Friday June 12th 2015. 28 Km walking until Majavatn Camping. Next 37 km. hitch hiking to Svenningdal Camping

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esult_box” lang=”en”>Today was most interesting at the end, but I will just start at the beginning.
The day was no great succes. Well, such days happen. Last night I noticed a beginning of shin splint or, in good Dutch, a medial tibial stress syndrome. And that can bother you up to 6 weeks. That’s what happens when the legg gets overstressed. 45 km. of walking on hard asphalt the day before yesterday, all day trying to slow down a pulling Tosca, harmed my dear leggs. Then just slowing down, and walking as much as possible next to the asphalt. But that small side of the road was often very narrow, slippery and wet. Well, I thought, halfway through the day I’ll pass camping Bjornstad and next camping Mellingsmo and on the way there will probably be a rest area or gas station with coffee. Last night and this morning I had given Tosca some canned food and a lot of her Frolic food, so I had to carry less. Therefore today Tosca had more energy than I could handle. Whenever I want to pee  she turns to me, jumping, biting and pulling at its leash, hopeless. Along the way she kept pulling, while kilometers going downhill. Highly irritating. That’s how my shin got overstressed. Until I found out that 500 m. further was a field with sheep. Of course Tosca had smelled it way before, impatiently heading for it. Smelling traces of crossing large wild herbivores make her drag me for minutes to the forest, or worse, backwards. It would have been better if I had given her less food. Just like an over active child after eating candy.

Along the way many carnivorous plants. Better that than carnivorous flying little animals.

A tree stump decorated as a troll in front of a house

I got a lot of text messages and phone calls between the passing trucks and campers. Much more than usual. Strange.

Half an hour before arriving at the camp I finished my last drink. I ran out of food a few hours before. Soon, after arriving in the safe harbor, I would settle down, shower, eat, buy drinks. You bet! It’s not that easy for a pilgrim to return to regular life. First a roadside billboard: hotel closed. All right with me. I’ll go on to the camp site. Camping closed. None of the cabins was open to spend the night illegally. Then just walking another 500 m. further into the village, do shopping and ask if there is a bus to the next camping, 37 km. up North. But the shop no longer exists. I went to the bus stop: no time table. Then I’ll  just ask at a house when the buss will come. I checked at three houses, located far apart. Nobody home. Don’t worry, here also is a small train station: waiting room closed until 5.15 pm. It was half past four. At 8:20 pm I could take a train to the next station, Trofors, 43 km. more up North. But yesterday I had already checked if there was shelter in Trofors. And then I found nothing on google. So going to Trofors with the train doesn’t bring anything either. I found an open door in the little wooden station. If I haven’t left any options any more, I can wait 45 min. for the railway officials to come, to open the waiting room. Then I can ask them, if I can stay overnight at the station house. It was hot inside and there was water and wc. But I had nothing to eat. And tomorrow 37 km. walking with an empty stomach and shin splint is not appealing. Maybe one of those railway officials will take me along, but where to?
You know what? I’ve got three hours left before the train to Trofors will come. Meanwhile I can wait standing at the roadside, thumb up. hahaha.

 

My hike

haha. After 15 min. a pickup stops with a young, blonde Norwegian guy. Nice, he says, I can practice my English. That was quite necessary, because half of it I did not understand. He was an electrician. His company temporarily had no work for him and he got a great benefit, about the same as when he worked. He and his girlfriend had bought a house in Trondheim 400.000 E. Those banks just give, he said. He took me 37 km. further, to the site that I actually had in mind for tomorrow, camping Svenningdal.

 camping

 

My cabin

 

A rather strict lady helped me. Fortunately she still had some food cans and smörrebröd for sale. The cabin is fine. Only no water. For water, and for wifi, I need to walk 50 m. to a baraque. Not so practical. But I’m glad I was saved again and moreover now I am another day ahead of schedule. Tosca is allowed inside.
Tomorrow I’ll walk 7 km. to Trofors and I’ll bend away from the major trans-Norway highway, the E 6, in order to reach the Swedish border via road nr. 73 to the East, direction-Hemavan Tarnaby in Sweden. Across that distance is only one shelter, viz. The Hattfjelldal Camping, which is 43 km. from here, all the way over asphalt. From Hattfjelldal I will have to cover 70 km. to Sweden Hemavan. Within those 70 km. to Hemavan-Sweden are no overnight accommodations. Maybe hitch hiking again? That’ll give the necessary rest for my leg. Hitch hiking is also an aspect of the trip worthwile to experience.
The evening is filled with phone calls, answering text messages, reading facebook messages and thinking about how I’ll spend the next few days with my sore leg. Whether it’s cozy? Actually, not, but I got what I wanted for today: belly well stuffed, shelter, heating, shower building just in front of me. Those camper people on a camping always stay in their motor home, so they don’t bother me. So I feel great again.