Koietur

During the weekend it was time to see what the mountains have got to give. It was time for a Koietur and to be more precise Sonvasskoia was the home for our little weekend in the woods. To get at the koia we first needed to drive a bit closer and on the way I experienced that norwegians charge and toll everything. Normal motorway tolls are something I am used to but not that much used to tolls on private mountain roads.

After getting the cars parked we put on our skiboots and backpacks and headlamps and started to find our way to the cabin. It wasn’t an easy task and while trying to get there we climbed up and down some hills in deep powder snow with your skis and packs. Finally after about 90 minutes of skiing and map reading we finally were there at the cabin. The cabin itself is just a big room with eight bunks on the sides, table and benches and a fireplace. And with lots of hinges and hooks to hang clothes to dry after exposure to mountain weather.

The problem with the fire was that all or most of the firewood wasn’t dry enough to burn nicely. It was possible to burn it but it needed most of its energy to its own burning so it didn’t really help us warming up the cabin or cooking. Everyone tried on their turns to get some kind of warming effect and finally after all the effort it started to create warmth.

On Saturday morning sun was shining behind some clouds and it seemed like a good day for a nice trip to some summits. On the way to the top the plans changed after two hours of skiing while the weather showed us what the mountain weather is all about. Rapid changes, wind, snow and zero visibility forced us to be happy with the nearest and lowest peak. Four hours to get there and one hour to get down from there. Going downhill wasn’t as fast as it could have been because of the snow, wind and visibility problems. We had to stay very close to each other not to get lost and all the snow it our eyes didn’t make it any easier to see where we were going. It was some kind of a relief to get back to the woods and start to enjoy the downhill still ahead.

Five hours at mountains was enough for the day and there weren’t so many ice fishers for the day. The rest of the day we spent inside eating a good meal with a more than decent dessert koiekaka, cabin cake and learning how to play the game of thrones. A board game with not so complex rules after all.

Sunday morning wasn’t as sunny as Saturday so we decided to send special ice fishing troops to get us some lunch while others took care of cleaning up the cabin. He didn’t manage to get any fish so we were forced to leave the cabin and head home.

It was really nice to be back home and what I have heard the weather on Saturday is not that kind of weather when norwegians usually ski on the mountains. They just wanted to show us their best.

2005-01-26

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