Fjords, tunnels, waterfalls, and one big rock

Hello from Hellesylt! Aunt Trish and I are on the edge of Geirangerfjorden, a beautiful place with rock walls reaching down to blue-green bay, complete with snow and waterfalls on each hill/mountain. Each day we have driven by new awe-inspiring landscapes, filled with higher and more rugged rocks and mountains the further north that we go. We have found it impossible to choose a favorite place - all of it is amazing and has exceeded our expectations.
The first day we left Sandefjord and kept mostly to backroads winding through high villages and wilderness lakes. At every turn, we were freshly amazed by the wild and abundant beauty of this place We took our first ferry across the opening of Lysefjorden, where our destination was the hostel at Preikestolen (in English, the Pulpit Rock). The hostel looks out on a gorgeous lake, and across to the other side of the fjord (though you can't see the water of the fjord from there). We sat by the lakeside, and later I walked partially around the lake and back, with the expectation that as soon as I came back from the hike the next day, I would jump in (which I did, to Trish and some new friend's amusement).
Yesterday (Sunday) Trish explored the town of Jorpland and took a well-deserved nap, while I hiked to the Pulpit Rock. The hike itself was sooooo much better than my exprience at Mount Doom - yes, rocks, and yes, steep, but interspersed with segments that were flat or at least gradual ascent. The trail comes out above a valley filled with lakes and one long, winding waterfall, before you come around a turn and can see the fjord - which was stunning because I was so high above it and yet it seemed so close. Then you come around another turn and see this giant cliff face in front of you, with 50 other people sitting around on top - some venturing out to the edge. I figured it if I didn't go to the edge right away, I never would - so I did, and it was both scary and beautiful and not that scary at all somehow. I ended up lying down on the edge (definately not standing) right next to two brothers that we had eaten breakfast with. They were an Indian family from Birmingham, UK, and the dad and mom were up there too. I ended up spending the rest of the hike with them, and had a lot of fun talking with the boys (my age) and being adventurous with the mom (who had a lot of spunk and was less afraid of heights than her sons or husband). It was great, and they invited Trish and I to share lunch with them later. I have truly been so incredibly blessed with people on this trip. Meena (the mom) invited me to come stay with them in Birmingham if I ever returned to England, probably within 5 minutes of me joining them on the top of the rock. I exchanged addresses with them and hope to keep in touch (the boys are on Facebook, so it shouldn't be too hard.) =)
We drove later that night, through higher fjords and lakes, seeing snow for the first time where we least expected it, and seeing more amazing waterfalls than we could ever hope to count. And tunnels - some over 7 kilometers long. Tunnels, sheep, waterfalls, and cows seem to be almost more plentiful than people over here, as the biggest town we've been through (Voss) was much smaller than any I stayed in in the UK. After staying in Tyssedal and a good night's rest, we got on the road again, across both Harganderfjord and Songefjord to reach Geirangerfjord where we'll be tonight and tomorrow. It was a lot of driving, but we got to see so much and it was all gorgeous. We were even given the gift of a magnificent rainbow touching down on both sides of a lake this afternoon. The weather has been raining off and on, with sunny breakthroughs, but cool ever since we moved on from Preikestolen. (It was cool but nice while I was hiking - great to be dry for once!! I really thought I would get rained on again, and surprisingly, had accepted it as a fact of life - but was really happy to accept the sunshine instead.)

Things to love about Norway:
-The amazing landscapes - crystal blue water that you could waterski on all the way across the fjord, free-falling and rock-hugging waterfalls everywhere the eye can see, views that make you want to stop and just stare, and yet around the next bend there's something just as grand
-Snow capped mountains that seem to pop up out of nowhere
-Water, water, everywhere ("I am haunted by waters" - Norman Mclean, A River Runs Through It)
-Really good jam and bread every morning at breakfast

Things to like about Norway:
-Tunnels that are left in their chiseled out stage: it seems as if the seven dwarves will pop out at any moment singing "Heigh Ho" and carrying their shiny gems
-Beatiful drives and ferry rides
-Stave churches that are completely unique to this area
-Getting used to not hearing English but still, everyone we've talked to can speak it
-Fruit stands selling cherries and raspberries, which tasted wonderful

Things that scare me out of my wits about Norway:
-Main roads that are two way but really only wide enough for one and a quarter cars, with really tight curves and little visibility aroung them
-Tunnels that are not lit
-Semis carrening around these small roads without slowing down for approaching cars - that is definately your job
-How much everything costs (don't ask me how much I paid for my mug from Preikestolen, I'm not thinking about it because I just want to enjoy it)

Lessons learned so far in Norway:
-I love, love, love, yellow lines on roads! They are the best invention ever: having a marked lane has just become one blessing I am forever thankful for.
-I want to be as loving and kind to strangers as people have been to me - I've been given so many gifts this trip, and I want so much to be a blessing in the same way to those that I meet.

I think that if I am being fair, Preikestolen is my favorite of the places I've been so far - with perhaps the exception of Fairy Hollow. I will keep you posted on whether or not that changes. I love you guys!!

A few thank-yous, "Mount Doom," and my new "grandpa"

Mount Doom


On the way up


"View" from the top


Loch Lommond at Ardlui


Dunollie castle in Oban

I need to thank a few organizations and individuals for my their contributions to my journey thus far:
Thank you to:
- REI, for making such a wonderful quick drying towel
- Chaco, for keeping my feet safe on slippery slopes and for not mattering when they got wet (and oh, did they get wet!)
- Nike, for the Vomero line, because my feet still actually felt good after 5+ hours hiking up rocks
-Aeropostal, because their clothes are cheap enough that I'm not worried about ruining them
-George Fox track & Field, for providing the rest of my clothes
- bread, Nutella (which I never liked before but think is alright now), and apples, for being the mainstay of my diet and relatively cheap
- Lucy, my Osprey backpack, for being such a great travel companion
- Columbia, for the rainjacket I have worn every day since leaving London (but I have to ask, why provide a cinch on the hood if there is nothing to hold it closed? not helpful...)
- internet cafes, for charging what they think is a reasonable price but then the computer works really slowly
- Trish, for insisting that we stay at a nice hotel our first night in Norway, because I got a complimentary waffle upon arrival (Emily, you would have enjoyed it!)
- Ryan, Emily, Kelly, and Cindy, for each leaving me with something I have needed (i.e. food, laundry detergent, sleep sack, towel)
- all of you, for reading this and leaving me comments which are like little "hellos" and "I love yous" across the sea each time I get onine.

That being said, I should let you know that I have arrived safely in Sandefjord, Norway, enjoying the decadency of this hotel and its waffles (and tea, which I can no longer go without for longer than six hours), and eagerly awaiting the arrival of aunt Trish.
My time in Scotland was wonderful and crazy, but there is no way I could do it justice in this post. So, to summarize:
-one of the most beautiful train rides ever has got to be from Glasgow to Oban on the Scottish coast - past loch and rivers, high "munroes" and gazing out toward the isles.
-exploring a ruined castle built in 730 AD, that didn't cost a penny (always a plus)
-lots of rain
-one gorgeous two hour sunset
-a grueling hike up the 4000 foot Ben Nevis (hereafter referred to as "Mount Doom," because of the way the clouds covered the top third the whole day and the fact that, in a fellow hiker's words, it was "mad up there"), that I had anticipated being a rather tall Snow King but was more akin to my experience climbing the Middle Teton - this was NOT a hill! It was a mountain in every sense of the word, complete with snow and no visibility at the top, hail on the way down, the whole way over rocks and only about 200 meters over dirt paths, and the thought that I might not get down at all
-a guy from Alberta walking the whole way down with me, even though we were too tired and frozen and focused to talk - he really was a guardian angel, I think
-being soaked with no place in the area with vacancies, and not wanting to camp because of the wet and cold
-sitting against a tree pondering my future when an elderly gentleman asked me what I was doing; and being offered a free place to stay by said gentleman, along with dinner (dinner and supper, actually), a bath, a dryer for my clothes, breakfast, and a ride to the train station in the morning
-finding out he was a Christian - his response to my thank-yous was "as you do unto the least of these, so you have done unto Me"
-hanging out with Jim and his little terrior Bria, drinking tea, eating two real Scottish meals (turnip and carrot hash? eggs with bacon (ham) and tomatoes? corned beef sandwiches? ice cream with pears? - I couldn't turn any of it down but he seemed to think I needed fattening up) and being provided yet again with an example of Christ's love and mercy, demonstrated through the open heart of one of his followers
-hopping off the train at Ardlui on Loch Lommond, and sitting with my feet in the water on an abandoned dock, catching up on some reading and journaling, and NOT getting rained on for the first time in Scotland
-getting to Glasgow late, and having a man I met on the train walk me to the hostel because he was afraid I wouldn't find it- and I probably wouldn't have, it was a mile away - then kissing me on the cheek when he left (not creepy like it probably sounds - he was Dad's age with a daughter named Michelle who was my age)

So, there's a recap for you! I wish I could say more. I have never been in a storm like that in a place like Mount Doom where its quite possible I might have had trouble getting down (a rescue helicopter went up there for some people about two hours after I came down), and then been rescued in such an amazingly providential way. Yeah for God and all the crazy, amazing ways he works!

The Lake District

Fairy Hollow


See the rain? (Ambleside)


On the way up Bleaberry Fell at Derwentwater


The view from the fell


The Feeney kids - Mary, Catherine, and John, at the hostel waterfall

Hello from Glasgow! I have another hour before my train leaves to Oban (on the Scotish Coast) so I thought I'd let everyone know about the coolest place I've been in England! (literally cool as well)
I spent a day in Ambleside and a day in Derwentwater, which are completely different but both amazingly beautiful. I wish I knew some of Wordsworth's poems by heart, because it is easy to see how he would have been inspired by this area. It was pouring rain the whole time (until this morning), but I went exploring anyway and am so glad I did. In Ambleside, I walked a National Trust path through a couple of feilds towards the other side of Lake Windermere. I felt like Anne for a while, especially when I reached a footbridge that reminded me of the one Gilbert proposed on. :) I also felt like one of the Narnia children, waiting for nyads and dryads to appear from the trees and streams - I found a little hollow that just seemed made for fairys, and stayed there a while. I think my dad would have loved this area - all the beautiful green hills, with tiny grey villages lining the shores of deep blue lakes. It certainly made me think of him and how he would love to be at the house in Oregon right now, playing on the river in the boat. But it also made me remember that just as Lake Windermere was more pure and blue than the Willamette (not that that's hard), the lakes and rivers of heaven are bluer and purer still. I can't wait to see him there!
Derwentwater was also blue and gorgeous, but much more rugged. The fells around it were much higher than at Windermere, and there was a waterfall right behind our hostel! I mean, less than a minutes walk away. It was crazy, and still pouring, but of course I had to try to reach the top of one of the fells. The path was well marked until I reached a point about a quarter mile from the hostel, and then it kind of turned into a stream running downhill and I was just following the rocks uphill. There were still gates to cross on the "path", so I knew I was headed the right direction at least. Soon my only companions were the sheep dotting the hillside, at least one of which gave me a queer look, like "what are you doing up here?" So I took a good look around from a rock formation somewhere near the top, watched the clouds gather around the hills, got whipped by the wind and rain, and made my way back down 100% soaked from head to toe. But it was completely worth it! The view was amazing, even though the day was far from clear. The whole hike took only about an hour and a half.
Later that evening, while eating dinner, I met a couple of girls (late teens) who were making dinner for their family. The older one (Mary - a sophemore in college) asked me if I wanted to join them (which of course I did - they were having Indian -style lettuce wraps and nan), then insisted that I join them. I just knew somehow that they were God-lovers, and then they opened dinner by prayer and I was just really excited. They are the Feeney's, from Indiana, and were traveling from Israel to Ireland on a three week journey. We stayed up talking long after dinner, and then they invited me to join them for breakfast as well - and then after breakfast to their family devotions, and then they gave me a ride into Keswick so I could catch a bus to the train station. I was so blessed by these incredibly generous, loving, and wise individuals. They have such beautiful hearts for God and each other. From the soft-spoken dad to the rambunctious 14 year old boy, they treated one another and me with such kindness and respect. I am so grateful to have met them and hope to see them again someday!

Oxford & Ambleside

Hanging out with the Fab Four at the Hard Rock Cafe our last night in London - I love these girls and am so sad that they are leaving GFU, but am so thankful for the time I've had to get to know each of them. They are amazing!!


Oxford


Outside Exeter College (where Tolkien taught)

I made it to Ambleside today by train, and the journey went smoothly. It was kind of fun to see that catching trains was not difficult and that those Eurail/Britrail passes really do work. I missed the first train out of London because of underground delays, so I decided to head over to Oxford for a couple of hours and catch a train from there instead.
Oxford is perfect - old, wise, stately...beautiful. I wish I had more time there but I saw Exeter College and the library, along with some other gorgeous buildings. The rain held off until I got back on the train and entered the Lake District: its supposed to be windy and rainy tomorrow too, but it is still so beautiful. Its unlike any part of England I've been too, and I'm going exploring tomorrow even if I get drenched. :)
It was sad to say goodbye to the group this morning. I have talked to people today, and met a nice man who helped me find the right bus, but its not the same as having my brother and friends around. They were sooooo much fun to hang out with - everyday was a blessing and a gift. I will miss them but think this journey on my own will be good for me. I'll probably post again in Scotland in a couple of days, and Mom I will try to call again! It didn't work today - the machine ate my pence! :)

Paris & London

Ryan and Emily sitting on a lion in Trafalgar Square


Whitney and I in front of Big Ben


Ryan and I at La Tour Eiffel


The girls on the tower


The girls at the Portobello Road Market


Tea at the Orangery in the Kensington Palace gardens

So I haven't quite figured out how to upload pictures, but I will as soon as I can. The past three days have been a whirlwind: lots of walking and lots of sites, but incredible at the same time. Paris was amazing - we went first to Notre Dame, which of course made me want to start singing "God bless the outcasts" or "What makes a monster and what makes a man?" but I held back for the sakes of those with me. It is a beautiful, beautiful church, though. I felt that it was at once both a haven for worship and a place were tourists could come and be amazed by the craftsmanship those in earlier times possessed. I felt like I could stay there for hours and just feel at peace.
We followed N.D. with the Eiffel Tower, which was also amazing but our experience was punctuated by the loud shouts, firecrackers, sirens, and horns from a large group protesting something about the President right underneath the Tower. It was loud the whole 30 minutes we waited in line to walk up to the first two levels - which are crazy high even thought the top level is more than twice as tall! I am so glad we did that - it was a beautiful view.
We also went to the Arc de Triumphe (forgive my spelling on all of these), walked the Champs de Elysse` to the Place du Concorde, and visited the Louvre. Rachel, Bethany, Joel, Cindy, and Kelly stayed and went inside the Lourve, but Ryan, Emily, Adam and I had to get back since we had an earlier train. That's alright though - something must be left to go back for!
Back in London, I have been so excited because everything I didn't have time to do while on my Juniors Abroad trip, I was able to do now: visit St. Paul's Cathedral (the view from the top is amazing), see the Lion King - an actual dream come true and sooooo worth it), walk through St. James Park, have tea at Kensington Palace (with Rachel, Bethany, and Whitney today and it was lovely), visit Notting Hill and the Portobello Rd. Market, find David Livingstone's headstone at Westminster Abbey, attend evensong services at St. Paul's and Westminster (voices just sound so pure and heavenly inside cathedrals) and hang out with all of these wonderful track athletes and friends. I am so glad I came, although it seems strange that they are headed home tomorrow and I am barely starting out on my journey. I would be completely content to go home now - I have seen and been blessed by so much.
Tomorrow I catch a train to the Lake District where I will hopefully figure out how to get pictures onto a computer that doesn't belong to me. :) Until then, I love you all!

Safe and sound!

I wanted to let everyone know that I made it safely here this afternoon, met up with Ryan and the gang, and had a fun night walking around Big Ben and Trafalgar Square - although since the group hadn't eaten in 10 hours we spent much of that time walking through bars that were open but not serving food anymore! Tomorrow a bunch of us head to Paris early in the morning (by Eurostar). I'm so excited!
Highlights of the flight:
The guy sitting next to me asked for (and received) the entire bottle of red wine they were serving
I got a black bag with toothpaste, socks, and a mask.

More to come!

Europe!

Ephraim smiling at his aunt Belle

Pedicure with Mom and Amy before I head out.

Trying out the backpack in my sister Amy's front yard.

So, I am heading off to Europe this summer to fulfill a few dreams, hike a few mountains, and spend some quality time with Jesus. For the most part I will be on my own, but I start out in London by meeting up with Ryan, Emily, and the track athletes who are on Juniors Abroad. In two days I will be in Paris! Crazy, huh?

I have been looking forward to this trip since before I started planning it. Ever since I returned from my Juniors Abroad trip, I have wanted to see and know more: more of England, more of Scotland, more mountains, more coastlines. Last year, while living with my incredible roommate Tori, we decided to populate our living room walls with maps from as many countries we could get our hands on. (She had just returned from Ireland and England and had the travel bug too.) So up in haphazard directions went Norway, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, the United Kingdon, France, Italy, and Sweden.

My dreaming goes back farther than that, and those of you who have known me for a while can attest to that. I have longed to go to Romania since I was 15 years old, because of a combination of two things: 1) sitting in Miss T's health class listening to a couple of women talking about the conditions of orphanages in Romania, and 2)going to Mexico that spring break with the youth group and just knowing that I needed to keep missions as a part of my life. So in partial fulfillment of that dream, I will be heading to Romania at the end of my trip for 6 days helping out at Casa Josef, an orphanage First B in Jackson is affiliated with. Someday I hope I can go for longer, but I'm so excited and blessed to get to go now.

I hope I can upload pictures and keep everyone informed of what's going on with me for the 5 weeks that I am gone. Keep me in your prayers!

To the Lake Powell Gang: This is, obviously, a poor substitute for actually making it to Lake Powell this year, but I am thinking of all of you and missing you! Hopefully we can get together in Jackson later this summer. Love you!