The long hike across the Saasenveien, or Sirikjerkeveien, in Vestfossen and Mjøndalen is one of my most unforgettable experiences during my first winter in Norway. The plan was to follow the training path (trimløype) across Øvre and Nedre Eiker in the Buskerud Province, i.e., a man-made road expanding ca. 25 kms and built from 1956-1978. From Drammen, we took the train to Vestfossen and started the long hike with much enthusiasm and energy! What if we meet a bear? Or an elg? A wolf? A snow fairy? Olaf??
Vestfossen is a little village in Øvre Eiker, Buskerud. A former industrial town with sawmill industry, paper and textile factories, the village now calls itself as “the capital of culture”. On our way up to the training course, we passed by the Eikeren/Eikern, a deep lake which is the largest in Vestfold. We also saw vast fields and a huge farm with horses!
My travel buddy aka bf and I didn’t expect that the roads would still be covered with thick snow and slippery ice, as it was by the end of March. Nevertheless, it made the journey more fun and exciting, as I skated down the mountain roads. To be honest, there were creepy parts of the journey as well. For instance, I got stuck on a tree root under the snow while trying to get a geocache hanging on tree. I also came face-to-face to a bird in its nest! And I couldn’t help but feel that there were eyes following us! This is Norway, and arctic animals freely roam the woods!
Without my Swedish bf, I probably wouldn’t survive the long hike. It was pretty romantic, actually. He held me as I slid down the slopes. I’m still in the process of learning and getting used to snow and ice, and I think it might take some time. 😛 The woods can be a scary place for a city girl like me, but I feel safe with my bf around. ❤
There’s a toll fee of 50 kr for vehicles, but for walkers, the course is entirely for free! So, we did make it.. from Vestfossen til Mjøndalen via Saasenveien/Sirikjerkeveien trimløype. 😉 What a walk! Looking forward to more long walks across the beautiful Scandinavian country that is Norway! Now.. back to work. haha
Cheers! ❤
PinayOdyssey 