Norway, don't we all dream of it ? The majestic fjords, the massive mountains and the undisturbed nature with all its unexplainable secrets waiting to be discovered. Not to speak of the quiet, the peace, the pureness of this incredible country. I have been so lucky to have visited several places within this beautiful country, but my roadtrip to Jotunheimen must have been the most impressive one, incomparable to any other place in the world, impossible to replace by any other memory in my life. I was working in Oslo and receiving my first visitors which of course is exciting enough as it is. But how to make exciting things even more exciting? Exactly, roadtrips.
During the period that us Dutch consider autumn, October 2018, a sunny autumn period for the Netherlands, turned into an early, cold winter in the giantic national park Jotunheimen. This beauty lies 'only' 4 hours away from the vibrant capital city Oslo. Yes, only 4 hours, the Norwegians would laugh at us Dutch if we consider this a long distance, so I kept quiet. 4 hours mean nothing in this huge country where the natural environment changes per hour, as if you're crossing several different continents, all with their own natural beauty ready for us to explore. It’s just laying out there, waiting to be seen, deserving to be threated well by us. And I am rather sure that anyone visiting this place, will immediately become aware of the urgent need to treat nature the way it deserves to be treated: with peace and respect, nothing but gratefully.
In our rented Peugeot mini we drove off, away from the lively hills of Baerum, my home by that time. It took us only half an hour before the houses slowly disappeared and the forest took over. This point was also the beginning of a river that was going to follow us loyally for the next upcoming hours. The fact that we left the urban area was rubbed in once more when we literally had to smash the brakes in to not hit a majestic fox crossing the road, while staring at us suspisoucly. It seemed to be asking us if we were fully certain to continue our trip into the wild, as nature was the boss around here, not human. I cant tell you how good it feels to just emerge with nature, to just surrender. To allow yourself to be a small part of a big place and to be nothing but grateful for that. And small I felt, as our little car crossed the curvy roads between the river and hills. The hills slowly grew and became less green and more rocky, transforming them into mountains. The peaceful river that had been joining us thus far, turned into a lake that didn’t even allow us to see its other side. Powdery layers of fresh snow, that kind that you can hear cracking underneath your shoes, started to cover the tops of the trees. We slowly enterd the park without bumping into even 1 person, without noticing even 1 sound. Something beautiful awaited every few metres as we were constantly surrouned by the massive, impressive, majestic silver mountains. What an incredible gift it was to enjoy the purity of this place.
Our camping was the kind of camping you find in fairy tales. Little wooden cabins, cozy and warm, protecting us from nothing but the icy wind, as I felt no need to be protected at all. I felt so safe within this quiet, pure, unbelievable environment, the heart of Norway. Despite me being incredibly exhausted we immediately decided to 'hit the road', although by feet this time. We simply walked around in the beautiful forest around our camping, with its high, mysterious pine trees, the tree I've got tattooed on my back. Safe to say I think this proves my love for those forests, black on white as we like to say in the Netherlands, meaning that it’s a stated fact. Which is kind of funny as I’m as white as it gets and my tattoo is pitchblack, sorry, lame joke. We walked around as if it was the first time we entered the world, in this fairytale forest. The forest where you hear nothing but your own heartbeat, where you could get lost just like that yet feel so safe because everything is so pure and real, it's one of those many moments in life where I felt so grateful, simply to be on this planet. The best place to get lost, is in the forest. Well, as long as you're not literally lost, please stay on the path or you'll be doomed. But it is fine not to know where the road takes you, as this often leads to the best destinations. You will never truly find yourself, before you get lost. Let me suggest to do so in nature, as it is where you will discover parts of yourself that you never even knew existed.
That day we walked towards a majestic waterfall, its water fell into the river and created that beloved sound that only waterfalls can create: the power of nature. Nothing but that, is what we heard while we stared into the powerful river, racing towards the shiny mountains many miles away. I always feel both small and big when I find myself in nature. Small, as we wouldn't stand a change if we got lost here, as nature is simply the boss here. And big, as I feel so happy and proud to be a part of this amazing world, and that is something that's being proven to you in a place like this. On the way back the path did suddenly stop but despite some slight panic as we walked besides a deepblue, powerful river, we were still safe. Google maps works anywhere in Norway, so as long as your phone is charged you'll be fine wherever you wander. We all made a little jump as we suddenly heard an owl in a tree close to us, and noticed it watching us, almost frowning its eyebrows (what kind of creature is that ?) We found ourselves in a place where nature ruled, and I was fine by that, grateful for it even. The one and only sign of humanity I saw was a beautiful dark wooden barn. Empty, mysterious, dark, just standing there in the middle of the forest.
Now there weren’t that many hours of daylight left, and the last thing you want to experience is to stay behind in the forest when it gets dark and all its mysterious creatures come to live. So before returning to our cabin, we challenged ourselves for 1 more hike, safely guided by clear signage. After crossing one of the man yellow plains, with icy wind being thrown at us from the mountains, we got to follow a small yet powerful river, further and further into the forest. We even got to cross it at some points where the rocks were most solid, and I was genuinely grateful that the water was calm here. My need for adventure only goes so far. It was a rather easy walk, as we crossed the flat parts of the park and even got to enjoy some fun facts along the way: every now and then a sign popped up with a fun fact about the forests and mountains around us. It was a welcome addition to an already incredible hike trough the magical forests of Jotunheimen.
- It's an amazing life
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