We arrived on the island of Randøya Monday morning, and after a brief introduction with the instructors were divided into the housings by group numbers. My group was put into the old hospital building, in which had been very well refurnished and even had a living area with leather couches. Veldig koselig. After getting settled in and having lunch we went to meet for our first lecture of the week, and my group had ‘large boats.’ Kjetil was our instructor, and he had Peter and Håkon give us a briefing of how the engines and steering of the boats function. I had only driven one motorized boat like this last semester that was from a cabin that my brother and Dad had stayed at in Lillesand, so I had somewhat been familiar with the way it works but had never practiced coming in parallel or parking like we had done this day. I managed to get the engine started on the first pull of the pull cord which was a nice feeling, and had reversed out of the dock without any problems. It was nice getting a good overview of the engine before attempting, and now knowing that the choke needs to be used if the engine had been sitting for sometime, and doesn’t need to be pulled if the engine had been running shortly beforehand. I was able to pull alongside the life boat in which Kjetil was in, and parallel parked quite well aside from coming in slightly too sharp in the front and should had reversed a bit sooner, but practice makes perfect. Håkon was in my boat and helped coach as best as he could along the way which very helpful. After everyone had gotten the hang of how the boat functions, we made a tour around the nearby Islands. Two boats had issues with their engines on the way back to the dock and ran out of fuel, but thankfully there was fuel tanks on board and they were able to get up and going. There was some nice team dynamics at hand though as soon as one boat was stopped, all of the surrounding boats took notice and had stopped to help them as best they could. After the tour we parked the boats at the dock and thanked Kjetil for the day.

The next day my group started out with rowboats with Svein Rune. Svein taught us the most effective methods and mechanics of rowing, in which rhythm and consistency are key. When both people rowing go at the same speed and pace, the boat will go at maximum efficiently, and the people rowing will have to do minimal work when rowing hand in hand. There were four of us per boat, so we were able to transition rowers whenever someone wanted a break. We made the same loop that we had made around the islands in the motor boats the day prior, but this time went the opposite way around, and worked on rhythm and technique along the way. Svein taught us to row with our whole bodies and not just our arms, otherwise we will be very burnt out in a short period of time and will not be anywhere near as efficient as we could be if we in turn use the whole body to propel the vessel forward. It took a while to get the hang of. I had used rowing machines in gyms and it was a very similar movement to rowing in the boat, but doing the actual action of rowing a boat took a lot more concentration and focus than simply using a rowing machine. This greatly helped me along the way though as I knew what form I should have when rowing the boat, and was able to slowly figure out how to incorporate my whole body into each row and not just my arms. The people rowing had to at first communicate in order to get a nice flow going, and after a while any adjustments were made without words as both rowers understood what needed to be done at what time in order to keep the boat going where it needs to.

We rowed around the big island adjacent to our island along the south side and came north along the west coast, and Svein knew of a nice hole where cod liked to hangout along the edge of the island and so we rowed up to meet it. Once here, we were given harps to fish with and sat for about 15 minutes fishing. No body else in my boat wanted to fish so I was fortunate enough to be able to fish the whole time, and after 15 seconds of first dropping my line I caught a nice little cod that Espen and I ended up sharing for dinner and made a nice fish soup out of. This was also a nice time as everyone was able to relax for quite a bit and enjoy the sun and the weather and not have to row as it is a lot of work after awhile.  After a bit of chilling and attempting to fish a bit more, we pulled up our lines and started the journey back to Randøya. Rowing was quite enjoyable and I liked the fact that you got a nice workout out of sitting in a boat, but would prove to be a tiresome way of transportation if it went on for many hours. After arriving back, we returned to our cabin and had a nice lunch, and Sophie and I discussed our plan for the afternoon as we were in charge of leading the next tour. We met with Len and discussed of nice routes to take for our kayak trip, and then went down to the boats to meet with the others and began to instruct as best we could the fundamentals of kayaking and techniques. We instructed the others how to properly hold the paddle and what technique is best to use when in the water, and also how to properly put on a spray deck in order to keep them as dry as possible when in the kayak. After a short off-shore briefing we all loaded up into our boats and made our way into the water to start off the session. We introduced a few paddle techniques and let everybody practice the different methods, and fortunately we had Rauridh along with us to help demonstrate anything we were unable to properly perform, or as well as he could. After paddling around the bay for some time we made our way across the way and into a bay adjacent to us to play some kayak tag. All was going well with technique and tagging, until I had accidentally gone a little too quick into the back of Petra’s boat and ended up capsizing her. I felt extremely bad about it and helped as best as I could, however Len and Rauridh knew how to properly perform a capsize rescue and everyone else got to witness how it all works in the end. Not even five minutes after Petra went over, Espen had managed to capsize himself when making his way across the bay. Everyone paddled up to him and got his boat flipped and drained, and then he had wanted to get into his boat on his own and performed the ‘cowboy entry,’ in which he started at the back of his kayak and “saddled” his way up to the cockpit. It was quite entertaining to witness, but was great to know incase I ever capsize on my own and am a long way out from shore. This also goes to shower how important it is to have a sponge or water pump somewhere in the boat incase a capsize ever does occur, and theres lots of water that needs to get out of the boat. One Espen was good to go, we made our way further through the channel between the two islands, and into a small bay sheltered from the open sea by two large landmasses and a small channel between. In this bay we did a small game where  everyone paired up and each pair had to have one leg of each paddler in both of the vessels and had to paddle across the bay, and after this was done each pair had to stand up while doing the same drill. Lisbet, my partner, was a bit terrified of this and could not bring herself to stand up but that was understandable as it was her first time ever being in a kayak before. After the game, we went through the narrow channel and into the open sea and Len had brought out the tow rope and let volunteers put on the rope while everyone else grouped up behind and formed at first a nice ‘V,’ similar to how birds fly, and then made a solid straight line behind one another to create a nice drift stream that made us all lighter to pull. After messing around with this for a bit, we turned our yaks around and made back for Randøya to end the session. Upon returning to the shore, some practiced their rolling techniques. It was nice to watch and I’ve been tempted to try, but still couldn’t bring myself to attempt on this day. All in all, I think the session went quite well and I think everyone in the group enjoyed themselves. This evening, we met with Kjetil again for an island tour. There was a thunderstorm occurring along the way which I think made it all the better, and we walked around the island to see parts of the military fort left behind for the public to observe and learn from. We sat under a shelter in which used to be a cannon area and he informed us all about the island’s history along with Vegar who also knew some things about the history. After seeing two bunkers, we made our way down to the dock area and into an underground fort. The tunnels around were immense and he showed us an open area that was planned to be a kitchen area for the military members, but was never fully converted and instead just had some sinks and storage areas. Further through the tunnels we entered a massive opening in which could fit hundreds of people, and he told us how this is open to the public in the summertime and there are often concerts and other events hosted here. We followed him up some stairs and he pointed out that there was moss in which only grew under the lights in the tunnel, and the rest of the wall was empty. At the top of the stairs was a chemical wash room with massive doors, and across the other end was – now – museum set up with a draw board of the southern coast of Norway with a desk and phone booth set across from it in which the drawers had a very special skill and that was the ability to write very well backwards, and so if there was an emergency the people at the phone desk would immediately make a call and know at all times what is happening where on the coast. Behind the main booth was another set of phones who would order from these guys. In the other section were machines used to detect submarines and other vessels around the area, and computers and what not. Was a fully underground military office used to protect the southern coast during the war. They had cannons at each end of the Island, and we watched a short film that portrayed all of the military action that took place on the island before the Norwegian Military donated it to the public and is now free to use and observe by all. Was a very neat experience.

The next morning we met again at the kayaks, and Rauridh and Petra led us on a kayak tour around the eastern side of Randøya and north west back across the top of the island. Two pairs made each leg along the way, and took turns leading the group. It was quite windy out and the waves were large which made for a fun time trying to surf. When I lead my first group though I got a little too carried away with the speed and surf attempts and when I looked back I was way ahead of everyone else, and so I noted to always have a look on the group and to stay tighter – especially in somewhat harsh conditions. This was a great day for practicing on the open sea for the next tour we were to take a week after this trip in the southern islands, and I felt a lot more confident in a kayak on the sea after this day as beforehand we had not experienced any conditions like this. We paddled alongside some beautiful islands, and I was amazed by some of the landmasses we came across. Rauridh and Petra did a great job on keeping the group together, and delegating the order in which who should lead the next leg if nobody took initiative. Was a beautiful sunny day and a lot of fun seeing the nearby area. We made our way back to camp after a few hours and had lunch before meeting with Svein for our afternoon lecture.

We did shallow water biology which was very interesting. Espen and Lisbet lead it and made a nice ‘Bingo’ format of sheets with species on the page for us to find in the water, and we learned a lot about the different sea life in Norway. On the way to the shallow area we had passed a massive ant hill, in which Svein went on to tell us that the ants living there have a vinegary taste and that they are the one of the two species of the ants in Norway that you can eat and enjoy. We used a cone like device with a plastic see-through bottom so that you could use it as an underwater telescope, and Synne was my partner. The water wasn’t too cold and we could wade across the whole area to the other island and the water didn’t raise above out knees. We found several of the pacific northwest invasive mussels and some snails, but we also found a clam that was lodged into the sand with his projecting out like a submarine. When bringing the clam to Svein he was absolutely shocked and had said after doing this for 15 years he has never had a student find this species during this exercise, so that was very cool to have found it and he said he would remember me forever. He boiled some snails and mussels and we ate them as he told us about them and the other species that everyone had gathered in the bucket. Espen and Lisbet had told us the information that they knew regarding everything which was interesting, and Svein added whatever he could to give us the most information possible. He’s a very enthusiastic and happy guy and I highly enjoyed the lecture with him. We took a small walk to the south end of the island and found a plant that was almost a cross between broccoli and kale and everyone picked off the flower and ate it, was very good. After a short trek back we gathered everything and went back to the garage.

The next morning we met with Svein again, but this time did deep water biology. This was an incredible experience, and was the first time I had ever snorkeled. We put on full body wet suits and everyone was euipped with flippers and a snorkel mask, and headed to the bridge across the way from the garage. Once here we got into pairs again and entered the water with a collecting bag for whatever species we may find to hold, and practiced my snorkeling. The first dive attempt was quite rough and I definitely swallowed some water, but over a few more attempts I figured out how to get it right and it’s definitely something that is only learned by doing. Snorkeling was absolutely incredible, I had never seen so much life right in-front of me and at arms reach. There were so many colors and something different everywhere you went, and there were many different fish to be seen and starfish and even jelly fish. We snorkeled for about an hour and I felt that I could have been there all day, I was mind blown by the beauty beneath the surface. There was so much life that nobody really knew what they should be collecting and what they shouldn’t, and so at the end of it we had very limited amounts of collected species – Espen was my partner and he had collected most of what was in the bucket in the end, but we learned of some seaweed that is edible and found a few new species that we hadn’t found in the shallow water the day prior.

After the snorkeling everyone refreshed with a nice shower, and we prepped for our night out on the island. We met with Svein Rune, along with Synne, who informed us about fishing with nets and taught us how to release them and use them. We laid them out in the grass and checked that everything was good, and packed them back into the box correctly to be able to effectively drop them in the water before we departed for our island night. We loaded up into the row boats and made our way out into the middle of the main bay and placed two nets in which we would check the next morning upon returning. We paddled our way north through the Skippergada channel, and to the island of Stokken to make camp for the night. All boats went along shore and we scouted the island for the best place to make our shelter, as we knew there would be a lot of rain coming throughout the night. After finding a spot that everybody agreed upon, we discussed who would stay and make the camp while the other two boats would go out and fish to get everyone dinner. I immediately volunteered to go out and fish, and Synne had joined me while Espen and Petra took the other boat. Peter, Rauridh, Lisbet and Sophie all stayed back at the island to construct our shelter. We attempted to fish in the bay right east of the island for a bit and had no luck, and so Synne and I had followed Svein Rune’s advice and made our way northwest of the island just north of the lighthouse, and caught the current that flowed into the bays from the open sea. After reaching the point and dropping in, twenty seconds later we had already caught our first fish which was a pretty nice sized cod. After I had caught one, Synne and I switched roles and she fished while I rowed. It was a lot of work to keep the boat in the right spot fighting against the current, as whoever wasn’t fishing had to continue to row at full pace the whole time in order to keep us from flowing with the current into the rocks ahead. Synne had caught two nice cod as well, and I had one more go at it and snagged another fish which was a red cod different from the others and was very fat. We had some awesome catches. Right as we were heading to turn back in we came across Espen and Petra in the bay who had gone to the other lighthouse out east from the island and had only caught a small pollock. We discussed and figured the five fish we had would be enough for everyone as it was already 6:45 and we were hungry and were sure the others would be as well. We made our way back to the island and brought our fish to show to the others, and to observe the shelter that they had come up with which was absolutely brilliant. Everyone made their way to the shore of the island where there was a nice row of tables placed along a wooden walkway and we chose this as our dinner spot. We filleted the fish and steamed the vegetables, and had a very nice meal. Rauridh made us all hot chocolate, and Len had come and picked up Synne as she was sick and took Håkon to the main island to gather his things. After cleaning up, Rauridh and I rowed our way back to the north edge of the main island to pick up Håkon and found shelter from the rain under a nice little post office on shore. Once Håkon arrived we made our way back to Stokken and headed to the fort to get ready to try and sleep. The rain had started about 9 pm and didn’t stop till 4:15 am, and I had an absolute miserable nights rest and could not seem to sleep. I slept with a life vest on to give me warmth and used my ruttsack as a pillow which I think all together worked quite well, but I was still freezing and could not seem to drift off to sleep no matter how hard I tried. Fortunately no body got wet because our builders did such an awesome job with the shelter, and all of the water was reverted from us. All in all I got about 1:30-2 hours of sleep in and out, and once the rain stopped I got out of the shelter and went on a nice walk about around the island and enjoyed the peaceful morning.  I found Rauridh, Peter and Espen who had gone on a walk about as well, and we all sat around and talked and had some more coffee and hot chocolate as we waited for the others to wake. Once everyone joined us it was about 5:30, and we were to be back no earlier than 7 and no later than 8, and had only about a 30 minute row back to the island. We headed back to our shelter and dismantled everything and loaded up the boats, and sent one boat to pick up Vegar (who never showed), and the other two headed back to Randøya and to the bay to gather the fishing nets. I went in one of the two boats that was to collect the nets, and my boat had got the net that ended dup having more than 15 flounder, while the other boat’s net only collected 2. I was the fortunate soul who had to slaughter each fish as we pulled them up and that was quite something to do first thing in the morning with such little sleep. We stored the fish in their buckets still tangled in the nets under the tunnel entrance where it was cool, and made our way back to our cabin to recoup for a couple hours before meeting to deal with the fish and nets that morning. I had a nice cup of coffee and bowl of oats upon returning, and ended up having a nice shower as well and refreshed myself as I did not want to lie down and sleep as I knew I would want to sleep for an endless period. Once ten rolled around we all met with Kjetil to untangle the nets and get the fish out, and once that was done we then grouped up and he taught us the proper way to filet a flounder. I ended up filleting around 3-4 and got the hang of it after awhile, was different than any fish I had every done as you get 4 filets off of every fish, since their spine runs through the middle of their body. After all of the fish were cleaned and the nets were dried and free, we stowed away all equipment and took the fish up to the kitchen to prepare a massive feast for my group. We deep fried all of the fish and made mashed potatoes and steamed some vegetables and I think it was one of the best meals I had ever had in my life. Was an incredible experience aside from the night of trying to sleep, but all in all I had an amazing time and now have an idea of how to react if I ever find myself stranded and having to camp on an island tonight with minimal supplies and resources. The trip was coming to an end and we cleaned up the fort and loaded our gear and taxi’d back to the mainland. I had an amazing time with the Norwegian outdoor group and with the instructors and all of the activities, it was definitely a holiday of a week.

I had walked into the Roligheden Gård Barnehage and right away was welcomed in and I met two of the instructors who were both really nice and had debriefed me about what the day was going to look like. All of the kids were already outside when I had arrived. It was a rainy day but that only made the morale of the kids even more positive and everyone was playing in the water or in the sand. Once the others had arrived and we were all ready to go, they all grabbed their daypacks and prepped the children to head out. All of the kids were fully clothed in rain gear and with a waterproof backpack, and all were lined up and holding hands with each other. We left the school and walked down the path nearby towards the beach area, and before reaching the beach we hooked a left up a small trail in which led us to an open area with a gapahuk. The kids all piled under the gapahuk and the instructors whipped out some pancakes, or svele in norsk, and they even offered us a few :). Everyone seemed happy under the structure aside from one girl who was crying for most of the day. Turns out she was three years old though and others were up to six in the group, so there was quite a range of age difference between the children and I had even talked with the instructor and he had thought that the younger ones should probably stay at the school and play outside there when the weather was as “bad,” as it was that day. She was cold and had wanted to go home the whole time so I imagine it’s hard for the younger ones to enjoy the nature no matter the weather, compared to the five and six year olds running around doing whatever they like.The kids played a lot of games and used sticks for mark points or for whatever they could think of. One girl had climbed way up into a tree and one instructor had his eye on her but was letting her do as she pleased and allowed her to climb as high as she wanted. She managed to reach a certain point where she didn’t want to go further and made her way down without any issues. They did a lot of running activities to stay warm or climbed rocks and jumped down the other side, everyone was very active and seemed to be making the most of the day. I envy these kids who have this possibility, as there is nothing like it in Nebraska. My kindergarten was right next door to a public ‘park’ and nature area, but we had never done anything like this and it’s such a simple concept. We were only allowed to play outside in the designated play area, and when the weather was bad (including rain) then we were always stuck inside or moved inside if it started to rain while we were out. I wish we had something similar to this back home because I think it acclimates children at a young age to being used to being outside no matter the weather and enjoying nature to the best of their ability and exploring their imagination to whatever extent they would like to, which I think is rather limited when stuck on a playground that has structures and surroundings that one can only do so much with.

The kids would fall and maybe cry if they were younger, just as in anywhere, but then within just a few moments they would turn right back around and join the others. There was one kid, named Bjørn, who was funny because he would growl and chase after other children or even us, so he definitely is living up to his name. Some kids all played together while others went into small groups or did their own thing, and it was nice that nobody was just sitting around doing nothing – and if they didn’t want to play something anymore than one instructor would shout to catch the other instructor and then the kids would chase them around for quite some time. He even climbed on top of the gapahuk and some of the more daring kids tried to climb after him and would assist each other on getting up. Another group of kindergarteners came walking by and went to their structures across the path, and the instructors took our group over to play and say hello to them for a few minutes, before returning back to their area but it was nice that the kids are able to play and meet other children who aren’t even at their school sometimes and I really think it’ll help all of these kids grow up to be more outgoing and adventurous from an early age. Another cool things about these outdoor play areas is that they don’t destroy any nature for their structures, but build around nature and with it. The other kindergarten group who had came by had placed several gapahuks all throughout the wooded area, and even used fallen over trees to act as the roof and sidewalls which were then lined with tarps.

One instructor had led a small group of the younger kids back to the school about forty-five minutes before the others were to go back. They said that usually they would spend all afternoon out in the area as well, but because it was so windy and cold, as it even snowed for a few moments, they were going to cut it short today and let everyone warm up and play inside for the remainder of the day. All of the kids lined back up and we made our way back to the schoolhouse. The children all had their own cubby area in which they could hang all of their wet clothing, and then they all had a change of clothes to wear for when they were playing inside. Some ran around the whole school while others sat in a circle and played together, but for the most part it seemed like they had used up more of their energy while playing outside. The instructors had invited us to stay and play with the kids for as long as we would like, and welcomed us back anytime we would like to return and that we could spend the day with them on a nicer day or whatever we would like to do. Most of the instructors had been there for several years and it was nice that they would have the same group of children for many years at a time, rather than just one year and then never see them again. At my kindergarten back home we only had one year of it, aside from pre school where we had two years prior to kindergarten but that was at a younger age but still same concept where we would only play indoors and never outside, but we were hardly able to keep the same group of friends made in every year because we would be divided into a different class every year from then on up so i think it’s really nice that these kids are able to establish good friendships with several others in their school and are able to play with them and see them for many years. All in all I really envy these kids growing up in these outdoor schools, and I definitely think it should be a universal concept because I firmly believe that these kids will grow up with a much better outlook on not only themselves, but also on nature and the world around them. It teaches children to respect and appreciate nature and opens their eyes to what all can be done with it and through it. Children who grow up inside of buildings and who don’t interact much with nature will not appreciate it as much as they should, and see may even end up being afraid of it because they had never experienced the joy that it could bring at a young age. I was fortunate enough to grow up with woods nearby and I played in nature a lot, however that was all on my own time and with my brother or friends, rather these kids are spending most of their days outside and making new friends all the while. Very happy to have been able to experience first hand what it’s like at these outdoor kindergartens as i’ve heard about them since I had first arrived in Norway, and it’s an amazing concept.

Caught the morning bus up to Byglandsfjord, and met at the beach near the bus stop. We all unloaded the trailer and got all of the canoes laid out, and then split into groups for some lessons from Rauridh and Scott about paddling techniques. After some demonstrations on land, we all got into our paddling pairs and got into the boats to practice on the water, where they then showed us several more paddle techniques, one primarily being the J-stroke to help the back paddler steer the boat without having to swap sides constantly with their paddle. We learned how to collectively turn a boat, with one person in the front paddling forward on one side, while the person in the back of the boat paddles backwards on the opposite side. After practicing our J-turns for a bit, we came to shore and did a brief capsizing run-through. We then all sat and had lunch and prepared for our day out in the fjord.

We all loaded up into our boats, and strapped our bags into the middle of the vessel so they would hopefully stay in incase we ended up capsizing. To start things out, our boat was backwards for about the first five minutes until Sean looked over and was giving us weird looks, and then Len giving the confirmed answer that it was indeed the wrong way around. Lea and I had to swap places and I ended up taking the back of the boat that day when she had originally wanted to do so, but we managed to swap places safely without flipping the boat. We departed from Bygland and made our way towards the island of Øyni for our first checkpoint, roughly 2kms south. From here we made our way further south down the Fjord, where tops came off halfway through as it was an amazing day out. We stopped on a small beach just east of Nånes and had a snack break, and enjoyed the sun for a bit on the rocks. Lea and I were given the next length to lead, down to the south side of Bernesodden – 2.5kms from the beach we were at. The paddling was going well and I was slowly but surely getting my J-turns panned out. There were a few times where we definitely drifted a bit too much to one side as I would over adjust the turns and many times on accident and I was trying to J-turn too much. Sean gave me advise to only J-turn when I have to go the opposite way of the side I am paddling on, and through that advice I was able to stay much straighter and had much more control of where we were heading. As we approached Bernesodden we went around the peninsula and to the south side of Horgi, and hangout on the beach for a short while until the other group paddled to us to join. Simon and I went out to a nice little rock in the water and Michael joined once his group arrived. Our boat mates thankfully paddled to us to pick us up, as we were threatened to have to swim to our boats as punishment for going out there, the others were just jealous of our island sun spot though. From here we hit the last stretch of our paddling for the day, and headed towards the island of Storøyi to set up camp for the night. We stopped near a small island on the way, where Len pointed out a massive iron ring bolted into the rock. He said that loggers back in the day – who would tie loads of logs together and float down on top of the mass – would tie off to islands like the one he had pointed off to either fix something, change direction or just take a break and maybe stay the night.

We made our way to Storøyi, and on the way noticed some Canadian geese on the North side of the island, and we made a point to not set up camp near them as they are very territorial. I had no idea that Canadian geese had made their way across the pond and are apparently a rather invasive species. Upon arrival to the island, I grouped with Michael, Simon and Jonas as we all had hammocks and scouted out a nice area to group up for the night. We found a group of trees near the southwestern end of the island, with a nice little cove beneath us, and with big cliffs around us to where the morning sun wouldn’t wake us too early. After setting up our tents, we headed back to the beach where we docked our canoes and went out for a small paddling session where Len and Thomas taught us a few more paddle techniques, specifically how to paddle sideways in which consisted of making a figure 8 in the water. I could not figure this out for the life of me and Len was practically screaming at me step by step trying to adjust my technique, but my mind was gone and I was not executing it well. We were all slumped after this and ready for dinner and bed. We all cooked on the point and watched the Australians go for a swim around, and then hung-out and talked for a short bit before heading back to our sleeping quarters for the night.

Woke up to the birds beginning their morning tunes, and could hear the songs start with the birds right above me, and slowly drift across the whole island almost in a wave. Was quite a blissful awakening. Had a solid nights rest in my hammock, was the first time I had used it. I angled it a bit too much on the upper tree and found myself sliding down throughout the night and had to adjust several times throughout the night to pull myself and my bivvy back up onto the mat, but aside from that I was pretty happy with my setup. I disassembled everything and packed up my stuff, and headed to the point to cook breakfast and get ready to head out. Used a small chunk of the brush to clean out my pan and it worked wonders compared to using my fingers / my spoon. Was the first time cleaning out a pot in water without any cleaning utensils, or snow to clear things out. Lea and I loaded into our canoe and she was in the back this time and I took the front. I was in Thomas’s group today, and we headed to our first destination which was the west side of Langenesøyi. Lea had some trouble with her J turns on the first leg and I had to help her adjust directions quite a bit at the start, but she seemed to be getting it down more as we went on. We made it to the island and weren’t ready for a break yet, and so we changed leaders and made our way to the island of Ambogøyi another km south, in which we took a break on the north beach of. After this break, Rauridh had taught us a new paddling technique in which was used by indigenous people when hunting in water to sneak up on prey. The stroke consisted of making little to no noise, and paddling with your oar just below the surface of the water and making very long strokes, and then pulling it back to the front sideways – without lifting it from the water making noise, and without pushing your boat backwards through the process. After practicing it for awhile, Lea and I had been given the next destination point, and we hugged the western coast down to Sines for 3kms, where we ended up meeting up briefly with the other group to get some photos and also to get a headcount as to how many people wanted to go rafting later in the day once we had reached TrollAktiv. After this brief meeting we made our way through a very narrow opening where we had barely managed to make it through, and had to get out of the boats to pull them across the shallow area. From here we continued on south west for another km to the peninsula of Eikjånodden, and headed to shore on the south side for lunch. At this point Lea and I had failed to notice one boat drifting behind and Thomas had pointed out that it’s important to always have sight on the last boat in your group, especially if weather is bad and is a very fair point especially when leading a group. We made it to shore and it was a nice little island with a rocky point for all of us to group up on and have lunch together. Was different paddling up front all day compared to in the back, but I enjoyed it as it took less mental strain to try and figure out when to turn or not as the front is just the engine house and the back is suppose to do all the turning, but I still had to use the front rudder method several times to readjust our boat but that was only when necessary and for the most part I could let my mind wander and just paddle away. We paddled across the open fjord for another 3kms after lunch before approaching the narrow channel which would lead us to the end after 3 kms into Byglandsfjord. This was a rather chill section of the trip as the channel was pretty direct and we just stayed in a line down it all. We approached a small beach to where the other group was and stopped for a relief break across from the logging company, and then continued down towards the dam. We passed  a mother goose on her eggs which was neat, and headed to shore about 10 meters apart in single file so that boats could get pulled up and emptied by the time the next one came behind. We grouped on the other side of the dam and pulled all of the boats over and had a small water and snack break, and then everyone who was rafting went out on a walk with Len to see the rapids in which we’d all be going down.

After walking the whole way down alongside the river, we ended up at TrollAktiv and walked up to the resort where we were met by some of the instructors and we signed into the guest sheet. They gave us a briefing and checked equipment out to us and we went and changed almost right away and we were loaded up into the bus ready to go about 45minutes after our arrival. We split into two groups and got our rafts into the water and seated with paddles in hand. We went over basic instructions and orders and practiced for a bit down where we had unloaded the canoes earlier right at the dam entrance where the water was rather still. Once the guide felt we all had it down then we unloaded and went across to the other side to get ready to start our first run down. One of the instructors had jumped into the stream to show us how to react if we happened to fall in and to swim to shore when instructed. We went down one time all the way, and then back up 3/4 the way to do some surfing which was awesome and everyone got the chance to be in the front of the raft. Afterwards we did a mini cliff jump and swam back to shore and got into the rafts to head back to shore. Halfway back he had told us all that we could swim from here on out if we wanted to, and of course we all jumped in. All of us immediately regretted the decision as we were still a solid 2 minute swim out from shore and the water was freezing, but we all managed. After our rafting venture, we all got back and changed and collected our belongings from the bus that they others had loaded up and put them into our lodges. Then we got our bikes checked out to us so we would have that done with by the morning, and we were able to ride into town that evening with them because stores were closed the next day.. so no Evje bakery run sad day. The lodges were nice and cozy, just small little huts with three sets of bunk beds. Mostly everyone had gone into town on the bikesand then came back and cooked dinner, and we played a round of wizard before bed. My knees were in pain as my ride to the town was a wake up call for me and glad that I had done it because I had no idea how my bike should have been adjusted, and my seat was far too low and my knees were doing all of the work. Had I gone any further than the 6kms there and back then it would have been really rough. Was nice being able to freshen up a bit at the lodge and wash my ghost faced-self with warm water before bed, and the beds were very comfortable and I didn’t have any dreams of falling all night like I had experienced the night before in my hammock – however it was apart of it and a note to my future self to make sure that my hammock is as flat as possible before I call it good.

We woke up at around 8 to head out by 9:30 for our first bike tour to the crag, and made breakfast and packed and cleaned up after ourselves. We said goodbye to Tim and his wife and started our journey in 2 groups and I was in Thomas’s again. We had nearly left Tim’s land when Thomas talked to us a bit about people wanting to hunt wolves in norway as they think that they threaten the reindeer and people, however there has only been one documented killing of a person back in the 1800s of death by a wolf, meanwhile the real predator is the wolverine that takes out most deer, and apparently there has been one spotted on Tim’s land and people are wanting to hunt it, but Tim does not want to. We continued on down the gravel path past some farms and into Evje, and then eventually to some buildings in which we took a nice ten minutes break at and found from Thomas that the buildings were historical to the area as they were used as housing for the army during the war. The soldiers stationed here were told to forfeit and then they were allowed to go back home, and that is exactly what they had done. This was the end of the stories and we continued our trek to the climbing area which was roughy 20kms from Evje. There was one major hill up to the crag which nearly burned Scott and I out, and after this I was terrified for the journey tomorrow as I was absolutely winded after this short excursion. Definitely need to get some cardio in the works. We had arrived to the crag shortly after noon and had taken about an hour break upon arrival and had lunch and almost a nap. We then went on a walk about with Len and Thomas and Len had shown us the area in which we’d be staying for the night and the possible spots for putting up our bivvies and an example of a nice bouldering crag for kids to learn how to climb on, and then Len had shown us how to properly run 4 overhead climbs off of one rope and how to tie them off effectively. We then climbed these 4 for some time in which seemed to get harder as they went further across the cliff. The last one proved to be a real pain for many where the grips were all finger holds and your footing was nothing but a cm of ledge to put your toes on. Was a fun and challenging climb, and then Len had rigged up another rope along the larger cliff to where someone could belay from above which proved to be a difficult climb at the start in which I had nearly managed it until I lost my grip and sight with the bulky (but safe) helmet and had to catch myself on the rope right before I had gotten my feet up so that was depressing, but still proud of my effort leading up to it. Slowly getting a better climbing technique, I always find myself finding one proper foothold and then not knowing where to put my other foot which burns out my arms quite quick, but i’ve found myself searching for solid footholds before I climb which is what I need to keep doing.

After I had done my climbing about, I went up to find where the others had pitched their hammocks and I found a nice spot right above them between two trees in which I was able to surely fasten my hammock flatter this time around. I had gotten my hammock looking real nice and by the time I was seated in it there was a nice ledge chest level in which I could place all of my things at before heading to bed which turned out to be perfect. After getting it all rigged up I had headed back to the bottom of the cliffs and had a swim with some others. The water was quite cold but warmer than it had been the day before while we were rafting, and felt really great to be able to refresh after the hot day in the sun. We all dried off and began to cook our dinners and boil water, we could drink the water from the lake but it was still water so we all boiled it before consuming just to be safe as we were a 10km bike ride away from the nearest fresh water supply bank which we’d reach the next morning. Everyone cooked and hung around and talked and it was a chill evening. Chef Michael whipped up pancakes and it was nice watching him do his magic while hazed out from the long day. The sun had slowly set and the sky was pink by the time I had climbed back up to my hammock. I went up a bit higher up to the top of the cliffs to see the whole sky and surrounding area, and it was a delightful end to the day. I was climbing into my hammock before 9:30 which is always an amazing feeling knowing that I will get at least 10 hours of sleep that night, which was definitely a much needed amount before the 70km bike ride in the morning back to Kristiansand.

We woke up on the 4th day and packed up our hammocks and belongings, and headed down to join the others for breakfast. I have gotten quite good at efficiently packing away all my things, and packing up with the hammock is ten times easier than doing so inside a tent or on a bunk bed as you’re able to stand up while doing it. After breakfast we prepped out day packs and brought all of our other bags and equipment to the side of the road under a tarp in place for Tim to come back later with a shuttle to load up. We all loaded onto our bikes and peddled about 1.5kms to a junction where we had all met up and split into our groups. Michael and Lena were our first group leaders, and we were all set on stopping at the cafe an hour out of Kristiansand for a coffee and cake before we return, which turned to be our motivation for the day. We started out at a mellow pace, and then Simon and Lena lead and they were cooking it. We had an insane pace going and after about 20 minutes from the switch we had reached the water bank and were able to fill up our bottles and discussed the pace and that it needs to slow down immensely as we were at least 15minutes ahead of the other group. We had a small bite to eat and refreshed our legs before getting back on our bikes. There was a small trail with some ramps off to the side that Michael had hooked onto, and he had almost made it all the way through before we all heard “Ooope, Oooope,” and then looked over and saw him going head over handlebars on the last leg of it. Was quite a sight to see, but the Schmidt man was alright and we all had a nice laugh. I was feeling quite okay on my bike after already going nearly as far as we had the day prior, and was feeling much better about the remainder of the trip than I expected. Slowing the pace down helped a lot, and I had adjusted my seat to be perfect earlier so that my knees no longer caused me hardly any pain, and I figured out how to best adjust my gears as Thomas gave advise to adjust the front wheel before the back, and I had been doing the opposite until the point which really burned me out quick so glad he had a better alternative. From here we rode on for quite a ways and through many tunnels which were really awesome to go through. We were playing games along the way and when going through the tunnels I really had to focus to stay in the middle of the road and not drift into the side as it it pitch black in there. We regrouped with the other group beneath another dam and went behind a hydropower building for lunch. Was a very nice place to stop with the sun above and grass to layout on, and a scenic view the whole time. We were over halfway done at this point and after lunch I felt very drained and just wanted to nap there for awhile, but it was my turn to lead and I had to wake up and continue on. We continued on through a small town where Thomas had stopped us all and pointed out a small building next to the railway, in which the town had input water through in order for the steam engines to work (water was our last guess for what it was for as we guessed coal and fire before to Thomas’s delight,).

From here the road began to get very hilly and we would climb up a ways, and then drop a bit, and go right back up. This really tested my endurance for my legs as they were on fire but I had to keep up with the group, but my only complaint is that we went way too quick through this section and didn’t really “enjoy the journey,” but only “focused on the destination.” The surrounding area was beautiful but we went by too quick to be able to take most of it in, so if I did it again I would surely slow the pace but I guess it was necessary to keep the pace we had as we wanted to get to Kristiansand at a reasonable time and had to meet the other group at the cafe. We arrived at the small town of Venessla   to grab our coffee and cake, and I had a nice cup of coffee and cinnamon roll. At this point we were only an hour out from Kristiansand, and it was a nice thing to be able to stop and enjoy the journey to this point and sit around with everyone for one last time before getting back and parting ways. We left the cafe and hit the final stretch of the trip. We went a bit too quick through the city and even scared a few children unintentionally as our leaders were flying by them and catching them unexpectedly in the middle of the sidewalk, but no-one was injured physically just mentally through this. We had made it to a chainlink bridge which was something I had never seen before, but was very fun to ride across as the whole time across it I was wondering how secure and old it is as it was quite rusted but had many cables supporting it. We passed by the crag in which we had climbed at months prior to and upped the pace once more and we were approaching the other group and Thomas had told us to slow again and regroup and decide to either overtake or stay behind. All in all our group struggled with cohesion and everyone going the same pace, but we panned out for most of the way but good notes to remember for when leading other groups in the future. We made it back to the garage about twenty minutes past this point, and all organized the bikes and helmets. Everyone went home for about two hours before Len had returned with the bags and canoes, in which we all returned back to the garage to help unload and organize everything. I think we got everything done and put away within ten minutes as everyone was very tired and wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible which was quite funny but efficient. This was my first bike tour that I had ever been on and I was quite proud of myself for making it through as swiftly as I did, and I learned new techniques for it and it has further inspired me to want to invest in a nice bike when I return home, I just wish I had the accessibility like Norwegians do to be able to ride bikes from one town to another with ease through bike lanes and wide sidewalks, so that was nice to be able to experience and get the feel of how it is like to cycle through the country. I had an amazing time and we had some awesome weather, and all in all was a delightful trip and rather chill up until the final day which compared to the ski trips was unusual as everyday usually requires quite a bit of work, but paddling is a rather leisurely sport and climbing isn’t too work intensive just strength requiring. Cycling was a great way to end the trip and helped to show me how out of shape I am, and also taught me how to communicate collectively when in groups going this fast compared to when skiing or paddling where everyone is usually going the same pace with the same effort. In the end this showed me how much my own home area lacks accessibility to a sport as simple as cycling, and has encouraged me to want to end up somewhere where I can safely get out and do something like this in the future.