Contributed by Ryan Nesbit
My travels took me to the mountains of Norway, where I found myself alone amongst rocks, patchy snow, frozen lakes and some truly beautiful, expansive and vast terrain. The seemingly harsh isolation was tempered by roaring rivers and cascading waterfalls, stunning sunsets, starry skies and sunrises. And I experienced unexpected encounters with the extremely friendly, welcoming and outdoorsy Norwegians. Trekking to a wilderness hut, I found myself enjoying a three-course meal of reindeer stew, lingonberry and cloudberries (yes, berries are a separate food category) served with brunost, a caramelized goat cheese and a traditional dessert of tilslørte bondepiker (“veiled shepherd’s girl”) with a dozen Norwegians. Awe-inspiring.
