Day 46, 20 Feb 2016

6 inches of new snow and 42 km

Today was always going to be hard and messy. We woke up to find that 6" of new snow had fallen. Plan A was to travel on a range of prepared ski tracks that went over a large hill. However, because of the new snow and wind there was a fear we would not either see or find the ski tracks; and end up floundering in deep snow. So we decided to add an extra 5 km to the day and follow snow covered minor roads. This was frustrating because the roads were totally covered by snow and it was also snowing heavily. Underneath it all was gravel that would trash the skis. So all we could do was walk, holding the sleds on a "tight rein" when we met a downhill section. The only interlude was when we decided to cut off a corner on the steep zig-zags that led down to the back road to Otta. We ended up on a forestry track, that only seemed to be used by moose! You will see the frustration of this decision from the photo. Hey Ho! We were committed and eventually arrived, wet with sweat on the back road to Otta. The plus point of all the snow was that we could tow the sleds into Otta without them being ruined by a asphalt road. Tomorrow we have a steep climb up to the Rondane mountain region. Knees, backs and feet are sore, but we are happy. Tonight, we are enjoying the delights of Otta pizza! Different!