Fjord Trip

Our three-day fjord trip started located North of Kristiansand by about an hour near
the town of Evje and ended back down to Kristiansand. The Geography of the trip changed from location to location but for the majority of the Canoe Trip it was in a very wide valley Fjord with many uninhabited islands on the river, which were our desired

Canoe Trip

camping positions on our trip. The flora on the trip was basically wooded area with thick undergrowth on the floor. The trees were not in dense populations but were more sporadic over the island, which made setting up camp very difficult because we needed tree cover and support for our ropes to set up ropes for our tarps. The thick undergrowth was nice because it gave us an added comfort level under our sleeping tarps. The wildlife we have seen was not as frequent due to our level of noise and our remote island camping. The most we saw were small songbirds and a few Canadian Geese. We did see one unique snake called Vipera Berus, which quickly slithered into cover of the forest after we saw it.

The learning outcomes of our trip were different of our other trips, because at first the part of the trip there was no clear leader out of our class nor out of the TrollAktiv instructors so we were not sure of what we should get out of the trip. As the trip progressed though, we came together and talked about this dilemma and decided we needed to do things differently and needed a plan that all of us agreed on and got the most out of the trip. As learning outcomes, we wanted to learn the basic paddle strokes of canoeing and be able to navigate effectively on water with a map and compass. Once the canoeing section of the trip was over, we moved onto the outdoor rock climbing section. The main learning outcome for me was to learn how to properly setup a climbing rig with the correct knots and ropes used to make sure the climber is safe. In these major outcomes lie more outcomes that are not brought up but were still learned. One was how to properly pack and secure your equipment in a canoe so it will not get wet, the others were how to work together and come together as a group to work out problems and make choices based on the entire group and bond as a group.

The most important learning outcome regarding the equipment used on the trip was being able to correctly pack and secure our backpacks so the water would not destroy or some valuable equipment. If we were to lose our dry clothes and sleeping bag, the trip would defiantly be not as enjoyable throughout the rest of the trip. Therefore we put our dry clothes and sleeping bags in a garbage bag and tied it off to secure it from ever getting wet if we were to fall in the cold water. The equipment that I used on the fjord trip seemed to be a good match for the conditions of the trip. The rope that I used however was not as durable and useful as I would have hope for building our tarps on the trip. It was very thin and it came apart very easily at the ends when I made cuts on it. I needed a thicker more durable rope to stretch and create tension for a stronger tarp. The tarp we used was very simple; it required only two ropes about 6 meters long. We tied one side higher up on the tree and the other side low to block the wind. The tarp was used to simply go over our heads to block us for the rain and to keep a shelter. The construction of the tarp only took roughly a half hour to complete and it held four bodies along with all of the backpacks underneath it.

Tarp

Our nutrition on the Fjord Trip was very simple; I was in a group with two vegetarians so we only had rice and veggies with a different type of spice for each day. During breakfast I had a small meal of apples and oranges to satisfy my needs until our lunch, which was heavier sandwiches and meats with small snacks of trail mix and chocolate to try and meet the caloric intake required to meet my energy needs throughout the trip. The improvement I could have made was to improve my breakfast meal to give me energy for the rest of the day and to include more protein based foods such as beans or other legumes and meats for each meal.

Making Dinner

The goals that we put fourth in this trip were achieved effectively not by our teachers along with us but with our group. There were group members that were better at some things and they stepped up to teach the rest of the group how to properly carry out tasks in the outdoors. We bonded as a group and learned as a group, which for us was one of the most important goals that we wanted to achieve. Having no teacher with us gave us a unique opportunity to make the trip what we wanted and how we wanted it to go but also gave us difficulty for people that we quite and did not speak out. At the end of our journey we learned the basics of both rock climbing and canoeing, which in the end was our pathway to the other out comes. The one thing that I wished I could do more of was learning how to do a rope and tarp shelter better with the correct knots. Due to the rough weather, we were forced to hurry with our shelter so we were not able to learn and practice as much. Although we had rough weather at times, I have found that friluftsliv is MUCH more enjoyable when the weather was warm and not so bitterly cold as the other trips were. I was able to practice more and able to perform better with moveable hands. After the trip was over, we discussed as a group on how well the trip went and what we got out of it and everyone seemed to be very pleased with the trip. I had a every great time with the class and I enjoyed all the new activities that I learned from my classmates. This trip was a great way to get back in touch with the class again and function even better as a group together.

Last Night Fire