Gudbrandsdalsleden, Østleden, day 30.
Distance: 45.2km (953.3km).
Rain outside in the bitter morning hours. Good to see on the clock that it is still too early to crawl out of the sleeping bag when I hear it drum lightly on the roof. Is it a bittersweet morning to wake up to when you know it is the last day of a long hike? Maybe, but I also feel that I am ready to come home.
Melancholic fog over the fields from Arteid in the morning.
When I start walking, fog has taken over for the rain. Not much, a melancholy layer that provides its own atmosphere where the trail goes down along a field before it moves into the forest towards Vilbergfjellet.
St. Olavs Gang.
Covered by the thin layer of clouds, I go up into Vilbergfjellet, autumnal colours mixed with green and fog-grey. St. Olavs Gang is a geological gorge that is 200 meters long and 3-4 meters deep. Legend has it that here Olav den Hellige should have sailed so low over the hill that his ship made a depression in it. The route does not go through the gorge, and for those who want to give it a try it will be a wet experience. In the current weather, the place has a somewhat mysterious feel.
Through the misty woods over Vilbergfjellet.
This is the first time I have met a deer lice fly and is an annoyance right away.
Autumn colours in the fog at Lindeberg.
The rest of the walk over the hill is nice, I come out to an even greyer and sadder world, but the autumn colours of the trees and fields make it not as bad as it sounds. Still, it is quickly forgotten when the forest is laid behind me. The walk to Frogner church is not very memorable.
The smaller of the two Frogner churches, this is a medieval brick church from 1180.
Is Frogner church Østleden's answer to Søsterkirkene (‘the Sister Churches’) at Granavollen on Vestleden? Hardly, but there are now two churches here as well. The larger of the two is a wooden church that was built after the previous one burned in 1918. Next to it is the smaller church made of bricks from 1180.
A meandering wet road through a landscape marked by sad weather.
From the churches I cross down between two fields and then a winding and wet road awaits me. The ground is heavy with rain, the asphalt is darker, and the surrounding landscape is heavy. It is a dense greyness that I find myself in, despite that, I am still cheerful at heart. Out of the greyness comes heavy power lines, clouds drift mercilessly through the trees in the surrounding hills, behind me the largest church tower of Frogner church protrudes among yellow trees. The sadness has turned into melancholy.
Frogner church in the background along with autumnal colours that light up the otherwise sad color spectrum.
Oldtidsveien (an ancient road) is followed over Farseggen. The grey weather is hidden from the sides of the trees and shrubs, the walk becomes a little brighter. This is the old road between Skedsmo church and Leirsund, which goes over a narrow clay ridge between two deep ravine valleys. It is unknown how old the road is.
Farseggen.
Skedsmo church is as old as the smaller of the two Frogner churches. At this point I have walked a little over 13km, it is still a long way to go, and the world has not become any less grey during that time.
Skedsmo church.
With Skedsmo-krysset (a large well-known junction) and Olavsgaard in sight, the pilgrim way passes by some houses, and then goes through forests and fields. In the air there is light rain and several more of those annoying deer lice flies. At the Åros bridge there is a sign for Nittedal church, which is the first sign for me that I am now approaching my homecoming.
The pilgrim way in autumnal colours between two fields.
Hellerudsletta is perhaps one of the most notorious stretches along the pilgrim way from Oslo. Here, the heavy transport passes by at high speed, while I slightly discouraged walk on in the colourless world. Fortunately, it is not an extremely long stretch.
Autumn trees out in a field.
Normally this would have been unthinkable for me, but on a long hike like this it is not a problem to indulge in lots of food. For lunch, I eat a full kebab dinner at Grytelokket, it goes straight down.
The lunch for today, junk food at Hellerudsletta.
The correct route up into Gjelleråsen in the opposite direction is not easy to find. Finding a route up is easy, but not the pilgrim way, but after finding it, I soon find myself in familiar surroundings. It may not be a long walk over Gjelleråsen, but it is nice and is probably the first proper green part of the pilgrim way you get to when you leave Oslo on Østleden.
View, if it can be called that, from the shelter on Gjelleråsen.
I take a detour out to a shelter that provides a good place to rest with a view over Oslo. There is almost no view to get now however, one can just glimpse buildings from the city below.
The upper bell tower in Gjelleråsen, these were used to notify any travelers at the other end that they were on their way, in order to prevent queues. The ancient road over Gjelleråsmarka was steep and narrow, so oncoming travelers in the opposite road would have had problems being able to pass each other.
Along Oldtidsveien you pass several cultural monuments. Among these are some old bell towers, one upstairs and one downstairs, these were used to warn travellers at the other end that they were on their way. This was because the road was too narrow and steep for travellers to pass each other by if they met in the opposite direction. Here it is also marked with some yellow arrows. The journey goes down through Kongedalen. And then the city borders are right at your feet.
The pilgrim path on the ancient road down Kongedalen.
If the hike is not as exciting after crossing into Oslo, there is more positivity to be found in the sky. The layers of clouds are about to loosen up. This is a part of Oslo that I have not been to before, so it is fun that way. The walk through the city alternates between the relatively peaceful and the noisier where the trail goes near the E6 highway.
Sculpture in Verdensparken ('the World Park').
Just before Østre Aker church, the sun suddenly breaks through the clouds. It is wonderful and it gives me a feeling of arriving in nice weather. The nice light follows me through Ulven, past the sports halls at Valle, next to Fyrstikktorget and through Kampen. Still, I feel a little that Vestleden through Oslo was calmer and more interesting than Østleden. Anyway, now the goal is so close that I am not much affected by it.
A small piece of farm in Oslo.
Then I am at the junction where I took off 29 days ago and started on Vestleden on my journey towards Nidaros. Feel a slightly tingling in the body. And then I enter the gate to the Minneparken and the ruins of Hallvard Cathedral. And is again standing in front of 634km to Trondheim. I am back.
Crow in sunset.
The darkness descends calmly when I take the obligatory contemplative break here at the start and end point of my pilgrimage. Ventilate my mind a bit.
Kampen, Oslo.
However, I am not completely finished with the walk, the last part remains. The charm stage home to your own door. It is an abrupt wake-up call to walk through Grønland, here there is little indication that we are in the middle of a pandemic. After being out on a solitary walk for 30 days, it is a transition to be back in a larger crowd again.
At the finish, back to the start. Arrival at Minneparken after completing Østleden from Lillehammer.
I follow the lights up after Akerselva again, roughly reversing the walk down from the first day. Have to take a small detour and go up Kjærlighetsstien again. It is a beautiful moon over Oslo. Someone I talk to tells me that it will be possible to see the northern lights tonight, but to take the trip out of the city for that I have no plans of now.
Great moon over Oslo on the way home.
After a long hike, it is probably in place with a small celebration. I take it right before I get back to my door. Drinks two beers at Sagene Lunch Bar, and I hope I am forgiven for probably not smelling too good.
Sagene church.
Sagene church is lit up in the dark. And then I walk around the corner of my own block. At the end is my door, the door to the end of my pilgrimage from home and up to Nidaros on Vestleden and Gudbrandsdalsleden, and then home again on Østleden.
I go in, closes the door behind me, feels the heat from my own apartment. And then I smile broadly. I am home again.
The shoes have done their part. After 30 days of hiking, I have walked the pilgrim path to Nidaros. Vestleden and Gudbrandsdalsleden from Oslo to Trondheim. Østleden and Gudbrandsdalsleden from Lillehammer and back to Oslo.
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