From Fuguhaugli to Hjerkinn Lodge
Cost: 375 NOK
This was our first and maybe last day of walking the trail without benefit of car, bus, or train. It was supposed to be easy! And it seemed so at first. The terrain is low with various lichens and such covering the ground. They are so charming, a tiny world beneath our feet. The trail is well marked. There are a lot of boggy areas that require light footwork...jumping on stones, or maybe selecting bits of foliage that won’t cause you to sink in the muck.
It was a longer day than we anticipated, although the hiking was not bad except for the need to hop over muck frequently.
Closeup of the lichens which covered pretty much everything on the trail. Some were soft, others spongy, others dried and crackly. They remind me so much of the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.
Stopping on the trail
Typical view from trail
When we got near to our lodging, we missed a trail marker and ended up a few miles away from the pilgrim trail. We finally realized that we needed to go back and sure enough we found the correct trail markers. This was another time my gps failed...but in the end helped get us back. I have a gps map of the entire trail, but sometimes the person who created the map goes off the pilgrim trail and takes shortcuts, so you can’t always be sure the map is correct.
One of the many little flowers along the trail, some are rare species that survived the last ice age
Crossing the roaring river to get to our lodging.
We finally made it to our lodging. We are at a hotel and campground that seems to specialize in horseback riding. They have given us a nice pilgrim cottage, but there is no water or toilet or kitchen. We have to climb down a hill to get to the camping bathroom.
This is where the pee bucket comes in very handy....Laura’s lightweight invention crafted from a soda bottle that allows one to pee safely and then toss out the contents without venturing into the woods and risking one’s life.
Here is a photo of empty bucket:
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