Cycling is something that I was always enjoyed as a recreational activity and back home I have a road bike so cycling long distances has never been an issue for me so this trip suited me and it was something that I was really looking forward to doing. We took the bus up to Bygglandsfjord on the Monday to meet Len who had the canoes. When we got there we put all our bags in black plastic bin bags to reduce the chances of them getting wet, and then Martin give us a short introduction into the different types of canoe strokes that we would need to know when in the water. Once we set off, I was in the front of the canoe as the engine and joining me in the back of the canoe steering was Martynas. We worked well as a team and I enjoyed having him with me as we both share the same sense of humour. We were told when we were canoeing that we should stick within 20 meters of the side of the river as at points it could be over 100 meters deep and over 1km wide. This meant that if someone fell into the water in the middle and couldn’t get back in the canoe they would have to swim a long time and this could lead to their muscles seizing up due to the temperature of the water. We eventually made it to the island after several hours and canoeing and one last big push when we turned round the bend and we felt the full force of the wind. We unpacked our stuff out the canoe and went for a walk round the island trying to find the most suitable place to set up camp. The south side of the island was prone to the most wind so we stayed away from that. Eventually, myself and Martynas found a space in between 4 trees in which we tied a rope round and hung our tarps up creating a ceiling and walls to help protect us from the rain and wind. After the rain stopped we made our way to the beach and sat there with a fire for the rest of the night. We woke the night morning and continued canoeing until we found a lunch break. Unfortunately though, whilst we had sat there eating the wind had picked up and now it became to a level that it was dangerous. So as a group we had the decision to get the van to pick us up with the equipment and skip the last few kilometres to the dam. At Troll Active we decided to have a BBQ that night as we had no other commitments. Afterwards we just rested in bed and then waiting for the morning to come.

The next morning is what I had been waiting for… the bikes! I picked my bike and got on immediately. I had not been on one since December so it felt for me like I was back home. Once we had collected our helmets and paid for them, we set off on the dirt track towards Evje. It took us around 20 minutes to get there and when we did we stopped off at a little café for some breakfast and to celebrate Martynas1 birthday. We then set off towards our destination for the night, which was around 20km away at a local climbing area. When we got there Len had to call Troll Active to come and collect my bike and bring a replacement as I was having issues with my pedal. We then walked down and put our stuff down and again went for a walk round the area to check out what places were suitable to sleep in. I picked an area where the rock was over hanging with provided the perfect cover from rain and wind. Then we got on with rock climbing, we set up the ropes and got straight on with it. As it was a very warm sunny day it made the experience much nicer and we were able to get a tan whilst climbing which is always nice! After everyone was spent, we settled down and began to relax, adding extra layers and the sun went in and the temperature dropped. Then when it was cold enough we started a fire around some rocks that we were able to sit on and tell each other camp fire stories which meant we were able to get to know each other better. At the end of the night it was just myself, Max, Martynas and Martin who were still up and there was still plenty of fire wood so we decided to put it all on and make a massive bonfire. Then when it was time for bed, I slept next to the fire and this kept me warm and kept the mosquitoes away!

The final day we woke up and all was left to day was to bike back to Kristiansand. This was the part I was looking forward to. Although what I didn’t take into consideration was how much my bum would hurt!! After around 1 hour and cycling it was apparent that this would not be a comfortable journey. We also had to stop several times for Michael as he had been given a bike where the wheel was axis was starting to bend so we had to keep stopping so Martin could adjust it. Eventually when we were going through a town the decision had to be made that he would have to get the bus back which was unfortunate but it had to happen in case his bike completely broke in the middle of nowhere. Eventually though we made it back to Kristiansand after 60km of biking that day in around 5 to 6 hours which was a fair pace considering we had to stop several times for bike repairs!