On June 1, brothers Fleury and Corentin Roux have begun a 3,000km hike across Norway. Starting from Lindesnes Fyr, the southernmost tip of the country, they are bound for North Cape, the northernmost point. In a throwback to the 1980s or before, the passionate orienteers will only use maps and compass to guide them.
Fleury, 24, teaches orienteering skills and is also a mountain and ski guide, while Corentin, 27, is a cartographer. Both live in a small village in France’s Loire region. They compete in orienteering races on an international level and are also keen trail runners.
Photo: acrossnorway
They want to “achieve the largest orienteering race in the world” by cover the 3,000km in just 100 days. Thus, they need to average 30km a day. To this end, they are traveling light. Their 10kg backpacks contain just food, water and sleeping gear.
They will resupply every six days or less and have prepped dehydrated food packs for 100 days, which their sister will deliver to them. She will also drive a safety vehicle along the nearest road in case any injuries or major problems arise.
They have a rough route but will vary from it based on terrain and weather, where appropriate.
Photo: acrossnorway
Difficult from the start
In their first few days, they hiked off trail across demanding heathlands and marshes. Since then, mountains and unexpected snow have made conditions even more challenging. Corentin had severe blisters on his feet.
Ten days after setting off, they made it to Hovden, but conditions continued to deteriorate. The weather and snow worsened, and fatigue began to set in. But they picked up their next set of food packs and headed for Hardangervidda, a national park and mountain plateau. Here, they had to walk the full six or seven days without resupplying.
Photo: acrossnorway
After 19 days, they had hiked a total 588km. Though the snow had started to disappear, fog made navigation more difficult. River crossings presented the biggest challenge. Some of the bridges marked on the map were not in place, forcing the pair to wade across dangerous torrents.
Despite this and a potential injury to a bone in Fleury’s foot, the pair remain in good spirits. They will seek medical advice at their next resupply point.
You can follow their journey here.
