Now this post is coming shamefully after the fact, this is simply due to a temporary loss of speech induced by the awesomeness of the place.

When I saw the treetop huts in the hostel catalog I was immediately fascinated, and booked a weekend in easter.

The place is just north of Hamar, but not paying attention to signs and too much relying on GPS lead us some 20 km astray, on the wrong side of the lake, on a road ending in this:

Cute cows

So it was almost dark when we got there. To a fully equipped cabin in the treetops, 8 meters up in larch trees.

Except for the latitude, it looks just like any cabin. It can accommodate up to seven people, so us two had lots of space. Hot water, shower, indoors wc and fridge makes it comfortable, even without electricity.

No worries, the stairs are rock solid.

The car looks small from up there.

8 is a lot of meters

This cabin is brand new, we were the 4th party to write in the guest book. How neat to be among the first to experience this very unique place.

The host offers a range of nature activities, and we were going to try dogsledding. Because of the unusually mild weather this was not possible, but we had a nice walk in the woods.

Lots and lots of birds, at most we managed to capture six birdies in the same photo! No wonder, with all the classy bird’s houses in the area. If I were a bird I’d live in this!

Guitar house

They all took off when this guy came for the seeds:

A stay in the treetops can be recommended to anyone wanting to take a few days in the deep woods, maybe especially for tourists wanting a taste of Norwegian cabin culture.

The loftroom:

Welcome to the decameter high club!

I went west. Life was peaceful there.

Crammed between staggering mountains, the sea way down there and more mountains so close you can throw a rock across the fjord, is an itty bitty cabin full of wonderful artefacts gathered by sailors in distant havens, truly impressive artwork created during long hours of hiding during the War, and colorful remains of the ’70s. Here I spent a week with crazier half,  father-in-law whom he got it from, and little else. And time whizzled by.

We lived off the sea, having self-fished fish or crab every day, taking only what we needed and releasing the rest. It’s all so steep, the boat must be put in the water using a crane.

If you ever do the ultimate tour of Norway, when you get to the really narrow strait, the one that makes you think “no way the boat will fit in there,” see the really big oak about half way through and tell it hello from me. He is a tough one. Being the tallest point in the area, he’s been struck by lightning more than once but he stays strong. I had a good laugh every time that ship passed, it is just so absurdely huge in that tiny passage.