Easter Break Hikes

We have a short spring break this year, and with Covid numbers at their highest yet in Norway, any travel is confined to the local area. I have been using the time to write, read, cook, and hike. Although it is still cold, some very welcome sunshine the last two days sent us out onto a couple of local trails. I’ll just share a few photographs today.

On Thursday, we drove out to the coast and hiked the short and easy Olsetåsen.

Crossing the Dalsfjord on this beautiful suspension bridge. The road passes through tunnels on both sides, so it really feels like you are crossing some barrier, as you burrow through the mountain, then burst out onto this airborne bridge.

At the start of the Olsetåsen hike, we passed this stone barn. A lot of old farmhouses in this part of Norway are built on stone foundations, but seeing the whole set of walls built of stone, and with such precision, really is remarkable. The stonework is so tightly-packed, all flush together and without much protrusion anywhere. The two-step doorway with a solid stone lintel also impressed me too. It’s all in such contrast to the wooden door, which has fallen in.

The land in this part of Norway is awash in water. Almost every hike results in wet feet. The ground everywhere is like a great sponge. Waterfalls are ubiquitous, and where there isn’t enough for a full waterfall, the rock walls are often slick with a constant flow. Here, bright green moss hangs down from the ledge and carries the water like a wick. Mossicles, we called them.

Askvoll

In this map, I’ve marked the coastal village of Askvoll. The Olsetåsen hike was just across the small bay to the south, even with the southern edge of the Atløy island just to the west.

*The hike was short and the rise low, only a hundred meters. Still, the view out to Atløy was marvelous. You can see a low mist cloud drifting over the island there. Open sea lies beyond.*

The next day, I went out on my own for a short hike here on campus. Heading up onto a saddle in the local mountains, there is a bench with a great view. I took a thermos of tea, a chocolate chip cookie, and a notebook for a little journaling.

*Looking back down onto campus and the glistening Flekkefjord, a spur off the larger Dalsfjord*

Best wishes to you all for the coming week. I’ll be back to school on Wednesday, and then it will be a brisk run until the end of April, when IB exams begin. Although first-year students will continue classes until mid-June, I’m teaching only second-years this year, so my focus will shift to learning support, helping run the exams and, if I’m lucky, to getting a head start on planning for next school year.

Jimmy