glimpses from winter and spring at Turtagrø

Beautiful April weather

Risto the Trollhunter

Storen comes out to say good night

Spring on it's way

Dyrhaugsryggen

June, spring, exams done and climbing adventures with Torkel!

Finally summer :)

Ørkenliv

På biltur

Fyrste etappe, Asheville, NC - Boulder, CO.
Etter 20+ timar i bil ankom me Boulder, som ynskte oss velkomne med 25 friske kuldegrader og god stemning. Me var her i to-tre dagar, fekk strekt på føtene, buldra litt og treft att fleire Morganton folk som eg ikkje hadde sett på fleire år. (Joey og Joe som eg reiser med, samt Hana er vener frå da eg var utvekslingsstudent i Morganton, NC i 05/06).

Fin gjeng på veig opp 1st Flatiron

Neste stopp var heilt sørvest i Colorado. Tyler, ein kompis frå Morganton, har bygd seg eit bittelite minihus saman med kjærasten Rachael, som dei bur i oppe på eit platå utanfor Glenwood Springs. Me kæmpa på golvet der to netter på rad (golvplass nok til 4 stk. akkurat). Tyler var gira på å klatre is, men alt ustyret, som låg lagra under minihuset, satt fast i ei stor isblokk..  Me prøvde oss ut på ski ein dag, men endte for det meste opp med å sitja framfor ovnen (framleis kaldt).

Vedhugging og frukost i Glenwood Springs.

UTAH!
Å vera i ørkenen er som å vera på ein anna planet. Tårn store som kjemper står rett opp av ørkensanda og ruvar over gamle elveleier og canyons. Me kæmpa ved Fisher Towers ei natt, bikkjekaldt men magisk. Så blei Joey sjuk og me tok inn på eit motell i Moab. Joe, Evelina og eg rusla rundt i Arches Ntl.park i to dagar medan Joey sov, før me køyrde viare til Canyonlands og Zion Ntl.park. I Zion valsa me rundt med hovudet bøgd bakover og draumande blikk, utforska smale canyons og store jettegryter. På den siste dagen varma sola riktig godt, og eg og Joe tok i veig for å prøve oss på eit par voldsomt fine riss. Etter to veker i baksetet med skriking og peiking på utallige fristande 'splitter cracks' kan ein vel seie at me var ganske gira. Og det blei ein vellukka dag; me gjorde ein vellukka debut som "ørkenklatrarar", eg debuterte som rissklatrar (fekk til og med kose meg med perfekt handjamming, luksusdebut!), og Joe fekk vist baken til forbipasserande turistar og har no truleg debutert som blottar i eit tilfeldigt familiealbum. Vellukka det óg :)

No er me i Joshua Tree, California. Me kom hit for litt over ei veke sidan og kosar oss med klatring, sol og god mat. Fingertuppane er passe såre, fingeravtrykk har me ikkje lenger og eg har allereie slitt ut ei sko. Me klatrar på plutonar og xenolittar og quartz monzogranitt, som med andre ord er drøyt kvass stein.
Jamie, ein kompis fra Asheville, kom på besøk for eit par dagar sidan, så no er me ein ganske stor og fin gjeng her i basekæmp. Me delar i tillegg kæmp med Brian, ein avslappa, triveleg fyr som tuslar rundt barbeint og er vår yoga instruktør kvar mårgå, og Sam, aka 'Speed Deamon' - ein morosam fransk-kanadier, som me håpar blir med oss til Cochise Stronghold om ei veke når Jamie reiser heim.
I dag er fyrste ordentlege kviledag, vel fortjent etter ein ekstra hendelsesrik dag i går.. Joe tok eit 10-meters fall på led etter at ei tak braut av, og hinkar no rundt på ein fot. Eg og Joey endte opp med enda ein typisk Joshua Tree descent (talus, talus, talus), i mørkret (gløymte hodelyktane i bilen...), eg sette nesten fast foten min under ein stein, samme fot og samme tå som eg mista negelen på for nokre månader sidan.. OG me gjekk oss nesten på ein flokk coyoter. (OG eg fann ei mus i sekken da me skulle eta lunch).
Heldigvis blei alt, så nær som Joe`s ankel, bra att etter middag på ein Mexikansk restaurant i Yucca Valley samt litt internettsnylting (fb og klatrefilmn) pa parkeringsplassen til Home Depot.

Fisher Towers

Arches Ntl.park

 

Canyonlands Ntl.park

Zion

Joe gjer seg klar for rissklatring i Zion

JOSHUA TREE

EBJB (Joe)

Joe pa Taxman

Brian pa Exorsist

Bloggjenoppliving (igjen), sørstatsvinter og treningsleir

Vel "heime" i North Carolina, 4 år sidan sist, men livet i Asheville har ikkje forandra seg stort:)
Folk her er framleis i feriemodus så me køyrer ut til Rumbling Bald for å buldre eller klatre, lagar fellesmiddag og kosar oss som berre det. Eg og Joey reiste ned til Tennessee eit par dagar, treningsleir in The Obed for å kunne bli like sterke som Joe før me reiser på langtur. Eg får ikkje overført bilete frå kameraet mitt enda, så foreløpig er samtlege bilete lånt/stolne frå internettet.
The Obed ser ivertfall slik ut, ikkje like grønt akkurat no, men nesten like varmt:

Me budde på ein kæmping kalla Lilly Pad, ca 15-20 min gange frå dei nærmaste områda, kjempetriveleg vertskap, selskapssjuke bikkjer, kæmpingstolar, våpenforbud og gratis ved. Eg kan lett anbefale både kæmpingen og klatringa. Sandstein (super friksjon!), takoverheng, krimp, eksponerte hjørner (beste eg veit), balanse og noko psyketrening. Det blei ivertfall ein vellykka treningsleir, og me er om ikkje like sterke som Joe enda, i det minste litt tøffare enn da me kom. 

Joe, Joey, Evelina og eg reiser frå Asheville fredag morgon, og køyrer i eitt strekk til Boulder, Colorado kor me skal leike med Hana, Josh og Chris i nokre dagar før me reiser viare vestover. Akkurat kor veigen viare går veit eg ikkje for det vil ikkje gutane fortelja, men eg trur me skal besøke ein kompis frå gamledagar (Tyler) sørvest i Colorado, og så reise ned til Utah og Arizona. Eg veit at me skal kæmpe i ørkenen, det har dei informert om slik at eg, som er livredd for å fryse, kan gå til innkjøp av ein ekstra varm sovepose. Eg er og ganske sikker på at me skal til Sedona, samt Red Rocks og Joshua Tree. Joe prata i tillegg om ein stad med dårleg sikra friksjonsklatring, eg kryssar forøvrig fingrane for at det blir nedstemt. 

For All

Ah to be alive
on a mid-September morn
fording a stream
barefoot, pants rolled up,
holding boots, pack on,
sunshine, ice in the shallows,
northern rockies.

Rustle and shimmer of icy creek waters
stones turn underfoot, small and hard as toes
cold nose dripping
singing inside
creek music, heart music,
smell of sun on gravel.

I pledge allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the soil
of Turtle Island,
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.


- Gary Snyder

November

Det er som oftast når timane helst skal brukast på eksamenslesing, at eg tykkjer eg kan ta meg tid til å drikke te, eta lefse med nugatti, og lage lister over alt som er koseleg og fint. 

Som for eksempel utsikta frå Studenterhytta, røsslyng, kanelbollar, postkort, Green Eyes av Coldplay, og Bakklandet.

<3

sommarkos

Fjelltur med søtingane. Klatring. Lange lyse kveldar med pils på trappa. Den der solkremen som luktar slik at han minnar om kvar einaste sommar så lenge eg kan hugse. Te, øl, vin, vodka og kake-kveld på Slette. Frisk og rein fjelluft, som alltid kjennes ekstra god når det er varmt og klamt nede i bygda.

Og Toppturar.

God Sommar!

BOULDER, Colorado

Guitars, banjos, climbing, bouldering, sun, sun, sun, tea, mountains, and more bouldering!

Pictures will be up when I get back to Norway

Jenter på tur!

After almost 20 hours on a Greyhound bus I arrived in San Francisco where Marie and Belinda picked me up in a white, clean, Nissan rental car. And after plotting in "south" on our GPS, we were ready for another road trip.
Here's a summary.

We quickly realized we were to have an exciting start, trying to get out of San Francisco in the rush hour(s). It took us a little while, and lots of people honked at us, but we made it out to hwy1 alive and were happily able to relax and "cruise" all the way to Santa Cruz (høhø..). Anyways, that's about all that happened that day. We arrived in Santa Cruz after dark, parked the car and fell asleep. When we woke up we were all cold and hungry for a shower, so we bought ourselves a day pass to a gym in town so we could feel healthy and clean. After lazing around in the swimming pool, the sauna, learning about hummus in the steam room and trying out other gym stuff, we drove down to the Santa Cruz boardwalk to have lunch on the beach.
After a very windy picnic we decided we couldn't leave Santa Cruz without having been at the "Mystery Spot", so we drove out to the woods and got to hang at a 17 degree angle and ponder the mysteries, which was pretty cool for 5 dollars.
We eventually got moving further south, but stopped in Carmel since we'd heard the coast south of there down to Cambria would be the prettiest part and we wanted to see that in daylight. So we parked our little Nissan outside a nice neighborhood, cooked up a pretty good pasta meal, curled up in the car seats and went to sleep.

The next morning was colder than the one before, but as soon as the sun came out we drove to the nearest cliff suitable for a pancake breakfast.
The coast south of Carmel was even more beautiful than we had imagined and we had a really great day stopping at almost every mile and seeing such amazing nature. There were flowers everywhere, in all sorts of different colors, birds and elephant seals and friendly locals (one woman we talked to gave us each a free surfing dvd).
After eating lunch in sweet little Cambria, we drove almost directly to Santa Barbara, and once again in need of a shower and a good night's sleep, booked outselves in to a hostel.

We walked around Santa Barbara for a little while the next day, and it's a really pretty little city, but the beach was too cold for sunbathing so we got in the car and drove down to L.A and Santa Monica, hoping that beach would be warmer.
Again we got stuck in rush traffic, and the L.A traffic is so much worse than the San Francisco traffic that when we arrived at our destination we were happier about being alive than we had ever been before. Not only was the traffic going faster, there were up to 6 lanes each way, packed with cars, going 50-80 miles per hour (80-120km/h). It was scary, but at least now we're not afraid to drive in Oslo anymore.

L.A wasn't any warmer than Santa Barbara, and with neither of us being very excited about the city of angels we only stayed for one night. We wanted to see all the famous stuff though, so we booked a tour and went sightseeing like real tourists. Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills (only famous person house we saw was one that Marilyn Monroe supposedly lived in at some point), Sunset Strip, Hollywood walk of fame, Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, Farmers Market.
The Farmers Market was really cool, the other stuff wasn't very impressive. As Belinda put it when we were at the Hollywood walk of fame; "det ser litt ut som ein halvferdig byggeplass" (It kinda looks a little bit like a halfway finished construction site).


Pictures, the rest of the road trip and a summary of the past week(s) might be up before I get back to Norway. Right now I'm enjoying life and the sun in Boulder, Colorado, drinking tea, climbing and hanging out with Hana and Josh (and soon Flannery!)
:]

Portland

I've had two absolutely beautiful days in Portland, and it's by far my favorite city so far on this trip, a little bit because of the weather (sun, a clear blue sky and 25-30 C), but also because it's just a really cool and beautiful place. The city is full of art galleries, flowers and beautiful, old houses, and it has a really laid back comfortable feeling to it.
Later today I'm taking the Greyhound bus (or maybe a train?) down to San Fransisco where I'll hook up with Marie again and her friend Belinda, and maybe go on adventures in another rental car!
:]

Fjell, strand og regnskog! Roadtripping around the Olympic Peninsula

After a day (or was it two?) at Sylvia's house, Marie and I set out for yet another adventure. With lots of help from our host, car reservations and enough (in backpacker standards) gourmet food to survive for a few days we headed west to drive around the Olympic Peninsula.
Here's a short summary.

DAY 1: Tacoma - Port Townsend
Not much to report, we made it painlessly to Port Townsend where we walked up and down the main street, enjoyed the scenery, had ice cream and hung out with the local (drunk) hippies for a little while before driving out to the hostel. We made it out there without hitting any deer, which at one point I was sure we would as they were everywhere. It's pretty cool though, we soon discovered it was like this all over the Olympic Peninsula, and they don't seem to be very afraid of people, so you can see them up close (like right outside your car).
The hostel was nice, though we got the feeling it could have been taken straight out of a thriller movie. The only ones there was the bald manager and an old man, but luckily I don't think any of them had intentions of killing us.

DAY 2: Port Townsend - Forks

Dungeness Spit, Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, wine, and an afro american police man in Forks (which according to him was pretty unusual).

Dungeness Spit

DAY 3:
Forks - Hoh Rain Forest - Ruby Beach - Ocean Shores - Aberdeen.
Sun, sun, sun. This day started out really cold, waking up in the car earlier than we'd woken up the past 3 months, but ended up being the most beautiful day on our trip. We drove up to the Hoh Rain forest, where we changed in to our "running clothes" and ran for about 6-7 miles (omtrent ei

mil) among HUGE trees in this amazingly green and old forest. The idea was to jump in the river when we got back to the parking lot, but we chickened out and ran in to the warm restrooms instead.
The day ended in Aberdeen, we took the long way there, along the coast and via Ocean Shores. The plan was to park somewhere in Aberdeen and sleep in the car again, but the city was full of drunk people (yelling or sleeping on the streets), so we drove on, found a rest area a few miles further east and fell asleep at once.