Kjell's Trip to Blåfjell 2014: september 2014

The old man has gone fishing once more.

I left Oslo 17. July for Osen on the Fosen Peninsula in Trøndelag, where I as usually visited with my sister Turid and brother-in-law Øystein. As before we went with Øystein for fishing trip in the ocean in his fishing boat. In addition I went to Namsos where I met my buddies Emil and Eigil.

On 21. July I left for the mountains where I stayed until 27. August. After the stay I stopped over in Trondheim on my way back to Oslo at my old classmate Ole’s house. He served a fantastic meal to his American tenant Tim and me, so well sprinkled with good wine and other drinks that I felt the after effects the next day on my way to Oslo.

Also this time I went to the Blåfjell national park, but with a different entry point, via Verdal to Bjørkeidet in Sweden. Vast stretches through the depopulated Swedish countryside to Gjevsjøen, where the national border between Sweden and Norway cuts across the middle of the lake. I got transport across the lake from Nils Gjefsjø (80), who runs the Gjefsjø Mountain Farm with his son Christian. They turned out to be incredibly helpful. I could borrow a boathouse by Livsjøen, where I could store all my luggage while I was in the mountain. I slept in a tent outside the boathouse, and I could store the tent erected inside when I was away. In addition Nils lent me a rowing boat, so that I could row across Livsjøen and thus get a much easier point of departure for my around six-kilometer-long hike to my base at Holmtjønna. Holmtjønna is a lake with plenty of trout, so there was no problem catching enough fish for food. I caught nice fish right outside the tent, but I made a lot of day trips to other lakes in the area. Then I found a lot of cloudberries and blueberries for jam, made with the two kilos of sugar that I brought with me. I also made a lot of trout cured with salt, sugar, dill and juniper. A delicacy.

I was not exactly overrun by people where I stayed at Holmtjønna. Only three people came by the tent the 37 days I stayed there, while I altogether saw eight people in the mountain.

Also this trip turned out to be a great adventure. All the hikes improved my physical shape considerably. The exercises I got from my physiotherapist had made my back pains disappear altogether. Nevertheless I have to admit that the trips with a too heavy backpack were a bit too strenuous. Next year I will have to exercise beforehand with heavy backpacks and also try to reduce the weight of my luggage. What I am making is in fact a kind of advanced camping trip.

Some of my activities as an old man aim at “delaying the decay” mentally and physically, and my mountain trips is the most effective activity for this purpose, while they at the same time give a meaningful and rewarding experience.

It is not that I am dumbfounded by the striking experience of nature, but it sinks in in a quiet way that gives peace of mind. To be recommended!