Time out

Snowshoeing with reindeer

Well, I had a fine day out in the hills, snowshoeing the other day.  It's a great way to travel in deep powder.  Means that you hike up a lovely snowy hill such as nearby 900m Litle Blaefjell, and then slip slide on the way down (looking enviously at peoples off-piste ski descents!).  Yes, I will MASTER ski touring I hope.  

A big highlight of this trip was meeting my first Norwegian reindeer herd - these are very non-flighty beasts.  Semi-domesticated up here, they did little more than to just raise their heads and then move a few metres and start grazing again.  But it meant I could take a good look at this group of 10 invididuals.  Nice backdrop of Tromso behind, in this photo.

It really was a Top Day Out as in the evening we had a no-show of a hotpot (hot tub) at the centre.  Guests had failed to show up for a dip in the hot tub we had been stoking with wood all day.... meant the staff here could profit from a bit of Aurora Borealis gazing in relative comfort! ;)

Skiing with moose

Two days ago we also saw moose wander near the Vilmarkssenter and yesterday I went XC (Cross Country) skiing before work and picked up their tracks.  There they were: moose tracks in the snow.  (Ironically there were also MOUSE tracks nearby.)  Unfortunately, one of these mighty moose ended up roadkill, and someone brought the carcass into the centre yesterday - food for the dogs.

It is not the first ever time I have been XC skiing, but I am not much good yet!  I took a colleagues dog with me the other time - I need say no more. When he saw his 'mates' in the dog yard and took off at full pelt... Well, yes, ahem. Face-planting in yellow snow!  

But on this trip yesterday, whilst I floundered in the snow and avoided the steep or wooded descents... I saw a very fit local Norwegian just 'flow' up to a checkpoint/logbook point labelled 'Skil' (misleading for me).  This sprightly local skier could easily have been in his 60's, and whilst recovering beautifully from what must have been a strenuous ascent he cheerily chattered to me in Norwegian.  I managed to stammer out to him that I was not very good, whilst he was great!

Anyhow, after this brief encounter I had an inkling of what had given Amundsen that 'edge' over Scott on the race to the South Pole.  Dogs, Skis, Englishness.....