Now that I’ve been home for a few days, and am mostly
recovered from jetlag, it’s time for my final post on this blog. Though I'm still going to blame jetlag for the lack of a creative title. :-P
The premise of this course was to see the impact of glaciers
over time. We started by hiking on
active glaciers in the arctic, then traveled back to the mainland and forward
in time. We saw fjords (from sea level
and then above via Preikestolen), traveled up the coast to Bergen (a city with
quite a history) and then into the mountains in Norway’s interior where we saw
the landscapes shaped by glaciers ages ago.
This “time travel” approach clearly demonstrated how the earth has
changed over time.
Our trip to Svalbard was the highlight of this class for me. Most people never get the chance to visit the
Arctic, and I wish we had spent more time there. I would’ve enjoyed meeting more of
Longyearbyen’s residents and learning about life and nature above the Arctic
Circle. Hiking across two glaciers was a
class highlight as well. :) If I ever
make it back to Longyearbyen I’ll be sure to visit the Svalbard Museum. A guide told us he normally finds museums
boring, but really enjoys this one.
Our personal tour of Bergen, led by Professor Arnfinn Seim from
the University of Bergen, was great! He
was very knowledgeable about the history of Bergen and its people, as well as
local hiking trails and the geography of the area. Since Bergen is on the coast, it is one of
the first places to be impacted by a change in sea level.
I also enjoyed the time we spent in rural Norway. We stayed in cabins at Bøflaten Camping just outside of Vang,
and spent time with Dr. Fielding’s relatives.
They provided a delicious homemade meal, a fun evening, and insight into
life in rural Norway.
My favorite part of Oslo was the Norwegian
Museum of Cultural History. This
open-air museum had a variety of “real life” exhibits including the stave
church from Gol, which had been moved in the 1880s, a working farm with farm
houses and lofts dating back to the 1600s, and an old town complete with summer
cottages, workshops, and an apartment building showing life at various points
over 130 years.
Though somewhat off-topic for the class, I found it very interesting
to see how Norway handles public land, and how Norwegians treat their land. In Norway, land is available
for all to use/traverse. It seems
that nothing is 100% off-limits, and there are just a few basic rules. These rules are outlined in the Outdoor
Recreation Act. I noticed very
little litter, even in popular tourist areas, and an overwhelming majority of
properties were neatly organized and well maintained. I don’t remember seeing any run down homes
with 5 inoperable vehicles parked on the lawn.
While hiking in Svalbard, I asked one of our guides if
Norwegians were concerned about destroying the tundra by walking on it, since
plants that grow in the tundra have such short growing seasons. Her response was logical, and along the lines
of ‘if we want to study the tundra, we have to walk on it, but everyone treats
the land with respect and tries to preserve nature’. While this is a logical approach, it was
somewhat surprising to me. Hiking
culture in the US encourages you to “stay on the trail”, in an effort to cause
less damage to ecosystems. We didn’t see
a single “stay on the trail” sign in Norway.
I wonder if the difference in these two approaches simply lies in the
fact that Norway has a lower population density… Maybe I’ll research that for a
project in the future. :)
So long, Norway, and thanks for the beautiful landscapes and
$10 beers!
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