Summary: A long fricken day! Rewarding! Kastet to Ry. 29 km, 585 m elevation gain. Sunny and hot.
7:15 am wake.
8:00 am breakfast (some homemade jams and a jar of peanut butter! I made a pb & j for lunch).
9:10 am start walking
I notice that I’m feeling wonder and joy again. I’m super excited about my day’s adventure. My bag feels lighter (not when I first pick it up but once I’m walking).
I saw a dragonfly within the first 15 minutes. It was huge. I haven’t seen dragonflies yet in Norway. This was my first. They are called eye-stickers (øyenstikkere) and there seems to be some fear that they stick something in your eyes? I was delighted to see them as for me, they indicate a balanced ecosystem…I’m becoming balanced?
I made a morning offering for a safe day (I do this most mornings).
2.9 km, 10:05: I saw the group of five I met yesterday. They said Ry has good food. I let them pass as I don’t like having people behind me…I feel like prey.
1 hr: 3km/hr
There have been two major turns in the trail and in both places, I felt lucky to see the sign. So often, I’m looking everywhere, scanning, but not always seeing. In both places, I felt guided to turn quickly to look. The first turn, I was distracted by the road ahead and the trees to the right, but was drawn to look quickly and saw the sign to turn. The second turn, I was distracted by the house to the right, but managed to see the turning sign on the left. Phew!
There are so many ants in some places that I step on them…it’s not intentional and I feel guilty. I’m just doing what I’m doing…like Earth when she has a tornado or a massive rain storm. Just doing what she’s doing. It seems from the ants that we are more likely to get wiped out in a crowd. Avoid urbanism? Or maybe it’s not noticed as much when you’re on your own. Avoid rural living? Maybe too much alone time?
5 km little break at a red bench
There are little wooden story boxes along the trail that tell about the people who farmed the land here, or plants or wildlife. One box suggested that a fella who settled some land was a sorcerer…you’d have to be a sorcerer to live up there…what did they eat so far away from everything? What did they grow in a place full of trees?
6.3 km by 11:10 so I’m walking 3km/hr
7.5 km-ish: A bit steeper down of a forest section than it looks on the map. Easier in good weather. We’ve been so fortunate with the weather!
8.7 km, 12:00, lunch by the river. I let my feet out to breathe. It’s so hot and dry that puffs of dust arise when my socked heel goes back into my shoe afterwards.
9.2 km Up up, up until 10.1 km, 1pm. Phew!
“Pilgrimage means a “stranger who walks to a holy place.” The motives for the pilgrimages were probably more penance, healing, thanksgiving or simply a desire for adventure. Sacred places are known in all religions and some of them are still relevant destinations. The most important target for pilgrimage in the Nordic countries in the Middle Ages was the Christ Church in Nidaros, where the casket with the remains of Olav the Saint was kept. The pilgrimage began in the middle of the 12th century and had great support, but after the Reformation in 1537 it was considered an idolatry and the traffic stopped. Today, most visible traces of the pilgrims have been erased” (sign at 10 km).
There was a go cart track that I could hear for far too long today. I asked the trees how they tolerate it.
12.1 km Olavskleiva
“At the top of the hill there are four marks in a stone, they may be traces of Olav the Holy, or rather traces of the hooves of Olav’s horse. From here there is a great view of the river Orkla and Orkdalen.”
3:15 pm. A little break before going up again. There’s a toilet here and shady area. Thankfully off the secondary roadway now. It would be kind if people could slow down when they are driving sections that are also the pilgrim’s trail. 3:45 go!
Another long up. Then a long down.
Then up again. Then down. My toenail cut the toe beside it and there was blood. My toes are tired of each other and just want to be barefoot or in flip flops.
Then along a very long road to arrive at the overnight stop. Ry herberge og gjestegård (Ry hostel and guesthouse).
“Ry is an active farm with roots dating back to the 17th century as an estate under the bishop of Nidaros” (pilegrimsleden.no).
It operates now as a hunting/fishing/pilgrim accommodations. The pilgrims get the cold dark damp basement and the fishermen get a beautiful, stately, gorgeous old farm house. Hmmm.
We were presented a lovely dinner on the owner’s porch. His wife is up in the mountains so he is operating on his own, and has a group of fishermen staying. The owner has title to fish salmon for 5km of the river. I tried a bit of Chin-Yu’s salmon, and with the sour cream and dill and cucumber and vinegar, it was quite okay.
After dinner, the owner showed me the fishermen’s building since they were out fishing. It’s beautiful inside. He showed me his animal room. He has no qualms about shooting the animals that kill his sheep and chickens. I don’t enter the discussion that 20-year old Kim would have. This guy was a retired cop too…I know how far debating with cops will get me.
Just before I came down to my damp room in the basement, I saw Dragonfly again. Many of them.
Thank you for this day.
Stories from the Walk Home 