Børge Ousland

Things have been happening here. Monday evening I pitched my last camp in Nordmarka, a forested area north of our capital. When I woke up Tuesday morning, there was actually frost on the ground! All the same, it was good to spend one last night in my tent, reflect on my experiences of these last few months, and not arrive home exhausted.

From Nordmarka it was just a short stretch in to Oslo. I actually rode straight to the TV station, because NRK’s breakfast talk show wanted to do an interview.

Then I headed home on two wheels, home to my own door, and not least of all my own shower! Well, I do admit that I have showered since the 1st of May, but there is something special about standing underneath a spray of hot water in your own home. It’s like your body and mind realize that it is finally all over.

It had been more than five months since I sat in my sofa drinking coffee. Now after I got home, I’m sure that I’ve tested every single chair in my living room. Sitting there the almost unreal feeling sinks in: I have arrived at last! Hurrah!!

This has been the very best and my most exciting expedition so far. I want to send my greetings and express my gratitude to each person that has followed me on my voyage.

Today is the 16h of September and I have reached the town of Hamar. Within Tuesday morning I expect to reach Oslo.

In hindsight, I am really glad I made it across the mountains near Geiranger day before yesterday. Yesterday the road I climbed was closed, with snows reaching down to 700 metre altitudes – and as some of you may know, the road across the Geiranger mountains climbs up to more than a thousand metres.

Well, we are allowed a little bit of luck.

Nevertheless I have felt the cold hand of winter today as well. It was snowing when I woke up this morning in Ringebu. The fields were white huge snowflakes were floating down from a very grey sky.

I started this expedition in snowy weather, and now it looks like I will complete my trip in snow as well. I haven’t seen much of the summer, but I have had some incredible experience! That is why I am doing this – for the experience, to gather great memories, and to get close to nature. My own and the one that surrounds me. Summer days in the forest and on the coast, summer days shared with others, that will all have to wait until next year. Well, I’m really not planning to head off to so many places then …

My goal is almost in sight; it feels like it’s just around the corner. It isn’t terribly far from Hamar to Oslo, but traffic is heavy along the main roads – so I’m searching out the narrower secondary roads, which are far more ideal for pedalling a bike. Basically all I have to do is zigzag in a southerly direction, and I should arrive soon enough.

We’ll see if I reach the capital tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning, but it won’t be long before I am home.

It is the 14th of September and it really is autumn now. I notice that especially well when I journey by bicycle. I’ve been in Ørsta for a few day, visiting my son Max. He’s attending a folkehøgskole there – that’s sort of a residential college. So for several days I have been relaxing here, spent time with Max and had a fine time together.

The weather certainly hasn’t been the best one could hope for. It has been raining virtually all the time – there has scarcely been a dry day since I left Bodø, and today isn’t an exception either. In fact it has probably been the roughest day of my bicycle journey so far. This morning I started from Geiranger in heavy rains, with a strong headwind, and a road ahead of me that climbed steeply up to a thousand metres.

As I climbed the hairpin bends up the mountain, it felt like I was standing still despite my efforts. It was really tempting to get off and walk the bicycle up to the top – but I didn’t, of course. I pressed on and struggled up to the plateau. And it was quite a relief when I got there.

As I reached the divide or watershed, the weather suddenly changed for the better. It’s often that way as you drive from the coast of Western Norway, once you’ve passed over the mountains.

It was wonderful to see the sun again! After so much rain, after being wet and freezing for days on end, I had finally reached the top of the pass and started my descent on the other side.

It won’t be long until I reach Oslo now, and I am really looking forward to that.

It’s the 9th of September. I’m lying in my tent on the Nordmøre coast and in a fine mood. The day before yesterday I reached Trondheim; Ålesund is another 120 kilometres south of here – and I expect to reach that town sometime tomorrow evening.

It fascinates me how the dialects keep changing as I tread south along the Norwegian coast. I’ve left the characteristic dialect of Trøndelag behind, and when I see people now I am surrounded by the very different sound of the Nordmøre dialect. Each fjord seems to have its own distinct music.

We can safely say that the weather could have been better. It’s been raining virtually every day since I left Bodø just over a week ago. Perhaps it’s strange – but you become used to that as well, even though I must admit it feels miserable when I start in the morning. After a couple of hours, I’m fine. Now I’m lying here listening to raindrops pelting the cloth roof of my tent.

There’s no reason for complaint. I’m making steady progress. A few spokes broke, but I had that fixed in Trondheim. Otherwise there is nothing exciting to report, and that’s good news.

It’s the 6th of September. Yesterday Bjarte and I pedalled through the town of Sandnessjøen and made our way down the magnificent coast of Helgeland – through Tjøtta, Brønnøysund, and Sømna and on to Namsos. That’s where we spent the night. Now we’ve reached Steinkjer, making steady progress on the map. We’re still covering roughly the same ground each day; I must admit my legs are quite stiff, but that’s compensated by the deep satisfaction that we’re moving south.

This is Trøndelag, a rather lush region in the central Norway – and the dialect here is strikingly different from that of Nordland county. In other words an audible sign of more southerly latitudes.

Today was dreadful. A gale blew the hard rain straight at us. To put it bluntly: it’s been a struggle. On a rough day like this it really helps to have company, and I am grateful that Bjarte has been by my side for a few days now. Tomorrow, however, he is heading home. Once more it will be a solitary journey, I’m afraid. The trick, of course, is to take one day at a time, just like we did across the Arctic Sea. Fortunately I can sense that the final destination of my expedition is around the corner.

My plan is to reach Trondheim tomorrow. That’s another 120 km and it should go fine, unless the weather is positively frightful. The meteorologists are predicting relatively good weather, a mix of sun and rain. From there I’ll turn southwestward, heading down along the coast of Western Norway to Ørsta. My son Max is attending school there, having moved away from home while I’ve been gone. I really look forward to spending my first day of rest with him.

From Ørsta I’ll head east across the mountains to Oslo.

But I am getting ahead of myself – first Trondheim, then one day at a time.

It’s the 4th of September. Yesterday I reached a small milestone: crossing the Arctic Circle. It feels like the wind is chasing me – it’s not so different from part of our trek through Frants Josef Land, except now it’s raining harder. And of course there are tunnels here. Long tunnels, one of them 8 km. They provide some respite from the rain. I’m doing okay, keeping the pace I hoped, putting between 100 and 120 km behind me before I stop each evening.

My feet ache, but fortunately I have no blisters. They have thought they were taking a restful holiday, but couldn’t have been more wrong. They have to put in some hard work each day, and they’ll just have to get used to it.

I’ve reached Sandnessjøen. My good friend Bjarte came up from Oslo, and we’ll be bicycling together for a few days. Now we’re headed for Sømna and expect to reach it by six or seven this evening.

Even though we are covering a significant distance each day, our pace is unhurried and we pause frequently. Each day feels easier. We’re on the move and doing just fine.

In the port of Bodø, just before departure on two wheels. Photo: Jonas Mjaaland

I have started the last phase of my journey. On Thursday we arrived in Bodø, and I used that day to write letters, prepare my bicycle, and to purchase some items that I needed.

Yesterday I set off in the rain! Perhaps the snow will come too – the upper slopes of the mountains are white, and the temperature is close to freezing.

I am following the coastal road, Rv17, the outermost scenic route that gazes out to sea. Highway E6 may be more direct, but there is so much more to see out here. There is the sound of waves, the smell of salt and seaweed and newly cut grass, and I have seen moose at the edge of forest above me. It’s wonderful!

I have reached Ørnes. Yesterday I bicycled about 120 km and am quite satisfied with that. I’m hoping to cover 100–120 km each day. My next goal is Sandnessjøen, but I probably won’t reach it today. That’s not a problem – I can just pitch my tent somewhere along the road, roll out my sleeping bag, and enjoy the sandwiches I made this morning.

In the morning I will continue. The bicycle and equipment are working out well. I’m pulling a tiny one-wheel trailer, which contains everything I need for the journey. That’s one reason for my relaxed tempo. Since I don’t have to reach a town, hotel or bed and breakfast, there is no need to stress. It feels great to have the freedom to camp exactly where I want.

I have no set itinerary, really. I’m just making my way south, taking each day as it comes. After being tossed about in the Barents Sea, and spending weeks waiting in Frants Josef Land, it’s truly wonderful to have the solid earth of the mainland beneath my feet. And I am excited to be on the very last leg of my journey – from the North Pole to Oslo.

The little trailer contains everything Børge might need for the last part of his journey. Photo: Agnar Berg

This is Børge again. So much has been happening that I simply haven’t had time to keep up with my reports. Everything went well in Murmansk; we passed through customs and got our passports stamped. Then our captain set sail for the North Cape. Due to strong winds, we were unable to reach shore there, instead continuing a little further south on that peninsula, to the town of Honningsvåg. With our safe arrival there, we felt we had cause for a real celebration, and we donned the tuxedos that were waiting for us to enjoy traditional smoked mutton and a lively evening. We had booked in advance, only the date was slightly uncertain; I had been looking forward to this for a long time.

From Honningsvåg, Thomas returned to Switzerland, while I boarded the SS “Athene” for the last seaborne leg of my expedition – onward to Bodø. There I will change my mode of transportation, continuing on two wheels and setting my sights on Oslo.

At this very moment we are entering the port of Tromsø. It’s quite a moment for me; for it is exactly the same date, and in fact the same time of date, that Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johanssen sailed in to Tromsø by boat 111 years ago, in 1896.

This has been one incredible expedition for Thomas and me – we’ve experienced amazing things together. Later I will try to convey more of this through a book and a film, so I am hoping that those who are following our expedition here will have something to look forward to.

I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude all those who have follow our journey across the Arctic Sea in the footsteps of Nansen, from the North Pole to the southernmost point of Frants Josef Land. We have greatly appreciated the messages and good wishes that we have received.

Thank you!

Time for celebration! But the barber only had time for Thomas before the Arctic explorers put on their tuxedos.

Hi, this is Børge again. It’s the 19th of August and we are just leaving the port of Murmansk. We came here last night, and the pilot who came on board brought our boat safely to the pier. In the course of the night we were visited by custom agency officials, representatives of the border patrol, and – well, ten or fifteen people must have come on board the “Athene” to check out various things. Fortunately, all our papers were in order, and our passports have been stamped in and out.

Now we’re leaving Murmansk with wind in our sails, charting a course back to Norway, and we are really looking forward to arriving at the North Cape! We expect to arrive there around 6pm Tuesday evening.

All is well; everything went according to plan in Murmansk. And our compliments to the friendly Russians who received us.

It’s the 17th of August, and we’re still out in the Barents Sea. The delay is due to the rather abominable weather we’ve been having up here. It now looks like we shall be calling at Murmansk on Sunday morning, 19th of August. Here we will get the necessary documents stamped by the Russian authorities, handle various and sundry formalities, and get ready to leave Russia in a proper way.

Our plan is to continue by sea, sailing westward to the North Cape. If all goes well, we’ll arrive there on the evening of the 21st or morning of the 22nd of August.

All us well with Thomas and me, and everyone else on board the SS “Athene”. The weather is much calmer than a few days ago. There’s a relatively gentle northerly wind and seas have settled down. We are enjoying our journey and looking forward to setting our feet on first Russian, then Norwegian soil.