We started at the Berdal track, and got a hole of that we had everything we had to bring. When the groups were ready started the first day. It was snowing a bit and the snow were very wet. It was not easy to ski, but the goal of the day were about 3-4 hours from the cars. The journey were divided into part, legs as they are called. To practice our navigation skills we shifted in turn to navigate. The one I got I had to lead to a river junction and the leg were around 800 km and around 20 minutes of skiing. I found it really difficult to estimate because I figured that the junction were hidden under the snow. That was why after 15 minutes of skiing I decided to ask Tim. And he asked me a few questions about the landscape and I continued. I found the spot and discovered that the river junction were very easy to see. The snow did not hide it. Well we arrived at a small hut 3-4 hours later and here Tim went through how the hut system in Norway works. We all thought that we were going to build and dig snowholes, but we had one nigth in the hut, which was really nice.

The day after we went out to see where the area and where it would be possible to dig the snowholes. We found 3 good places fairly fast and went to a small hill on one of the nearby mountains. It was at this point I would discovered that keeping quiet and push yourself to far isn’t always the best way to go.

We were playing around and I wanted to do the telemark on this hill where there both were ice and a little deep snow here and there. I was so stupid to think right before my first trip «its now or never» and took to much speed. The consequences were 2 or 3 saltoes and smacked my back head in the ice. I saw the small bowl of my head in the ice when I got up. But I thought «Im a tough girl, walk it off» and that was the first mistake. I could feel the headache coming and I ignored it.

We started to build the snow holes and the weather were perfect. I didn’t really feel bad, or I don’t remember, but I felt very tired after the first intervals of digging in the snow. I didn’t say anything because it was probably because I haven’t gotten enough to eat. Nightfall came and we waited in our snowhole with jumping in the sleeping bags and that did not do any good. Because then it took a while to warm up the sleeping bags. I remember that I didn’t sleep very well that night and the next day people could see that I wasn’t feeling good. But you know, I was stubborn and didn’t want to miss out because of a bad night and a small headache. So up the mountain and I was very glad that I didn’t had to navigate that day. The focus were on emergency shelter and we learned about it. We took a short lunch break in a shelter right in the wind. It was amazing how the a simple shelter like that yellow thing could keep us a little warm and give us time to eat out of the wind. We talked a little bit of the use shelters in conditions like the one that day.

The rest of the ride contained different people leading the different legs, both with the map and with a compasberring. We learned how to get a group down a very steep and narrow part, of course through our own skills and using the technique Tim showed us. When we got home I was feeling really bad and I realized I had to say something. I finally told what happened and I was embarrassed – I decided to sleep in the snow hole one more night but between Stella and Sædis and that gave me a good warm night.

I’m really glad that I kept going and got the hole experience, but I need to learn to listen to my body and let the group know what is going on – because it could have weaken the group on the day tour around the mountain.  Lesson learned and the day back I got to be on the easier group. Here I realized how important it is to be correct when you make a route guide. Luckly I had made the route guide and could let the other guys know the mistake Stella, Sædis and I had made during the planning.

The snowhole trip taught me a lot and Im so glad about this experience. Know I need to relax and get fit for the next trips – ‘Don’t be a hero, I take that literally now» 🙂