Report from Kjell’s ”Expedition” to Friisvegen 20011

Oslo, 24. April 2011

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Oi, amigos brasileiros y outros estrangeiros!

The old man is still alive and kicking!

Also this year I managed a skiing trip to Friisvegen. Because Easter is late this year and because there is a lot less snow than normal, I decided to start before Easter, and not after, as I usually do. I left Oslo Wednesday 13.04. I was a bit apprehensive because of the reports of lacking snow, but a heavy snowfall the day before made me a bit more optimistic. But…You have heard about the claim that Murphy was an optimist?

When I started skiing around two o’clock in the afternoon, it turned out that it was extremely strenuous to pull the sled because of the thick layer of deep and wet snow, especially uphill to my campsite. At the most difficult places I could only advance a meter or two before I had to stop to catch my breath and get my pulse down. This process was so slow that I only made it to my campsite in the evening. If I had not been in the best shape of my life after a lot of cross skiing this winter (more than 1400 kms), I would not have managed at all. I had to put up the tent in the dark, but that was no big problem. This time I could put the tent on a spot of bare ground covered by reindeer moss, which made it less cumbersome and a lot drier.

The lack of snow made my excursions less pleasant than before. A lot of places there was only ice between the bare spots of land. Thus my trips also became shorter. But in additions to a few shorter trips I made it to the top of Hirishøhøgda (1392 meters), where I enjoyed lunch sheltered by the cairn. Below I show you also a photo from the same place in 2007, so that you can get an impression of the differences of the snow levels.

Friday I celebrated my 70 year birthday. A great celebration, with a tournedos and wine for dinner. Below you can see the chaos in the tent after the meal. (To mark that I am not entirely asocial, I have invited close relatives and a few select friends for a good meal at a restaurant overlooking Oslo later.)

The warm weather and the melting snow made me cut the trip short by several days and I returned Sunday 17.04. If I had not done so, I would not have been able to pull the sled back on bare ground.

In spite of everything, when I came home, I agreed with myself that I had had a fine trip.

Camp site this year:

You can see there is not much snow:

Chaos after meal making:

Lunch at Remdalsbu:

View West along Friisvegen:

Drying clothes:

The cairn at Hirisjøhøgda this year:

The cairn at Hirisjøhøgda 2007:

View on Rondane:

Down on Brettingsdalen:

Friisvegen in the background:

The parking space in the far distance: