Norwegian Nature

view from near Ulriken's summit

On top of Mt. Ulriken, after you get off the cable car, there’s a large map detailing the routes around the mountain and surrounding mountains. When describing a very difficult route, the English translation would say something like this: “Suitable for fit adults, children, and seniors.” An easier route would be “suitable for adults, children, and seniors.” I thought this was funny. But it shows you how much being outside and hiking is a part of Norwegian life. Kids, dogs, old people, everybody does these extremely challenging hikes.

near Trollstigen, the "troll road." People do hike this, but I didn't, because *broken arm* (duh) but also because I was on a tour with a lot of elderly Canadian tourists

How challenging are the hikes, Charlsie? Well, on the west coast they’re steep, because western Norway is mostly fjords, mountains, and sheer rock faces, with cities tucked into the tiny space where the mountains meet the fjords. They’re also rocky, and that means they’re slippery when it rains, which is often. When it rains, the space between the rocks also becomes soft and quicksand-like. The shrub and grass that looks stable will swallow your boot whole in a great squelch. Finally, the paths are usually not marked and are hard to find and follow.

I took the cable car to the top of Ulriken, stared at the summit, and thought: “you know what, I’m going to go up there right now,” because I thought it would be cool, but also because I didn’t want to buy another cable car ticket tomorrow. But as soon as I started up, with the cans of beer I’d bought at the REMA1000 in my backpack (because I hadn’t planned on summitting a small mountain today), I realized that I needed to figure out my own way up, because there wasn’t really a trail. There also were no safety lines or areas roped off; it would have been easy to just jump off and see if my wing tattoo would suddenly grow into a real wing and help me fly. I actually did see a guy jump off with a parachute and go paragliding. I hope he landed okay.

the mountain I climbed

It seemed like Norway was saying: however you’re able to and however you want to come up the mountain, have at it! And so I did. After I got my boot stuck in one of the mini swamps, I started jumping over puddles and marshy areas, using my hands to scramble up rocks, and scooting down rock faces on my butt. Ironically, this is not where I broke my wrist. That was later, on a rock at sea level by the grave of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Clearly that was punishment for my college orchestra’s performance of his Two Elegiac Melodies.

more views from Ulriken

When I made it up the mountain, I was the only one up there, and so I raised my arms up and cheered for myself like I had when I finally graduated from high school—although climbing the mountain was way easier than surviving high school. It was the first full day of my trip, and I’d made it up a whole mountain by myself! If that’s not a great omen, I don’t know what is.

But back to Norway and nature. One of the first things I noticed walking around Bergen was that everybody who looked like they lived there was wearing a windbreaker. Everyone. That’s because being outside is important for most Norwegians, regardless of the weather; Like the Danes, I think that most of them believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. Nature is such a huge part of Norwegian identity because it really sets it apart from the rest of Scandinavia, and from the rest of Europe. That’s why Norwegian painters paint landscapes, why Norwegians are allowed to camp on privately owned land, and why everyone and everything from puppies to "adults, children, and seniors" are capable of waking up every morning and climbing a mountain.

this is Trollstigen, with a rainbow in the background!