Part 3: Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, Post Race

Zombie mode in full swing. It didn't take long after finishing at the top of Mt. Gaustatoppen that I went downhill fast. I got cold, really cold, then started feeling nauseous. I had a very hard time getting in food after getting down the mountain to the restaurant at the hotel near the white shirt finish. I ate a few bites of potatoes, drank a few sips of a Coke, ate a cup of pudding and that was about it. That night of sleep was awful. I tossed and turned all night and was in and out of the bathroom way too many times.

It took so much energy to get ready for the T-shirt ceremony in the morning and I didn't feel well. I remember overheating inside waiting to get my shirt and I would have cold and hot waves rush over me. To my surprise, I made it through all the pictures without getting sick. Not sure how I managed that. Maybe because I had on my black shirt and I needed to look as tough as I was the day before.

After the ceremony, I went back to the cabin and took a long nap. I woke up feeling a little better and decided to go down into town in Rjukan. Jon and I stopped at a pub and had a beer and pizza. The next morning, we all packed up and started our drive to Oslo. We stopped at Norway's largest stave church along the way, Heddal. The church is a triple nave stave church and was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century. 

When we arrived in Oslo, we stopped at the Holmenkollen Ski Museum. At the top of the ski jump, the views of Oslo were beautiful. Over the next two days, I spent time with my family exploring Oslo. We went to the Viking ship museum, Kon Tiki museum, walked around the opera house, went to the modern art museum, Munch museum, explored Vigeland Sculpture Park and did a lot of walking around. Oslo was a unique city with lots of culture and arts. The food, on the other hand, caught me off guard. It is so hard to find anything other than pizza and hamburgers. 

My family flew back to Florida on Wednesday and Jon and I met up with three of our friends from Tallahassee and had a week of outdoor adventures planned. Wednesday to Friday we were based out of a small fjord town called Loen. What a beautiful town, it is situated at the back of a fjord and sandwiched between a glacial lake behind it. The steep rock walls and an abundance of crystal blue water were stunning. The day we arrived we did a short hike to Briksdalsbreen glacier. The hike was beautiful but along the hike, there were signposts with markings of the retreat of the glacier, being able to visualize the large-scale retreat in such a short time was saddening. Again, once we got back to town and tried to find dinner, pizza and burgers were in abundance. We did find a cafeteria that night and I was able to order Norwegian meatballs, which were quite good. 

The next morning we had a pre-booked guided hike/climbing adventure planned with Via Ferrata Loen. The views were amazing, the climbing was challenging and fun; however, they could have done a much better job with the organization. It was a very large group and we found ourself waiting upwards of an hour at times because of a backlog in the climbing sections. We made the most out of it and soaked up the views while we waited. Check out this YouTube video of a suspension bridge we crossed. I was jumping and skipping and having a blast across it. 

The next day, we drove from Loen to Flam and stopped at a couple of scenic areas along the way, another stave church, and Stegastein viewpoint. We made our way to Voss and stayed in a hostel that night, which had surprisingly good food and a great local beer selection. The next morning we woke up early and drove to Nærøyfjord to kayak the UNESCO World Heritage fjord. We booked a guided tour with Nordic Ventures. They were GREAT! They provided all the gear, transportation and even cooked us a fabulous lunch at the halfway point on the tour. Jon, Petr and I jumped in the fjord during the lunch break, it was cold and refreshing! 

The next adventure on our trip was my favorite. The 16-mile hike to Trolltunga. Trolltunga is one of the most famous hikes in Norway. It has a rock outcropping that looks likes a trolls tongue and is 900 meters above the water below. We started the hike at 5:00 am to try and beat some of the crowds. I've read blogs of other travelers and hikers that said they waited in line for over an hour to get there picture taken at the end of the rock. The hike to Trolltunga took 3 hours and 45 minutes. There was already a fairly large crowd. Jon and I got in line and it took about 30 minutes for us to get our turn on the rock. Waiting in line the sun was shining so brilliantly on the tongue and sure enough right before our turn, the clouds rolled up the cliffside and blurred out our photos. The pictures of us on Trolltunga didn't turn out that great but the hike and views were so beautiful. We sat at the top for about two hours, made lunch on the jetboil, waited for our friends to make it up, then again, like always, I started getting cold. So we started the hike back down. In total, the hike took 9 hours and 30 min with nearly a two-hour break at the top. It is a strenuous hike but very, very enjoyable. When I go back, that's right, when, I will be camping on the cliffside of the hike. Tents were set up along the route and every spot I saw, I thought, this is the most amazing spot to pitch a tent I have ever seen. 

That evening we drove to Bergen and spent two nights there. Bergen is AWESOME! I loved everything about Norway and hope to go back one day. Thank you for reading my three-part blog about my experience at the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. I would highly recommend dropping your name in the bucket, it will change your life. Till the next adventure!