward Stroke:
With one hand on the tgrip and the other on the neck of the paddle, lean forward and dig the paddle into the water and draw back twisting your body slightly so as to use core and back muscles as well as arms. Take the paddle out of the water and repeat. (Berger, 2009)
Backward stroke:
This is similar to the forward stroke just done backwards. Reach back, dip the paddle into the water and pull forward. (Berger, 2009)
Draw stroke:
This stroke can be used when wanting to move sideways towards something. We mainly used this when we were attempting to raft up. Dip the paddle into the water at an arm’s length away with the flat side of the paddle facing the canoe. Pull the paddle towards you until it touches the canoe, twist the paddle sideways and push it back out, then twist it back and draw in again. Continue until you’ve reached your desired location. (Berger, 2009)
J-stroke:
This stroke is a correctional stroke and can be used to straighten the canoe. Begin with a normal forward stroke and then finish it by twisting the shaft so that the paddle faces outwards – Just like tracing the letter ‘j’ in the water. (Berger, 2009)
Things to remember when canoeing:
– ALWAYS wear a personal floatation device (pfd)
– know the weather forecast before heading out
– waterproof any equipment you are taking with you i.e rucksack, rucksack contents, food, electronic.
– know what to do in the event of a capsize.
– wear correct attire (you will get slightly wet)
– know your capabilities and be responsible about the route you choose
– never paddle alone
– inform others of your route plan
– take litter home with you
– Watch out for rocks under the water
– Never let go of the paddle
Climbing:
Climbing has long been a past time of humans and nowadays with all the safety equipment, it’s a lot easier to go climbing.
Equipment needed for a top rope set up and climbing:
– Helmet
– harness
– shoes
– chalk (optional)
– two ropes (one static, one dynamic)
– belay device (ATC)
– four carabiners
– tape sling
– prussik
Top Rope set up:
- Tie a rethreaded figure of 8 knot around a bollard or strong tree using the static rope.
- Using the rope, measure the distance to the edge of the cliff and when the rope is slightly over, tie a figure of 8 on the bight.
- Attach your prussik to the rope and clip it onto a carabiner attached to your harness.
- Wrap the tape sling around another bollard or tree nearby and secure it with a carabiner.
- Use a clove hitch to secure the static rope to the carabiner.
- Ensure that the weight it equalised between the two ropes – if not adjust either the clove hitch on the carabiner or the figure of 8 knot on the bight.
- When equalised, attach two carabiners to the figure of 8 knot with the two gates opposing each other.
- Lastly, slide the dynamic rope through the two carabiners, yell ‘rope’ and drop the rope over the cliff.
- Ensure all carabiners are closed.
- Depending on resources, you may choose to have two or three anchor points.
To remember all these, one can use the acronym SARNEA:
S= Safety (ensure prussik is attached)
A = Anchors (ensure anchors are solid and will not fail)
R = Redundancy (The anchor should have at least one or two back up connection points)
NEA = No Extension Angles (the angle of the set up should be as small as possible. The larger the angle, the more force that is placed on the anchors).
To climb / belay:
- Ensure your harness is fitted and buckled up properly. To test, cross your legs and try to pull the harness over your hips. If it doesn’t move, then it’s fitted well.
- Ensure your helmet is fitted and buckled up.
- Tie in to the climbing rope using a figure of 8 knot or into the belay device by sliding the rope into the device and attaching the carabiner to the device / rope and your harness.
- Check each other and then use appropriate calls:
Climber: “Take in” (The belayer then takes in the rope)
Belayer: “On belay, climb when ready”
Climber: “Climbing”
Safety:
To check each other before the climb complete the ABCDE check.
A = Anchors (ensure that climber and belayer are attached to the same rope and that there is a stopper knot in the belayers end to prevent rope from sliding through the ATC in event of a fall)
B = belts and buckles (check that harnesses and helmets are done up)
C = carabiners (ensure all carabiners are closed off)
D = devices (ensure belay devices are attached properly)
E = Everything else (check knots, shoes etc)
*To check the re-threaded figure of 8 knot – ensure that it is correctly threaded through the harness and count 10 points on it.
When climbing:
– use both arms and legs and remember to pull and push
– keep your body close to the wall and have arms extended where possible as this will reduce the ‘pump’ or lactic acid build up in the forearms
– if you pull out some rock and drop it, yell ‘rock’ to alert those below
Abseiling:
The set up of the abseil is quite similar to a top rope set up regarding the anchor points. Setting up a top belayer is recommended as this gives the abseiler more confidence and in the event that they let go of the rope, they will not fall.When abseiling, the abseiler uses a figure 8 device to belay themselves down.
Climbing is an outdoor activity that requires a lot of trust – trust in yourself, your belayer and the equipment.
Cycling:
When cycling it is important to remember the following things:
- Always wear a helmet
- Check the bike before leaving (are the breaks working, are the chains ok, tires pumped up etc)
- Always have a repair kit and a mobile phone with you
- Stay alert – particular on roads
- Use special hand signals to signal to your group members about speed, dangers and traffic.
- Follow the road rules
Comfortable riding:
- Stand next to the seat and adjust it so that it sits approximately a fist length below the top of your hip. To check if it’s the right height, jump on the bike and have your legs at “12” and “6”. If there is a slight bend in your knee then it is fitted, if the bend is quite large then the seat needs to be heightened.
- Choose a speed that is suitable for the whole group
- Take regular breaks
- Adjust gears accordingly – this will make your ride smoother and easier
Overall this trip was a great experience to learn about a lot of different outdoor activities.
Shelter:
On the first night we made an A-frame shelter which held really well and sheltered us perfectly creating a great night’s sleep for us all.
On the last night we improvised by using logs and rope for the frame and then tied the tarp over the frame to protect us from the rain. Again it was a success!
Reference:
Back Country Gear 2014, ‘figure 8 repelling device’, <http://cdn1.backcountrygear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27
136e95/t/a/tacticalfig8wrope.jpg viewed 29/5/2014
Berger, Karen 2009, ‘Different Stroke for Canoeing Folks’, Scouting Magazine, May to June Issue, <http://scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0905/d-outs.html> viewed 29/5/2014
Go Canoeing, 2014, ‘Canoeing Saffety advice’ <http://www.gocanoeing.org.uk/go/index.cfm/hints-tips/safety-advice/> viewed 29/5/2014
Mountain Guides 2013, ‘Know your knots’, <http://www.mountainguides.com/wordpress/2013/04/12/gear-questions-answers/know-your-knots/> viewed 29/5/2014
Princeton 2014, image, <http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/images/climbing/8follow2.gif> viewed 29/5/2014
SAREA, 2014, ‘assessment’ <http://climbingclubsouthaustralia.asn.au/sarea/sarea-organisation-information/>, viewed 29/5/2014
Topdog Illustrations 2009, ‘Canoe strokes’, <http://scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0905/d-outs.html> viewed 29/5/2014
Winkler, Sarah, “How Canoeing Works” 09 June 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/water-sports/canoeing.htm> 29 May 2014.
