Camping in the area of Åseral
21.02. – 23.02.2021 in Ljosland
In order to gain further experience of the Norwegian outdoor lifestyle “Friluftsliv”, we from our Outdoor Education course were to spend two nights in nature with our tent. For us, Roman, Elena, Claire, Toni, Anna and I, the first priority was to improve our cross-country skills and navigating skills with map and compass. Of course, we also wanted to experience nature and get new impressions of Norway.
At first, it was not easy to find a route that met our requirements, but also suited our physical level and our cross-country skills. Since this was our first trip on our own, our goal was to always stay near a DNT hut, because if something unexpected happened, we would always have the option to stay in the hut. DNT stands for “Den Norske Turistforening” and has over 500 huts where you can spend the night for little money and some are also equipped with food supplies.
planned tour in Ådneram
On ut.no we found a nice route starting in Ådneram. We planned to sleep the first night in a tent near one of our cars, and the next day we would spend the night near the Grautheller DNT hut. The next day we wanted to do a tour of about 11km and spend the night near the Taumevatn hut. From here we wanted to set off the next day towards Håheller and get as far as possible. We wanted to pitch our tent along the trail so that we would only have to walk to the second car the next day. Due to bad weather, rising temperatures and the resulting increase in avalanche risk, we had to decide against this tour. I would have liked to do this tour, but considering the conditions, it was the right decision to decide against it. Especially as the tour ran along or below slopes with a gradient of over 30°. All the work of finding a route, writing a route plan for each day with the coordinates, printing the maps, was hopefully not in vain, even though we learned how to plan a route, I hope we can do the tour on foot in better conditions or in summer.
planned tour in Ljosland
So we had to find a new plan. This happened relatively quickly this time and we found a nice loop starting in Ljosland. This loop was fully groomed so that we could move safely on the track and thus further improve our skiing skills. We worked out our route plan and planned to spend a total of three nights in our tent along the approximately 22km loop. On the day of departure to Ljosland, about a two-hour drive from Kristiansand, we prepared our food for the coming days, and checked the weather and avalanche report again that day. As before, the avalanche report didn’t look too bad, but since we wanted to go on a prepared track, we avoided this risk. The weather forecast predicted some light rain, but this didn’t stop us from completing the tour. I didn’t really know what to pack this time and decided to pack a little more to be on the safe side. We all waxed our skis in the morning in order to have a perfect grip and to be able to move with as little effort as possible with our CorssCountry skis.
the laughter before the tour
With fully packed backpacks, good weather and full of anticipation we started our trip. For the first night we looked for a nice plain relatively close to the cars and next to the track. We set up our tents, which was not so easy at first, as we had a snow depth of 1.40m. We quickly came up with the idea of compressing the snow with our skis and body weight and then setting up our tents on top. This worked very well and we were able to set up our tents quickly. Since the tent pegs did not hold properly in the snow, we used our ski poles and skis to fix the tent and the tent cords. The first night in the tent was very exciting and also really cool. During the night, it started to rain heavily and you could really hear the raindrops hitting the tent, which was a bit strange since you were actually in the snow. The next morning we all woke up relatively early and Roman was the first to leave the tent, his first words were: “WOW, everything is white”.
foggy?
Because of the rain during the night, it was really foggy and you could only see a maximum of ten metres. The tent was also completely wet and because we had little air circulation, the tent was also damp from the inside. In addition, all our things, such as my down sleeping bag and sleeping pad, were wet. We quickly packed up our tents, ate our breakfast and set off on our first stage. The first step was to reach the Lakkenstova DNT hut, where we wanted to take our lunch break. The trail went up and down, over steep climbs, combined with really fast descents. But due to the fog and limited visibility, we suddenly found ourselves at a junction where we really shouldn’t have been. We considered changing our route and heading directly to the hut, but the path would then have been across a lake and we didn’t want to risk walking across a frozen lake at plus temperatures. So we decided to walk back up the steep mountain and look again for the right turn-off.
searching for the right way
But again the visibility spoiled our plans and we couldn’t see the trail. We were met by two cross-country skiers who we stopped and asked for directions. They told us to go back up the hill and look for the junction. Of course, we trusted the cross-country skiers and walked back up the slight incline, but we couldn’t find any trail in the direction of the hut. At the top of the hill we looked at our mobile phone and found the right way. We definitely had to go back and look more closely for the turn-off. When we went back, the girls first passed the inconspicuous turn-off again, but Roman and I were able to recognise it. It was really hard to find and hardly recognisable due to the limited visibility. So we found the right trail after all and set off in the direction of the Lakkenstova hut. The way to the hut was a pure up and down, a really exhausting way with the heavy backpack on our backs. Around 2 pm we reached the hut and had our lunch break, actually we wanted to be much further. This was also due to the problems with our waxed skis, which did not give us the grip we had hoped for. So we had to climb the ascents mostly in the strenuous Harringbone. After the break, we continued on our route and were suddenly faced with two tough climbs. When we had planned the tour and looked at the altitude profile, we actually assumed that we would complete a flat tour. Step by step, we ploughed our way up the climb and our strength dwindled more and more. The fog was getting thicker and thicker and we could hardly see anything. Because of this, we decided to turn back and spend the night near the hut. This way we have the security of being able to go to the hut if something happens and we know where we are on the map.
our campsite
We walked back to the hut and set up our tents opposite. Again, we compressed the snow with our skis so that we had a straight level to set up our tent perfectly. Quickly and tested, we were able to put up the wet tent and prepare our sleeping places. We also built a cosy seating area in the snow where we enjoyed our dinner. All of us quickly got into our sleeping bags, as it got very cold very quickly. During the night I was really cold, as my sleeping bag and my sleeping mat were still damp from the previous night. But I got warm relatively quickly and Roman, Anna and I talked for a long time in our sleeping bags in the tent. It had rained again that night and in between it was cold enough that the rain pelted the tent in frozen form. The next morning the whole tent was frozen from the outside and was partly completely white. After putting our tents together and having our hot breakfast, we had to make a decision, do we continue on our route, change the route or go back. Considering that we all had wet stuff, the tents were wet and we were also physically really exhausted, we decided to turn around together and pick up the trail towards our cars. The weather on this day was much better, but already the first small hill on the way back became a challenge. We were able to make it back quickly and were all happy and exhausted when we got back to our cars. In the end, due to the wet stuff and physical fatigue, it was the right decision to turn back and end the tour.
our Cabin in Ljosland
We spent the remaining days of the week relaxing in a cabin in Ljosland. Here we had another challenge, because there was no electricity or running water in the cabin. We had to melt the snow over the fire to have liquid water and warm the cabin with the fire. We really enjoyed the days and had a good rest. So we had a nice end to the week.
In the end, it was a very exciting trip that went much differently than we had planned. But that’s exactly what strengthened our group, we made decisions together and took everyone’s concerns and feelings into account. I think everyone felt comfortable within the group and everyone was able to contribute to the group. So everyone was able to experience the trip in their own way and have their own experiences. I will remember it as a real adventure with ups and downs. Good preparation is essential for such a trip, but it is much more important to decide according to the situation.
happy and tired after the tour