Gerainger and Helsutt, Norway - August 1, 2018

Hard! Hard! It was hard! The description of the hike to Storseterfossen Waterfall said it was long . . . about 5 miles, steep and often on dirt paths. The hike was classified as a Level 3. Whoa! First, the weather forecast was for a high temp of 58 degrees Fahrenheit and partly cloudy. I'm sorry but lucky for us it was warmer; that was the good news. The bad news was it was more like 80 degrees and everyone was dressed for 60. The hottest summer in Norway in the past 70 years, they keep saying. A tour bus took us on a nice highway with five or six miles of hair pin turns to reach the trail head to Storseterfossen Waterfalls. Our hike began through incredibly beautiful mountainous farmland overlooking the village of Gerainger below. We snapped photos of wildflowers and goats. Everyone was feeling good and strong. This level 3 hike would be a piece of cake. Then we arrived at a wooden gate that read, "Follow the Trail." Our world changed.

The trail consisted of steps made of chunks of rough stone consistently about 8 inches high, this way and that. The trail went on like that for about 2 miles alongside the steep mountain. As our body temperature increased so did the temp of the air. We peeled off layer after layer of clothing. We huffed and we puffed, yet we kept climbing. It was a challenge to appreciate the beauty; we had to keep our eyes on the rough trail to keep from stumbling. Oh Lord, imagine that, a broken ankle on a steep mountain path in the backwoods of Norway!!! We did stop to catch our breath every now and then and to simply look about. The views were once-in-a-lifetime beautiful! Even with all this wonderful beauty, everyone was saying whoa, this is more than we expected. It was certainly more than I expected, and I'm not a quitter! This mountain hike was hard. We learned later that cruise ships rate excursions 1, 2, or 3. There is no 5. We embarked on a 5 today.

Well, we did that sucker. Some did not make it but we did. So did a 77-year old guy and his 71-year old wife. So did a Muslim couple from Dubai. She was only 4 months from giving birth to their first child and was wearing a bright yellow mohair sweater over a lot of clothing and full hajib. She gets the prize!

We finally reached the falls. Sometimes the best things in life are the most challenging. You know, there is no easy path to heaven. The Storseterfoss Waterfalls were amazing for sure but the truly amazing part was that they were best viewed by walking behind them. We took a short 100 meter walk down from the top of the mountain that wound to a shelter behind the falls. Wow! Wow! The falls merely poured down right before our faces. The husband of the young mom-to-be shed his t-shirt and crossed the chained-off fence to enjoy a shower of the very purest water in the world. Brave guy! I told his wife, "Yikes, your baby almost lost his father before he even met him."

We had to walk back down the mountain. It too was hard because we had to concentrate on watching our step on the rugged walkway. You don't want to be fallin' on this long trail! Near the bottom of the mountain, our efforts were rewarded with homemade Norwegian waffles, with a cream cheese sauce and raspberry jam and coffee in a small wooden cabin café .

Back on the ship we sailed through the Gerainer Fjord out once again to the Norwegian Sea. This fjord is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It was! At a point where it was only about ½ mile wide, the Seven Sisters Falls on one side of the fjord taunt the Suitor Falls almost directly on the other side of the fjord. Man, oh man! Wow, just wow! What an incredible spectacle.

We are happy! We are so thankful we pursued seeing all this in the green. Tomorrow . . . Alesund, another land of trolls.