Planning process

Who: Sam, Jed, Maike, Jo

What:

1. equipment
   • 1 winter tent
   • 2 Stoves
   • First aid kit
   • Change of clothing/extra clothing
   • Food
   • Personal sleeping equipment
2. Route
   • Drive to Olso airport
   • Catch a flight to Bodo
   • Get ferry to Moskenes
   • Rent car to travel to camping and hiking areas
   • Catch ferry back to Bodo
   • Sleep in airport
   • Get flight back to Oslo
   • Drive home to Kristiansand

When: 21^st of March till 29^th of March

Where: Lofoten Islands

Group Dynamic Process

Throughout the trip our group of four had a good dynamic. Everyone put in their thoughts on what they wanted to do and what they didn’t want to do when it came to making plans for the trip. I think everyone was a great asset to our team, we all pulled our own weight and helped each other out when needed. It wouldn’t have been the same great tip if one person was replaced. We learned a lot about each other and became closer friends after being together for eight days straight.

Execution

Traveling to Lofoten was a long journey. We had to be patient because getting there took a whole day out of the time we had. After arriving in the islands, we kept an open mind on what to do each day. We had a few ideas of what we wanted to do but not a strict plan on when and where we would be at what time. We enjoyed a lot of the beaches, even jumping into the water one day. We stopped at the tourist information building a few times to get some advice, we ended up at a beautiful DNT hut for a night, saw a blacksmith at work, and even got fresh cod caught that morning from a nearby fisherman’s market. We ended up with some beautiful camping spots and unbelievable views 24/7.

Challenges

Although this trip was amazing and unforgettable, our group had to overcome a lot of challenges to make it as great as it was. When first arriving in Lofoten the challenges began straight away. We had to work together as a team to come up with an idea on how to get our car out of the ferry terminal parking lot. The car was parked in the icy snow making it nearly impossible to move an inch. After getting out of that pickle another one came that very same day. After losing the car keys in a pile of tall rocks we thought the universe didn’t want us driving, but we all worked together to move rocks and reach down a dark hole to retrieve the keys. The next night came another challenge when cutting fire wood. As I was holding the wood for Jed to cut it, someone slipped or moved, then there was blood. My mates helped bandage me up multiple times being I kept bleeding through. On a day that we decided to go on what seemed like an easy hike we were forced to swallow our pride and turn around before reaching the end because of a storm making the train slippery and too dangerous for us to go on. The next challenge was one of the biggest. While driving to the Viking Museum we were rear ended. Everyone ended up being ok, but it was almost everyone’s first car accident. Having to fill out paper work and to get a new car, we had to be patient and rap our minds about what happened. We all talked about how much worse the situation could have been and kept thinking positive about the rest of the trip. One of our final challenges also involved being patient. On our way back to Kristiansand we had to wait in the airport for 13 hours, it was mind numbing and frustrating, but we kept each other company never letting another go too mental.

Reflection

Overall, I think this trip was a success, one of my favorites so far here in Norway. Even with all the challenges we had to endure we work together to stay patient and overcome the obstacles that were thrown at us. I think our group dynamic was very good, we all took turns being the veileader, deciding where to go and what the best way to do something was. Next time on a trip like this I would look more closely during the planning process on the traveling times and dates so I wont have to spend 13 hours sitting in an airport again.