30/4/18-3/5/18
Introduction
Our Mountain Fjord trip began with a bus ride to Bygland which is approximately 1.5 hours north of Kristiansand then took us to Evje and then culminating in us finishing the journey back in Kristiansand. This was a different kind of trip as it involved multiple elements requiring us to pack 2 bags with different things in each for different parts of the trip. Firstly, canoeing then climbing and lastly, cycling. Also, this was our first trip in which we had been split into 2 groups of 12 so it was slightly strange not having everyone in the class present.
Summary
When we arrived in Bygland we met Len at the Museum as he had taken all the canoes and equipment up on the trailer and met Evan who was to be our instructor for the next several days. We organised into pairs so Jed and I went together as he had more experience then myself. This went for the whole group so that our pairs were balanced out evenly. For the first hour or so Evan demonstrated various techniques to turn, stop, undertake a rescue and most importantly how to work effectively together in a pair whilst paddling. The weather was quite overcast (it was expected to rain the majority of the day) and cold but we had the wind at our backs so we paddled the 8 kilometres to the Island fairly quickly and with little or no issues. After 2 kilometres Evan switched which pair was navigating so everyone pair had a turn. The rain miraculously stayed away until we were putting our hammocks and tents up which was incredibly lucky. Some of the boys made an improvised shelter to sleep in which was in the end, quite effective as Brad, Marijn, Tom and Jed all slept under it and stayed relatively dry considering it was raining all night. I slept in my hammock again however the tarp had multiple small holes in it so I got a nice drip on me through the night. But I told myself I could not complain because I had just paddled down a fjord in Norway.
The next day was our largest paddling leg and our final leg. We had agreed to all be at the canoes by 10 am ready to push off the island as we didn’t see the need to rush as it was still a bit wet and the dam at near TrollAktiv (our end point) was only about 14 kilometres away. Once again, we got lucky with no rain and we had a good day paddling. It was an amazing experience to be able to paddle down a fjord with small villages nestled into the mountains either side of us. After making it to TrollAktiv (after Tim had picked us up) we had the option to go Rafting so us 4 Aussie boys and Zoe jumped at the chance and we had a great time. Being at TrollAktiv also gave us the chance to dry out a lot of our gear and swap bags ready for the cycling leg of the trip.
Wednesday began with us all prepping our bikes (as Len had also transported those up to Evje) and looking at the map for where we had to stop for the night as we would meet Evan and Tim there to practise some climbing techniques. It was roughly 22 kilometres to the crag so it only took about 2.5 hours to find the spot. We set up our hammocks then Tim and Evan ran a small tutorial about how to run climbing activities with groups and how to manage various top ropes at once. They also explained how to use an Italian hitch to belay from above. A lot of these techniques I was quite confused with as it was a lot to digest all at once but the climbers in our group understood quite quickly so I watched them set up various top and bottom ropes.
The last day we had a 55-kilometre ride and the weather improved as it was sunny for quite a while during the day which was a welcome surprise. We left the crag with our gear and met Len on the road to give him our big packs so we could cycle with just a small day pack then headed off. We made it to Vennesla without any issues but then Zsofie’s bike got a flat rear tyre unfortunately so she had to catch the bus home from there. We took multiple stops during the day which resulted in our ride taking roughly 7 hours back to Kristiansand.
Learning outcomes
Preparation was poor and I paid for it. For some reason, I left my packing until the evening before we left (as normally I like to have it done earlier than this) and only packed my thongs for the canoe leg of the trip. This was so stupid as my feet were cold and wet from the first 10 minutes of being in the canoe until we go to TrollAktiv. I don’t know why I did this but I severely underestimated the elements which I will definitely not do again. On top of this I brought a pump and bike tools but we did not pack any patches if anyone did get a flat tyre so we did not think that through either. We got quite lucky that no one else got a flat tyre. Overall this was quite a good trip regardless of the adverse weather conditions and we all had a good time and enjoyed the different experiences.