SUP Norway - Second Stand Up Paddle Expedition in 2019 - 1 of 3

Kumaran Geopaddler
Aug 8
10 min read

Paddling in the Norwegian fjords last year had left a momentous impact on me. It was no mean feat to be trusted to lead an expedition in the unknown waters. Everything from the landscape, the wilderness on the other end of the planet, the waters, the experience, and of course, my friendship with Titus, left me wanting for more. Like a cow chewing the cud, I was reliving my experience of Norway everywhere I went.

Stand-Up Paddle Expeditions India - SUP Norway

The Seed Planted

Back home, a group of friends from Paddle for Future and I set out to explore the water bodies near me, and thus went to Kodiyampalayam beach. We wanted to explore the feasibility of standup paddling in these waters that were mostly untouched by tourists. We went wild camping, pitching a tent at the beach and paddling in the Kodiyampalayam beach which is the backyard of the Pichavaram mangroves, surveying the ecosystem. This is another access to the mangroves, but has restricted access to the non-residents which is to be obtained from the forest department. That’s where I got more connected to Dr. Prajeeth Vandayaar, a paddler who was 15 years my junior, by my friend and his elder brother Dr. Abhishek Vandayaar. We instantly bonded over stories of Norway. Everyone there had time, energy, and the resources to go on the expedition, and when Prajeeth proposed that we go to Norway, the seed for my second expedition to Norway was sown in my brain.

As the expedition of 2018 was widely covered in Indian media with a good web presence, and was recognized in the Norwegian Embassy too, my visa paperwork was a piece of cake this time. SUP Norway 2019 would have three phases: a 2 day expedition where I would be a co-lead, a similar 5 day expedition, and another 5-day expedition where my friends Abhijit and Prajeeth would join us.

I started from home on August 22nd, 2019, and reached Bergen the next day. Everything from the routes to the transport to the stay felt effortlessly familiar to me; it was like going home. As I alighted in Bergen, the cold and the rains welcomed me. Titus had booked a hotel for me near the airport, which was within walking distance. I had initially hailed a taxi, but the driver said that it would be cheaper for me to walk down there. Such integrity was refreshing. Although it was a short distance, lugging my bags around in the cityscape was challenging. I had carried a lot this time, and my bag was significantly heavier, adding to my hassle. Ironic, as it felt easier to traverse rivers and seas than city roads.

Like switching buses to go from the Koyambedu bus stand back home to my hometown and then taking a local transport to go to my village home, I smoothly navigated my ride from Bergen to Gudvangen, and from there to the campsite. It was the same bus that I boarded last year. On the way to Gudvangen, I came across a place called Voss. It is a beautiful place, with people visiting from all over the world for rafting, kayaking, paragliding, and camping in the large lakes of the town, especially Vangsvatnet. I also saw the Stalheimsfossen waterfalls which was just like our very own Courtrallam falls. As I approached Gudvangen, I could see people whitewater rafting in the Nærøydalselvi river, bringing back memories of Rishikesh. All in all, it was exactly like my village ride back home, just that this was Scandinavia.

Expedition 1 of 3 - 2-Day Expedition

Day 0 - Pre-Expedition

I reached the campsite at around 12 noon. The pet dog recognized me, and the pet cat ignored me. At the campsite, I met Courtney Sinclair, an amazing woman who would be leading the expeditions. She was making preparations for the expedition - readying the tents, the food, the paddleboards, and so on. I was slightly weary from my travel, nevertheless I jumped right in like one does at home; Norway felt like homecoming. Courtney and I shared the tasks. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between us. Couteney is amazing. An aeronautical engineer by profession, she is a qualified and experienced expedition lead, certified as a standup paddler in Canada, a wilderness first responder, and a yoga enthusiast. We shared fish and chips with some beer.

Once we gathered the team, the activities of the evening were a walk in the park. The team participated in a joint activity of making salad, something which I would make a part of Kollidam expeditions.

Every time I come to Norway, I refresh my camping skills - how to light a camping stove, how to light a fire using flintstones, how to pack, etc. I feel the point of meeting many people and learning their cultures is to assimilate the parts I like into my lifestyle, and by extension in the expeditions back home. Like last year, we lit the barbecue, opened the champagnes, imprinted the SUP Norway logos on the Speider koppers, and bonded over the bonfire. Titus would join us a little later on the expedition.

A special mention to Kim Foster, a paddler who was more than 60 years of age. He is a traveller, and just an amazing human. He was more than just a team member - he showed a great deal of initiative and ownership. We also had an “ironwoman” from the USA, a baker from the Netherlands, and a nurse from Norway. I made the preparations for the next day in my King tent, the same one I had last year. The weather outside was rainy-cold, and so I layered up accordingly with the warmers I used in the Ganges expedition. As the fires died down, we retired for the night, getting ready for the next day.

Day 1: 24th August, 2019 Gudvangen - Odnes (9 km)

The morning started with a breakfast of expedition special ready meals - instant cereal, add water to a bowl of cereal and in ten minutes breakfast would be ready. My task was to ensure that the cooking fires were on, so that everyone could come at leisure to make their coffees. Unlike back home where milk was a staple in coffee, here it was black coffee’s regime. We would make one pot of coffee and everyone would enjoy a cup. After breakfast, Courtney gave the safety induction on how to use the life jacket and how to do the paddle strokes. This team was mostly women, mostly from the US and UK.

Like last year, we launched from Gudvangen to reach Odnes. Courtney made multiple trips to carry the paddleboards to the launching point. Kim Foster was of great help to us with unloading the paddles, pitching tents, and preparing food. I was well prepared, so was Courtney, and we had a sync that ensured the expedition was smooth. The weather here was amazing, the clouds and the mist against the blue sky gave the place an elevated feel. I could see parallels of the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats here. Paddling last, I observed each paddler’s paddling style which would be unique according to their body proportions. Courtney was an exceptional expedition leader; I wished for strong women to be expedition leaders back home too, and now at Paddle for Future we have Amurtha, an amazing leader. I was more confident this time than last year, and the weather helped us a lot.

The clouds provided us with the most beautiful backdrop to paddle on. As a rule, you start the expedition by kneeling down on the paddleboard for a smooth launch. So even if you are the most experienced standup paddler, you kneel for the first 200 to 300 meters before standing up. So after a few minutes, like synchronized dancers, the team would stand up on the board one by one. This time, I had brought a lot of snacks from India - the ones that I would crave for while on the paddleboard.

We saw many ferries that carried anorthosite after mining it in Gudvangen. The ferries would be timed at 30 minutes each, and each would create a huge wave in the relatively calmer waters. In such cases, we paddle perpendicular to the ferry, an adventurous fun activity for paddlers. It was the monsoon, and so I saw many waterfalls from the mountains, much more than I had seen just a month back last year.

We were hardly half-way through, but we had seen around 70 waterfalls by then, both existing ones and new ones formed by the rain. At 4 kilometers from Gudvangen, we came across Bakka - a tiny village at the fjord shores - on the left side. We paddled by the Bakka Church. It is an old church where the Viking marriages were known to happen. Despite being on the shores, it was not easily accessible those days, as the river would freeze over. We took a short break at the Church for some snacks and stretches, and resumed our journey from Bakka.

Paddling ahead, we saw the Rimstigen hike - the most picturesque hiking trail over the Nærøyfjord. Atop the trail there is a beautiful lake. It attracts many hikers worldwide; even paddlers of SUP Norway do hike in this trail during longer expeditions. Nearby, a rock protrudes into the fjords, making the channel very narrow. This would make it challenging to cross with both the frequency of the ferries and the waves they create. Once the narrow channel widens, the fjord changes directions, and we get a whole new perspective of the landscape. Odnes was around 3 kilometers from here.

Like I had done in the Ganges SUP, I decided to go grounded - I removed my footwear, paddling barefoot for the length of the expedition. It helps me stay grounded, observant, and connected to my surroundings. It was cold, but the good kind, and despite coming from the hot tropics, I liked the cold on me.

We reached the Odnes camp at around 2:30 pm, and saw the Odnesfoss cascading in full form. We immediately went scouting to get the wood for cooking. The Odnesfoss was at a 100 meters elevation from the grassland, and below it was a gorge. Across the gorge was an old wooden bridge, which was where back in the day the Royal Norwegian Postal trail would happen. With the monsoon happening, the moss, ferns, and algae had bloomed to have a personality of their own. Again, it took me back to the Western Ghats. There were a lot of reindeer without any of its natural predators. Looking at the camp from the 100 meter elevation gave me an immense joy like nothing before.

The expedition leaders’ tent was of a different colour from that of the team. This would help easy visibility for troubleshooting; we were like the shepherd dogs. Back in my tent, I arranged my belongings. I had brought an assortment of Indian snacks, my camping stove, my winter gear, the complete SLR kit, and my sleeping bag. As we rested, we saw a group of kayakers going about their journey. The Nærøyfjord attracts a lot of kayakers who would do similar expeditions.

We then went back scouting, to collect firewood for the bonfire. The energy of each team member resonated with that of the whole team, and it was a very warm and pleasant bonding. We drifted off to the sounds of the waterfalls and the grassland.

Day 2: 25th August, 2019 Gudvangen - Odnes (9 km)

The next morning, there was a slight drizzle as I woke up much before everyone else. Not used to using the bio toilets of the camp, I ran half a kilometer from there to answer Nature’s call. Although quite simple, open defecation in the wild requires us to be mindful of how we cover up our tracks so that no human or animal accidentally comes across it. One should know how to select a place lest they don’t get injured while doing it, dig a small pit, finish the business, and shovel up mud in the hole, covering it up.

I returned back to the view of the beautiful glassy waters of the fjord. This season was the transition from monsoon to winter, and so the footfall of tourists was less. But with the cloudy skies and the glassy waters with the cliffs jutting in between, each minute gave us a wallpaper feel. We had breakfast around 7:30 am, and started from Odnes shortly. We reached Bakka around 9 am, and saw the protruding rock narrowing the channel once again, but this time we paddled from wide to narrow. The winds were smooth for most part, but since the valley winds are unpredictable, we must always anticipate strong winds while paddling.

We returned to Gudvangen the next morning by 10:30 am. I reached a little earlier than the others and started setting things up for the landing. After bidding farewell to the team, we had lunch at around 2:30 pm. Kimfoster stayed back for the next expedition, and together we worked on sanitizing and drying the sleeping bags, drying the tents in the sudden burst of sunshine, unloading the boards, and made preparations for the next expedition that would happen in two days' time.

Rest Day

26th August, 2019 - Voss.

It was a rest-day between expeditions. I woke up at around 6:30 am to a misty and foggy morning. Courtney, Kim, and I had already planned to go to Voss. We took the bus to Voss, and were casually strolling the streets, having coffee, croissants, and beer. Kim and I went to lake Vangsvatnet, where we saw the crystal clear waters, so clear that if it were shallow we could have seen the lake bed. There were many SUP/kayaking schools training paddlers by the lake. It was also a place where extreme sports like paragliding, kitesurfing, and skydiving would happen. The landing of a few skydivers was right next to us, and I wished to go skydiving someday.

We reached back at 3 pm, it was a pleasant and chilly day. I spent the rest of the day reading the books and chilling at the camp. The reading center had lots of goodies like antiques, vintage items, classic books, and many such. A book that struck a chord deep in my heart was the Nærøyfjord book, written by Fridtjof Nansen. Every path I had paddled came to life in that book, and I had a new outlook on the very places I had paddled by. Later, Kim and I went on a short walk to the Viking village, where we saw the rainbow in the waterfalls. For dinner, I prepared my special tomato chutney, and served it with rice that I had carried back from home. It was a great day.