Author: illustratrgunv

The place that inspired this bookmark!

I read books, and slept like an overworked adult.

I hiked, watched goats do goaty stuff, foraged, and painted and sketched.

Also, went skinny dipping.

Which was freezing. This view tho’.

Did some drawing for an upcoming project.

And gave our lovely hosts a Hyttebok.

See you next year, Staupstunet! Thanks for hosting us.

The trail map I designed for Fløyen covers the main trails and gravel roads. But there are many qute trails just minutes from the upper station. Here is a map for walking a fairy tale route from the upper station (or if you prefer to walk up, takes about 40 min).

Fløyen station to Revurtjern aprx 15-20 min at scenic pace. Walk through the forest behind the first crossing after the
playground. Enter the gravel road and follow it to the crossing with the stone path up the hill. Take the nature trail to
your right when reaching the first crossing after the path. Hike up the hill and follow the path to the lake.

I grew up with hiking and wandering, then didn’t do it for many years as a young adult when studying abroad, and then started again when I was more settled in life and work. And very much more after 2020. Many of my normal activities changed then, and this was one of the things I stuck to. I joined an outdoor yoga group at Fløyen, and later an outdoor breathwork group that did shinrin-yoku. I didn’t tell anyone because it felt wishy washy and woo-woo. But I fell in love with it, and now I want everyone to try it.

Hiking in Norwegian culture (and probably many other places) is about reaching a summit, walking as far as possible, for as long as possible, and as sparingly as possible. Perfected and polished and timed. This has never appealed to me, probably why I shied away from the hiking culture for a time. I didn’t fit in with the reaching of goals and rushing past all the wonder. I preferred wandering, sitting, lunching, foraging, staying. And now, sketching. I realise this is what I did as a kid, and what I’m most comfortable with. And the hygge of it all. Not deserved, as in Oh you didnt walk far enough, you havent depleted yourself enough to earn a waffle. This whole earning of things only if you deplead yourself completely is a culture thing, and is reflected in our workdays, in our social engagements, and for many women; how we show up for others. learnt behavious over generations.

I work hard, and know I need to replenish my strength. Hiking for hours depleting myself will not serve the idea of replenishing strength. So I wander instead. And now I know it has a name. And why its good for you. The trees release something that makes your cells work better, and builds the immune system. I’m out here actively building myself a better immune system, and that should be a goal in itself. Breathing in green goodness. Replenishing my magic. Going back to work to run a gallery and paint with dapples of sun and new magic.

There is a meme about bird watching creeping up on you as you grow older – in my case it’s moss.

Luckily I live in a cold and damp city. (Normally. This walk was a week ago, when weather was normal for this time of year.)

My house is close to Prom’s gate, one of the stations for the funicular to Mount Fløyen, and that means being cold and damp is easily within reach.

We used the trail behind the ridge close to Bjørnebu – on the map it’s the area behind the giant squirrel’s butt. The trail goes off the main path, and winds back and forth around the ridge.

I was hoping to encounter something moss’y and lichen’y that would spark some sketching, and we did meet a few creatures. And some wonderful habitats.

Coming home from our short but long hike I continued in my sketchbook, without really knowing where I was headed, but recorded the mossy turtle-hedgehog, and the different lichen.

Then this creature popped up in its Cladonia furcata hair and Lobaria pulmonaria vest.

Colour studies done on copy paper because then I won’t mind if I ruin it.

Meet the new moss creature! I don’t have a name for this little sprite yet, give me a shout if anyone wants to name it.

Thanks again to my good helpers on Instagram that helped with taxonomy of the lichen I had photographed. I’ll probably be in want of your research skills again after future encounters with exciting bracken;)