The day we came back from our trip to Lofoten we already had to get ready for our next trip starting the following morning. From Monday 7^th till Thursday 10^th of May the Mountain to Fjord trip was on the schedule for half of our class. The plan was to canoe from Byglandsfjord down to Evje the first two days and then cycle back to Kristiansand the next two days with a climbing stop on the way down. Our group was made up by Johanna, Maike, Abby, Sam, Janne, Theresa, Wyll, Rob, Scott, Frankie and me and we were guided by Evan, an instructor from TrollAktiv.

I packed two packs for the trip: One with all my climbing gear to give to Len together with the bike to drop off at TrollAktiv and one to take in the boat with everything else. To keep things dry I put my clothes and electronic devices into my two small dry bags. My sleeping bag, mat, hammock and cooking stuff I put in a big bin bag and then everything came in my backpack. To be on the safe side I finally put another bin bag all the way around my backpack.

On Monday morning we took the bus from Kristiansand to Byglandsfjord at 8.45am. It was a two hours’ drive. Foolishly we got off the bus one stop too early. But lucky us though, they came with a van from TrollActiv and picked us up. Once at Byglandsfjord we took the canoes from the trailer and got everything ready to start paddling. In the beginning we did some exercises, like paddling forwards, paddling backwards and turning. Instructed by Wyll we also played a game that focused on improvising our turning skills. On command we had to make the boat face into a specific direction. The last pair to manage had to do some extra exercise such as changing seats or singing. After we got a good first feeling in how to handle the canoe we made lunch at the beach and then started paddling down towards Evje. I was in a canoe together with Theresa and started sitting in the front. In the beginning we were paddling Zick-Zack quite a bit, but we got better after a while. I experienced that it worked better when we both paddled at the same time and the one in the back, in this case Theresa, had to steer every now and then. I found out that steering from the back is a lot easier than from the front, although this is possible as well. The best way to steer from the back is to put the paddle almost parallel to the canoe into the water and then pull the handle slightly towards your body. By doing so the boat turns towards the side you are paddling at. To steer from the front you have to put the paddle in a bit further away and then pull it towards the boat to make the canoe turn to the side you are paddling at. These are the easiest ways to stir the boat without losing a lot of speed. I also experienced that paddling in the back affects the boat more than paddling in the front, because no matter whether Theresa or I were sitting in the back, the one in the back always had to countersteer.

Compared to the other group that did the trip the week before we were really lucky with the weather and had sunshine all day long. I even got a little sunburn on my legs. In turns one boat always led the group for a while. For the last leg of the day it was Theresa’s and my turn. We told the group to try to stick together and followed some smaller islands until we reached the island we were going to spend the night at. Once we got there we told them to land on the sandy bay.

First thing we did on the island was checking out the area and decide where we want to camp. We chose the southern side of the island for it. There we had some rocks to make a fire on and also trees to put up our hammocks. Janne, Theresa and I chose some trees on the rocks from where we had a nice view over the fjord. After setting up the hammocks I went for a swim with most of the others. The water was super cold, so we all rushed to get out quick after jumping in. But it was a nice refreshment after the warm day. Afterwards we made a fire and started to cook. Theresa and I had chickpeas with vegetables. The rest of the evening we were playing Werwolf and Sardines and sat by the fire. For “Sardines” one person has to hide and the others have to find him/her. Once found you have to hide together with this person. Last person finding the growing amount of people hiding has to hide the next round. We chose to play on the whole island. On the second round it was Janne’s turn. She was hiding so good, that most of us didn’t find her. So when it got dark we all returned to the fire knowing the island a lot better than before. We spend about another hour sitting around the fire, talking and laughing before finally going to bed. I slept super comfortable in my hammock.

As we decided to leave at 10 the next day I got up at 8, because I wanted to do some Yoga before breakfast. Therefor I found a nice flat rock in the sun. For breakfast Theresa and I had oats. After cleaning and packing everything down, we loaded our bags on the canoes and started making our way down to Evje. As there was barely any wind the water was very calm and easy to paddle on. This day I was paddling in the back and Theresa in the front. I found out that I prefer sitting in the back, as you have more control over the boat from there. Like the day before, one boat always was responsible to lead the rest of the group. Originally Evan planned to point at a destination on the map and the leading pair has to bring the group to that location. But as we had no maps, Evan told us where to paddle. So the exercise wasn’t that educational anymore. As we pretty much just had to repeat Evans words on where to paddle to the leading pair only had to make sure that the group stayed together. I think with maps it would have been a good exercise in improving our navigation and leading skills, but without, leading once would have been enough. After about three hours of paddling we had a lunch break. Back on the water, Evan showed us how to tie two boats together. This can be used if one boat is struggling or slower than the others. According to Forsyth (2010) this can be seen as a positive and planned form of social loafing. It helps the group to stay together and the stronger ones can help the weaker ones.

After another two hours of paddling in perfect sunny weather we reached TrollAktiv around 3.30. There we had a short rest to eat, drink and get changed. Except from Rob and Scott we all went rafting. I was in a boat with Wyll, Theresa and Johanna and we were instructed by Sohan, from India. Wyll and I were sitting in the front. It was a lot of fun, especially the two rapid parts. But it was way too short. Afterwards, though, we did some surfing with the raft. Therefore we paddled into a spot where the water was turning backwards. In this current the boat first was soaked down and then pushed back downstream. In the end we jumped from some rocks and let us drift with the current for a bit.

After a hot shower we all made dinner. In the evening I was reading for a while and some of us were playing basketball and table tennis. As it was a long day full of activities everyone was quite tired and we went to bed early. I slept in one of the tipis together with Frankie. Some slept in hammocks, a cabin, outside on the grass or on one of the couches. I slept okay that night, but I found out that I sleep better in a hammock.

The next morning I did some more Yoga after a fresh cold shower. We decided to leave at 9am that morning, to make sure we have enough time for the climbing activity on this third day. After everyone had a bike we started biking to Evje. I borrowed a bike from a friend. It worked really well. I also had a bag for the bike, so I didn’t have to carry a daypack, which was really comfortable in this warm weather. In Evje we made a stop at the café and had some delicious coffee and cake before heading further south to the climbing spot. The track was mainly going through the forest on a gravel road. Only sometimes we had to drive on the normal road. I really enjoyed the biking. Some were cycling a bit faster and some a bit slower. In the beginning I was rather in the front. Sometimes I told the others to slow down a bit so that the rest can catch up. As a group we decided to wait at least at every junction until everyone was there.

Around 12.30 we reached the climbing spot, where Evan was already waiting for us with our gear. After a quick lunch we started the session. The aim was to improve our skills on instructing and running climbing activities. In the beginning Evan explained how to set up top ropes from the top by using installed or natural anchors, such as tress or rocks. I learned that we should use at least two different anchors and they should be close enough to each other, so that the angle of the rope is lower than 90°. After 120° the weight pulling on each anchor is the same as the weight pulling on the rope. If the angle gets bigger the weight pulling on each anchor is even bigger than the weight pulling on the rope. Evan also showed us the knots we can use to tie the rope to the anchors. After setting up some top ropes we practiced on holding an introduction for a climbing session in small groups of three or four. This included explanations on how to put on the harness and helmet, how to belay and what to be aware off and carful with. My part was to show the others how to put on the helmet correctly and explain what safety issues there are, such as not wearing any jewellery. I also told them to be aware of rocks that might fall down and what to do in case this happens. After every introduction we gave each other feedback. They recommended me to stay in front and not on the side of the group, which I totally agree with. The next task was running and instructing climbing activities. We had two top ropes that where belayed from the top and an abseiling activity. Some of us pretended to be kids/clients, while the others run the activities. I instructed the abseiling for a while. I learned how to clip the persons into the figure of eight, how to instruct them on abseil themselves, how to secure myself and how to belay them on a safety rope. In the end we learned some ways on how to abseil ourselves alone with a figure of eight, belay device or a sling. I remember that you always need to have two safety set-ups in case one fails. It was a long but very educational day. It must have been around 8.30 by the time we finished. I learned new knots and techniques and improved my climbing and instructing knowledge a lot. So after this intense session we were all quite hungry and ready for dinner. I also went for a swim in the lake and read in my hammock before sleeping.

As the weather forecast said sun in the morning but rain in the afternoon we decided to start the last day rather early and planned on leaving around 9am. I got up at 7 and went for a morning swim in the lake with Theresa and did some Yoga before having breakfast. While having breakfast Len came to pick up our gear. So once everything was packed and in the van we started cycling. The track was mainly a gravel bike trail going along some lakes and through the forest. It was mostly flat, but we also had some ups and downs in between and a few bike tunnels. Sometimes we had quite strong winds. Janne brought her own old bike and therefore struggled a bit. Johanna and I were taking changes in cycling with her, so she could use our wind shadow. According to group dynamic theories, this can be seen as a positive and planned form of social loafing like the tied together canoes, we learned about on the second day (Forsyth, 2010, p. 294). I also helped Janne to get some more air in her tire with the pump I brought. Around one o’clock we reached Vennesla and stopped for a lunch break. But suddenly the forecasted dark clouds were coming, so we decided to keep on cycling, hoping to reach Kristiansand before the rain. Janne didn’t come with us, but took the bus instead as she was very exhausted. Not long after our break it started to rain. Maike, Johanna and I stopped to put on our rain jackets. As the others didn’t notice that and wanted to get home quickly they kept on cycling. When the rain became stronger the three of us waited on a bus stop, hoping for the strong rain to pass. Luckily it got less after a few minutes and we continued cycling. On the way we found Theresa waiting on a bus stop for us. After another 10-15 minutes of cycling we met the rest of the group also seeking shelter under a garage. Reunited we kept on cycling and went up a super steep hill just to find out that we were wrong once we reached the top. And on top of that Wyll and Rob broke their chains. Looking back I don’t know why we were cycling up this hill. I remember someone saying we have to follow the street up for a bit but as far as I remember no one was double checking on the map. After this hard cycle up, we checked the maps whether we still can continue on that path. As it looked like the gravel path might not continue, Maike I and cycled ahead for a bit to check it out and found out that it is possible to cycle on. By the time we came back to the others they’ve also met a local that confirmed that we can keep on going on that track. Rob and Wyll though had to cycle back down to the main street, where they got picked up by Len. Our path turned out to be pretty adventurous. It was going up and down a lot, so finally we had some proper mountain biking. After a while we reached a normal road again which we followed back to Kristiansand. So in the end of the day 8 out of 11 finally made it back to Kristiansand on their bikes, completely wet but mostly with smiling faces. Although it was a detour and raining in the end I really enjoyed the biking and the track. I also had the feeling that we stuck together more in the end. We stayed together, waited for each other, encouraged each other and didn’t get spread apart as in the beginning of day. I think the rainy weather, the shrinking group size and the level of exhaustion strengthened the group cohesion.

Communication in the group was mainly very good. Only during the biking it was sometimes hard to keep the group together. We helped and looked after each other. I for example gave my gas bottle to the others on the island and when mine was empty the last day I got theirs. We exchanged spices and food. We also made sure that no one was biking alone or left behind. As I didn’t know there were such nice bike tracks I was very happy we did this tour. All in all it was a great and versatile trip where I learned a lot, especially about paddling techniques and teaching how to climb and set up climbing activities.

References:

Forsyth, D. R. (2010). Group Dynamics. Fifth Edition. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.