Had to hike until I was below the tree line Feels good to be home, even if it's a foreign and unusual home
So here's the gist of this trip: take the train to Bergen, walk home. Simple.
So let's catch a train!
When the train finally showed up, I boarded and want pleasantly surprised when the woman next to me asked if we could switch because she doesn't like the window seat. Yes please!
So I got to watch beautiful scenery for six hours and get a preview of what my hike is going to look like.
I also got to see a thunderstorm that we went through -- I'm really hoping I don't see another one on the hike.
Another really cool, really scary thing I saw was the glacier. I got a bit panicked because I didn't bring my snow gear (crampons, micro spikes, etc) and was wondering what I could do about that. Then I looked at the map and it indicates that the glacier ends far north of where I'll be hiking, so I should be fine.
I hope.
Another wake up call was that the plateau where I'll be hiking is above the tree line. I knew this, and Google Earth showed me patches of trees near lakes and stuff, but still, it could be interesting with a hammock. Maybe I'll be able to buy a sleeping pad in town before I leave.
Anyway, I finally reached Bergen, and I was off! .. to the grocery store, because I'd forgotten my cheese and sausage in my fridge. Damn!
Also, the train was delayed, so the outdoor shop was closed when I got there. Looks like I'll have to play it by ear on the plateau!
Once I was all settled, it was time to hike, and hike I did! I was treated to phenomenal views of the city on my way up, lit by the evening sun and clear-ish skies.
It was lots and lots of climbing, but it felt good to be back it, just doing my thing. Even my heavy pack loaded with 8 days of food felt right.
One of the coolest sights I saw was around 9:45. The sun was still up, but there were clouds rolling in, so I couldn't see it. However, the clouds weren't fully here yet, so I saw the sun reflecting off of the fjord below me. It was cooler in person, but you weren't there, so here's another thousand words:
After that, it was just hiking along the ridgeline in the clouds, passing day hikers every now and then.
Even if I had wanted to stop, I couldn't -- I was above the tree line. So I had to keep on hiking. I knew I would cross over the ridge at some point, so I wasn't concerned. Eventually, there was a giant decent down into a village, where I found some trees on a farmer's land. I set up my hammock near some sheep and called it a day. I didn't make as much progress today as I wanted because of the nonsense on the train and in Bergen, but I'll hopefully make it up tomorrow.
Oh yeah, my mileage distances are going to be guesses. I don't have a fancy app to tell me exactly what my mile marker is, but I'll go back afterwards and figure out the correct distance. You've been warned :-)