Last Full Day at Breivoll

 By Grace McDiarmid, Child and Family Studies and Geography

Today was the last activity day of the trip. It is crazy how close this adventure is coming to an end. We started with an 8 am morning, with beautiful weather, perfect for our hike. At 9:15 am we left for the Coastline trail to the Sherpa steps. We hiked approximately 5 km in total, stopping along the way to learn from Glenn Menkin, Head of Outdoor Activities Department at DNT Oslo. We also stopped to take our last few photos of Norway's beautiful scenery. Along the way, Glenn pointed out shelters that were made by DNT volunteers and are used by families for campfires. He also taught us about Norwegians' right to use the land policies, allemannsretten, which are quite different from Canada’s land use laws. In Norway, not only is it allowed, but it is encouraged to stay and walk on any property as long as it is 150 m from a house, but only for 1-2 nights. If you stay longer, you have to ask the permission of the land owner. I also learned that Norway has the second-largest coastline after Canada. I thought it was very cool being able to see and use the Sherpa steps, as it is clear how much time, effort and labour was put into building them. Norway hired Nepalese Sherpas to build the stairs which helped to rebuild their society after an earthquake in Nepal, which was their expedition with a mission.

Walking down the Sherpa steps, and the trail we took along the coastline

After our 2.5 hours of hiking, we made it back to Breivoll Farm where Glenn then started group activities based around the theme of “trust”. I found this lesson very engaging and reflective. He started us off with an exercise that tested the trust we have for one another. This exercise helped me learn how reassuring and calming it is to know I have people I can trust surrounding me. He connected the concepts of trust, openness, perspective, and perception in a way that I have never reflected on before. Sharing our thoughts and experiences on these topics helped us feel more connected and safe with one another. It made me realize that most people feel the same feelings as I do; it is just a matter of being open about it, which allows trust to build. 


Enjoying lunch around the fire

Together we had lunch outside around a fire. Eating outside, by a fire, with a group of people I can be open with and trust is truly a calming and reassuring experience. Glenn’s lecture made me reflect on the past two weeks I have spent with this group of people who used to all be strangers to me but I now  consider close friends, and how trust and openness influenced our friendships.

Warming up in the lavvu

We ended the activities warming up around the fire in the lavvu, acknowledging the new friendships we have made during this adventure. As it was our last night at Breivoll Farm, it was only appropriate that we had a sauna to relax before we prepared for our travels home.


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