Kjell's Trip to the Blåfjell National Park 2018

The old man and Chomsky went to the Blåfjell National Park also this year. This time I did not work as a farm hand at the Drefsjø mountain farm, but I rented the cabin at Kasttjønna for the whole month of July.

I started the trip on the 29 July and stopped first at the Åsdalen Valley, not far from the place I have camped in the winter. Good campsite near a small stream. The next day I went to Verdal in the Trøndelag county where, as last year, I stayed overnight at Tor Jentoft’s, my old class mate from primary school. Always a pleasure. On the 1. July I was picked up by Per, a neighbor of Christian the mountain farmer, who was absent when I arrived. Per transported me from the Swedish side of the lake Drevsjøen to the Norwegian side. The boat place is around one kilometer from the farm.

One change from last year: Christian’s father Nils had moved to the Snåsa center for the elderly. However, Christian seems to be capable of running the farm alone without problems, but with a lot of help from family and friends.

The nest day Chomsky and I started the seven-kilometer trip to Kasttjønna. Chomsky has become strong enough to carry a dog pack, so I loaded him with eight kilos, primarily his own food. He dis not seem to notice the additional weight and chased the dunlin birds at full speed. This meant that I could put 12 kilos on his back the next time. Next year, when his bone structure is fully developed, he will be able to carry 20 kilos, which is half his own weight.

It was a pleasure to come back to the Kasttjønna cabin. The stay this time was characterized by too much good and warm weather. Two weeks with around 30 centigrades in the afternoon for a couple of weeks. It was unpleasant for Chomsky to stay in the harsh sunlight in the boat with no shadow, so I spent a lot of time trying to persuade him to jump on board. On a couple of occasions I gave up and started rowing. Chomsky then started swimming after the boat, quite far out on the lake. I then had to drag him on board, which was heavy enough. Once Chomsky had found out that he could run around the lake, which is not obvious since you cannot see all around the lake form the cabin. So, a couple of kilometers at full speed.

The fishing was average this year. The biggest trout I got was six hgs. A few more around half a kilo. Also a few arctic char.

There was not much wildlife to see, but I had the pleasure of watching an osprey diving for fish just outside the cabin.

I went back to the mountain farm for food and supplies a couple of times. The first time Nils was visiting from Snåsa. He had come by helicopter with two helpers.

On the 10. July I ran out of cooking gas in the cabin. Christian had forgotten to resupply in the winter when it was easy by snowscooter. So the next day I went back to the farm to get something done about this. Christian said he would carry a 15 kg gas canister to the cabin the same evening. Just when I got back to the cabin the same afternoon, a helicopter came by and dropped off the canister as well as a few other supplies. The pilot is a friend of Christian’s and he could drop by the cabin because he was in the area on another mission. Problem solved.

During my month at the cabin I only saw three human beings from afar. I still thrive in my own company, but this time I appreciated having Chomsky around. He slept outside the cabin most of the time, except the few days it was windy and rainy. Once at midnight he scented something south of the cabin and he just took off. I heard him bark for an hour before he came back. I do not know what he went after. It may have been a moose, bear, wolf or fox.

At the end of the stay I felt it was long enough and I started feeling bored. This was a new experience for me. May have something to do with age.

During our return Chomsky jumped into a mud hole. He flailed his way to the edge and managed to get his front paws up on solid ground, but then he got completely stuck. I managed to get hold of his backpack, but it was so hard to drag him out that I doubt he could have managed on his own.

On my part I notice the effects of aging. With my broken balance nerve in my right ear I have become more dizzy, so I careen ahead quite groggy, but somehow I manage to stay on my feet. My strength and endurance is still not so bad, so my target is the same trip next year. Christian has promised to install a fridge and new windows with mosquito screens and fix the drain from the kitchen sink.

On my way back I stopped at Tor Jentoft’s for coffee and then continued to Osen on the Fosen peninsula. My stay was shorter than planned, because I jumped on a dentist’s appointment in Oslo on August the 7. But I managed to squeeze in a visit to Namsos to see my friends Emil and Eigil.

On my way home from Osen I stopped overnight in Trondheim with my old schoolmate from the “gymnasium” Ole Brønmo and his wife Turid. They served as before a delicious meal, a veal steak, where their tenant Tim Renfield also was present.

I tented overnight at the same place in Åsdalen. When I finally arrived home, I got the message that my appointment with the dentist had to be postponed because of illness.

This was in short my little report from my trip this year. I suspect a few of you will think it was long enough.