The Journey to Trolltunga Long before I arrived in Norway, I spent a lot of time researching places where I might want to study abroad. I had it narrowed down to Sweden, Finland, Norway and the UK. Once I had narrowed it down again to Gothenburg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway, I started to delve deeper and research even more about each place. I did a lot of reading about Norway and despite Oslo being labeled the most expensive city in the world, there were so many things about Norway that seemed to be calling my name. Trolltunga was one of them. In fact, Trolltunga was THE #1 thing calling my name. From the moment I found out that it existed, I knew it was the thing I wanted to do most while I was here. Once I had settled into Oslo I realized that if I wanted to make Trolltunga happen, I had to do it soon. The hiking season for the trail is June-mid September. Once Fall fully takes over and ends Summer's reign, the hike becomes much more difficult and, at some points, seemingly impossible. I realized that taking this trip would require me to do a bunch of things I've never done before. Most importantly, rent a place to stay and rent a car. Oh, and speaking of that car...I also needed a driver. Automatic cars are available to rent here in Norway, but they are limited in number and more expensive than standards. I don't know how to drive standard and didn't think learning and driving standard for the first time on a trip across most of Norway would be a good idea. The more I thought about the challenges, the more discouraged I got about the trip. Was it actually going to happen? Would I make it to Trolltunga in the limited time I had? I would constantly bring the idea up when I was in different groups of people, trying to feel people out and find the ones who really wanted to do it. The only person who was truly committed from the first time I brought it up was my flatmate Laura. That was a good start, but we still needed more people. I mentioned the idea in front of Blake and Ollie, two guys from my orientation group, and they were super excited and immediately committed. Then I knew we could definitely make this happen. We used Airbnb and rented a super cute, cozy house in Nå, Norway. The Airbnb listing said the house is about a 20 minute drive from Odda, the town in which the road up to the Trolltunga trail head begins. Ollie and Blake invited their friend Will to join us and with that we had a full car. With Blake agreeing to drive, we then rented a car and started getting excited for what was bound to be an exciting trip. Part 1: "Ollie! Where's Ollie?"
Part 2: It's a Long way up, but the view ain't bad! 5:30 am Saturday morning came really fast. That's all I have to say about that. We drove to Odda, then followed the road that led to the Trolltunga trail head parking lot, which seemed to wind and twist endlessly. Another road that could barely be considered two lanes. We bundled up, cold from the wind and morning air, but I had a gut feeling I'd be stripping layers within minutes of hiking. I was right. The entire first kilometer of the hike is up stone steps, some pretty high. Occasionally, we came to a steep, flat rock face where (thankfully) ropes have been anchored to help you climb up. Hitting the 1 km marker was a painful reminder of how short the distance we had just hiked was and how far we had to go. This first km was truly brutal, but I knew the whole hike wouldn't have such an extreme elevation gain and the views of the lake behind us were really cool. The second km was one of my favorite parts of the hike. One reason being the ground levels out for a while, but the other reason is the scenery. This stretch of the hike is in an expansive mountain valley with marshy areas and creeks. The creek water was crystal clear and ice cold so we stopped to fill up our water bottles. Occasionally, we'd pass a remote cabin and try to imagine what staying up in these mountains for a few days or weeks would be like. Sometimes the four of us (Will had decided to go ahead on his own) would simply stop and stare out into the distance and make a full 360 degree turn, taking in all the beauty around us. The crisp, early morning air and sunrise made this experience seem unreal, a word we'd end up overusing throughout the rest of the day. While our minds were processing the view, our bodies were preparing for the Uphill Battle: Round 2. The trail goes up, up, up, but no stairs this time. Then we were met with a steep slick, flat rock face. I was really glad that it hadn't rained. This portion of the trail would have been pretty tricky had the rock face been slippery. The views were breathtaking and so was the incline. Again, I was drenched in sweat and had to stop every few minutes to take a breather. During this portion of the hike we reached the awesome Lake Ringedalsvatnet (bottom right). We also ran into fellow international students who told us we had made it through the worst of it. We still had (unbelievably) 8 km to go, but it would get slightly easier from here on out. I didn't take many photos between km 3 and 6. We agreed as a group that we really needed to take advantage of any flat or semi-flat portions of the trail and traverse them as quickly as possible because we were losing time with each quad burning uphill. The trail was always changing; muddy, then rocky, then snowy, then grassy. There were some times that we were surrounded by rocks and boulders covered in a bright green moss. It seems like there is no question that the little trolls in the movie Frozen were based on these exact rocks. Even though we were walking for so long, it was impossible to be bored. Sometimes I was so focused on my feet and taking the right steps that I had to remind myself to look up and take it all in every once in a while. Somewhere between km 7 and 8 I did just that. Pictured below is one of my favorite views from the hike (featuring Blake & Ollie on the left and myself on the right). At many points during the hike, I couldn't help but think of Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite stories of friendship and adventure through dark times. First of all, the mountains of Norway look just like Middle Earth. Along the way Ollie had stopped, looking out into the distance towards a cliff face and said "Doesn't that look like the part in The Hobbit when the mountains come to life and start fighting each other?" I truly gained more respect for the Fellowship when I realized they did what we were doing, painful as it was, for years, instead of just one day. Yeah, I realize that sounds stupid because it's a fictional story, but I'm not going to pretend I don't wish it were real. Once we hit km 8, it felt like we were in the homestretch. The last 3 km would still take us at least an hour, but we were closer than we were far. Part 3: The Troll's Tongue We had left the trail head at 7:30 am and finally reached Trolltunga at 11:56. It felt like days had passed, not hours. We were proud of the fact that we had made it in under 4.5 hours, even if only by 4 minutes. In the last km it became clear that people were excited and anxious to get there. Hikers passed each other, the trail seemed to be busier than it had all day, and I even started jogging when I knew I was getting really close. We had worked all day for this. It was about time we got to see what we came here for. So there it was, in sight at last. Of course the Troll's Tongue was incredible and awe inspiring, but when we arrived there I experienced a feeling I hadn't expected. Before doing the hike, I was so focused on the destination. I saw photos of Trolltunga, of people on the edge, and I fantasized about the moment I would get to do the same. What I didn't prepare for was the way I'd feel when I finally got there. Trolltunga was big, but not as big as it looks in the photos. It was thrilling, but not as scary as the photos make it out to be. It was beautiful, but it wasn't the only beautiful thing there. I found myself wondering 'Why am I not more overwhelmed?' Then it hit me: it wasn't all about the destination. In fact, the destination was only a small part of it. In the beginning this was all about Trolltunga, but after high-fiving Ollie and Blake at the top, taking a deep breath in and out, and letting the moment sink in I realized the meaning of the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The destination wouldn't have been the same without the journey of getting there. Without the ever changing landscape, the wide open mountains, the movie-like panoramas, the laughter and camaraderie between friends, the sore legs, sweat, trips and falls, the feelings of gratefulness, the sunshine on our faces, the moments that were "INSANE!!!!", the times we stopped, looked out into the distance, then looked back at each other, not having to say a word because we knew what the others were thinking; 'I can't believe this moment is real.' How lucky we are to be in Norway, to have bodies that can carry us great distances, eyes that can see the world, and souls that can take it all in.
She was definitely right, but I didn't want to watch a bunch of people successfully hang their feet off the ledge and wish I had done it myself. We took a few group photos, including one of us doing the YMCA. Then we took our individual photos. Walking out onto Trolltunga was not as scary as I imagined it would be. However, I didn't necessarily love the way I felt when I looked over the edge of the cliff and my stomach still drops when I look at the photos. We ate lunch at Trolltunga and froze our butts off in the wind. Then we had to go back the way we came and do it all again. It was hard to believe, but there was no point in putting it off. It simply had to be done. Part 4: Down is easier than up...right? Wrong. You spend all the uphills wishing for a downhill. Then 20 minutes into your nonstop downhill trek you'd do anything to go uphill again. The guys went ahead on the way back, but Laura and I stuck together. We took our time, wanting to make sure that we took in all the sights while we were there. Who knows if we'll ever be in that same place again? The way back did seem to go slightly faster than the way there, but in reality it took Laura and I another 4 hours and 25 minutes (1pm - 5:25 pm) to return to the car. The first 5 km (which had just been the last 5 km) were the best part of the journey back. We truly couldn't have asked for better weather which was a huge surprise. With it being so late in the hiking season and us seeing so many weather forecasts predicting rain, we were not expecting such a beautiful day. The flat, steep rock face between km 7 and 8 (3 and 4 on the way up) was really tough on my quads and it seemed to never end. When we did the second to last km in 18 minutes I was feeling incredibly hopeful for the final km. I was confident we could do it in 20. In fact, I was overconfident. The last km destroyed me, just the way it had 9.5 hours before. Mother Earth pities no one. By the time I had the parking lot in sight, I looked down to see my legs trembling out of my control. My body was probably wondering why in god's name I just put it through 10 hours of this crap. When we got home I drank a beer, ate our delicious and long awaited home cooked dinner, and passed out before 10 pm. Part 5: Taking It All In Since I had fallen asleep so early on Saturday, I woke up around 9 am on Sunday and decided to go for a walk along the roads near our house while the others slept. I found a picnic table down by the water and spent 45 minutes in the serenity of Nå, Norway reading my book, Wild. I have hiked a decent amount in the past, but the longest hike I've done up to this point took about 6 hours and was not as physically demanding as Trolltunga. I opened my book Sunday morning with a greater understanding of Cheryl Strayed's descriptions of the pain and exhaustion she experienced while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. It was nice to feel more connected to her story and fully grasp the magnanimity of the task she completed. We packed up and left the house around 12, wanting to give ourselves enough time to make a few stops on the way back. First we stopped at the Låtefossen waterfall, which consists of two separate streams that meet in the middle as they fall, just before they go under the Norwegian National Road 13. After the falls, we stopped at the cafe that we had only seen because of the oversize load that had prompted us to take the road that goes around the tunnel instead of through the tunnel. This place ended up being an older Norwegian woman's home. She has made the room next to the kitchen into a little dining room for guests. We had waffles with sour cream and jam and a cup of coffee for 50 NOK (about $6). This was a great way to wind down after the trip and we had an awesome view of the Norwegian landscape. We signed the guestbook, used the outhouse (which also had an great view), and were on our way. But soon after we had started driving we were stopped by a line of sheep blocking the entire road. This was so awesome. I love seeing animals, no matter what kind and it was cool to finally see the roaming sheep cliche of rural Norway in real life. Our next (and last) stop was the Heddal stave church, which Ollie had spotted on the drive to Nå. The Heddal church is the largest stave church in Norway and is still used today. There is a legend about how the church was built in just three days. This is the second stave church I've seen while in Norway and I've loved seeing the incredible woodwork and architectural beauty of such structures. It's hard to find the words to properly describe this trip. When I do find them, it's hard to narrow down which words describe it best. On the car ride there we had listened to "Everlong" by Foo Fighters. While we were hiking to Trolltunga, I remember saying something like "Ya know how we listened to 'Everlong' yesterday? That's the perfect song for this moment!" So that explains why the title of this blog is a lyric from that song. The next line is: "If anything could ever be this good again." If you don't know the song, I highly suggest taking a listen as it is one of the best (maybe the best) Foo Fighters song there is. I finished reading Wild on the car ride home and found myself feeling the same way Cheryl Strayed felt at the end of her journey; tired, accomplished, grateful, and forever indebted to the wild for what it gave me, a feeling that is almost impossible to explain.
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