Category: Scandinavia 2011

I get up at 7:30. This is nuts, I tell myself. Eight hours ago I was still riding. And here I am again, pedalling hard first thing in the morning, waiting for the first wave of prickly heat to hit my torso. When that comes, I slow down considerably and continue at a far more […] Continue reading →

The daily blog is usually left until all other chores have been accomplished. By this point I rarely have any energy remaining and when I write it is usually an assembly of phrases I’ve constructed during the day’s ride, put together late at night on bleary-eyed autopilot.  Continue reading →

I’ve cycled less than 500 metres from the hostel (thanks Nan!) when I notice a huge lens being pointed in my direction. I wave and grin at the photographer on my way past — he’s not the first. My day’s ride has no particular destination; I will ride until I tire and hopefully make some […] Continue reading →

It’s not a good feeling to wake up and to have your head filled immediately with the knowledge that the next hour or so of your life is going to be miserable, frustrating and clumsy and that there’s no-one there to help, provide moral support or simply to take it out on. But this morning […] Continue reading →

I linger at the breakfast table, trying to avoid the inevitable: I must leave this morning to continue my journey. The outdoor thermometer reads ‑33°C. Needless to say, focusing on statistics like that is not a great source of motivation. But I chose this. Continue reading →

I’d always wanted to try it, ever since I’d seen the Canadian ski patrollers doing it. They were some of the most graceful, masterful skiers I’d ever seen, or have seen since. The unique thing was that they used the so-called Telemark style and equipment.  Continue reading →

I wake up once again under a solid roof. The dawn chill doesn’t sting my nostrils, because it’s on the other side of a double-glazed window. I don’t have to jog for warmth around a field full of snow the instant I get out of bed. And, best of all, I don’t have to force […] Continue reading →

It’s ‑20°C when I hit the sack, but I sleep like a log. I get up early, stumble around for a while in the powder, and witness an indescribable sunrise over a standard-issue breakfast of porridge and instant coffee.  Continue reading →

I wake up and I can smell coffee. It’s coming from the bathroom. Strange, but this is how the lady of the house likes it, and I can see why. The shared bathroom contains a coffee machine, so that upon waking, one can get a coffee and return to the warm bed for an hour […] Continue reading →

I crawl out of my tent to find that my thermometer is registering ‑16°C. I still haven’t found a ‘proper’ thermometer to calibrate it against, so I take the reading with a pinch of salt. If anything, it’s possibly a little high. It’s made a big difference to my camp, in any case. Continue reading →