DAY 70 - 75
Day 70 – Happy Reunion
Reunited with Simon, I had my first day where I didn't walk a single step on this journey. To start the morning with fruit salad and a Disney movie, was something I'd been dreaming of for two months. Finally, my wish came true and for the first time in a long time, I was completely relaxed.
Simon's parents have lent us their van. A big, red wonder with a small kitchen and a sitting area which can be turned into a bed. With everything packed into one "room," it might seem small, but it's surprisingly spacious. Of course, compared to my tent, it's a luxury hotel. The only thing missing in the van is a toilet, but with toilet paper and a shovel at hand, it's not much of a lack.
The reunion of Simon and Kaja was made possible by my parents-in-law's great effort to get the Sprinter fixed.
Thank you Bodil and Ivan, I am forever grateful. It was exactly what I needed, a van full of love and food.
Steps: 0
Day 71 - Loved ones
The weather was shitty and the van was warm, so I started walking quite late. 17 km on the road didn't take too long, especially when I could talk to my very best girl, my wifie, while walking. Evelina told me she was planning to become an Instagram celebrity, and I do recommend everyone to follow her: @everlastingeweline. She's doing all sorts of amazing things, like acrobatics and stunts, fire shows, and dancing.
One thing I was really hoping to see while walking through Norway, was a moose. Two months and nothing! So I got pretty jealous when Simon called me to tell me he had just seen a moose cow with her calf close to the road... Hurmpf.
We met up again in Harran and drove to a remote place where we could park the van and be in peace. Before Simon came to meet me, he had filled the van with food and chocolate, he had brought Disney movies and the last season of Game of Thrones... Sigh, the man really knows me.
Steps: 21 834
Day 72 - Contrast
The Norwegian Summer has not been much to brag about this year. Truthfully, it's never much to brag about, but there is one thing that will be a great sign of Summer no matter where you are or what the weather's like - ice cream. So to celebrate the sunny day, I bought a huge one before I started walking. Simon drove to Grong to wait for me there and when I arrived, we ate lunch together, before going to the shop to buy some more groceries and to the sports shop, so I could upgrade my torn sweater and buy a new fanny-pack (my previous one broke in Kautokeino and I have been without one ever since).
The sun just kept on shining, so I had no problem continuing my walk for another 15 km. When I met Simon again 3 hours later, my spirit was high. He, on the other hand, was feeling down, without exactly knowing why. We sat down to talk, and we could both see how he had been working hard to make everything perfect for me, stressing, and forgetting to take care of himself in the process. He came to realize that he had to think about himself and what he wanted to do as well. We then discussed how we could make this trip work out for both of us.
Steps: 35 042
Day 73 - Equals
An edgy morning led to a heated discussion. What Simon was feeling the day before made more sense to him now, which was that he felt there was a barrier between him and me. To resolve it, his solution was to start telling me how he felt. After telling me what was on his mind, I was both angry and hurt (which for me often goes hand in hand), but I didn't yet have the words to describe it.
My head was so full, I felt I couldn't see things clearly. I decided to let go of trying to find the answer and allowed myself to feel what I was feeling. Simon stayed in the van while I started my walk toward Snåsa. After a while, I started to record my thoughts, which turned out to be quite a therapeutic maneuver. It was a good way of getting it all out and I actually came to a lot of conclusions that surprised me.
Later, when Simon and I met up again, I decided to show him the recordings. The raw, uncensored, uninterrupted thoughts of Kaja Juul. I was nervous and felt naked and vulnerable, but we now both knew what the other person was thinking and feeling, and we understood each other more fully. I felt we were even closer, and as the day turned into night, we had a wonderful evening eating pancakes with blueberry jam and bacon - the most epic combination in the history of mankind.
Steps: 24 453
Day 74 - Hot and cold
The next morning, Simon took the van to Valløy and waited for me there. I had an easy walk, but I was not really able to enjoy it. My focus was on the pain in my back and in my feet and I was very negative. I came across a shop where I bought myself an ice cream and took advantage of their wifi before walking on.
It eventually started to rain, but luckily, I was only an hour away from where Simon stood parked. Nevertheless, I was stiff from the cold, so to get inside the warm van and into my boyfriend's warm arms AND to get served a bowl of steaming, hot soup, was very welcome indeed.
Steps: 38 426
Day 75 - Moose Safari
Every time I go to bed, I’m looking forward to waking up again, because that means that it’s time for fruit salad and coffee. It’s truly the best way of starting the morning, and it’s good to have something so uplifting, especially when the rain outside is pouring down.
The schizophrenic weather changed constantly until the sky just turned completely grey and the rain was continuous. Simon’s suggestion of eating lunch together was therefore a true blessing.
After a nice salad, I walked down to Fossem, where Simon picked me up and we drove to Hjelmset, a dairy farm owned by my father’s cousin (and where my grandfather grew up). Here, we got served fresh milk and “Trollkrem” (a dessert made of lingonberries and cream), before my second cousin, Ole Johan, took us on a “Moose Safari.”
I told him I had not seen any moose on my trip so far and he said “You will now”. And man, did he know where they were. We saw at least 20 of them!
Afterwards, we got to say hello to all the cows on the farm.
Joran, Arne og Ole Johan, thank you so much for your hospitality.
Steps: 27 060
