My planned hiking trip to walk the Kings Road, didn't go according to my plan. It's because I haven't given my dogs the proper treatment as I should have given them.
I was working on a Saturday morning. Since I wasn't coming home after work, everything was packed and ready the day before. So all I needed to do was, get the dogs and head for work.
They were standing outside during work, consuming the warmth of the sun, just like they would at home. After work we headed to the Kings Road (Tonsåsen)
After finding a parking space, I got my gear together. I even had a little back pack for my dog. Cito got some empty boxes in her back pack. I had decided since I'm having a sleep over in nature, I could probably take some time to pick blueberries.
As we were walking down the road, Cito was limping. Strange! Was she limping this morning? I couldn't recall. I stopped to check her paws. It turned out to be some shocking and badly sore paws. Something that normally never happens to Cito. She rarely has sore paws. Now if it was her sister, Fidelis, it wouldn't have been shocking, she always has sore paws.
I got bitter at my self for not checking there paws more often. Here I was with two dogs and one is already injured. I can't go on a long hike with Cito's paws looking like they do.
I decided to walk a little longer just to see if I found some place to pick blueberries. Then I wouldn't come home with a pointless trip in mind.
I passed some cabin owners who were at there cabin, laying out some gravel and fixing the path. I asked them if there were any places to pick blueberries.
She told me, there isn't much around here. I decided anyway to walk a little further.
We found a little stream that my dogs could play in. After all, we didn't really need to hurry on our hike.
I guess we were just a couple of hundred meters from Øyangen Lake. I was about to turn around and head back. That's when we stumbled over a meadow of blueberries, lingonberries, crowberries. And if it had been earlier in the season, we could have gotten some Raspberries too.
So much of everything, that I know exactly where to go next year. And it isn't even far from the main road. Around 1.5 km.
So close to cabins too, I could believe that no one else has been here yet.
It reminded me of that one time, when I stopped on my way home from work to pick blueberries. I was just right outside the fence of a cabin. and you could almost swim in blueberries and lingonberries. I couldn't believe that the owner of that cabin hadn't raided those bushes. It's the middle of September! They would have had lots of time to pick them before I came along. Norwegians today, we are becoming more and more like Americans (sorry) but you guys are too lazy. Take the easy way. I don't need to pick them, when I can buy them at the store.
This is a fortune of antioxidants, besides, you get fresh air and exercise too. And the best thing about it, my dogs will pick the same berries as well. Healthy for them too. Just a little annoying that they have to go on the same bush as me, I really don't need there slimy drool all over my blueberries.
Why not go blueberry hiking with your dog?
I have some tips and facts for you on Blueberries, that you might not know.
Read more about it here.
Fun Fact: Have you gone blueberry hunting and you find this perfect bush with a bunch of blueberries on it. But the disappointment role over you, when it is right next to an anthill? Yeah, you don't want to be next to that on a busy day. But I found out. Picking blueberries late in the season. You could actually stand next to the anthill and pick those blueberries. The ants will be all over the hill, but it looks like they are busy preparing the anthill for winter. I didn't have one single ant crawling on me the whole time I stood there.
I filled two boxes with blueberries, one with lingonberries and one with crowberries.
And at the top of the little hill I was lingering on, you got a nice view at Øyangen Lake. A good fortune to end my seemingly poor hiking trip.
Maps:
https://www.kartbutikken.no/norge-serien/fagernes-kart-i-plast