Alison Crosses the Finish Line! Joined by family and friends for her final push, Alison crossed the finish line in Trondheim, Norway today. This was no easy feat. Alison conceived of, trained for and managed logistics for this 9-day trek to help fund research for a cure for Tia and all people living with PKU. Congratulations to Alison and her guide, Elise, on completing this difficult journey. Although it was Alison who crossed the finish line, the...
ALL SMILES & ALMOST FINISHED! They skied over 16 KM today in sun and cold—WOW! Thankfully there has been less snow over in Western Norway so the skiing is easier. They encountered animal tracks, which were likely either a small bear, or a Jerv (Norwegian for wolverine). Today’s SHOUT OUT goes to experienced Nordic guide Elise. She has been amazing in every way, and Alison (and her family) are particularly grateful for Elise’s constant focus on...
Today was sunny and cold but the best day yet for cross-country skiing. Alison is all smiles in today's pics because her clothing has kept her toasty and she's taking in all the stunning beauty that surrounds her. Tonight she is setting up her tent next to a lake and savoring the mild winds. Alison is getting beyond excited as she is sooooo close now. Tomorrow (Friday), she and Elise will trek a full day,...
Sun Shines for Alison! The sun finally shines, which was such a nice change. However, with the clear skies comes the cold. Today they skied 8 hours in 5-10-degree weather but made fantastic progress. They also found some back country downhill to do. Alison’s skis are wide enough where she can ski downhill with them as well. To fill the time, Alison and Elise talk about all sorts of topics. Elise is curious about life in America,...
FORECAST: Snow and wind with a 100% chance of an altered route. The snow and wind continue but it is now considered the norm for the trek. Today’s picture was taken during a very brief and welcome respite of clear weather. From the photo, you’d never know that Alison woke up in -5 F temps and that the zipper on one of Alison’s’ ski boots actually froze off. The storms and unpredictable weather continue to...
Huge Milestone: They made it to the halfway point, Roltdalen National Park! They made it to the halfway point (HOORAH) and will camp in Roltdalen tonight. Our first photo of Alison in action was shot by Elise on today’s journey. She is wearing her mother Ginny’s north pole jacket, which is providing great comfort in more ways than one! It gives you a window into the extremely difficult conditions. They woke up this morning to...
Sunday: Making camp required a two-hour battle with the wind. Alison and her tent won. Alison and her guide, Elise, were planning to be “Værfast” for 24 hours. The word Værfast in Norwegian means literally, weather stuck. After a good night’s sleep in the cabin, they awoke this morning to blizzard conditions but decided to forge ahead, refusing to be weather stuck! Alison is safe in the tent now but very tired from the day’s...
Alison and her guide, Elise, skied 6 hours today in blowing snow and high winds. The snow was deep so it was quite difficult to make tracks. Given that the weather is still not cooperating, Alison and Elise are hunkering down in a rustic cabin for 24 hours to let the storm pass. The Norwegian Trekking Association has over 500 cabins, all in remote parts of the county, which are used by adventurous skiers and...
Mother Nature: 1 Alison/PKU: 0 Alison and her guide left this morning and immediately hit 40 MPH winds, with gusts exceeding that, and blowing snow. Despite the wind and cold weather, they managed to ski 13 KM in 5 hours before stopping to create shelter to get out of the wind. They are hunkered down now and waiting for wind to die down before erecting the tent. Today’s ski was very hilly with variable terrain....