Travel day: Saturday July 14: Departure date from the USA. Fly to Oslo, Norway (arrival Sunday July 15). If you live in Europe you will travel to Norway on Sunday July 15.
Day 1: Sunday July 15: Welcome to Norway! We will meet you upon arrival at Gardemoen International Airport outside Oslo, Norway. Together we will travel to Oslo and check into a hostel where we will stay two nights.
Once all Alpengirls have arrived we will start exploring Oslo. Maybe a visit to the famous Frogner Park and enjoy the enormous sculptures made by Vigeland.
Dinner tonight will be at a local restaurant. At the hostel the Alpengirl will be sharing rooms.
Day 2: Monday July 16: After a hearty Norwegian breakfast we will venture out and see more of Oslo. Today we will visit Bygdøy Open Air museum. Here we will see old buildings and learn about Norwegian history.
We hope to visit the Viking ship museum, The Fram explorer vessel used for arctic explorations and the Nobel Peace Center. We will also receive an introduction to the Norwegian language. Even though most Scandinavians speak English it is more fun if we all can say a few phrases.
Tonight we will create our first dinner together!
Day 3: Tuesday July 17: This morning we will travel to the community of Lom. Upon our arrival in Lom we will pitch our tents at the local campground, buy food at the supermarket and cook dinner on our camp stoves.
Today we will also make sure that everyone has all the needed gear for our backpacking section in the Jotunheimen National Park. We will also buy the food for the upcoming mountain section and repack it so it fits in our packs.
Day 4: Wednesday July 18: In traditional Alpengirl style we will start our mornings with yoga, select Leaders of the Day (LOD’s), conduct Alpenolympic Events, and end each day in celebration with 9:15 activities and more!
Today after breakfast we will drive up into the mountains. At the Sognefjellshytta Mountain Lodge we will leave our extra luggage and then we hike off! From now on we will camp out and all our meals are cooked on camp stoves.
The trails leading off from the lodge will take us up towards vast glaciers, through wide glacially carved valleys and around spectacular alpine lakes.
Day 5: Thursday July 19: After yoga and breakfast the Leader of the Day will brief us on today's trek. Our pace is easy allowing each member may take as many breaks as they'd like, to view the mountains, breathe the fresh mountain air or fill up water bottles from the cold gushing streams.
If the weather gods are on our side we might enjoy a full day on the Bøverbreen Glacier. Instructors from the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) who offer instructional ice climbing, glacier courses and glacier tours will teach us how to walk with crampons in the blue ice!
Day 6: Friday July 20: Loosened up and refreshed by the yoga we will hike off. Our Leader of the Day will help us navigate along well-trodden trails and across pristine alpine terrain.
The surrounding peaks are impressive and tonight's goal is to get to the base of Fannaråki Glacier.
Day 7: Saturday July 21: This will be our second time on a glacier as our DNT Mountain guides will rope us up and guide us across the Fannaråki glacier. We will together walk up this impressive mountain that is among the highest in Norway (2,068 meters above sea level).
The views from the top will take your breath away! We will camp out on top of Mount Fannaråki with all of the Jotunheimen Mountains surrounding us.
“Jotunheimen” means "Home of the Giants" in the Norwegian language. A wilder place is hard to find.
Day 8: Sunday July 22: Today we will be trekking down, down, down … A dip in a stream or lake might be needed by this time!
Throughout this Alpengirl Adventure in Scandinavia we will focus on minimum impact camping. We are traveling through a unique environment and keeping it natural is important to us.
If we are lucky we might see the only herd of wild reindeer in Norway. They like to hang out on the patches of snow we will hike by.
This is our last day of hiking. We will head down to the Turtagrø Mountain Lodge and check into the Annex where we will sleep tonight.
The luggage we left behind in the beginning of our mountain trek will be delivered to us. At Turtagrø we will enjoy showers and casual afternoon. Tonight’s dinner will be in the lodge restaurant.
Day 9: Monday July 23: Our yoga session this morning is the last one in the mountains. After breakfast we will travel to the Flåm community by Aurland fjord. The name "Flåm" means, "little place between steep mountains". This Aurland fjord is part of the Sognefjord – which is the longest and deepest fjord in Europe. There are points along this fjord where the fjord is as deep as the mountains are high (3000 feet).
In Flåm our fleet of kayaks are waiting and your leaders will do an introduction to safe and fun sea kayaking. We will have both doubles and single kayaks and we will all take turns in the boats.
After buying and repacking our food we will pack up our personal gear in water proof bags, load the kayaks and paddle out of Aurland Fjord. Again our nights will be spent in tents and our meals will be cooked on stoves.
Day 10: Tuesday July 24: Maybe you will start your day with a dip in the fjord. Sure, it will be chilly but how refreshing! After yoga and breakfast we will pack up the kayaks and paddle out of Aurland into the Sognefjord.
Today we might work on some technical Sea Kayaking skills. We can also practice rescues in the afternoon if there is an interest.
Most likely we will make a short stop in the small community of Undredal. This community claims that they are the “Goat cheese Capital of Norway”!
Day 11: Wednesday July 25: While paddling we might encounter some small porpoises called "Nise" in Norwegian.
Today we will most likely camp along the shores of Naerøy Fjord. Naerøy Fjord is one the most narrow fjord in Norway and it is also a designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Area.
Day 12: Thursday July 26: This is our last day of paddling and if the weather gods have been with us we will paddle to the small community of Gudvangen.
After cleaning out the kayaks and our camping gear we will return to Flåm and check into the local campground. We will receive our extra personals again and enjoy a shower.
Day 13: Friday July 27: This morning we will board a train. The train ride from Flåm to the Myrdal mountain station is one of the most famous railroads in Europe. The ascent from fjord to mountain plateau is steep and the train goes back and fourth while climbing out of the valley.
Once on top we will enjoy the mountain plateau before we start our descent and enjoy a trek with out a heavy backpack! We will walk along the old wagon road from late 1800's. We will pass rivers that cut through deep ravines, waterfalls cascading down the sides of granite cliffs, snow capped mountains, and mountain farms clinging to the slopes. This beautiful trek takes approximately 3-4 hours, including picnic lunch along the way.
In the late afternoon we will return to Oslo and check into our Hostel again. Tonight we will celebrate our great adventure with an end-of-trip banquet in a local restaurant.
Day 14: Saturday July 28: Breakfast and a last group photo will mark the ending of our trip. Together we will travel to the Airport for departure to USA (with arrival back in the USA on the same day – because of the time difference).
General Information:
Pre- and post-trip accommodations: We recommend our friend "KJ" Stoulil at Travelleader in Lynnwood, WA. She specializes in travel to Scandinavia. Call: 1-800-622-3342. Email: kj@cwtlynn.com
Weather: The weather in Norway can bring strong winds and rain. Count on clouds and drizzle for at least half the time. Sunny days will be a welcome exception. The average temperatures range between the low 50's to 70’s. At times, the elements can prohibit us from paddling or hiking but not from enjoying these spectacular places. Good rain gear and footwear is important. The weather in the mountains is variable like in most mountains. One day can be warm and sunny with the next being windy and drizzly, it’s even possible to see some snowfall. The weather in the fjords can bring strong winds but also calm days.
Currency: Each Scandinavian country has its own currency. Exchanges can be made at banks, airports, train stations and most hotels. Scandinavian currency is not interchangeable between countries as each has a different exchange rate value. Major credit cards are widely accepted throughout Scandinavia. Sweden and Denmark are part of the European Union but have chosen not to use the Euro. Norway is not part of the EU. Travel checks are not used in Scandinavia. The banks will charge a stiff fee if you want travel checks cashed.
Language: English is Scandinavia's second language and is almost spoken fluently throughout. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to speak the native tongue. Phrase books and dictionaries are a great help. All our staff are bilingual and speak English as well as Norwegian or Swedish.
Last minute assistance: If you need assistance shortly before departure or while traveling to Scandinavia, you may call the following number for Crossing Latitudes in Sweden: 070-670 11 53 (within Sweden) or 46-70-670 11 53 (from outside Sweden). Please leave your name, a message and a number where we can reach you.
We are looking forward to our adventure together!
Crossing Latitudes, Inc. 420 West Koch Street, Bozeman MT 59715, USA
USA:1-406-585-5356 Europe: +46-70-670 1153 www.crossinglatitudes.com
