Sparkling Snowscapes Through Norway

STORY BY LISA MORRIS

PHOTOS BY JASON SPAFFORD

 

Lisa hikes to Pulpit Rock with the light coming through in streaks and slashes over the foggy granite rockscape.

There is a sublime and unhurried heaviness when snowshoeing under Telemark's magical sunrise.

“THE TWO-HOUR OUTBOUND HIKE UNDULATED THROUGH A GNARLY BIRCH AND THICK PINE FOREST BEFORE ASCENDING OVER HUGE GRANITE SLABS AND EXPOSED BLUFFS TO THE TABLETOP.”

Feeling fresh and in balance at the start of 2023, from the previous year of Jason and me venturing inwardly through India and Nepal, we had a renewed appreciation for things. Namely, we had an overarching motivation to revive our life on the road, independent of location. Thanks to White Rhino, our trusty Hilux-houseon-wheels, we continue to explore, learn, be open, and evolve. In a newfound alignment, an oceanic joy broke upon the shores of my soul as we picked up where we left off: to tend to some unfinished business in the Nordics. An Arctic expedition across Norway seemed entirely apt, having perambulated Scandinavia during a hot-as-blazes summer in 2019.

Let the Nordic Fun Unfurl

With no time to waste the pending golden winter light, a mad dash through England’s dreary drizzle saw us leave Norfolk in mid-January and set sail to the Hook of Holland. An obscene 640-mile nonstop drive to Hirtshals, Denmark, afforded us a day to come up for some Danish sea air. That is, before embarking for Larvik, a direct four-hour Colorline ferry crossing to see friends Espen and Malin in Skien, southern Norway.

An outdoor museum of historic huts by the roadside in Norway

Battening down the hatches in a hurricane at Lofoten that blew strong enough to close bridges, strat- ify snowbanks, and encumber roads with rocks and debris.

Tur: It’s a Norwegian Thing

Getting enlightened with some Norwegian culture, Espen shares with us the meaning behind the expression “tur.” By no means is “tur” simply the Norwegian word for “trip” when used among the Nordic natives. It goes beyond that. Espen reliably informed me that its meaning can vary with context. “God tur” simply means “happy travels” or “safe travels,” while the sentiment “takk for tur” is akin to “thanks for the experience of traveling together” or “thanks for the ride.”