Norwegians
cherish nature, find natural high in hiking
By GRACE HOUSHOLDER
It was at Gjendesheim (pronounced "yen duss hime") in southern Norway that I discovered a whole new meaning for the word bunk bed.
Our party of 11 had driven on steep and winding roads (E6 and then 51) from Lillehammer to remote Lake Gjende on the edge of Jotunheimen National Park. (Actually, because of the curvy, narrow roads everything in Norway not located in a city or town seems "remote" to Indiana drivers.)
Our navigator was Simon Dankel, our oldest daughter's Norwegian
boyfriend. Simon, his parents and relatives planned our 13-day
trip. Mainly, we stayed in the homes of Norwegian friends and
Simon's relatives, but a few times we stayed in hotels or bed
and breakfasts.
Our most unusual night was at Gjendesheim Turisthytte.
We pulled in to the lodge in mid-afternoon, expecting to find
several private rooms that would accommodate our group which
consisted of our family of six, my parents, two cousins and Simon.
We knew Gjendesheim Turisthytte did not take reservations, but
the desk clerk had assured Simon when he called a day ahead that
they would have plenty of beds.
After Simon had a lengthy conversation in Norwegian with the
desk clerk, we learned the good news was that they had beds for
us. The bad news was that all the private rooms were taken. We
were going to be in a bunkhouse for 32.
And in that bunkhouse there were
essentially only two bunk beds. One bunk bed for 16 on the north
wall and one bunk bed for 16 on the south wall. Eight mattresses,
side by side, on top. Eight mattresses, side by side, on the
bottom.
Had we had our own bedding to put on the mattresses, the cost
would have been about $10 a person per night. But we had to rent
sheets, pillowcases and towels so that upped the charge a few
dollars per person.
The bunkhouse, which was within a few feet of the water's edge,
was divided in two by a wall with hooks for clothes. Under the
hooks was a long bench. Simon said the 11 of us were guaranteed
one whole side. The other side was occupied by another party
of 11 - four mothers and seven children on a hiking vacation.
The W.C. (water closet) was about a two-minute walk uphill to
one of the main buildings. Showers were 20 kroner extra (about
$3). After a shower, one person in our group said 20 kroners
made her feel like a million dollars!
Before dinner we took a 90-minute hike up one of the mountains
overshadowing the lodge. The climb was challenging at first;
then exhilarating. It was soon easy to see why the majority of
Norwegians find that regularly stretching their strong legs on
their mountainsides is essential for happiness and health.
White, yellow and blue flowers dotted the rocky mountainside.
The rocks had green, black and white lichen or moss. When we
looked down we saw that the lake (which had drinkable water)
had two colors of water - aqua and green. There was a clear division
between the two.
We came down sooner than we wanted to because dinner was served
at 6:30 family style in a crowded dining hall overlooking the
lake and mountains. The first course was white asparagus soup
(a wonderful dish that we had several times in Norway). The main
course was boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, pork chops, sausage and
vegetables. Dessert was vanilla custard with caramel sauce.
After dinner we hiked again, this time along the rocky shores
of Lake Gjende. We met a few tent campers, and learned, while
talking to a camper from London, that tent camping is allowed,
at no charge, just about everywhere in Norway, unless signs are
posted prohibiting it. Campers and hikers are encouraged to drink
the water in large lakes or rushing streams.
Because Norway is so far north, during the summer it doesn't
get dark until about 11. We often stayed up until 11:30 or later
and managed to get by on less sleep than normal. (In Norway's
more northern areas many people hardly sleep at all during the
summer but make up for it during the long, dark winters.)
In the main lodge (which had no television or radio) people were
drinking coffee or wine while reading, talking, playing games
like chess or Scrabble or just enjoying the view.
But slowly, one by one, we retreated to our bunk bed. My mattress
was on the top and until I figured out the climbing system the
next morning, it was a gymnastic feat for me to get up and down.
(The little spots to place your toes were not very conveniently
placed.)
As I lay in bed, waiting for darkness and sleep and hoping I
wouldn't have to struggle down to go to the bathroom, I observed
my surroundings. Everything - floor, walls, ceiling and bed -
was solidly constructed of pine. The bunkhouse was very clean.
On one beam I noticed a horse shoe, hung to look like a "U."
There were no bugs and no sounds, except for the gentle snoring
of the person below me and occasional Norwegian from some of
the children on the other side, talking in their sleep.
There were no night lights, so the bunkhouse gradually became
pitch black.
I thought I would never get to sleep. But all of a sudden I was
awakened by the sound of the loud whispers of the Norwegian children
on the other side getting ready to go to breakfast in the dining
hall.
And what a breakfast it was: granola, hot cereal, corn flakes,
three kinds of cold herring, sausage, cheeses, caviar spread,
whole wheat bread, wheat and rye crackers, preserves, the chocolate/nut
spread that Europeans love so well, hard-boiled eggs and something
like cole slaw.
It was a misty morning. Low clouds lightly clung to the mountains
like a feather boa, giving Lake Gjende an enchanted look. Anglers
were in the waters in front of our cabin.
Some of the people in our group seemed excited to get on the
road. But as I gathered up the few things I had brought in from
the van I felt that despite the unusual sleeping conditions I
would love to spend another night at Gjendesheim.
Suggested places to stay: I would highly recommend the three
hotels/lodges the Dankel family found for us in southern Norway.
In addition to Gjendesheim Turisthytte, which does not take reservations,
they were the Walaker Hotell in Solvorn (phone: 47 57 68 42 07)
and Leirvassbu, 45 kilometers from Lom (phone: 61 21 29 32).
The Walaker Hotell, which is beside a fjord, has been owned by
the same family for nine generations. It is beautiful and extremely
comfortable. Leirvassbu, a large mountain lodge, caters to hikers
in the summer and skiers in the winter.
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