03 Oct - Soggy Sheep

From Norway

The cabin was warm, and the morning was gloomy. The wind was blowing (borderline howling) and the rain was intermittent. It was not a day for the Priekenstolen hike… or so I thought.

Revisiting the Frommer’s book, there was a wool factory store not too far away. The factory started in 1937 and makes wool yarn from the local sheep. It then sends the yarn to Poland where they fabricate the hats, socks, and sweaters in Norwegian patterns. Seemed like a splendid way to spend the dreary morning. The factory outlet store was in the middle of nowhere… although there were plenty of grazing sheep. The factory was a large white cement building with old-school pane windows. The outlet store resembled a very long log cabin. In addition to knitted fashions and yarn, they had various trinkets, housewares, and a cafeteria. I spent a considerable amount of time and money in that store, starting and completing the Christmas gifts for the family. The sales person said the factory forever shut its doors the 1st of Oct (2 days ago!). She said they can’t compete with the wools of New Zealand (and one other place). It’s just too expensive. So, the goodies I bought are some of the last Norwegian wool products that there will be for a while (from this supplier). Norway is expensive (you’ll notice my weekend trips have not involved shopping). Being a factory outlet the products are cheaper, however still not reasonable by US standards. They had silly high prices instead of ridiculously high prices (found in any town for the same products). Some of the money will be returned as I requested a VAT form (tax refund at the airport for visitors). After a lunch at their cafeteria, it was back on the road.

The rain was letting up at this point and Priekenstolen was on the road signs. My energy level was in need of some activity so the trailhead was next on the list. Priekenstolen is a large granite face that drops veritically in Lysefjord. I had seen it from the ferry ride the day before and wasn’t very impressed. It has a country-wide reputation (equivalent of the Half-Dome hike for CA) and is most enjoyable on a clear day when you can see the fjord 1,920 ft below the cliff. Today the enjoyment factor was at stake.

The hiking involved birch forest, a rock trail, a wooden boardwalk over a marsh, and for much of it the stream was on the trail. There were a surprising number of hikers going in both directions. Those coming down resembled the soggy sheep I had been passing all morning. My feet felt for those hikers whom were doing it in sneakers. Boots were really needed to avoid getting the feet wet, not to mention spraining an ankle on the wet, slick rocks. The rain stopped completely for most of the hike up and the sun managed to battle its way out for 20 minutes to make for beautiful views. When the sun was being threatened by an approaching front, my pace quickened significantly. I really wanted the view and I knew the top was near. The view and granite was awesome. If you can imagine flooding the Yosemite valley, and being on top of El Captain, that’s the closest experience there would be. Upon summiting the granite platform, the clouds and fog were advancing, so I snapped the pictures quickly. Within 10 minutes there was no visibility beyond a couple hundred feet and shortly thereafter the rain celebrated. It celebrated even with some hail on the entire scramble down. My jacket and pants were thoroughly soaked and now I was that soggy sheep. Fortunately, my under-layers were only damp and reasonable for driving.

The drive North was fjord hopping-ly fabulous. The road meandered by Idsefjorden, Josenfjorden, Ardalsfjorden, Erfjorden and Lovrafjorden, where I spent the night in another lovely cabin. This one is just as good as the first one, if not better and a little warmer than the one last night! The cabins are so lovely and very affordable… it’s definitely the best way to see Norway. They are less than half of the cost of a hotel, have kitchettes, a compact living room and bunks. You do have to bring a sleeping bag and towel, so that’s where it saves the money. It rained all night, which added to the pine cabin ambiance. After a warm shower, cozy clothes and a warm cabin, I was no longer that soggy sheep.