SUP Norway - Third Stand Up Paddle Expedition in 2024 - Part 2 - Smooth Paddling

Kumaran Geopaddler
Dec 13, 2025
4 min read

Recap of Part 1: Returned to SUP Norway after a 4-year hiatus - it was homecoming of sorts - the seed for Kollidam Gratitude Festival planted - anorthosite - the Nærøyfjord book - shopping for inventory - old radio box - meeting Kev - the expedition would start the next day.

16th June

Stand-up Paddle Board Expeditions India SUP Norway

I woke up around 6 am to the view of the valley. It was windy and misty with the drizzle gently interspersing the mist. Hugging my mug of hot coffee in the chilly morning, I gazed at the mountain top opposite to me that looked like a wolf looking up to the sky. The shower at the campsite was coin-operated - insert a coin and you’d get some good uninterrupted minutes of hot water. I showered at leisure this time, enjoying every drop of hot water on my skin. After breakfast, Amen and I went out shopping. It was 8 degrees Celsius outside, a stark contrast to what it would be in Kuwait and to a slightly lesser extent Chennai - around 40 degrees.

As we walked along the wooden bridge, we saw all the waterfalls pooling in a river at Gudvangen. The waters were crystal-clear, just like out of a dream world. I asked Amen about the native fish, and he told me about salmon. I remembered reading about the great salmon migration of British Columbia for 3000 kms. I have read that when the salmon are smaller (parr), they migrate downstream to the seawater, grow and mature (smolt). Once they are ready to reproduce, they swim back upstream to the same freshwaters they were born in, lay their eggs, and then die. The newly hatched salmon (fry) continue the cycle. Thanks to all the National Geographic articles I’ve read since my childhood.

Amen and I started to gel slowly as we took some pictures in the picturesque valleys of Gudvangen. While shopping, I came across some good beer, however, since it was a Saturday, and Saturdays are dry days, we couldn't get any. We headed back to the camp and stocked the caravan, which was a full-fledged office. Amen was very organized, taking notes of everything he would be doing, including the welcome notes. We started packing for the day, as we had to carry a lot of food for the wild camping. This time, they gave me a beautiful jacket, a t-shirt, and a hoodie - something which I still wear.

After packing up, we started preparing the salad. This is something that stuck with me, that I carry with me to implement in Kollidam expeditions. It’s healthy, filling, and compensates the burnt calories without adding a calorie surplus. Food is an important part of every expedition, the participants need to be fed well so that they have enough energy to do the expedition but not so much that makes them drowsy. One must cater to the allergens and preferences of every participant - if something goes south it would hamper the entire expedition.

We made a hearty salad of tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms with some olive oil.

Slowly, the participants started joining us. We gave them the goodies and the rations, and gave instructions on pitching the tent, inflating their mattresses, safety gear, etc. The welcome ceremony started at 6 pm with beautiful mild showers. I had a few drinks at the cafe, and retired at my King tent at around 11:30 pm.

17th June:

I woke up at 6 am, had a hot shower, and started packing up for the launch. We inflated the paddleboards and loaded them onto the car. Titus was there, and he and I kept shuttling between the base and the starting point carrying paddle boards, as we could carry only seven boards at a time. Every expedition, I keep learning a lot from Titus. He keeps on improvising wherever he can, be it the gear or safety features. The sky was a little overcast but the waters were super glassy. We attached the fins to the boards.

Once everyone joined us at the starting point, Amen and I started instructing the team on safety measures, paddling techniques, and navigating the waves. We handed them the paddles, the gear, and around 11 am we launched from the rocky terrain into the chilly waters. All of us were wearing rain vests as intermittent drizzling was expected. For the first 500 meters we paddled kneeling down. We saw some anorthosite ferries come by, and after a while, we started standing up on our boards. The team was very confident, this was a very good thing for an expedition.

For the first time in all my expeditions, we stopped at the narrowing of the fjords just before Bakka for lunch. As we paddled on, we had another round of drizzle with the winds picking up. Around 1 pm, we reached Bakka, and around 3:30 pm, we reached the Odnes camp. This time, I took the team to the waterfalls. It was slippery, and standing on a higher platform, I assisted the team to the waterfalls, just in time to see the 360 degree rainbow.

Once we were back to the campsite, the team set up the tent while Amen and I set up the food tent. A group of kayakers and a cruise ship passed by us, adding a pop of colour to the still landscape. The sun was out now but it was still windy.

The team was quite diverse - seven Americans, two Germans, four English, an Indian (me), and an Irish (Aman) conversed over the bonfire in the Scandes, but that was not all of it. One of them was a military veteran who had worked in Kuwait, where I work now. Another person was a geologist, a wellsite geologist to be specific, just like I am. Another person had worked in India, at Gurgaon and Noida, where I formerly worked. Coincidences, I think not. It’s just the sweet randomness of life. The cross-cultural knowledge of this team was very warming, and it helped us gel quite well.

This time, I had planned to cover almost all moments as I could, with my new gear, in all formats as possible - 360 degree shot, time-lapse, long shots, etc. Sometime later when I sit back and relax in the comfort of my couch, I would like to experience my SUP Norway days once again.