Struggling through the deep stuff

The adventure begins.

Depart Bjorli Hotel in two taxis to be dropped off at the road end to head for Pyttbua. Good going along a road / track, then a decision point - continue downhill on the road to Pyttbua or uphill to another hut, Vakkerstoylen. I was glad the uphill route was chosen as downhill on the road looked thin and scary, however the uphill was starting to make us, and in particular Mick realise the weight of the pulk with all our mountaineering gear for later on. We continued for a further 5km with the snow conditions deteriorating before deciding that the pulk had to be abandoned. Mick and Kath had done well to get it this far but Mick headed back to find a safe spot to stow it. We continued on, floundering through deeper and deeper snow, somehow Kath was enjoying herself which wasn't perhaps the emotions of the remainder of the party. John then lost the basket off the end of his ski pole and as Mick was currently heading in the opposite direction with the spares John headed after him.

Eventually we were all reunited. The snow conditions were sapping, at best sinking in six inches, at worst a couple of feet. At this stage we were maybe doing 1km an hour with 10km to go, there were murmurs of a retreat, but we slogged on and with a few less of the two foot sinkings we arrived at Vakkerstoylen having done 17km in 8 hours. Very pleased to be there and all of us just a wee bit on the knackered side.