Jakub had a week off work, so gathered a few people together for a week in Northern Norway. We jumped in the van with Adrian and Dag and, leaving fairly late in the day, we were treated to a spectacular sunset before meeting Filippo and Bety near Oppdal.
Norwegian sunset – sunrise about 3 hours away.
The next morning we decided to run one of Adrian’s old local runs, the Gråura of the Driva. I think this is a river that could have gone either way for me. As it was, I loved it from start to finish, and it was one of my paddling highlights of the year. The gorge is amazing, the white water is amazing, the group could not have been any better and even thinking about it now, nearly 6 months later, makes me want to jump around with excitement. It was a day of paddling at the top end of my ability but doing it with confidence and, probably because of this, doing it well. It doesn’t always happen! Of course, I have no pictures, so you’ll just have to believe me!
Our next campsite was just outside of Hattfjelldal and also a beautiful spot.
Dag disinfecting after the Driva
Because we had paddled the Driva, we had to disinfect all of our kit to prevent the spread of a parasite that kills salmon. There was quite a bit of discussion about how useful and/or effective this treatment is but concluded that it wasn’t too much effort on our behalf, and if it helps then that is good!
The boys ran a river called the Unkerelva which is pretty much a section of fast, steep slides back into the lake. It looked like fun, but also a bit out of my league for the moment! After a trip to Hattfjelldal for some supplies, we discovered that there was another group staying at a campsite nearby. We decided to go and join them and see what they were up to.
Another campsite, another view.
This was a lovely campsite, but unfortunately we managed to fill the van with mozzies the first night, inviting them in with our tempting cooking smells!
The rivers in this area are beautiful but pretty difficult. The boys were really nice and generally did an easier run during the day, for which I would join them, and then go and do something harder and I would try to find a good vantage point for some photos! This works really well for me, because I find that the stress of new rivers is cumulative. I need a break in order to reset my brain to something sensible again. It also means that I get the opportunity to watch and hope that one day I’ll actually join them! A bit like this really.
One day…
Something to work up to.
All in all, it was a fantastic week. I met some really nice people, did some great kayaking and, of course, saw some amazing scenery. I’ll be back next year, for more kayaking and more adventuring!
In search of adventure 