From the 24th until the 27th of April our Mountain to Fjord Trip took place. The Basic idea of the Trip was to start canoeing from Bygland to Evje and bike with mountain bikes back to Kristiansand with a one day stop at a climbing spot called 44.5 close to Evje. For this trip we spit our course in half resulting in a smaller group than on the other trips organized by our lecturer. The group consisted of Melanie, Berrit, Kathrin, Eva, George, Connor, Simon and me. Since the transfers and routes had already been planned for us we only had to plan what to take as gear and food for the upcoming trip. For the gear Len suggested taking a daypack for the mountain bike and climbing day and one large back with all our camping gear and clothes suitable for canoeing. As for the cooking utensils and food we paired up in teams of two.
Day 1
All members of our group met at 8:30 at the Kristiansand central bus station to catch the bus to the Bygland Museum where our canoe tour would start. After arriving at the museum we filled up with some snacks at the local stores and waited for Len to arrive with the canoes and our gear. As he arrived we unloaded everything and started practising paddling in the canoes close to the shore. Connor and George, who had already done more of canoeing before, briefly explained the basics. After the short practise we started loading our canoes and started to paddle along the shore. The idea was to stay within 50 meters of the shore. However there were strong wind coming from the northwest pushing us constantly to the shore. Steering the boat was quite difficult. And the waves made it even harder for us to keep stable in the canoes. We quickly returned to the beach and started discussing what to do. Our aim for the day was originally to cover about half of the 22 km to Evje and camp ashore. However the wind seemed to make it impossible to reach that goal because most of us were not really experienced in canoeing and even the more experienced ones had big problems. We decided to stop canoeing for the day and call a transfer that would bring us about ten kilometers down the fjord to a convenient camp spot and paddle the rest tomorrow. Luckily the wind had decreased and the white caps on the water had vanished during our decision-making and we decided to give it another try. We quickly covered about five kilometers within the next hour. But the wind had already picked up again and the wave size increased. We decided to take our lunch break on a wind-sheltered shore. After the lunch break we were again faced with a decision. Should we go on our set up our camp on the same spot? Four of us wanted to keep going the other four wanted to stay at the campsite. Stopping there would mean a longer day with about 17 km the next day. However the strong wind, our skill level and the wind shelter were good reasons to stay. Since the vote was a tie our lecturer’s opinion was the factor that made us stay for the night. The rest of the day wen spent with setting up our camp and sitting around the warm fire. After our dinner all of us went to bed quite early to be rested for the next day.
Day 2
After everybody had breakfast and wrapped up all the gear we started off at nine o’clock. The aim of the day was to reach Evje, which was about 17 km south of us. There was rarely any wind when we started and we were quite confident to reach our goal. The plan was that every two-person canoe would lead the way for about 4 kilometers. The first two to navigating us were George and Connor. Their main focus was keeping us close together as a group and not to far away from the shore. During the first our the wind picked up again but not as strong as the day before. After George and Connor turn in leading, Simon and I took over the lead. We were supposed to navigate to an island on the northwestern shore of the fjord. But Len changed the target to a small beach further south since the wind condition would make it easier to reach it without going to the island first. The change was a bit surprising and the communication on the lake was not always easy because the wind and the distance between the boats made it hard to hear one another.
As we reached the small beach we used it to take a quick break. The wind had picked up so much that we tried to improvise a sail out of one of the tarps. Len suggested we should tie two canoes together, so that the two people on the back could steer the boats while the other two could hold up the sail by hand. This would give us more stability in the water and we could quickly pull the sail down in case of an emergency. So all of us set up the boats as planned, but as we entered the water the wind had already decreased again and we soon had to paddle again. After our sailing experience Len took over the lead until we reached our lunch spot. From there it was about another five kilometers until the dam before Evje. After the lunch we changed out Eva and I changed the canoe in order to be a little quicker on the water. Coming closer to the dam the fjord changed into a narrower river. When we finally arrived at the dam each of the boats slowly approached the shore one by one with Len assisting us with pulling the boats ashore.
We had made it as a group despite the inconsistent weather and wind conditions and were all quite content with ourselves. Five of us spent the evening rafting the river below the dam while the others watched. After a quite exhausting day everybody was happy to have dinner in the warm rooms of TrollAktiv and fall asleep in one of their huts.
Day 3
On the third day we received our rental mountain bikes. After that we left with our daypack southbound to the climbing spot called 44.5. It took us about two hours for the 22 km. After our arrival we quickly looked around site and searched for possible climbing routes and campsites. Then we waited for our camping gear, which was transferred by TrollAktiv to the campsite. The time waiting was used to eat some lunch ant fuel up with some energy and discover the area. The rest of the day we spent climbing and learning how to set up a top rope climbing site on a traditionally kept climbing area. Len showed us how to set up a Z-line at the top of the course, which made it possible to create several deviating points for the climbing spots using one rope. It is important that the angle of the Z-line is not too wide in order to guarantee a sufficient load transmission to the rope. Furthermore it is important that the belaying rope does not rub over the edge of the climb.
After setting up the top rope course and practising our climbing and belaying skills for a while Len taught us how to quickly adjust the set up to create and abseiling spot with one person belaying, which makes it suitable for people with no experience. In order to do so one has to shorten the Z-Line to create a save standing space close to the edge for the person that is belaying and set up one abseiling and one belaying rope by attaching the former top rope to one of the bolts.
In groups of to we started to abseil or belay each other. After that practise we set up one climbing spot on a longer route. Due to the fact that our rope was probably to short to create a top rope from the bottom of the climb, we set the top rope up at the top of the route. This taught us how to set up different versions of top rope courses and how to adjust them to the surrounding or the gear available while keeping up the high safety standards. The more members in our group with more experience in belaying and climbing set ups put great effort in helping the others and teaching as well which resulted in a great group atmosphere and learning environment. The rest of the afternoon we spent in several smaller groups trying out new climbs and boulders. The evening we spent cooking together and gathering around a bonfire at the top of a hill were the most of us also set up their camp for the night.
Day 4
The fourth day started with a quick breakfast since we woke up quite late. Unfortunately this resulted in a delayed departure. However the weather was quite good and we had the whole day to reach Kristiansand. The bike track we followed was the old train track from Kristiansand to Evje and maily followed gravel roads through the forrest or close to the road. But some parts where also on the road. As a group we stayed close together for the most parts. There was only one minor climb during the day where each of us attempted it in our own speed. At the top we waited for the rest of the group. During the trip a rule developed that always the last person that arrived would determine when we should continue. This rule guaranteed that everybody had enough time to rest in the breaks. We took a break at least once an hour to rest or restore energy with snacks and drinks. During the day the weather changed and clouds and strong winds made it harder to cycle. We took terms in taking the lead since it was much more exhausting riding in front. After about five hours we arrived at Kristiansand.
Reflection
As a group we had completed about 115 km of canoeing and biking in the last four days. This accomplishment and also the task resulted in an increase in the group cohesion. Interestingly one could see that the group dynamics were quite different again than to trips with our whole course. People changed the role within the group by their skill level in the needed filed or to what is needed the most in the group. For instance George and Connor acted more confident and took leading roles in setting up the climbs or leading in the canoes. They both were more experienced than most of us in the two disciplines. However on the bike they were more quite and let others take the lead. Without any communication about this the group acted in its best interest and each individual took a role most suitable for the recent task, which corresponds with Belbin’s theory of team roles (2011).
References
Meredith Belbin, R. (2011). Management teams: Why they succeed or fail. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(3).