On the Norway Express
Reaching Tolga isn't trivial if you avoid flying. After a relaxing train ride to Hamburg I joined Calvin and Philipp, two guys who drove there from Braunschweig, mainly so I didn't have to cross Denmark on a train again which I remember was a huge hassle the last time I did it. We entered Norway at 2 a.m. on the ferry to Larvik and crossed Oslo underground – that's not a metaphor, the motorway runs beneath the city for the entire diameter of the city. Not much sightseeing was had that morning.
In the small town of Elversum on the Glomma river I got off the car to continue on the bike for the remainder of the trip. The route took me up the river until its confluence with the river Renna and then up the Renna with its numerous, long reservoirs some of which span dozens of kilometers.
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
Both the scenery and the weather got better ever hour. After some light showers in the morning the rain clouds were receding and yielded the sky to the sun. Temperatures rose from a decent 17 degrees to around 27. It was surreal, contradicting the forecast in every aspect. Gulls were chilling on the banks of the river, joining the humans in the hunt for fish which the local tourism seems to be focusing on. The hills in these parts are covered in thick pine forest which made for an incredible backdrop.
In Akrestrommen, a village on the northern tip of one of those reservoirs, I visited a farmer's market which had about two dozen booths selling everything from food to jewelry to farming implements. I got myself a grilled sausage with onions which was excellent albeit pricey and chatted up a bike tourer who just finished his tour of the market. He was a German guy of maybe 60 years but still in shape to climb Trollstigen on his ancient, heavy bike that must have been loaded with 50 kg of luggage.
A Taste of the Bright Midnight
The roads went uphill ever so slightly all day but now I hit the first actual climbs. The bike tourer from Akrestrommen recommended that I take the quieter road to Tolga which ended up intersecting the race route at some point so I used the opportunity to get a taste of what's in store for us next week.
I didn't regret that decision. The road led me down Gammeldalen on a decent, hard pack gravel track in the company of sheep and cows who were having their siesta on the road like they owned the valley. At some point the road was blocked by a flock of sheep that wouldn't budge at first. Only when I started making noises with my front brake and the bell they started running down the road at a leisurely pace and I patiently followed until they realized I was just passing through and moved out of the way and into the undergrowth.
If Gammeldalen is any indication of what's ahead of us then the Bright Midnight is going to be a real treat.
Tolga
When I finally reached the "basecamp" at Tolga it looked abandoned and only two recent arrivals were hanging out inside. Apparently Justinas was away in Sweden on a last minute trip to fetch the trackers. (Don't FollowMyChallenge ship to Norway?) Basecamp turned out to be the facilities of the Tolga football club. A large room plastered with matresses serves as the sleeping room but at least one guy pitched his tent on the lawn outside.
After chatting to the guys I hit the road again. Dalsbygda where we booked a room is still another 20 km up the road in the Glomma valley. The moment I left town the nice weather was gone and a fierce rain shower unloaded onto me. Going by my experience during the morning I didn't stop to don the rain jacket, thinking the rain would stop any minute. It did not though and I reached the supermarket at Os completely drenched. The lack of movement during shopping didn't help either, so after a few minutes I was shivering. Luckily it was only a few kilometers to Dalsbygda where I fixed the cold with long hot shower.
gps tracks
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