LIVE from the Camino Gudbrandsdalsleden - Eidsvoll to Trondheim

[AnitaElisbeth]

Telenor and Telia seem to have good coverage along the E6, but once away from that it looks patchy. This is much the same as when I walked in 2012. The only place I stayed that didn't have some form of mobile coverage was Rhypusan. Budsjord Gard, Furuhaugli, Hjerrkin and Kongsvoll all had mobile coverage. Once I left left Kongsvoll I didn't have coverage until I got closer to Oppdal.

I was walking over Dovre i july. It is good coverage - but it may be that I used the mobilnet. Dovre is awesome and beautyful to walk. Buen camino or God vandring <3

 

[Tassie Kaz]

When I entered the grounds of Sygard Grytting yesterday, I noticed a sculpture. Took a photo, and asked Stieg, the owner of the place, about it later. Because it kept sitting in the front of my brain.

Turns out that there were a lot more, and it was part of a project called Flokk, by Gitte Dæhlin. It was to be her last project.

I went to see it, by evening light, and took some more photos. I slept calmly, in the company of the Flokk.

I remember that sculpture park well from my St Olav's Way (Oslo to Trondheim) in 2016. Although I found it all a bit creepy, I was amazed that every single one was unique, not even facial features were the same.
I, however, couldn't completely concentrate due to all the sheep flanking me to get a nibble of my shoelaces, backback straps & hiking pole!
Enjoying your account (although a bit slow to join the party...) & the stunning photos are bringing back lots of memories.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Made it!

More tonight.

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Congratulations @Purky ...& thank you. Echoing the comments of others, your posts & photos are an absolute joy. Brought back so many memories of my 2016 St Olav's Way...&, I confess, a little tear at the above photo such was the impact that Cathedral has on me combined with the emotions of completing the walk safely.
Oh..& you're right...everything in Norway IS up; the trail goes UP the mountain, the supermarket is UP the road, the hut is UP the hill, your room is UP the stairs...up, up, UP! I remember it well.
Once again, well done. I admire you camped & carried so much. My walking style is 'travel light, comfy at night' so hats off to you!

 

[ranthr]

After reading @Purky post I wondered why I have taken all these 3,5 hours extra flights to Spain to get to the camino when I could have walked out of my plain from the north at Oslo airport Gardemoen and started walking.
I guess it´s because I am more afraid of the mosques at Dovre than of the Iberian wolves and
bears.
Enjoyed reading about your walk to Nidaros.

 

[Purky]

After reading @Purky post I wondered why I have taken all these 3,5 hours extra flights to Spain to get to the camino when I could have walked out of my plain from the north at Oslo airport Gardemoen and started walking.
I guess it´s because I am more afraid of the mosques at Dovre than of the Iberian wolves and
bears.
Enjoyed reading about your walk to Nidaros.

I also remembered the mosquitoes from the year before, and armed myself with Mygga spray and the well known (in Sweden and Norway) Djungelolja. Worked quite well, I must say. And to be honest, it wasn't all that bad to begin with. Just don't sit still for too long and cover up good at night, that was my modus operandi. And, when in company, I was glad the mozzies liked other people better than me...

 

[jrm]

what a wonderful journey! Thanks so much for sharing. I've long wanted to walk this way, and now I must actually plan. Thank you for the wanderlust stoking narrative. Time for this non-German/Norwegian speaker to hit the trail again.

 

[Agrizzlybear]

Hi, appreciating your journey. Would you recommend starting and Einsvoll? Or if you did it again, is there somewhere else you would start?

 

[Purky]

Hi, appreciating your journey. Would you recommend starting and Einsvoll? Or if you did it again, is there somewhere else you would start?

This question brings to mind the thread "The Camino does NOT start in StJpdP - discuss". For me, the choice for Eidsvoll worked out perfectly. That is, combined with the DS Skibladner-cruise from Hamar to Lillehammer in one day, which would otherwise have been 76 km walking. I still had to push a little to get to Trondheim in time, but was rewarded for that with an extra day there before my flight home.

If I would walk it again I'd like to start in Oslo, because I'm a completist. But I had three weeks to work with, so I had to abandon the idea of walking the whole route. Eidsvoll was as far south as I dared to go, which meant about 30 km a day on average. I was lucky to find the Skibladner and even luckier that the timetable was in my favour, because in hindsight walking 30 km a day for 19 days straight was rather optimistic. Walking in Norway was tougher than I anticipated.

So all things considered I made the right choices and was helped along with some luck. No regrets. But I also realise I had virtually no margin whatsoever. Looking back I would now calculate with 25 km per day and maybe even add an extra restday (with Achilles in mind). That means that if I had three weeks (minus two traveldays, to Oslo and from Trondheim) it would be more sensible to choose Hamar as the starting point. But hindsight is 20/20, or as we like to say in Holland, looking back you'll have a peek into a cow's bum.