wednesday: the quest for the lost anchor

Wow, what a day! It is almost 2 am in Bergen time & I can't sleep cause I went to bed at 9 pm from a long day, so I am having a yummy snack and updating my blog- then will study a bit and hopefully go back to bed. What a day, what a day we had yesterday. It was quite the adventure.

Went to clinic in the morning and shadowed again. The clinics are different than our schools- different protocols and rules so still getting adjusted to the changes. Karin & I think we are ready for patients- bring 'em on! The only thing I am hesitant about is the computer charting system- in Norwegian. It is a bit difficult to navigate through for charting. I am getting better with picking up words, like tannestein- tooth stone- or calculus/tartar. No more clinic for the rest of the week since the students here have some big exams before Easter break. Going to Trondheim with Elise from April 8-14 for Easter break!

So after clinic, we could not search for the waterfalls from the previous day because it had stopped raining and the waterfall apparently only comes out when it rains, like magic! So Karin & I packed our backpacks, laced up our shoes, and headed out to Floyen again to find the anchor. *Side story about anchor: One day in the '40s, a Nazi bomb exploded a Norwegian ship in the harbor, and the explosion was so large it caused a part of the ship's anchor to fly all the way up to the top of Floyen. Apparently, Karin's grandpa (who grew up in Bergen) says it flew past him and knocked him off his bike when he was little. We didn't believe it and had to see it for ourselves.

We hiked to the top of Floyen and asked how to find the anchor. Found out is it a far ways away through many trails. Got directions (although semi-unclear) and headed out. We were on our way to find the anchor! Ended up going the wrong direction at a T and ran into a father/daughter and asked them. We walked with them for about an hour as they tried to show us the way. Kept walking and walking- still eager to find it. They left us with more directions wished us good luck on our journey. Kept walking and ended up going all the way down Floyen...probably not a good idea since we would have to walk back up it.

Asked for directions again from a few nice Norwegians- they are very helpful and pretty good at English, plus who can resist two smiling, happy, Americans trotting around on a search for some stupid anchor? Found out it the anchor was a long ways away, and the fastest way was to take a special set of stairs all the way up the mountain, we thought it was a great idea! Found the entrance of the rock stairs and a tribute to the world record holder for fastest run up- 8 min. 13 sec. for a man who ended up croaking at the top from a heart attack- probably a sign we were in no condition for it! But we were determined.

I conquered my fear of heights during that walk! It started off like going up some nice rocky stairs and quickly transformed our hike into a climbing with our hands and holding on for dear life! The climb was really hard, but awesome. Karin & I blame it on the high altitude (thin air) for the reason we were panting so hard, but it was super intense!!! I definitely have never climbed anything like that before, we kept on thinking we had to be close to the top because we climbed for about an hour. We kept on telling ourselves we were close to stay motivated, I had to concentrate on each step so I wouldn't look back and get scared of the height! We had a great time- many laughs and a few swear words... :)

Can you believe it? We made it!!! What an accomplishment. We were so excited! And the view was amazing! We thought we were only a few minutes hike to the anchor, but were wrong again. We continued on a path and found out quickly how chilly it was up there! Walked until we found a crossroads and asked the only guy we could see for more directions. He pointed us straight ahead- and said the anchor was close, just look for the tower if you get lost and need to find the way back to town. So we kept walking! By now, we had probably walked about 4 hours without stopping.

Crossed some beautiful lakes that we partially frozen, climbed over big boulders, and slid down snow hills. Stepped in muddy water (which led to some wet shoes, oops), saw breath-taking scenery, and kept walking, walking, walking. We were not seeing any anchor and I was starting to feel like this adventure may be a bust. We saw a little house far away and Karin thought we should explore it. I was freaked out cause it reminded me of Blair Witch Project, but we went anyway. Over more rivers and through more woods till we arrived at the log cabin- which was empty and locked. We couldn't believe it- all this way and we haven't seen the anchor! Right when we were about to throw in the towel and make our journey back, I spotted something on a rock behind the house...guess what it was? THE ANCHOR!!!

We had imagined a huge anchor standing proud on a mountain like a monument, but were surprised to see it was just a chunk of metal on a rock with a small sign next to it- nobody would ever find this. I have no idea how we did! Karin thinks it was the gods of fate, but I think it was her Norwegian spidey-sense that led us to it. We took some pictures and laughed so hard about climbing up and down mountains to find this stupid little piece of metal! I cried when we found it cause I was so happy- more happy that now we could turn around and head home, but that now Karin would be satisfied and I could stop hearing all about this anchor!

One would think my story would end soon, but just half way. We still had to make our way back somehow! We retraced our path and started walking back to Floyen. The hike to Floyen took  awhile and then we needed to walk all the way down it. Our legs were starting to get sore, and as Julie says it: our dogs were barking. The wet shoes didn't help. At least our spirits were high in the sense of accomplishing such a huge hike and seeing the anchor in person! We walked, walked, walked all the way down- like zombies. Karin thought her hips and knees were going to bust and I was convinced a bone was sticking through the skin of my foot (side note: these injuries were not real, just manifestations of pain from our delirium- we are both healthy and safe!) Finally, 2 more hours of hiking and we made it back! Couldn't wait for a warm shower and to stuff my face with peanut butter.

What a great day! What an adventure. Definitely makes top 5 in my lifetime. I will never forget how beautiful every part of the trip was and how through friendship and laughs we made it through a tough climb. Ready for round 2!