It's Easter 2019.

This particular Easter, many norwegians will have a memory that it was a wonderful Easter Holiday. It was an Easter you dream about. Those of us who have a cabin in the mountains have had a so-called dream Easter with the norwegian word: Påskeføre. Not easily translated into English. It can be described as follow; snow that starts to melt and is fun to go skiing on, a sun that really begins to warm and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It's finally outdoor time in Norway. The sun licks the skin of your winterpale face and  you can roll up the sleeves on your sweater and let the rays hammer loose on your arms. Good, but also a little silly. I got a sunburn. Oh well.

After having many nice trips on skis and crossing frozen water that actually begins to give in to the heat so that you more or less ski in the same way as you wade in shallow water in the summer, we sit next to the cabin wall with the sun on our faces.

It`s me, Vibeke and my husband Martin. Our dog, Khaleesi the poodle, lies on a blanket on the terrace and enjoys that she can relax outside again. It is precisely this afternoon that we decide to embark on a new activity that we do not know now will take us on some absolutely fabulous trips in the norwegian nature. The conversation is about whether we should invest in a canoe or two kayaks.

In 2018, we had three nice trips in a canoe. The first trip, which for us would be, up to that point, the nicest trip we ever had in a canoe, was during the heat wave in the summer of 2018. My husband is from Kragerø and we were two weeks on holiday there. He has a large family where everyone loves to be on a trip, either in the woods, in the mountains or on the water in a canoe or kayak. A paddle trip was planned on the Telemark Canal. It was successful. More about that trip in another post.

Trip number two we shared with my parents. We rented two canoes and paddled down the Ferag River in Røros. Another successful trip. More from that trip in another post. The third trip was near Trondheim. Part of the Nidelv River was paddled just a few days before I, Vibeke, had ankle surgery. We had to come up with something great before I became disabled for several months.

With these trips fresh in my mind and a great desire to experience more that included kayaking, we made the decision that when we returned to the city after the Easter holidays, we would start the investigation to purchase a kayak. Finn.no was diligently used.

When everyday life began again, the hunt for kayaks continued and not long after, we ended up with a kayak for me, brand new. A Hasle Excurtion 500, yellow. Martin got the opportunity to borrow a friend's kayak and we found out that it was a good deal with regard to us trying this out now that the summer season was approaching. We had to look at a number of factors before investing in another. How many trips would we make? And would my arms managed paddling for a long time. An operated shoulder and chronic golf and tennis elbow can provide limitations when the arms are the ones that are crucial for the progress you need onboard in a kayak.

There was also some excitement about how our dog would feel in a kayak. She must sit comfortably and she must not get wet. Blankets and splash covers with holes in were a nice solution. She probably should have wanted to do something else, but where we go she goes. We have managed to make it work. And she is so nice even though she tries to complaine and sighs the first few minutes of the trip.

We took our first test in the Nidelv River. At a place called Svean. We took Martin's friend with us and launched the kayaks. I was really excited as I had not paddled a kayak before. Canoe only. But this was something I felt I had always done. I was comfortable. I was not afraid to capside. I felt I had a good balance. I listened and followed the good advice I received from Martin and his friend. They have more experience with paddling than I do and it is with the experienced ones you get the best advice from.

It was a great start to my paddling career. The spark was ignited and after this short test ride I could not wait to go out on another trip. As soon as possible!