After reaching road 450 — the line that splits Setesdalheiene in half — I (Petr) knew one thing for sure: the slow south was behind me. What lay ahead was an unsupported 150 km stretch north to Haukeliseter, through the most rugged and remote section so far. But this place wasn’t just a geographical shift. It was also a mental one.

Back in 2019, this was where I ended my first (failed) attempt at Norge på langs. I had made the wrong team choices and misjudged the timing. I wasn’t able to prepare us well enough to document the journey with the quality I wanted. So I stopped here. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.

Now, in 2025, everything’s changed. New tech. New cameras. New drones. Most importantly, I film it all myself, and in a way that captures the raw, unfiltered experience I dreamed of showing. The kind of trail movie I’d always wanted to make.

For this leg, I chose a new route too — not the usual one via Taumevatn, but a wilder variation via Svartenut and Bossbu, aiming toward Kringlevatn DNT cabin. It was a long day with a really heavy backpack — especially for running. But everything just clicked. My mind was sharp, my legs felt strong, and despite starting way too late for such a long remote stretch, this turned out to be the best running day so far.

The day started somewhere in Ådneram, after yesterday’s half rest day. We slept in a bit, finally. Petr never really sleeps well (editing or no editing), so a slower morning like this gives his body a chance to recover, even if just a little.

We spent a couple of hours at the Joker shop in Ådneram. Petr was editing, of course — surprise, surprise. I picked up some food, filled the water bottles, and waited until it was time to head up to the parking spot closer to the start of his trail.

There, we packed his huge backpack, I made my infamous matpakke, and reheated some pasta from yesterday. He needed energy for what was about to come.

Eventually, Petr took off. His 9th road crossing of the trip behind him, he disappeared into the wild mountain plateau of Setesdalheiene.

With my mission done, I drove back down into the valley. First stop: Valle. I had found a cozy little café on Google Maps, but of course... it was closed. Classic. Instead, I popped into a second-hand store nearby for a quick browse before heading further into town.

There, I stumbled upon Bergtun Hotell and Restaurant — and let me tell you: rhubarb pie of the year. I devoured it, set up my laptop, and managed to get a bunch of work done on the website. Peaceful vibes, tasty cake, and a mountain view. Not bad.

After a couple of hours there, I drove about 30 more minutes and found a perfect overnight spot next to the road with a river and even a toilet. I parked the van, cooked dinner, and checked Petr’s location one last time before going to bed. He was still out there, still moving.

I wasn’t sure if he’d make it all the way to Kringlevatn cabin or crash somewhere earlier. With no signal at all up there, I had to wait for a satellite ping from the Garmin InReach the next morning. So I fell asleep wondering where he was out there in that giant, empty landscape.

Day 9. One step deeper into the wilderness.