Grøtfjord

For the last day of the Introductory Program, the staff planned a trip to Grøtfjord on the island of Kvaløya. We loaded the buses in the morning and traveled to the location about an hour away. The views along the way were gorgeous as we weaved around the mountains along the coast. Once there, we were sorted based on what activity we had chosen. The three choices were to hang out on the beach, fish on the sea, or hike the nearby mountain. I chose hiking along with the majority of the ISU students. We loaded the bus again and were dropped off at the trail opening.

Grøtfjord beach

The beginning of the trail was quite level and weaved through a forest adjacent to a lake supplied by a mountain stream. Back in the states I love to be outdoors whether it’s hiking, camping, or canoeing in the BWCA so this felt like home to me. I enjoy being outdoors where I can look at the surrounding landscape while listening to the sounds of nature around me. The views on this hike at Grøtfjord were going to be gorgeous given its location. The hike was going to be interesting though since I was used to hiking with my family and boyfriend, not around 100 ISU students.

The first hour was decent. There were steeper inclines, but that is expected while hiking. What surprised me was the portion near the top where the tree line had subsided. This portion was rocky and the crevasses were hidden by bushes and lichen. There was a trail and we did have guides, but the whole climb was chaotic with people heading in all directions. At one point, Callie and I started along what seemed to be a path, but then it ended. We could have turned back; however, it was more exciting to free lance it up the mountainside, making sure that our feet didn’t get stuck in the hidden openings.

While climbing- yes it was climbing- I thought about something. The agenda described the difficulty of this hike as walking across gentle slopes. If this was gentle slopes, than I wonder what the Norwegian version of steep is.

Me on the summit of Grøtfjord

After a couple of hours, we finally reached the summit. As expected, the views of the landscape were breath taking. At the top, I enjoyed my lunch which consisted of hot dog buns and peanut butter Callie had so graciously shared. After eating I walked to the other side and to my surprise I saw reindeer! On the way up, I had noticed deer droppings, but I was not expecting to see reindeer since our group was so loud. However, before my very eyes was a herd of reindeer. Sitting on a rock and watching the herd move across the landscape brought me back to my childhood when I would run around pretending to be a reindeer.

Reindeer on Grøtfjord

Once the reindeer had moved out of sight, we headed down the mountain and walked to the beach. The day had started out chilly, but now it was warm- relative term here- and I was hot from the hike. Therefore, after eating lunch I put on my swimsuit.

With my swimsuit on, I gathered up some courage and headed to the water with Callie for a quick dip. We started running towards the ocean, screaming like we were warriors heading into battle. Pretty soon our feet were in the water, then our calves, legs, and waist. Immediately when my legs were in the water, they started going numb. It makes sense when you think about it. We were in the Norwegian Sea which is basically the Arctic Ocean. The temperature was around 43°F! We immersed ourselves in the water, and then bolted out of there. While running out of the water, I couldn’t feel my legs. I just had to trust that they were moving me onto dry land. I can now check swimming in the Arctic Ocean off my bucket list. I have included a photo as proof.

Callie and I running into the cold Norwegian Sea

After a couple of hours on the beach, it was time for a large gathering where students from each country put together a presentation about their country. Some students talked about the stereotypes of their country, others taught us songs and dances. My favorite presentation was by the students from Finland. They had people participate in a mini wife-carrying competition. Three guys each carried a girl around a circle. There were seven students from the U.S. and since we were from different parts of the country, we decided to teach everyone the Hokey Pokey. I would have to say it was a success and I was surprised that the majority of the students had never heard of it before.

Overall, I had a splendid time hiking at Grøtfjord and getting to know more international students.

Panorama view from the summit of Grøtfjord

When I returned to my flat, I finally had the opportunity to meet one of my flatmates! Her name is Olga and she lives on the other side of the flat. Olga is from Russia and is at the university to obtain her master’s in indigenous studies. It’s weird thinking that I had seen her at the Introductory Program and had no clue that I was living with her.

Olga had gone hiking at Grøtfjord as well and had returned with mushrooms she had picked along the path. I was curious so I asked questions while she was cleaning the mushrooms. Picking wild mushrooms requires knowledge and experience since mushrooms can be poisonous. Therefore, I admired Olga’s mushroom picking skills. Olga said that she would take me mushroom picking in the future. I have always wanted to learn how to pick wild mushrooms.