Right to Roam: Norway vs United States

   In Norway, the nature is a big part of Norwegians everyday life, and because of that, most areas are made accessible; both public and private. There are some regulations people must follow, but because respect for the nature is already a given, no rules have to be greatly enforced. There are National Parks in Norway scattered everywhere but are not publicized. Compared to the United States's laws in National Parks, Norway's laws could fit on a page while the United States needs a book to fit them all in.
   In my Outdoor Education class, we went over the basics for the public right of access to help with our future excursions. That week we were planning on going on a kayaking trip around Nærøyfjord and stay in Dyrdal. Nærøyfjord is part of the World National Heritage Park and is greatly protected. With that said, there was no fee for entering, no designated spot to camp, and no main entrance we had to enter from. From a scientific journal titled Journal of Sustainable Tourism and in the chapter on The Public Right of Access, a way to sum up the right to roam can is stated as, "The right of everyone to move freely, pick flowers etc. in the countryside is here identified as the 'free space' left between the restrictions of economic interests, privacy, preservation, and the use or change of the landscape" (Kaltenborn, Haaland, & Sandell, 2001: 20). In other words, people are allowed to venture where they want with a few minor restrictions that are commonly known. Below is a picture of my class and I learning sea kayaking basics in Nærøyfjord. We were able to stop wherever and adventure to wherever; all we had to do was look out for ships.

right

of

everyone

to

move

freely,

pick

flowers

etc.

in

the

countryside

is

here

identified

as

the

‘

free

space’

left

between

the

restrictions

of

(1)

economic

interests,

(2)

privacy,

(3)

preservation

and

(4)

the

use

and

change

of

the

right

of

everyone

to

move

freely,

pick

flowers

etc.

in

the

countryside

is

here

identified

as

the

‘

free

space’

left

between

the

restrictions

of

(1)

economic

interests,

(2)

privacy,

(3)

preservation

and

(4)

the

use

andBelow is a picture 

   In the United States, my class and I could either go to jail or get a fine for kayaking in a World Heritage Park without paying a fee or making sure our kayaks were not carrying any invasive species.  Although the United States might take pride with having about 60 national parks, our relationship with nature is lacking, making there be a book full of restrictions and regulations when visiting the national parks. According to the  U.S Department of the Interior, who administrate the national parks system, they base all the regulations and restrictions in the national parks on the five main environmental laws. In a paper on Environmental Justice Law, Policy & Regulation, the five laws are states as, "The Wilderness Act of 1964, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972), and the Endangered Species Act (1973)," (Rechtschaffen, Gauna, & O'neill, 2009: 14). These laws regarding the environment influence what people can and can't do in nature. This alone shows that because the United States have taken nature for granted, laws have been set in place so that the United States can try to minimize the amount of nature that is taken for granted. Because it has gotten so far out of hand, one can get fined, be imprisoned, or both, as a way to decrease the amount of people who break the law. Below is a picture of an entrance to one of the famous national parks in the united states, Yellowstone. As you can see, it is similar to a border crossing. The second picture is an image of the entrance to Nærøyfjord. As you can see, it is just an open space for anyone because there really is no way to regulate who goes in and there is no need to.

   Both the United States and Norway have multiple acts regarding the environment, but there is a huge difference in how strictly enforced they are. Respect for the nature comes natural to most Norwegians, but in the United States, people must be reminded on a regular basis. Having a huge fee for entering a national park can decrease the amount of people who disrupt the natural environment, but it allows separation between those who can afford it and those who can't. Although it is not fair to choose who gets to go and who doesn't, if the United States had a policy similar to the Public Right of Access, some may take that for granted. The United States and Norway both have multiple national parks, but how they both coexist with nature differs greatly. 

References

Kaltenborn, B. P., Haaland, H., & Sandell, K. (2001) The public right of access-some challenges to sustainable tourism development in Scandinavia. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(5), 417-433.

Rechtschaffen, C. L., Fauna, E., & O'neill, C. (2009). Chapter 10: Government Initiatives to Address Environmental Justice (2nd Ed.)  Environmental Justice Law, Policy & Regulation (pp.10-24). Carolina Academic Press 

Being a Team Player

   In my Outdoor Leadership course in Norway, my classmates and I were taken on a four day backpacking trip from Hodlekve to Leikanger. Throughout this trip we walked through valleys and crossed over a ridge line. In four days we walked a little over 25 kilometers, meaning we could go at a pace that everyone could be comfortable with. Below is a map of the trail we walked during our trip; starting at the star then heading west before south to Leikanger.

   What challenged us was ourselves. Being in a large group, ours being 12 people for most of the trip, means that there is great variety of skill level and personalities. For me, I am a very active person which made this trip easy when talking about physical activity. What challenged me, was my lack in leadership skills. Because of my skill level, I would get ahead of the group when we were supposed to stick together. Many times when I would be the leader, the teacher would have to remind me to look behind my should to check to make sure the group is together. It never irritated me to have to stop a wait, it just really surprised me how drastic attitudes can change based on the weather.
   For example, the first day when we headed out, it started to rain and even the wind picked up. Conversations between people started to die down as people started to focus their energy more on dealing with the rain. The vibe changed from lighthearted and exciting to challenging and distressful. Me, on the other hand, was speaking with a classmate who has lived in Norway her whole life and she was saying she grew up with the saying "there is no bad weather," because rain and wind is normal weather for Norway. Also, growing up in a rainy area, the rain did not come close to dampening my spirits, instead it was the negative vibes that tried to bring me down.
   After walking for a few hours, we stopped for a lunch break with no time limit. To keep everyone dry and happy, we set up a rain guard from one of the tents to get out of the rain while we eat. Below is a picture I took of the rain cover we set up while having out lunch break and of the beautiful landscape we are hiking in.

When we all got settled under the rain cover, complaints about the weather and how people were not having fun started to arise. I wanted to say that the rain is part of the experience and not to mention we all had rain gear on; meaning the rain was only effecting attitudes, not actually making us wet. But I bit my tongue because I know some people need time to let out their feelings before being shown another point of view. After some time, I got tired of sitting and went out to explore my surroundings. I was the only one that left the shelter and being alone gave me time to think.  I began to think about a quick teaching on risk assessment our professor and a well known epidemiologist in Norway, Eivind Aadland, talked to us about. Aadland had a paper handout that was a quick check-list for risk assessment on trip planning. What stuck in my mind besides the logistics, was a bolded sentence at the bottom of the paper which summed up can be read as, although main risks are weather patterns, type of excursion, and skill level of group, one cannot plan for the change in attitudes of the members of the group because each person is affected and reacts differently to each situation. We were on a kayaking trio in Aadland but his risk assessment could be transferred from both land and water trip plans. This side note spoke loudly to how the rain affected people in the group differently. Reminding of myself of this allowed me to understand that I cannot forced people to love the rain for what it is, instead be okay that we all can feel differently.
   So instead of being bored by people wanting sit under cover, I had a lot of fun exploring the surroundings. Below is a waterfall I hiked to while people had lunch.

Another great teacher of how to make the best of each situation and be a team player was our professor that took us out on the backpacking trip, Marit Svarstad Andresen, a mountain guide and professor. Andresen's attitude through every situation was nothing but positivity and encouragement. When positive attitudes started to fade, Andresen would have us take a short break and eat some chocolate. This type of attitude is how a guide should act in my view. Shit happens and to keep people from overreacting its good to stay positive. In an scientific journal on Fostering Trust in Outdoor Leaders, a point I have always agreed with is written, "Optimism surfaced as a reasonable alternative to the propensity to trust variable because it fit well within the theoretical explanation of trust as an expectation about a future event" (Shooter, Paisley, & Sibthorp, 2012). In other words, staying optimistic can help develop trust that can be stretched even for further events, instead of staying of situational trust. 
   Being and outdoor leader forces people to leave behind judgement and assumptions. One cannot expect everyone to be on their best behavior and have fun throughout their experience. I learned that in a team setting, one must always be a team player. We all react differently to situations and have different ideas on what fun means to us. I could not be upset that people were grumpy because of the rain. Instead I could only be happy to be in a setting to learn about how people react to different factors and how I can in turn react to improve my skills on being an outdoor leader. 

References

Aadland, E., Noer, G., Vikene, O. L. (2015). Sea Kayaking Incidents in Norway 2000-2014: an issue of bad weather or bad judgement? Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. 

Shooter, W., Paisley, K., & Sibthorp, J. (2012). Fostering trust in outdoor leaders: The role of personal attributes. Journal of Experiential Education, 35(1), 222-237.

Beginner to Friluftsliv

   Looking outside to a wet wonderland can really hinder someone from wanting to venture outside and away from the warmth of a dry home. In my small town of Bellingham in Washington State, rain is a is a daily challenge to overcome. One can see the drastic change of the amount of people outside on a rainy day, and the amount of people outside on a sunny day. Although, there is a big difference when you go camping in the rain for multiple days and knowing you have a dry place to come back to after a day hike. Below is a picture of a place where rain is just a normal part of the day and does not stop anyone from doing their usually activities; Norway.

   Here in Norway, rain is not even seen as a challenge to overcome for most people. Norwegians  embrace it and modify their trip accordingly. Not to mention they are well equipped with gear for wet conditions. Being outside and in nature is a huge part of Norwegian culture. They have a single word that explains their philosophy towards outdoor life and how to coexist with nature and that word is Friluftsliv. According to an writing on Scandinavian outdoor life titled Friluftsliv: The Scandinavian Philosophy of Outdoor Life and written by Hans Gelter, Gelter writes, "The word translates to “free air life” meaning a philosophical lifestyle based on experiences of the freedom in nature and the spiritual connectedness with the landscape" (Gelter, 2000). In other words, they have a way of life associated with being outside and how to fit one's life around nature rather than fit nature around one's life to get all they can out of every excursion.
   For my class on Nature Knowledge, we went on a multi-day camping trip to Veitastrond to learn both common camping skills and how glaciers are formed. The first day, it was a beautiful rainy day. To get learn about our surroundings and what type of terrain we will be in, we decided to wander around the landscape. As a way to see how we react when we might be wet to the bone, we had no destination goal and rather a free spirited stroll to where ever. Below is a picture of some classmates listening to our professor describe the different terrain and river conditions in our rain gear that for some turned into a sponge.

   We came back to camp with a lake in our shoes and some of us with a little bit of dampened spirits for the days to follow. Our professor seeing our lack in enthusiasm, let us take refuge in a nearby cabin used to travelers to dry our clothes and boots. That night, once the rain stopped, we were able to sit around a campfire and reflect on the day. It was a beautiful thing to learn about other's perspective and how they viewed the day. Some almost regret their choice in the course and others, like myself, were happy to let their inner wild child run free. Below is a picture of the campfire my classmates made after the rain stopped. Rather than dwelling on the long day of rain we went through, they are focusing on the now and watching the cows graze nearby.

    Living with nature has been a huge part of my life. I was raised to view nature as a life-form in itself and to respect it while also to us it as a way to grow. Although I have never heard the of the Friluftsliv philosophy, I have taken many thoughts from a famous writer, Henry David-Thoreau and his book on writing. Thoreau's book, On Walking, has similarities and differences with Friluftsliv  and a quote I greatly appreciate is, "We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return-- prepared to send back out embalmed hearts only as relics to our desolate kingdoms" (Thoreau 1924). What Thoreau is trying to say, from my perspective, is to look at each length of walk as an adventure and to have no expectations as a way to fully open our hearts to all we encounter.
   To not only be okay with what you encounter outside but also be prepared is a part of Friluftsliv I am new to. How I learned to be outside and how Norwegians have learned vary greatly and cross over as well. In Bellingham, one might need multiple sentences to describe their way of life outside. How Norway has a single word to describe their philosophy towards outdoor life says a lot about their culture and how they connect with nature, which I believe everyone can grow from greatly.







References

 Gelter, H. (2000, Winter). Friluftsliv: The Scandinavian Philosophy of Outdoor Life. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 5, 77-92. 

 Thoreau, H. D. (1924). On walking. Girard, Kan.: Haldeman-Julius.