Day 68 – to Malvik

There may seem limited appeal to a hike into the National Park here without paths and through wetland, but the place is virtually untouched. I was on the edge of the Park, so there are hunters here very occasionally, though I didn’t see any signs of any. Parked up as I was, I saw no one for the 30 odd hours I was there. It’s a great feeling, and something we can not get in our National Parks back home.

Just as I was about to leave though, I heard a vehicle. Surely not. The guy pulled over and said hello. He was an Icelander, married to a Norwegian and lived locally, working as a nurse. He had a day off and practised some basic ornithology. Like me he wanted some wilderness. He asked me what birds I had seen while I was out, and I was embarrassed to say very few. Though having the dog doesn’t help in that regard. I put the kettle on. It was warm enough to sit outside, and we chatted for a while. It is happened he was 3 days older than me.

I had been in these central Norwegian National Parks for longer than I expected. I have a vague schedule, and to adhere to that I needed to do a couple of hours driving later in the afternoon. The van needs it as well. The sun is so low in the sky now, even on a clear day like today I don’t get much benefit from solar. With the engine on for an hour enough power, about 300 watts, is generated for a day of use. On a clear day in July the solar can generate 700 watts. Today 300 watts, but in recent days less than 100. I was down to about 60%, and that is about as low as I can go. Maybe in the future I’ll upgrade to Lithium batteries which can be run down much lower. I drove for almost three hours, so I up to about 75%. Especially important as it Friday rugby night, and cricket from Lahore..