Hiking Sørskottaksla

I recently climbed sørskottaksla. That is the tall mountain under wich i have lived since i was 6. I've thought about climbing it the last year or so, and not long ago i finally decided to take the step outdoors and get on top of things. The first and last part of the climb was particularily steep; Ididn't choose the easyest path but instead went up a steep, loose scree at the foot of the mountain. 

Climbing in screes (that mass of crumbeled rock at mountains feet) is a lot of fun, particularily if it's a rough scree. There's a lot of places to exercise balance, and to climb with leaps and bounds. Climbing in loose scree is significantly less fun. You have to watch each step to see if the rock is loose or not, and you have to move slow not to cause a raze. In places, it's rahter idiotic to climb the scree, because a raze could at worst kill you. But - i should just tell you this sooner rather than then later - i am stubborn! 

Above the scree the climb flattened for a bit, with only a bit of climb. But by then, i had become hungry. I was walking completely in my own thoughts, somewhat in a bad mood for the hunger, when suddently i jumped because something made a loud flapping noice in front of me. It was the mother of these cute little guys, who i unwillingly spooked out of her nest.

Right now i wish my knowledge of species had been better, so i could tell you who this is. I know it's a common bird, so i am a bit ashamed to admit that i don't know. But these little people is pretty freshly hatched. Cute birds! I really hope i didn't scare the mother off for too long. (Edit pr 2. July - I've now found out that it was the very common Willow Grouse, nor: Rype)

The last part of the mountain was steep, but safe and easy to climb. I was getting very hungry, but i was starting to get a splendid view. I tried to eat some crowberry roots, and it eased things a bit, but probably mostly by fooling my stomach to think it was getting some food.

Then came the top, and the beautifull view, and a (significantly hunger-dampened) feeling of sucess. Lookie!

(Fullview)

The most beautiful way to enter Steigen

Steigen, my homeplace where i grew up and where i plan to eventually grow old, is to my knowledge the most beautiful place in the world. It has tall and small mountains, fjords and lakes. I love the mountains. You'll never run out of new mountains to try and climb, and each new mountain is a new experience and has a new view.

I just found the most beautiful way to enter Steigen - by boat from Kjerringøy, directly over the ocean southeastwards from home. After working on Kjerringøy and enjoying the view towards Steigen, I finally got to get into a boat and cross the blue mass. It's just splendid – the majestic mountains slowly getting closer, while the almost still sea is caressing the boat, until they are finally standing tall above me again just waiting to be climbed. It feels romantic, and fills me with longing and dreaming for that special someone sometime to be in the boat with me, sharing the experience.

I would wholeheartedly advice everyone to come see Steigen, and come hike mountains with me!

If to serve alcohol

As a sober person who believes that alcohol is the cause of too many evils for individuals and for the society, and henceforth has chosen to stay away from it myself – how can I justify me serving or selling alcohol? Where do I draw the line as to what I can and cannot do?

I've been working this summer at a hotel with a restaurant and a bar. From the very start I told the proprietors that I did not want to serve alcohol, and to my surprise they accepted it and I have now worked there about a month without even touching alcohol, accept for cleaning it up afterwards. The other people there has accepted it and does not complain about it, accept for one time when I was asked to go bring up a case of wine to the bar. The girl who asked me to do so was tired and overworked and could not do it herself, and I considered it for a while, but finally decided against it. If I had brought it, I would have quite directly been the cause of that wine being served. That not really any better then pouring it in the glass myself.

Is that being too strict? I've also preveously denied people to borrow my lemonade to mix it with spirits, and I would deny to buy wine from the city to mother (In Norway, wine is only sold in dedicated shops in the city.) I'm always saying in Norwegian that “Ska det vær, så ska det vær” - If it is going to be that way, it is going to be that way. I can't do it half-way, that would be rather worthless.

But I have to admit, I have my problems here, and I was lucky that these people accepted me not serving alcohol. When I first heard about this job possibility, I was told that I would have to serve alcohol. This was the only chance I had on getting a job because I had a early vacation and was outside of regular summer job time. So I considered it, and it gave me many restless whiles, weighing for and against. I really needed the money, but I really didn't want to serve alcohol. I finally decided that I would try it if I had to, and quit if it didn't feel right. I think I would have quit after a little while, but I was lucky and the proprietors accepting it.

But now the problem is arising again. Next year I am going to need a job. A supermarket has asked me back for a second interview, and that might force me to sell beer next year. In ways, it is more scary in a supermarket – in the hotel, the alcohol goes to dinner guests or people in bars. In a supermarket, the beer might as well be going to a rapist who is going to use the alcohol to drug down hes next victim, or it might be sold on to thirteen year olds, or maybe it'll be someones first beer? I'll have a big inner discussion before I accept that job. I hope I won't have to, and that I can get a job somewhere else instead.

Me where i don't belong;

My path to freedom

As mentioned before, i've not yet reached my "freedom in living". I've got a plan though. First i should tell you about my problems.

My first and biggest problem, one that i can't start traveling as long as i have, is my loan. I ove the state a bit more then 100 000 norwegian krona, wich is about €12 700 or £10 000 - money for education. As soon as i finish schooling, i have to start paying the loan. My secound problem is my need for an education.

What i've so airily dubbed "my path to freedom", is my plan to brake free from these things as best as i can. The plan has a duration of two years. Next year i'm planning to go to school and learn what will at least be my temporary living, doing my best not to increase my loan more then absolutely nececerry. I've got only one year left, before i get a certificate of apprenticeship as an agronomist. That means i can work mainly as a help on farms, with a fixed pay somwhere along the lines of 250 000 NOK before tax. 

Then the secound year, i'll do just that. I'll get a full time job, live at home with my parents so i won't have to pay for housing, and earn enough money to completely kill off my loan. Then i'll do one of the many things i want to do sometime. There's so many things i really want to do, things that won't cost that much but won't be doable if i have a loan lurched on my back.

These two years can easily turn out to be two rather tough years, for varying reasons. The first year i will struggle with economy. I'll get a scollarship at about 3600 nok, whilst housing with food costs 3200 nok. Nothing left for anything! So i have to have a job if i'm going to live at all that year, and to have a job i have to have a car. A car costs, at the very least, 1000 nok a month for ensurance. If i do get a car, but end up not getting a job in spite of my many applications, i will be in serious trouble. If i do get a job, i'll still be living on the economical edge; If i happen to get less hours a month or if i am no longer required at work, i'll end up knee-deep in problems. Or, in other words, i'll end up increasing my loan. The good side to this, however, is that i belive i'll have a socially nice year, studying interesting things and having a generally nice time with many people around me.

The secound year can be tough in the way of lacking social parts. Steigen, my homeplace, outside of summertime is a sort of empty place. Youth my age move to the cities. There is a lot of people older than me, and a lot of people significantly younger then me, but little inbetween. I love Steigen and its nature, but this is a problem. I will move there when i grow old, i think, maybe someday start a farm there. But, it is no place for youth my age.

I'm not writing this to complain about the prospect of my life. I'm in a good place compared to many i know of, in norway, and particularily compared to many i've seen and heard of in the less fortunate corners of the world. I greatly appreciate my place in the world, and i am very happy for what i've realised is my big privlage as a norwegian - i won't have a real problem getting anywhere. I'm planning to use and try to appreciate my luck. Anything else would be mad. My life is good, and i know it. My blogpost simply talks froma a western point of view.

There's one main obstacle to blogging

To me there's one main obsticle to blogging. It's not that i haven't got enough toughts, my head is full and it's wonderfull to structure the mess in there into a blogpost. It's not that my life is too empty, because i'm better at describing thoughts, wishes and dreams then actual events anyways. It's not that i don't really want to blog, it's a plesant thing to do. And it's not that i don't think anyone reads it - i know that the people i care about to read it quite likely will.

No, there's one main obstacle, and that's silence. Silence in form of solitude, lack of background noises, lack of big distractions. If i am to write something long, it would usually have to happen over multiple shifts, because there will be distractions in the meantime. Today has been one of the most distraction-free days in absolute ages. It has felt wonderfull. Even so, my first blogpost here happened over multiple stages. There was a rather long conversation with my sisters boyfriend and there was making dinner inbetween before it was done.Most days, my working days or school days or want-something-done days, it's very hard to find or take time to write.

I'll try my best not to disappoint with this blog, though.

Freedom in living

This is my fourth blog. The last three, wich are all in norwegian, have trivial names; Vaugely translated, "Thinking-thoughts", "Writings" and "Thor's photoblog". This fourth blog will hopefully be my most important and personal blog, and i thought it should have a name that meant something.

My wish for life is to really live it, and to do so freely. To travel where i wish, spend my time where i want, with who i want. Get to know and love more people. Do things worthwhile. See the world, learn new tounges, learn new skills. Hug everyone, flourish like a person and be who i really am.

My life is not like that right now, but i'm trying to make it so. My first thought for a name was "the struggle for freedom", but it sounds a bit dramatic, don't you think? My chains are no worse then a bigish loan and the need for an education. When the chains are gone, i've got tickets here and there to living life. In two years, hopefully, there will be no real chains.

"Freedom in living", as you see, is my vision and my hope, and hopefully in not too long will be something i can live by. The vision is perhaps a airy and idealistic one, and one i would be embarassed with a lot of people reading. If people in real life asked me about this, i would shrug it off and change the subject. But this is my real vision, and what i really want to do. I'm just not secure enough about it yet.