Røldal Part I — There, But Not Back Again

It’s early, and I’m alone.

Soon I’ll be on the road, alone for a couple of hours first, then my old time friend Asbjørn will join me for the remaining 6’ish hours till we’re at his cabin.

It is time for the Røldal cabin trip, something I’m hoping will turn into a yearly tradition. It is an 8 hours drive today, but if we didn’t have to deliver a car on the way, it would take us only around 6.

As you have probably noticed if you’re a road worn roadtripper — six hours behind the wheel in good company is nothing.

If you know little about the Norwegian West Coast mountains, let this be your introduction. We’ll be heading slowly into unexplored territory, and derail from the tourist trails by the time this Adventure Story comes to and end.

You may follow the story real time on Instagram.

The call of the wild

Those mountains in the distance are beckoning. They’re calling me to come to them, take a break from routines and gain some elevation. Hear the creeks call, and let the silence spur forth new vision and strength and invite to new conversations with my maker.

I don’t think one should put too much stock in the mountainous experiences though. I 100% believe true joy is found in enjoying every day life, working with something you like and investing in friendships. Something that takes time, if not necessarily effort. Also forgiveness, thankfulness, healthy eating, all that boring stuff that pays off so tremendously.

It is maybe not very poetic, but when the mountain’s beckoning call becomes too strong, I try to eat better, exercise, speak positive, practice thankfulness, take time off and hang with friends, pray – whatever I find that I lack. Then after I am a happy healthy human being again, it is way easier to actually enjoy the mountains when I’m there.

Also, road tripping and investing time with friends go hand in hand. The constant forward motion feeds my restlessness while the rest of me is focused enough for deep conversations.

I love the road. And the views that start flying by as we near the highest point of the trip.

Arrival

After crossing the mountains during a muted but gorgeous sunset, at last we arrive. Under the ever present, mist covered, looming mountains, a small red cabin stands ready to host us through a series of hiking days to come.⁣

There is no water or electricity, so we are going to read by candles, and fetch water from the nearby clear blue lake. A true disconnected experience awaits us.

Part II is coming after it’s finished running on Instagram. Follow me to come along for the journey.

All the pictures from this story, plus the other chapters are gathered under #rhfgoestorøldal on Instagram.

Also, all our Adventure Story pictures are found under the hashtag #rhfadventurestories.