20+21.08 Fåvang - Lillehammer 56km

It was a quiet night. A little rain, but the sun came out in the morning. I got ready and started a little earlier on this day. A lot of land here in the mountains is privately owned and fenced. Some have a cabin, others have small farms. With barn, stable, house and various huts. I passed many of them yesterday evening and also today. Slowly against the wind, I gained altitude. When a first little trail came where I had to push, I still found it idyllic and not very strange. However, at km 19, I made the first not so smart decision for this vacation. The route I had planned in Garmin was blocked by a pasture. With a strong determination to ride this path, I looked for a way around the pasture, pushing the bike next to me as we went cross-country. Eventually, I found myself high up on a small summit still looking for a detour. I fought my way through the underbrush with the bike towards the marked path. Only to realize once I was on the digital line that there was no path or trail. I was already too far in the mess to turn back. I followed the line that was supposed to take me back to the road in about 3-4 km. The ground changed and it became boggy and swampy. It was torture for my arms and hands as I had to lift and push the bike with panniers up and down repeatedly. I must have been on the move for 3 hours and took a break every 10 meters. Suddenly, I encountered the first people of the day. 2 Norwegians who had shot a reindeer in the morning and were on their second march to the car to transport the meat. I followed the two of them for another 1.5 km to the nearest road. I asked them for the fastest way to Lillehammer. One of the hunters said goodbye, saying that they couldn't believe their eyes when someone on a bike came towards them from the bog. I had enough adventure for the day, the 40 km to the destination went mostly downhill, so I could check into my B&B around 7 pm. From now on, it's only asphalt all the way to Germany.

21.08 Rest day, the B&B was so good and cheap that I decided to take a day off. The weather was also forecasted to be bad in the afternoon. So, I had food, slept, and did some sightseeing in Lillehammer.

https://strava.app.link/PETEiG1p88

Best regards back home