Here is the follow up of my wife’s post about her exciting trip in the montains. Please click to read the post from the first part! So I just say: Diane, the floor is yours:
I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has left comments to us, it has been really fun answering them with Renny. My first psot was just to get you warmed up! I have really been looking forward to take you all up the mountain with me because that is what the trip is all about!! So fasten your backpacks on tightly and make sure you have high hiking boots on before you read any further because we are going up over 1200 meters (3,937 feet) and it might get a bit messy!!
First I would like to say that the ‘trails’ we hiked on are nothing like what I have experienced before. I have mostly gone hiking in well set up tourist areas with relatively wide trails, here the trail is made mostly by the local cabin owners, many of them are animal trails which we humans borrow and mostly not wide enough to put your two feet together side by side. Sometimes the trail disappears entirely, especially when Eli takes us on a shortcut! Or when we cross a bog (wetland) where there is no trail at all, just lots of soft moss and you don’t know just how wet it is until you cross it! The terrain is very rocky and mossy and it doesn’t take long before the low trees are just bushes and after that there are no trees at all because we are above the tree line. That isn’t to say the ground is bare however, lingonberries (which taste like wild cranberries), blueberries, cloudberries and lichens, mushrooms and moss grow everywhere.
We hiked up to a lower peak first which took a little over an hour, and took a little break there to enjoy the beauty. Here we had a nice view of Gaustatoppen 1,883 meters over sea level (6,178 feet) which my friends Eli and Siri hiked last year. I was quite satisfied just to look at it from afar however!!
Renny has written already about Hardangervidda, and you can see his post here if you have forgotten! We were hiking in the Telemark side of Hardangervidda which is a high mountain plateu, once you come up you can hike from peak to peak and there are a lot of lovely small mountain lakes up there to enjoy as well.
After our break we hiked on to another peak which took about an hour more, up and up and up until I thought we certainly were hiking to heaven and my friends were really angels who came to bring me in :-) Her you see them leading the way, Eli in front because she has hiked these mountains for over 20 years and knows them like the back of her hand, well more or less.
When we made it to the top the view was breathtaking and we were hungry. We cooked hot dogs in on a portable camping burner, and made fresh coffee from the clean mountain water. That’s me sitting on the peak surrounded by lingonberries, totally exhausted!
We had a wonderful time that day and you can bet we slept well that night:-) But if you think we were totally finished you are wrong, because the next day we got up and took a little 2 hour hike again, not as high this time, but high enough to deserve a candy bar and coffee in our thermos!! I heard a saying once: Life is not lived on top of the mountain, life is lived on the side of the mountain on the way up!? Well we sure did have fun getting there!
Hope you all enjoyed these adventures as much as I did. Looking forward to your comments:-)
Those are lovely photos that fill me with longing for a good hike in the outdoors.
Beautiful photos and writing! I can almost smell the crisp mountain air! Thank you so much for sharing. If we can’t be there, this is the next best thing! Please consider posting again.
Diane,
I really enjoyed reading both of your posts. The pictures made me feel as though I were hiking with you.
You have a real gift for telling a story!
:-)
Got to enjoy the route up at least as much as the being up. :)
Looks like a gorgeous area. I love the alpine areas, moss and lichens. Thanks for the tour.
Looks like you are the owners of the mountain! Beautiful country. I would probably be willing to climb lots of mountains if chocolate were the reward!
I like your writing very much, Diane. It is rich with so much details that it’s as if we were there with you. How exciting! Maybe I should do this, too, one day. :-) Btw, we’re up for your invitation. Thanks very much. :-)
what breathtaking views by the looks of it. and no wonder norwegians are swuch a healthy hardy lot, with all that mountain climbing and fresh air. i’m so glad renny gave you a bit of a chance to post. i think your posts make a lovely compliment t6o his and hope he will have you blog some more. thanks for taking us up the mountain with you.
After reading your two blog entries I came to following conclusion: You need to start your own blog!
For sure it gave me the envy to do some hiking in the mountains!
I agree with what Mark said. When I was reading this I felt that you are personally telling the story. It makes me wanna go up there and try to have another hiking trip to the mountains. And yes lovely pictures again! I should say you should blog Diane!
What a beautiful landscape ! I realize I can also discover countries I have never seen, by walking through “Blogville”
Diane speaking of course:
@Richard; Thanks I used our Nikon camera mostly. It’s easy to take good pics when the scenery is so gorgeous! Now get out there and enjoy the fall weather!
@LynAnne: Thank you for dropping in and I’m glad you enjoyed hiking with me! You don’t burn as many calories this way but its fun anyway. I’ll most likely be back and post again sometime
@Sue: Thanks for coming along on the trip! Just think how many people I fitted in that little cabin!
@Pearl: This was the first time I really hiked in the damp mossy mountains, I have seen them before but we have a tendency to drive through on our way to Bergen and say ‘Oooh look at that!’ take a picture and drive on. Was fun to stop and play a bit!
@Barbra: We were almost like owners there, we only saw 2 other people all weekend. They owned the cabin about a mile from ours! Kinda cool!
@Mark: You are welcome to join us anytime. Glad to have you. I am a detail oriented person, I like to see the beauty in the small things, that way there is always beauty to find
@lime: The view really was breathtaking; in fact the first picture on the post is named ‘breathtaking’ on my computer. Renny and I compliment each other in many ways, it makes life so much more amusing that way!
@Sidney: I’ll make a deal with you, I’ll blog if you’ll hike! LOL I have a little blog but I’m not very active. I see how much time Renny invests in his and I am such a perfectionist! If I can’t give 100% I don’t usually start at all. It’s tough being a 100% person!
@charles: Hmmm it is getting harder to resist the idea of bloging myself? do you think Renny would survive the completion??
@Gattina: Blogville! Now that’s a good concept! You really can learn a lot about the world be visiting each other’s blogs. A lot of stuff you never would have thought about if they hadn’t mentioned it.
Of course he will! And besides we will both visit you guys. Just tell me so I can just dress your blog a temporary costume since I am still busy to do custom designs for now.
As always visiting your site allows me to know there is more to life than just “the everyday”. The pictures are beautiful as well as inspiring. Thank you for sharing with us your journeys… continue to be safe and once again thank you for sharing!
I loved your description of your “hike.” It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing and I hope you keep contributing to Renny’s blog.
lovely hike it was. And the pics were the best part. Man that sounds like a lot of fun. We went for a walk/stroll along the shores of the ocean this afternoon. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll upload and post a few pics some time this week. :) Great hearing from you again!
Diane speaking again!
@charles ravndal@ Thank you for your encouragement! I would be very honored if you dressed me up, right now we are working with the beta version and I am still a work in process!
@amanda: The best part is we usually write about the beauty in our ‘everyday’ life. It isn’t every day I go on a trip to the mountains, but these are “just” some friends who invited me to their summer place, find the beauty in everyday things!! Thats the key!
@hexe: Thank you for coming in and visiting us so often. I often contribute to Rennys blog in small ways that most don’t see, like checking his english and helping him find a catchy caption. I’ll be back! promise!
@expat traveler: I love the ocean in all seasons, bring on the pics, you know we will be in!
What gorgeous scenery, and what great dialogue to go along with it!! It was nice to hear Diane’s take on your country’s sights.
I tried to leave a comment yesterday, but Demon Blogger wouldn’t let me. :-(
Hope all is well in your world, Renny and Diane. :-)
Got here from The Queer Chef.
What an amazing backdrops for a hike. Wish I can visit Norway soon and have a hike with you! Hope your wife won’t mind.
So which was harder the climb up or coming down? It sure was worth all the roughing it! Did you wear special hiking boots?
you should really start blogging. you have done this.. you can do more. hehehe.
that’s an enjoyable hike. wow! you still hiked the next day? so that means you didn’t have body ache? :)
Lovely! Absolutely lovely!
Diane, so good hiking with you. And it’s safe to see you were all well uquipped with mountain boots, hot coffee and yellow coke (!) Some years ago we had visitors from US, and they thought they could hike in shoes with hight heals. Shouls have read your blog.
PS Keep up blogging.
Reading your articles I am reminded of my own relationship with Raffaella. While we share thoughts, views and conclusions the things we see and process are completely different. I see a difference in the type of subjects and the way you create the article. I find this fun!
ohh wowww..
once again Renny..beautiful pics and beautiful people.I wish I could visit your country someday :)
Diane here:
@Diane: Sorry blogger has been a little cranky lately! I love the scenery here in Norway, it really is a beautiful country! Thanks for stopping in!
@Lyka Bergen: I won’t mind as long as I can come along ;-)
@Mother of Invention: The climb down was a lot tougher. My friend Eli took a ‘short cut’ because it was getting near dark…and that short cut wasn’t short at all!
@tin-tin: Oh I did have a whole lot of body ache, but we couldn’t let the chance pass us by because of that. I have started my own blog now but it is just in the beginning phase. http://kittykats-corner.blogspot.com/
@Grish: I know I am lovely, the scenery wasn’t bad either LOL
@TorAa: I borrowed the boots from my friend’s daughter and they were waterproofed with “fat” for me so they wouldn’t leak when we went over the wetlands! I was really grateful for that!
@Travel Italy: I find it fun too! Renny and I have enough in common to hold us together, and are different enough to keep life interesting! It is a unique experience to move to another country, you sort of have one foot in each world.
@ghee: Welcome over anytime, we have plenty of room!
Wow! i love the view very nice Renny!
thanks for sharing us.
Hei Diane, like you, I enjoyed Hardangervidda too. And BTW, I like the idea of Renny having you as a guest writer.
Regards to you and Renny!
Here from 25Peeps.
Congrats and hello from PORTUGAL!!
It looks like a great experience! Thanks for sharing! I enjoy your pictures!
You are from America right? Which part? I am in Texas.
funny thing – my sign in word is lipen, that sounds like a Norwegian word.
Oh gosh! Can you believe it? We’re both posting about hiking! Me in South Africa, and you in Norway. To be quite honest, I’ve been wanting to go to Norway for some time now. I’ve seen some amazing photographs, and would love to experience it all for myself. The Northern Lights are a must see for me – its probably one of my biggest dreams :)
Have a look at my latest post, I’m sure you’ll like the photo’s too :D
You are a very brave and adventurous woman! Bless You for that….I loved seeing everywhere you went and what you cooked, etc. And as I said in your last post, I’ll see you in the dining room of The Four Seasons Hotel! (lol)
Seriously…the pictures are gorgeous and I truly admire you for not only braving these mountains but enjoying them so much. I know it must be truly thrilling to be waaay up there and to view all of the world around you…Thank You for sharing it with me and everyone else too!
I really enjoyed reading about your hike – it felt almost like I was there with you! I love hiking very much, but due to circumstances wasn’t able to get into the mountains at all this summer. Your trip sounded like SO much fun. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Diane!
I agree with danette, I want to go see the Northern lights too! Can’t we do that?? Let’s do northern Norway next year!! Good job sweetheart!
I think one of these months or years all us bloggers should meet in NORWAY! What a great hike that would be. I’d live on the side of the mountain and go up and up and up to heaven and let you all walk me in! I loved everything you wrote, Diane!
wow that is a great place up there!
I cannot believe you did that all in one weekend!
The colours are amazing!
It looks like the Lingon Berries, are the same family as Newfoundland’s Patridge Berry.
Just keepin with my Newfoundland theme for this week.
It is great having a girl’s weekend! I enjoy them.
All these posts about Lovely Norway, and I want to go!!
Diane speaking:
@ethel: You are welcome to enjoy the view with us anytime!
@AL Bjørnstad: It was fun being a guest writer as well! Hardangervidda is truly remarkable. I have never seen anything like it!
@Gotinha: Hello to Portugal as well! Wouldn’t mind blogging from there someday!
@karen!: Yes, I am from upstate NY! “Lipen” does sound like a Norwegian word, but as far as I know it doesn’t mean anything. Sorry!
@danette: I popped in and checked out your pictures too! Very nice, sounds like a great hike. Maybe we can trade, next weekend you can hike Norway and I can hike in South Africa ;-) I haven’t been to the most northern region of Norway yet, where the Northern lights are really good, but I will keep bugging Renny to get us there. He’s been there of course! I’m the new kid in town!
@OldOldLady of the Hills: I like the Four Seasons as well, I am a girl of many tastes and talents! I doubt I would be eating hotdogs there!
@Ladybug: Hope you get out to the mountains again soon. And thanks for stopping in and joining us on a virtual hike!
@DeeDee: For those of you who didn’t guess…DeeDee is me!! No comment LOL!
@Ginnie; A bloggers meet would be super! Count me in on the planning committee! Thank you for stopping by and reading my post!
@Lynn: Glad to hear that others get to have girl’s weekends too! I think Partridge Berry is another name for Lingon Berry. I looked up what it was called in English on Wikapedia. I have just been calling them wild cranberries for years, they taste about the same but grow wild and are smaller then American cranberries.
what can I say!?… everybody said already what I wanted to say!
never had this kind of adventure in my life, I think I wanna try this!
awesome!
wow, now i really am jealous. it looks like a very beautiful journey. i’m sure you felt refreshed being surrounded by nature on all sides.
Diane, I so enjoyed reading your second part of your story…what an amazing view you had when you finally reached the top!! I don’t know if I’d have the stamina to do such a hike but it certainly would be an experience. The pictures are fantastic and let us see visually what your words were saying:-) Take care!
Thanx Renny!
Now we are really connected here and there :)
I’m jealous! I would have loved to have done that hike!!! Thanks for sharing!
Diane
I came in today, thought you did a great job. Wish I could have been there with your. I so loved Norway’s mountains.
Ma
Diane speaking:
@yorokobee: Why not give it a try! It doesn’t have to be in Norway, the great outdoors is everywhere.
@April: The nature was lovely, and it wasn’t bad having my friends with me either. Thanks for stopping in!
@PEA: I wasn’t sure I had the stamina to reach the top either, but 1. it was too embarrassing to give up! 2. the alternative was being alone in the woods, and 3. when I got to the top it was really worth it and I had fun!
@ghee: Hmmmmmmm just how connected are you??? Blogging…connecting people:-)
@Teena: Thanks for stopping in! The hike was really fun, don’t be jealous join in ;-)
@Ma: Hi Mom! Glad to see you made it too! And you are lucky enough to have been up in those mountains in May when there was snow on top. Your grandson even threw a snowball at you! Sorry I missed you online.
Wow! The mountain view is drop dead gorgeous!
Hi Diane and Renny,
Its such a beautiful experience and the pictures are lovely. Feels good when you are up there.Wish I could have the same opportunity.
Have a great day and many more lovely trips.
Ohh what a view! So amazing. I think I should go on one of those mountain hikes – I guess it must be a great calorie burner?
Such lovely scenery! I enjoy lingonberries myself but they can be hard to find in this part of the world. I often have to trek to IKEA to find lingonberry jam!
Cheers!
Very Nice scenenry, wish to come there someday. Goog Blog too..keep it up
@Kai: And drop dead climing too LoL!
@Ammoontie: Thanks, and yes, it really was. Nice to see you and welcome back!
@Nan: Hhehe, yea a great colroie bruner too!
@Lisa: Thanks! Typical to have to go to IKEA as it is Swedish you know.
@Prashant: Really hope you come and visit one day then. Thanks for the compliment!
not sure what your question is?