A Norwegian trail

[InUtero]

Hi, I thought I'd post this here, since there seem to be many nature fans here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJjaW0mzYr0

This is from a local trail called "Hystadmarko" in western Norway. It's a mystic trail, not only because of Viking graves, and the gloomy forest. But also because it ends up at a church yard for cholera-victims (don't worry though, it's from the 19th century). I kinda made a point of it at the end of the film. When walking alone, you have a constant feeling that something is lurking in the woods, watching you. It's really strange. The music adds a little to that feeling in the film, and as some of you may recognize it's the soundtrack from "The Village", by James Newton Howard.

Not so much of a survival, or knife post, but I thought it was worth sharing nonetheless. And also I don't have a very fancy camera, so please excuse the image quality. Enjoy!

 

[Bob W]

I didn't think the forest was "gloomy" at all. Most of the pictures look like a young forest with few large trees. Plenty of blue sky overhead. I bet the upper canopy fills in nicely when the leaves come out though.

Those two trees in the picture in the picture midway through are rather grotesque. I wonder if it's scarring from past use as fenceposts? Or the type of tree?

What's the object in the one picture, about a quarter of the way through the show? Looks like a plastic something-or-other sitting on a log.

I love the moss-covered rock walls. Reminds me of the forests in Arkansas that used to be homestead farms. Would I be corrent in guessing that Norwegian 'forest' is actually overgrown farmland?

Off-Topic, but might be of interest: I grew up near Norway, Illinois, the first permanent Norwegian settlement in the United States. Even after 170 years, many families in that area still follow Norwegian traditions and eat Norwegian-style foods.

-Bob

 

[InUtero]

I can see why the forest doesn't seem that gloomy to you, but what can I say. The weather was extraordinarily nice at the time when I took the pictures. And I guess my impression of the forest as gloomy might come with the stories that are told. I assure you. The forest is old.

The object was a dolls leg lying on the ground. I found it interesting as not many people walk that far off-trail as to where I found it.

The trees are naturally deformed.

The moss covered rock walls (or steingard as they're called here) are very frequent in norway, though the purpose or origin of them are not known in this particular area. Probably, they've been there to mark territories in the older days.

And I'd say that norwegian farmland is actually cut down forest, rather than the contrary. But I see your point. All I know is that Vikings used to live here, and there are a few graves on some hilltops in the forest. They really aren't more than piles of rocks. Most of the artifacts found near the site, have been moved away to a museum, along with the contents of the graves. The graves are still intact, though. Only without the content.

I saw a show on the tv that featured americans following norwegian traditions, and it was kind of interesting to see. They were more norwegian than most norwegians

 

[Bob W]

The trees are naturally deformed.

It was hard to tell from the pictures. The vertical bands made it seem like scarring from old fence wiring being tied around the trees. Or it could be a type of tree we don't have here. But if the unusual trees were in alignment, that would be a dead giveaway that it was a fencerow.

The moss covered rock walls (or steingard as they're called here) are very frequent in norway, though the purpose or origin of them are not known in this particular area. Probably, they've been there to mark territories in the older days.

And I'd say that norwegian farmland is actually cut down forest, rather than the contrary.

The soil in the Arkansas mountains isn't well-suited for agriculture - acidic and rock. So after it was settled and homesteaded, the farms were subsistence-based or marginally profitable at best. Many of the farms were sold to timber companies, or abandoned. Eventually the US Government began buying up the remaining farms and the timber company properties, creating the Ouachita and Ozark National Forests. It isn't unusual at all find 70 year old trees growing inside house foundations. Piles of field-clearing stones and rock walls are everywhere in the Forests.

In other parts of the United States similar walls, rock alignments, and field piles could be relatively modern, or they could be remnants of Native American cultures from hundreds or thousands of years ago. Here in New Mexico many of the rock walls and alignments are remnants of sheep herding that by Spanish settlers who first arrived in 1598.

The object was a dolls leg lying on the ground.

You never know what you'll find in the forests here. Golf balls and balloons seem to be everywhere. Historic and prehistoric artifacts can be found almost everywhere. I've left a few pocket knives and work tools in the forests myself, not on purpose. And of course anywhere with vehicle access is littered with things like old porn magazines, sex toys, junk food wrappers, and empty cans of cheap diet beer.

I saw a show on the tv that featured americans following norwegian traditions, and it was kind of interesting to see. They were more norwegian than most norwegians

Yep, multi-culturalism is alive and well in the United States; diversity is one of our strongest assets. Few people, if anyone, in the old settlements speak Norwegian as a primary language any more (unlike other ethnic groups in major cities). But they definitely take pride in their ancestry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_American

In Norway, Illinois there's a small grocery called The Norway Store where traditional Norwegian foods and imports are available. It's not a tourist place; it's where the locals shop for food every day.

-Bob

 

[hlee]

Only marginally on topic, but driving through Connecticut you can see the remnants or early farms, right off of the highway. Rock walls dating to the early american settlers meander through the forests. Obviously, the forests were cut down to create the farms (rocks plowed up from agricultural work were stacked to create the field boundaries) and when the farms were abandoned the forests reclaimed them.