Day 8: Viksdalen-Måløy (116 km)

After some very nice days in the mountains, today I wanted to go back to the coast – specifically to Florø. From here I wanted to take a boat to Måløy. This boat only leaves once a day, at 16:05. According to Google Maps, it was 94 kilometres from my starting point, Viksdalen, to Florø by car. But the car route includes a tunnel which is prohibited, so I estimated around 100 kilometres including the detour around the tunnel. 

I normally set my alarm to seven o’clock, snooze it once, then eat breakfast in my tent, start packing, take down the tent and leave at nine. And I thought seven hours should be enough for 100 kilometres, including breaks, without stress. 

So I left Viksdalen and had first a very nice ride along or above lake Haukedalsvatnet up to a mountain pass. From there it was a long downhill ride to Førde. I had planned to take a longer break here after forty kilometres, but then I thought, I rather get closer to Florø first so that I’m really sure I won’t have to stress. 

So I continued along the Førdefjord which was a very nice ride. I saw a sea eagle from very close distance – it launched from a rock and crossed the road right in front of my nose. Unfortunately, I had just switched off my GoPro, so no good footage. 

After a bit more than fifty kilometres, I reached the no-go tunnel and turned right to go around. Not only was this detour much longer than I had expected, it also included a mountain pass with 500 metres altitude difference which I had not foreseen. So I lost a lot of time and had to start calculating if I would reach the boat. My conclusion was that it was going to be very tight, so I decided not to take any more breaks and just go. 

Getting closer to Florø, I counted down the kilometres, and it seemed like I would make it by just five minutes. Of course, we had west wind, so that was slowing me down a bit, and those five minutes started to melt away. Finally, I arrived at the pier at 16:03 – two minutes before the boat left – woohoo! I thought I could celebrate with a beer or at least a svele (western Norwegian kind of pancake), but they didn’t serve anything on board. So I had to eat some potato crisps from my supplies instead. 

When the boat arrived at Måløy, I decided to eat dinner at a restaurant instead of freeze-dried dinner in my tent. I found a nice Thai restaurant and had a good dinner and a beer there before I continued for another ten kilometres just so that the day will be a bit shorter tomorrow. My camp tonight is not the nicest – it’s on a resting place close to the main road, but I was too tired to go any further today. The place where I hope I can stay tomorrow on the other hand will be pretty amazing, I believe. Coming back to that tomorrow. 

Yesterday, I didn’t have time to write a blog entry because I used all afternoon to review my GoPro files and make the first video (see link below). Here comes the recap of both yesterday and today. 

Day 6: Kvanndal (Hardangerfjord)-Myrkdalen (70 km)

As expected, it was raining in the morning. It took me a bit longer to get out of my sleeping bag, but eventually, I got up because I wanted to get at least half way to the Sognefjord.

The first ten kilometres were actually dry, but then it started raining again. It wasn’t a lot first, but it was raining constantly. At Voss the rain became heavier, so I took a longer break at a petrol station. I ordered a waffle and got a waffle – with brown cheese (Norwegian type of goat cheese – for non-Norwegians). 

After the waffle and a hot chocolate, I continued towards Myrkdalen, but before, I had to take another hot chocolate break at Vinje. From here it was only uphill to Myrkdalen, which is a ski resort in winter and quite deserted in summer – except for the huge Chinese group who came right after I had arrived. 

I set up my tent right at the bottom of the ski slopes and got out of my wet clothes. Then I packed my GoPro and iPhone and went to a big hotel which was close by. Here I ordered apple pie and another hot chocolate with a massive amount of cream and started to look through my videos. I soon figured out that this would take a while, so I had two beers in the meantime, too. Since it was warm, dry and comfy there, I stayed for dinner as well. The result of my film editing you find here. 

(Day 7 recap below the pictures)

Day 7: Myrkdalen-Viksdalen via Sognefjord (105 km)
When I woke up, I thought there was a hint of sunshine on my tent. But that must have been wishful thinking, because when I got out of the tent, it was just as grey with very low-hanging clouds as the day before. When I started cycling, it actually started raining lightly again. 

The first part of today’s ride took me through a very nice green valley which reminded me a bit of Iceland, and then up a mountain pass. Here I soon reached areas with snow fields again, and I could enjoy a very nice view over the valley I had come through. 

From the pass the route stayed up between 900 and 1000 metres for a while before it went over into a very long descent towards Vik at the Sognefjord. Here I stopped for some grocery shopping and a coffee before I continued to the ferry harbour at Vingsnes. From here I took the ferry across the Sognefjord to Dragsvik. 

The rest of the day, I hadn’t quite planned. My aim was to cycle another 40-50 kilometres so that I would have a chance to reach the west coast tomorrow. After a flat start along the fjord towards Vetlefjorden, the road continued into the mountains again, and I believe this was the longest pass so far. 

On top of the pass, there is a viewing platform called “Utsikten”. A nice Norwegian couple was applauding for me from the car right before I got up there. I asked them to take some photos of me and had some chocolate here before I continued down again on the other side. Strangely, while it was half sunny, half cloudy on the side I came up, it started raining instantly on the other side. It rained quite heavily for the next five kilometres, but then the rain got lighter again. It was only downhill from here, so I continued for another 30 kilometres and stopped in a small village called Viksdalen. Here I found a Joker convenience store right before it closed. And I found a convenient spot for my tent right next to the store behind a football cage. 

I have got approximately 100 kilometres to go to the coast, so I think I will reach it at Florø tomorrow. The weather forecast is good. 

Haukeliseter-Kvanndal/Hardangerfjord (118 km)

First of all, the three course dinner yesterday evening at Haukeliseter, accompanied by a wine package, was really nice. And the visit incl. dinner and breakfast was rather affordable as well. So Haukeliseter can be recommended. 

The best thing was when I discovered that there was smoke coming out of a small hut by the lake – a sauna! I only found it at half past nine, and they were going to close at ten, but there was still time for two rounds in the sauna and two jumps into the lake. ​​​Click for YouTube video

In the morning, Haukeliseter showed itself from its best side once more. But I had to leave because I had a long ride ahead of me. 

There were a couple of tunnels on the way today which were prohibited for bicycles. And that means I had to cross a mountain pass instead. The first one was not too bad – it was 1100 metres high, but I started at over 900 already. 

Then I had a long descent down to Røldal at 400 metres. From here I had to go over the pass next to the Røldal ski centre at almost 1100 metres again, so that was a long and tough climb. 

From the top I had a great view over the Folgefonna glacier, the third biggest in Norway. It was a long ride down to Odda then which is located at a side arm of the Hardanger fjord. My goal was to take a ferry to the other side of the fjord, so I had 45 kilometres still to go. 

Half way to the ferry, I stopped at a supermarket to buy some food and drinks. And when I came back to my bike, I suddenly saw that the luggage rack on the back of my bike was loose. It was hanging down in a strange angle, so I had to fix it. This took me about thirty minutes. I originally had good time to catch the ferry which goes only once an hour, but suddenly, I was in a hurry. I raced the last 22 kilometres as fast as i could and reached the ferry one and a half minute before it left. 

Before we reached the other side, I already spotted a nice park where I decided to set up my tent for the night. Tomorrow the weather forecast predicts quite a lot of rain. My plan would normally be to continue to the Sognefjord. But that would be a 115 kilometres’ ride, and I’m not sure if I’m up for that in rainy weather. I am one day ahead of my original schedule, so I might take it easy tomorrow. 

Bykle-Haukeliseter (84 km)

The sun was shining on my tent when my alarm rang at seven o’clock this morning. Although it was becoming quite warm in the tent, I preferred to stay on my comfortable Exped mat which can be turned into a chair, and have breakfast inside. 

The bike ride started with a small uphill stretch and then a rather flat part. After 25 kilometres, I reached Hovden – a ski resort in the winter. Here I had a short coffee break and bought new freeze-dried dinners in a sports store. They didn’t have Real Turmat, so I have to try Summit To Eat instead. 

From Hovden there was a bit more uphill to go before I started a long descent down to Haukeli. Here I turned left on route E134 towards Haugesund, which had a bit more traffic than the E9 I was on before (but not too bad).

From Haukeli it was a steady ascent up towards Haukeliseter fjellstue, the mountain lodge where I am staying tonight. 10 kilometres before my goal, the main road went into a tunnel. So I had to take the pass over the mountain instead. I was rewarded by a beautiful landscape with the Kjelavatn lake to my feet and mountains with single snowfields all around. I took quite many stops to take pictures today. 

Back on the main road I cycled the last few kilometres to Haukeliseter, which is located at Ståvatn – another beautiful lake. I will sleep in a regular bed tonight and it seems like I have the room for myself as well. Since it is Friday, I already enjoyed a Radler/Alster (beer with sprite) in the sun. And I am very much looking forward to a three course dinner with pheasant as main course tonight (guess a red wine goes well with the bird).

Day 3: Byglandsfjorden-Bykle (107 km)

The night was a bit rainy after all, but luckily in the morning it was dry and only overcast. I continued my journey on the west side of the Byglandsfjord. It was a very nice, woody road with literally no traffic at all (I met one car on the first 20 kilometres). I saw a very pretty woodpecker from close distance, but couldn’t get my GoPro camera running so quickly. 

After 40 kilometres along the fjord, I reached a village called Osa. I went to the local grocery store (Coop marked) and enjoyed a free coffee and a little chat with two gentlemen. The lady who worked there told me that there are five (!) people who live in Osa. But they have a grocery store!

The whole trip today took me through the beautiful Setesdal valley – always next to the fjord or following the Otra river. My lunch break was in Rysfjord where they have a petrol station. Circle K has “always a wiener for 10 kroner”, so easy choice for main course 1 and 2, accompanied by some fruit and kefir drink. 

My goal today was to reach Bykle, so that I have a manageable distance for tomorrow’s mountain stage to Haukeliseter. The last kilometres to Bykle at almost 600 metres above sea level were quite a climb, too. So I was content when I reached my goal at half past four. 

I set up my tent on a lawn next to the church. It started raining again just before I arrived, but it’s supposed to be nice weather tomorrow. 

Svenevig-Byglandsfjorden (113 km)

I started the day with breakfast in bed because I was too lazy to get out of the tent for it. It was a sunny morning, and I started cycling from Svenevig around 9 o’clock. I first had to pass through Vigeland once more, my starting point from yesterday, and then further north on road 460. 

After a bit more than 3 kilometres, however, I noticed that I wasn’t wearing my gloves. So I figured that I must have either forgotten them at my tent spot or put somewhere on the bike when I left and lost them on the way. I returned to my camp, but they were not there. Nor did I find them lying on the road somewhere, so it seems like I have to buy a pair of new ones eventually. Fortunately, it wasn’t a more vital thing I lost, so I continued cycling without. 

I cycled through a sunny and wide U-shaped valley after I passed Vigeland towards Sveindal. (Quiz question for geology nerds: If a valley is U-shaped, is it formed by a glacier or a river?) The last bit up to Sveindal was quite steep, so the name (valley) was misleading really. From here I continued on road 42 which started with an even longer and higher slope. Although I have most of the climb up to Haukeliseter (at 1000 metres) still ahead of me, I got a little taste today of the terrain to come. 

At Evje I had a little pit stop. One of the parts which link my panniers to the front wheel had broken. The second one actually. In order to fix it I had to borrow a pair of pliers. (Udo told me I should have them in my luggage, so now I agree.) Luckily, Evje also had a building supplies store, so now I’ve got my own pliers and some extra screwdrivers (of which I only need one really, but they are super-light).

Finally, I arrived at Byglandsfjorden and found another nice spot for my tent here. When I opened my bags to prepare dinner, I found out that I had had a small “eggcident.” I bought this plastic container for six eggs because I thought it would be very nice to have eggs and bacon for breakfast from time to time. Well, two of them were broken and the container was not quite egg-yolk-proof. Fortunately, almost everything else was packed in small plastic bags. So after a small cleaning job, everything is fine again. 

It is half past eight and I will go back to my tent soon. There are some few raindrops falling, so I set up my tent rainproof tonight. The forecast for tomorrow is still OK though, so I hope there will be no more rain. I have around 190 kilometres to go to Haukeliseter where I am going to enjoy a nice three-course dinner in two days (which is after all even better than the Real Turmat chicken with lime I had tonight). My plan is to cycle a bit more than 100 kilometres tomorrow, so that I will have a slightly shorter day on Friday. 

Day 1: Vigeland-Lindesnes fyr-Svenevig (44 km)

The long trip has started. I reached Vigeland at 13:30, and instead of waiting for two hours for another bus which could have taken me closer to Lindesnes fyr lighthouse, the intended starting point of my trip, I decided to cycle there instead. This meant 27 kilometres of cycling in the wrong direction, but given the distance which lies ahead of me, this seemed neglectable. 

I reached Lindesnes fyr at 15:30 and took some compulsory pictures there. I can certainly say that German tourists are well represented here, so Norwegian or English skills wouldn’t have been necessary. The lighthouse itself is a picturesque landmark, so I stayed some time to take pictures and enjoy a cup of coffee. 

They had a book there in which all Norge på langs tourists can write a greeting. So I took some time to read the stories of my predecessors. Most people seem to travel the other way around – from north to south. So this was there endpoint. Many of them were cyclists, but many of them have also walked/skied the whole way (which is the real Norge på langs challenge, I assume). My favourite quote in the book: “This trip must be experienced. But it cannot be recommended.” (“Turen må oppleves, men anbefales ikke.”)

I was not going to cycle long today. After another 17 kilometres in the opposite, that means the right direction to the north, I found a lovely bay with a perfect spot for my tent. I’m sitting by the sea now on a bench writing my diary and will soon go into my tent. 

I have booked a room at Haukeliseter fjellstue, a mountain lodge, for Friday. So I have three days to go there which is a bit less than 300 kilometres from here. The weather was great today and is supposed to be fine tomorrow, too – according to yr.no and Mr. Nansen. 

For the next six weeks my plan is to cycle through Norway from the south to the north – or “Norge på langs” in Norwegian. I’m currently on the train from Oslo to Kristiansand from where I will take a bus to Lindesnes. Lindesnes fyr is a lighthouse which will be the starting point for my trip. 

From here I will cycle north, pass by the Hardangervidda plateau and cross some of the fjords of the Westland. I plan to reach the coast south of Ålesund and follow it through Molde and Kristiansund. Next stops are Trondheim, Steinkjer, Namsos and then a looong stretch along the coast again to Bodø. From here I plan to take a ferry to the Lofoten peninsula and continue via Andøya and Senja to Tromsø. From Tromsø the final section goes via Alta to Nordkapp – which is my final destination. It’s actually not the northernmost point in Norway, but Mr. Nansen accepted this choice. 

In total I have planned six weeks for this trip of roughly 3100 to 3200 kilometres. In average, my plan is to cycle 100 kilometres per day which would allow me to take a rest day every fifth day. I will try to mostly sleep outside and brought both a tent and a hammock – which I have never slept in before, so that is going to be exciting. PDF version of the map above. 

After twelve long waiting days at base camp, we finally got our chance to make a try for Broad Peak summit. We started our summit push at 11 PM in the evening of 24th July. Together with a Spanish-led expedition we were eleven climbers with headlamps on our way to the summit. It soon became clear that this was going to be a tough task due to deep snow. Whoever went first, sank in half a metre at each step. Going first were almost all the time our guides Ryan and Tomás who did a tremendous job!

At ten o’clock in the morning – after eleven hours – we were right below a col at 7800 metres which we had hoped to reach after six hours. Here suddenly clouds appeared and the wind got stronger. Since we also had to think about the long way back down, we had to take the difficult decision to turn around – after an 11 hours long tough climb, seven weeks in Pakistan, and just 250 metres below the summit.

We are now on the hike out. I will come back with pictures once we are back in civilisation.

We have had a weather shift and are currently stuck at base camp for a weather window that allows us to make an attempt to reach the summit. For the last eleven days we have been waiting at base camp – only walking over to K2 base camp once which is about an hour away, and going for short walks up or down the glacier some of the other days so that we don’t get rusty. There are strong winds high on the mountain at the moment, but they are supposed to die off quite soon according to our weather report, so that we hopefully will get a shot at the summit in a few days. Ryan has written a longer dispatch about the situation on www.mtnprofessionals.com/news.