Back to Juvaas

Hello, 

  I am little behind on the posts as I have been quite busy lately writing my poker player.  Last week we had to write a program that made cards, dealt cards, and identified what poker hands (straight, flush....) each hand contained.  And then we had to make sure that the amount they came up was the correct probability.  I had many late nights last week.  Now that is done, I have to actually make the game playable by Wednesday... so, yes things are busy.  

I am currently in a condo in Lom, by Juvaas Glacier once more.  Unfortunately I do not have my camera cord with me so I cannot show you all the beautiful scenery.  It is kind of like the last time I was here but with more threatening clouds and insane wind.  Yesterday we were unable to ski at all because the lift did not open, too much wind!  I thought Norwegians were tough.  But today they opened and there was an insane amount of wind so I cannot imagine what it must have been like yesterday!  

We are here with Bodil, Eirik's mother and her team once more.  Emily and I are staying in a condo with Bodil and a bunch of thirteen year old boys so things are lively.  Yesterday, during our day off, we had to race a circuit through the old houses shown in my previous pictures (the ones with the grass roofs and where I am pushing the plow) with a teammate.  My teammate was Kristoffer.  We sprinted up a hill, together had to do:  20 dips, run to the next station, 20 chin ups, run, 80 jump things, run, 40 pushups, run down steep incline to finish.  And that was just the first workout of the day.  Pretty much all we did that day was workout.  

Today Bodil drove Emily and I up to the glacier in the snow/rain = wintery mix (in New England terms).  Anyone who has driven that road knows how treacherous this is.  There are no guard rails and its a long way down!  Bodil was fearless.  When we made it to the glacier, she turned happily in her seat and asked, "How many cars did we pass?"  It was around five.  That is almost as well as my mother had done on a very similar journey seven years ago.  

The hill was packed despite the blustery  -10 degree weather (celsius of course).  and crazy winds.  The surface was rock hard corduroy interrupted by fairly deep snowdrifts so you had to be on your toes.  It was good for working on balance though.  And we got to run a few slalom gates as well.  The coach (who son has just been in Chile training with Aksel Lund Svindal, just the two of them, so he is probably no slouch) said I had some serious punch in my skiing that he really liked and gave me a pat on the back.  So I guess I looked good today!  Then of course we had some dryland along the side of a river.  We ran there.  Norwegians run or walk everywhere.  No matter where they are going, its just "a stone's throw away!"  We carried rocks, threw rocks, jumped on rocks... The session pretty much rocked (Sorry, I just miss Ed's (Williams coach) simple humor).  

Well, have to get back to my poker game.  I keep being really proud of my computer code.  Its in Lisp, and I keep wanting to show it to people but for some reason, nobody wants to look at my hard work.  So under-appreciated!

A Little Tidbit

The single most annoying thing about Norway is that the twisty things on the tops of bottles never separate from the top.  It is a national manufacturing problem.

General Life

SCHOOL:

I have finalized my classes here at NTNU and I think it is going to be a fun semester where I will learn a lot!  I am taking a course on Graphical User Interfaces, which means the part of a program that the user sees.  We learn how to make it logical, attractive, easy to use, generally good I guess. We have a group of five people that we will work with for the whole semester on projects.  The first assignment was to find some product that people use (vending machine, train ticket machines, water fountains, coffee machines...) and study how people use it, if they struggle at all and if people struggle with the same problems.  Then we had to redesign the product to be easier to use and present it in a poster.  We studied a coffee machine and people struggled a lot with it.  My group is a bunch of really nice Norwegians!  Its been pretty fun.  We had the only hand-made poster.  We also gave a really good presentation.  It seemed like the class liked it.  We acted out the problems people had:

The place where they got the coffee was too low.

People had no idea where to get the cups - the machine spits them out when you choose your coffee and then fills it. 

The buttons were unclear.  

It took one kid fifteen minutes.  He went to look elsewhere for a cup.  

I am also taking a class called Norwegian Society.  We will learn about politics and the way of life in Norway.  It seems pretty interesting so far.  We learned that you are supposed to bring pies to parties and meet your neighbors before it gets too cold because if you meet them in the winter, they either have to keep the door open and let the heat out, or let you inside their home.  Apparently it is a really big deal to let you inside their home.  So we are supposed to meet our neighbors now, while it is still warm out.  Very informative!

My last class is Artificial Intelligence Programming.  I have to learn a new language, LISP.  It is going well so far.  The final goal is to create a smart computer poker player.  I have done my first assignment, a probability calculator of sorts and it all worked so things are good so far!  I have a great professor.  He is actually from Ohio.  He told me that he was excited to have a girl in the class.  There aren't many.

TRANSPORTATION:

I have a bus pass because I live pretty far from town and the campus I go to most, Gløshagen. The two buses I ride mostly are 5 an 52.

I am getting pretty good at the buses.

LIVING:

I live in Steinen Studentby. It is the newest student village and is quite nice.  Here is the view from my window.

AROUND TOWN:

Sam, Emily and I recently found a cafe that stays open late and gives you blankets.  Its our new hangout.  We went and studied there tonight.  It is very cozy inside too!  

This is the main building of the Gløshagen campus.  We call it the Harry Potter Building because it looks as though it belongs at Hogwarts, both inside and out. 

Here is the view looking out from the Harry Potter Building

We went to a professional soccer - or football - game.  It was my first so it was pretty cool to see!  It poured for the first part of the game but then the sun came out.  The fans were loud and had lots of chants though they were not really fighting chants.  The tunes were to Kumbaya and Michael Row your boat ashore.  They were really lullaby cheers.  Everything in Norway seems to be nice, and I guess their fight songs are no different.  

Emily and Basti

Jotunheimen

I have recently emerged from deep in the heart of Jotunheimen.  When we arrived in the parking lot past midnight on Friday, rain whipped across our faces as we struggled with the tent for Geert and Simon.  The rest of us slept in the luxury of the car.  We didn't realize just how nice these accommodations were until the following evening.  

Getting ready in the rain for the trip

Steven, Geert

Simon tries to help me light the stove to grill up some eggs before we start off.  No success.

The next morning, after pulling down the soaking tent, we took our first step on an insanely long treck and headed up the road toward the Bessegen trail.  Five minutes later, after studying the map, we turned around and headed back to the parking lot.  Walked up and then back down it before intensly studying the map once more and heading off in the oposite direction.  We followed the paved road to the start of the trail and started up into the dense fog and rain.  

Checking out the map carefully (in the parking lot)

Simon, Katharine, Basti, Emily, Geert

Starting towards the trail.  We are pretty sure it is the right way.

Me, Simon, and Katharine

We weren't intimidated because all we could see was whiteness all around but after seeing what we hiked, we should have been.  But we blindly followed the trusty red 'T's up.  At one point, the rock was so steep that there was a chain nailed into it to hold on to.  

Our first summit!  We have no idea what lies below us.

Katharine, Geert, Me, Steven, Basti, Simon

Geert

Basti and I

We kept looking for an ideal spot to take our matpakke (lunch) break but everywhere was windy and wet and freezing.  All morning we trudged through the fog.  

Geert, Simon, Basti

Simon, Emily, Katharine, Steven, Basti, Me

Eventually we stopped for matpakke and while some of us who had attended ballroom dancing earlier in the week were showing off our new skills, the fog thinned.  When we stopped dancing, it moved back in again.  We all frantically danced and soon we could see that we had chosen to eat on top of the Gendin-Edge.  There was a river to one side of us, bright green from ice melt, and a lake on the other and we were on a very tall, narrow, rocky piece of land.  It was our first view and it was spectacular!  No one was more excited the Geert, who had been searching desperately for a view all morning.  Apparently Odin really appreciated our dancing because we had beautiful weather after this.  

The whole crew

Basti, Steven, Simon, Geert, Emily, Katharine, Me

Geert and I dance

Katharine and I

Katharine, Emily, Simon, Me, Geert

Emily

Me

Simon, Basti, Steven, Geert

Me

Walking down the Gendin-Edge

Looking back up at the Gendin-Edge

The stove we brought was a failure during this first lunch, though it wasn't for lack of effort. We ate bread a cheese.  Luckily we had gorp to keep us going...  though mysteriously, the bag of dark chocolate gorp went missing.  It is a mystery that has yet to be solved. 

Geert and Emily

Katharine and I

Every break-over was breathtaking and we were really grateful that the clouds had lifted.We hiked for the rest of the day, passing people going the other direction, and placing bets on their nationality.  Basti was kind of a champion at this game.  When other people asked where we were from, we had a long answer.  Basti and Katharine are from Germany.  Emily and I are from the US.  Geert is from Belgium and Steven is from France. 

Finally, when it didn't seem like we could go any farther, we spotted the hytta down a steep slope, alongside the river.  It was bigger than we were expecting and it was a beautiful sight! Giddy with tiredness and relief, we made our way down to our destination.  

We look down on the hytta

The hytta was very nice.  Upon entering, we removed our boots and we had heated, running water and bathrooms.  Suddenly it didn't feel like a camping trip at all!  But we weren't going to be soft.  We were still going to use the tents.  Some of the smarter members of our group fished out the extra kroner for beds.  Simon, Emily, Katharine and I toughed it out in the cold.  For dinner, we finally got the stove working and made some pølse and the boys made pasta.  We had hot cappuccinos before bed.  We traveled in style.  Simon was really behind the success of the stove. 

Emily and I enjoyed a really cold, pretty sleepless night in my little tent.  I was relieved at 6:30 to see that she was awake.  We looked at each other with puffy eyes and said, "to the cabin?". We went up to the warmth of the cabin and crashed for an hour on the couch in the lobby, hoping no one would kick us out because we did not pay to sleep in the cabin.  Apparently nobody minded our power nap.  

The view we woke up to

We prepare for departure

We prepared frokost, ham and egg sandwiches, before departure.  We started with the climb up the steep slope we had descended the day before.  It seemed much longer on the way up.  

I'm psyched to make it to the top

There were some nice norwegian ladies who were making the same treck and we met up with a couple of times over the next couple of days, passing one another.  It was fun meeting hikers along the way.  The hike was pretty mellow for the rest of the morning, with more spectacular scenery. 

 

We found an amazing matpakke stop, on a beach with mountains rising up all around us.  The sun was shining and we grilled up many cheese sandwiches and toast with nutella.  It was pretty fantastic and when we were full, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to leave the beautiful spot. We put our heads on our packs and slept for a bit in the sunshine.  

Eventually, the motivated Geert, threw on his pack and grudgingly, we followed his example. We passed a waterfall and climbed up to our first bridge, strung between wires.  

Me

Emily

Then we began to walk over boulders.  They were difficult to walk over, with sharp edges, facing all directions but we walked over them for the next few hours, all the way to the next hytta.  Lots and lots of boulders... But we hadn't seen anything yet.  We had many more to face.  

Almost at the hytta!

Geert

While we were preparing dinner, we noticed a cave and Steven and Geert were wondering what was inside.  They were easily convinced that there was a nice couch and tv table set up.  They were pretty disappointed.  It was a fun dinner that included roasting marshmallows.  

The cave

This time, Emily and I were not going to tough it out.  We felt we deserved a good nights rest after our hike and sleepless night.  Simon was the lone tenter.  As he hiked out after dinner, Basti kept a close eye on him through the binoculars.  

Geert and Simon roast marshmallows beneath the water for the pasta

Basti keeping an eye on Simon

The rest of us hung out in the cozy restaurant part of the cabin.  We had planned to play cards but just ended up sitting around talking.  It was a delightful evening and then we tucked in for an amazing night of sleep.  It was well worth it.  The sun was shining when we set off for more hiking.  

The hytta

It was hard to believe we were at it again, but you've got no choice but just to put one foot in front of the other because at some point, we had to wind up back at the cars!  So onward we pushed.  We stopped at Simon's tent and had breakfast and planned our route.  We were going to make our own route.  Geert was determined to find the best views in Norway so we were not going to go around the mountains.  We were going to go over them.  

Simon takes down his tent

Basti and Steven take a break

Geert

Steven, Emily, Basti and Geert study the map and plan the day

Boulders and more boulders... up and up.  But the view at the top was incredible.  

Me

Basti

This is me once more

We split into two groups, to meet up at the lake in the distance.  There were more boulders to cross.  It was slow going and tough.  The patch of snow was nice because Emily had the great idea to slide down it, a much better mode of transportation!  But alas!  More boulders.  

The lake where we would rejoin Simon and Steven

These were the rocks that were really tough

Basti, Emily and Geert

Geert, Emily and I

Me and Emily

We reached a river that would inevitably lead to the lake, so we followed it.  

Basti

Emily and I

Emily was convinced the lake was moving away from us but we eventually did reach it!  And had, of course a wonderful matpakke.  We hiked hard, but we let ourselves enjoy the views and relax a bit at break times.  

Me and Emily

Basti

Geert is really happy to have some awesome views

The boys were fast in the next section but they waited for us at the end of the lake, another nice beach!  

I sit, relaxing, enjoying the scenery

Our own route took longer than expected so the guys try to calculate how much farther we have to go

Simon, Basti, Geert

This last day, we hiked for about ten hours.  And finally, finally we made it back to the parking lot!  We never thought we'd see it again.  

Almost all the way back.  A view we missed on the first day

We hiked the mountain on the right, in the fog on the first day.  And the last day, we saw what it looked like.

It was an amazing three days and I wish I were back in the Norwegian wilderness but I am sure that there will be other great adventures.  This one was phenomenal! 

Simon, Basti, Steven, Emily, Katharine, Kelsey, Geert

A Poem about the Besseggen (The route from our first day of travel)  

from Henrik Ibsen's play, Peer Gynt

Have you ever
chanced to see the Gendin-Edge?
Nigh on four miles long it stretches
sharp before you like a scythe.
Down o'er glaciers, landslips, scaurs,
down the toppling grey moraines,
you can see, both right and left,
straight into the tarns that slumber,
black and sluggish, more than seven
hundred fathoms deep below you.
Right along the Edge we two
clove our passage through the air.
Never rode I such a colt!
Straight before us as we rushed
'twas as though there glittered suns.
Brown-backed eagles that were sailing
in the wide and dizzy void
half-way 'twixt us and the tarns,
dropped behind, like motes in air.
Ice-floes on the shores broke crashing,
but no murmur reached my ears.
Only sprites of dizziness sprang,
dancing, round;-they sang, they swung,
circle-wise, past sight and hearing!