Hiking and wild camping in the fjords of western Norway

I have had the opportunity to go to Norway twice in my life already. The first was a cultural exploration, taking me to the artistic city of Oslo and then to Bergen on Norway's west coast.

My return three years later was to Bergen, where I met up with my best friend to hike the archipelago and fjords of western Norway.

When I was a wide-eyed girl in fourth grade, I was enchanted by the world. I had an awe-inspiring teacher who wove stories from different fabrics of the world. None was more enchanting than hearing about the people of the North, the Vikings, the Norsemen. She spun tales of heroics, evil, conspiracy amongst the gods and of magic. Needless to say, I was captivated.

Being out in the Scandinavian wild is the closest I have come to those Norse stories. I always felt like a South African Viking, and visiting Norway with its dark trees, steep fjords and icy waters is like coming home.