After yesterday's gorgeous hike, we were not too sad about the forecast of rain all day. Since doing a via ferrata in the rain worked out fine a few days ago, we decided that we would give it a go again on the Loen via ferrata.
The day started off with our first real breakfast in Norway (because it was included in our stay). I love a good bakery, but this was a real treat.
Dan got the "breakfast for champions" and I ordered avocado toast with salmon
If salmon is on the menu for breakfast, I'm ordering it
The town of Stryn where we were staying
Hooray - a bakery! We got a few pastries and sandwiches for our hike
Cinnamon rolls seem to be the most popular Norwegian pastry
Driving towards the via ferrata - you can see the gondola in the distance
The restaurant and guesthouse where we stayed in Stryn
Cinnamon rolls are everywhere - I think they are beautiful 😍
The start of the hike up to the via ferrata
The Loen via ferrata was a mix of B/C/D climbing mostly on slab rock. So, maybe not ideal for wet conditions, however it only rained on and off a little and we even snagged some sweet views.
The town of Olden foreground with a glacial lake in the background
Innvikfjord
This man takes me on scary adventures but doesn't let me die on them
This bridge was 120 meters long
Sweet views, but don't look down 😳
This 40 meter ladder was a bit bouncy and super fun
There was a slow tour group ahead of us so we chatted with some other climbers near us. There was a group of young adults from Poland who were really friendly, but quite nervous about the route. They have been camping on their holiday and tonight they were excited to do laundry 😁 Then we met Marta and Karl from Sweden on their 1st via ferrata. We ended up chatting with them for a while. They had lots of questions for us about gear and stuff. Then we rambled on about via ferratas, hockey, Nordic skating and canyoning and taking our kids on wild adventures and they politely listened to us. They actually sounded interested in trying canyoning - maybe we changed their lives 😉 I know that we really enjoyed their company on that cliff. What a fun place to make new friends.
Marta and Karl from Sweden, our lovely new friends that we met on a cliff
Once we made it to the top of the via ferrata, we savored the views of the mountains and fjords. Then we had a decision to make: take the gondola down or hike 5 miles (3200' down) back to the car. What would you do? I think we both wanted to walk, but it was already after 6pm, so we ended up taking the shortcut down. Once again, another sign that we are getting old.
Woohoo - made it to the top!
The views of the surrounding mountains and fjords rocked my world
A very happy Dan that we are taking the "shortcut" back down
Once back at our guesthouse, we decided to have another meal at the same restaurant as the place we are staying - it was tasty and super easy. Once again, I face planted into bed right after dinner. Playing hard is exhausting 😁
Our transportation to Alesund, Norway from home could not have gone smoother if we had tried. From the Woburn Express to our short layover in Copenhagen to getting our rental car in Alesund - everything was perfect. A Norwegian diving board These seats were incredible but...they were too far apart and had giant armrests between us The flights were easy. In the long line to get through customs in Copenhagen, we ended up standing in front of a couple who told us that they live in a small town called Plainfield, NH! We ended up figuring out that they even have Angela (my sister) as her doctor. Go figure. In the Oslo airport Our first view of Alesund as we flew in SAS plane from Oslo to Alesund. When we landed in Alesund, we were surprised that it wasn't raining. The plan was just to get adjusted to the time zone, maybe do a short via Ferrara and then head to bed. But we found out about a cool hike on the island of Godoya. It was a loop hike around a mountain lake that sum...
It was a slow morning because heavy rain was kept us from hitting the trail early. Our plan was to do a ridge hike called Romsdalseggen, but there are exposed sections that sounded like they would be challenging in the rain. So, we ultimately decided to do a via ferrata in the rain - maybe our logic was a little wonky. To start the day, we found a yummy bakery called Walderhung Bakeri and stocked up on baked goods for the day. I have a weakness for bakeries and all of their treats. Once I enter and get a whiff of bread baking, I lose all sense of reason and buy way more than I can eat. I held back at this bakery and we only purchased what we needed. Maybe I'm learning some self control or maybe it's because everything is very expensive here. The pastery on the far right skilpadde - it is a traditional local treat. We were surprised at how light and airy it was (and not too sweet). It was still raining when we arrived in Andalsnes. We chatted with some people at the Nordsk Tind...
In Norway, it is quite difficult to narrow down what hike you are going to do because there are SO MANY options. Today the forecast was for clouds with only some rain, which is actually a good forecast, so we decided to go for a hike near Oye. Dan originally picked out a hike for the highest mountain in the region (Slogen), but we changed that to a slightly milder hike because it was described as an expert trail (rated Black) by Norwegian standards with many exposed and scary sections (needing "a good head for heights") with a fair amount of vert and we were starting late. So, Mount Saksa (rated Red: demanding by Norwegian standards) turned into the destination for the day's adventure. First off, I would like to welcome back some long dormant muscles who had to wake up yesterday to help out with the via ferrata. Today they are complaining a little bit about having to rise from their slumber. The morning began with a drinkable yogurt and banana in the car as we settled in ...
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