While I'm young
"But my heart was colder when you'd gone
And I lost my head
Let's live while we are young
While we are young, while we are young"
- "Whispers in the Dark" by Mumford and Sons
I can't tell you how many times I've been instructed to live while I'm young. Even my younger brother said it to me once, which felt significantly backwards, since he's a college freshman. I call to check if he's doing his homework; he calls to see if I'm having enough fun. It's a crazy, crazy world.
I really look forward to telling my brother about this weekend, because let me tell you: I lived. I left work early (gasp!) and boarded a bus to Voss, located north of here and a little bit inland. First of all, the drive along the coast was absolutely stunning. We were on a bus the whole time, but we wound around mountains, took two different ferries across fjords (yes, that means the bus drove onto the ferry), and even went through two tunnels under the fjords. The underwater tunnels were all stone, but I could feel the pressure change in my ears as we descended. I can only imagine what traveling in Norway was like before modern innovations like planes, bridges, and dynamite to build tunnels. You basically had to go everywhere by boat. No wonder this country has so many distinct cultural variations!
We spent Friday night in Voss and then geared up for our mountain adventure on Saturday morning. We knew we were going either white-water rafting or so-called canyoning, depending on the water level in the local river. Canyoning is a combination of hiking, swimming, floating down rapids, and basically making your way through a canyon any way you can. Because the water was too low to fit a raft down the river, canyoning won out, and oh my gosh, it was awesome!
We were each issued a wetsuit, booties, shorts to protect the wetsuit, a life jacket, a helmet, and gloves. It sounds like a lot of equipment, but we definitely needed all of it. When we arrived at the river, our first task was to swim across a calm pool to a boulder in the middle, where one of the guides was waiting. I guess they start you out that way to get you used to the water, and I think it's a smart idea - the water was so cold!
We then had to climb up the boulder and jump one by one into the river on the other side. They coached us on how to jump safely, which direction to swim, and how to float through white water on our backs. There was always a guide waiting for us on the next rock. Ok, the coaching helped, but I don't really think anything can prepare you for the sheer shock and adrenaline rush of jumping off a boulder into 45-degree water, then having to negotiate your way through rushing rapids as soon as you surface. On multiple occassions, I got splashed in the face or even went under and came up coughing, only to have to roll on my stomach and swim toward the next guide.
We eventually settled into a cycle - climb a boulder, jump off into a pool, swim on your stomach, roll on your back, float through the rapids, cough, sputter, swim again, climb the next boulder. It was really satisfying to conquer the canyon by any and all means possible, using all four limbs, your brain, and an iron will. Now here's the best part: the jumps increased sequentially in height. The first one was 2 meters, then 6 meters, then 10 meters! I've jumped off my fair share of cliffs before - and even into pretty cold water - but this was its own unique brand of crazy. I surprised myself by letting out blood-curdling screams on each of the 6 and 10 meter cliffs, much to the amusement of the guides. The crazy part is that I didn't scream until I was about to hit the water, like my brain didn't register I was falling until I was already halfway down.
When we finally reached the end of the canyon run, I found myself unwilling to leave. I had a good layer of warm water under my wetsuit; I had already survived a 30-foot jump; and even though I was tired, I felt quite brave. I'm definitely adding canyoning to the list of activities I enjoy!
And I lost my head
Let's live while we are young
While we are young, while we are young"
- "Whispers in the Dark" by Mumford and Sons
I can't tell you how many times I've been instructed to live while I'm young. Even my younger brother said it to me once, which felt significantly backwards, since he's a college freshman. I call to check if he's doing his homework; he calls to see if I'm having enough fun. It's a crazy, crazy world.
 |
| I took this photo from the bus between Stavanger and Bergen. |
 |
| Putting my gear on before leaving for our canyoning expedition. I felt pretty intense in my layers of gear - UnderArmour, wool socks, a wetsuit, shorts, life jacket - the works. I was also the only woman in the group, so I got the entire locker room to myself! Sweet! |
We were each issued a wetsuit, booties, shorts to protect the wetsuit, a life jacket, a helmet, and gloves. It sounds like a lot of equipment, but we definitely needed all of it. When we arrived at the river, our first task was to swim across a calm pool to a boulder in the middle, where one of the guides was waiting. I guess they start you out that way to get you used to the water, and I think it's a smart idea - the water was so cold!
We then had to climb up the boulder and jump one by one into the river on the other side. They coached us on how to jump safely, which direction to swim, and how to float through white water on our backs. There was always a guide waiting for us on the next rock. Ok, the coaching helped, but I don't really think anything can prepare you for the sheer shock and adrenaline rush of jumping off a boulder into 45-degree water, then having to negotiate your way through rushing rapids as soon as you surface. On multiple occassions, I got splashed in the face or even went under and came up coughing, only to have to roll on my stomach and swim toward the next guide.
We eventually settled into a cycle - climb a boulder, jump off into a pool, swim on your stomach, roll on your back, float through the rapids, cough, sputter, swim again, climb the next boulder. It was really satisfying to conquer the canyon by any and all means possible, using all four limbs, your brain, and an iron will. Now here's the best part: the jumps increased sequentially in height. The first one was 2 meters, then 6 meters, then 10 meters! I've jumped off my fair share of cliffs before - and even into pretty cold water - but this was its own unique brand of crazy. I surprised myself by letting out blood-curdling screams on each of the 6 and 10 meter cliffs, much to the amusement of the guides. The crazy part is that I didn't scream until I was about to hit the water, like my brain didn't register I was falling until I was already halfway down.
When we finally reached the end of the canyon run, I found myself unwilling to leave. I had a good layer of warm water under my wetsuit; I had already survived a 30-foot jump; and even though I was tired, I felt quite brave. I'm definitely adding canyoning to the list of activities I enjoy!
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