The Trip Where Nothing Went as Planned, but We Got to Go to a Waterpark

         Once upon a time, a group of Folk High School students decided to go on a trip. They were from different classes at school, and didn't know each other well. This will be a nice trip, and a nice bonding experience, thought their teachers. The trip sounded very exciting. The classes were to drive two hours away, where they would stop and carry their things to an old Norwegian cabin. The cabin had no electricity, and no running water, and the teachers collected all of their phones before they left. 

        Before they walked to the cabin, the plan was to take a bike tour around the fjord, on large four person bikes that went along the old rail tracks. Then they were supposed to see a picturesque tourist destination near the fjord. Instead, it was a dark and stormy day. Nobody had ever been to this cabin, and they didn't quite know the way, so they thought it best to start early. The woman renting it out said that it was a light walk, that it took her about 45 minutes. The students were told it would take an hour and a half--better safe than sorry, as they needed to carry their large bags. 

        Each student had their enormous, 70 liter backpack, filled with their sleeping bag, clothes, and other necessities. As they left the bus, preparing to go, they realized that they also needed to carry all of the food. Two days worth of food for 30 people--it becomes quite heavy when added to already full bags. It'll only take an hour, I can deal with this, thought the students optimistically. 

        The path to the cabin began in farmland, on an old tractor path--a light walk. The students were excited and lively, ready to go, ready to get there, but as the path led deeper into the woods, where the trail was barely wide enough for one--not to mention the backpacks--their spirits dampened. Their clothes and shoes also dampened as they walked through the rain drenched earth, their raincoats on and hoods up, the fog preventing them from seeing more than 10 feet ahead. 

        Suddenly, 1 hour became 2, and 2 became 3. Their shoulders hurt from their heavy loads, from standing and waiting while the back of the pack caught up. Their ankles were twisted and sore, from slippery rocks, and treacherous downhills. At last, out of the fog, they saw the top of a house. We're here, they thought, we're saved! Yet as they reached it, they realized it was not in fact their house, but an old deserted building in the middle of nowhere. 

        They felt that they were close, yet one final obstacle stood between them and warmth. The mighty river flowed down the hill, the rain strengthening it more each minute. Their path led them straight down the river--in the river. If they hadn't had wet feet before, they did now. As they held on to the wobbly chain that was their guide, and inched downward through the streaming water, many fell--their backpacks throwing off their balance. Once through the river, the soaking wet travelers reached their destination. 

        They gazed upon the glittering mansion before them--or the cabin and barn that would be their home for the next few days. It was meant to have the most gorgeous view, but due to the fog, they saw only misty nothing. Inside the house, there were two tiny wood stoves for heat, and a gas oven. Any dreams of warmth were dashed, as the stoves did little for the sleeping quarters, and walls were all damp and dripping with the humidity. However, the students were glad to change into dry socks. Drying their shoes was another challenge. Suddenly the small kitchen was crowded with 30 pairs of shoes, each vying for a place near the stove. The kitchen team worked hard that night, and served the weary travelers warm taco soup, and even warmer water to drink--as they needed to boil the river water. 

        When the students awoke the next morning, their sleeping bags slightly damp, in the same wool underwear as the day before, they hurried down to start the fire, and get breakfast going. They should have thought about what they ate, because by the time the teachers arrived, the bread was gone! Now, Norwegians without bread is...is an impossibility. Something that should never occur. And yet it had! The bread--that was meant to last two breakfast and two lunches--was gone. 

        Their day became more stressful as one girl came back from the smelly, outdoor toilet and declared, There is a mouse in the toilet! Nobody knew what to think, but everyone that used the bathroom was aware of the scratching, scuttling noises from below. Some didn't dare look down, others regretted it immediately. 

        The second day was saved for hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing, as the area was rich in activities. Yet after their weary walk the day before, and the dreary weather, the students instead remained in the house all day, as near to the meager heat as they could be. The teachers invited them down to the cabin they stayed in, just down the hill! The students went in groups, and a fifteen minute, slippery, steep climb later, they were crowded into the tiny building, sharing packs of hot chocolate, philosophically discussing happiness, and thinking about how they were going to climb back up on their sore legs. 

        The groups alternated, and eventually the first group made it back to the house. It was a good thing that they did, for immediately the wind picked up, and the stoves began spewing smoke. With the teachers so far away, all they could do was open the windows, panicking as the fire alarms went off. The entire house filled with smoke, but they knew if they doused the fire, they'd never be warm again. So they sat there, tending the flames, and putting out the alarms, unaware that one girl upstairs was having a uniquely terrible time. 

        It wasn't until hours later that the teachers came back for dinner, that it became clear there was an issue. One student had particularly bad asthma, and the smoke had affected her more than anyone realized. As the rest of the group watched, shocked and confused, she was brought down to the lake and handed off to a group of firemen and policemen who took her to the hospital, and to a hotel for the night. 

        Nights were spent hectically boiling water, for the students needed it not only to drink, but to wash the dishes. Some were sick of hot water, and braved drinking straight from the river, despite being warned about the farmland and sheep upstream. 

        On the last morning, the teachers took pity on their cold and tired students, and offered them a visit to a bathhouse/waterpark if they made it back in time. The sun peaked out from behind the clouds for the first time, and shone upon their hopeful faces. With renewed vigor, they spent the morning cleaning the house, and cooking bread on sticks over a fire outside, from some dough they had luckily brought. 

        (There was no thought of using the oven, for the night before, a cake had been attempted, turning out quite radioactive, and tasting of gas. One bite was enough to leave a hole in one's stomach. Not all of the food was as such. The second day, one of the boys had caught a fish, and cooked it up that night, a delicious treat for the students.) 

        To avoid the river, the teachers decided to take another route back. It's slightly longer, but not as difficult they said. The wary students were suspicious, and a girl who had somehow snuck her phone along told them this route was meant to take 4 hours. They began by climbing up. And up. And up. Until they felt they would reach the top of Norway. Their packs were heavy, and the students in the back whose ankles had been rolled and bandaged required constant breaks. 

        They climbed like that for an hour, up as high as they could go, then down again, on the steep, wet rocks, over and over. Finally, as the fog had cleared up, the students could see around them, and thought this looks familiar, yes, that is the abandoned farm building! The abandoned farm building 15 minutes from their cabin by way of the river. Seeking familiarity, they changed their course, and backtracked along the path they'd arrived on. Every step they repeated their manta hot-tub-hot-tub-hot-tub, willing themselves to speed up, to escape the woods. 

        The students were motivated, and the teachers were as well. The weather was on their side, and the streams they had needed to jump over on the way there became mere stepping stones on the way back. Every step was one step closer to the hot tub, the slides, and the sauna. Their muscles ached, but as they exited the forest and saw the buses, they sprinted, backpacks jostling, free at last! They'd had a wonderfully quick trip back, compared to the first day. 

        And so the students learned a lot about each other, and made memories in those few days that they will never forget. As the buses drove off, they thought about their trip--how they would never, ever go back, but that they were very glad they had gone.

        And the hot tub felt amazing!!