It had been my intention to make a longer tour sometime during the winter, since I would not have a warden assignment this time around, but for various reasons it never came to fruition. Since weather forecasts were favorable leading up to Easter I had a mind to take some time off and ski around in the fjelds of the Republic before the expected crowds during the holiday proper, but was instead hit by a cold – not a severe one, but enough to deter activities on that level. There was also the problem of the swiftly melting snow, with open streams in its wake; it had been rather warm for some time already. In the end it looked like the Easter holiday itself – four consecutive days – would be my last chance.

I did just that a couple of years ago, but then the cottages in the Vålådalen area were still open; since Easter was extremely late this year they had already closed, so I was left with "only" the fjeld stations plus Gåsen. This was a potential problem, since Easter is usually a very busy time in those parts – people having to sleep on the floor throughout the various buildings is common – and I did not particularly fancy being caught in such crowds. However, due to the lateness of the holiday and scantness of the snow there was a possibility that things would not be as bad as usual – and, again, this felt like the last chance to get any serious touring done this season.

So, I started calling around asking about the state of both reservations and trails, and made offhand preparations for a similarly light tour as last time. While there would obviously be quite a lot of people about, I got the feeling that the pressure was indeed lighter, and though some reports of snow conditions were slightly worrying the general impression was that, yes, this was doable – but still I hesitated. The weather reports remained constant, and after making a final decision to go for it despite the risk for 1) crowding 2) tricky snow conditions, I made the needed reservations and finished packing. I needed this, I felt.

My packing list was as follows:

Add to that half a liter of warm water in the thermos, and another half-liter of cold water in a bottle carried in a pocket of the jacket.

Here, then, is the account of what transpired during the subsequent four days. Each section has a header consisting of a short overview of the stage in question, complete with a map showing the route travelled. A ring marks the starting point, a square the lunch break location, and a star the destination. Vertical distances have been calculated from the map and have an accuracy of 10 m. All breakfasts consisted of oatmeal porridge, tea and a sandwich, and all lunches of two cups of instant soup and a sandwich.