Last winter I was traveling through Norway. Norway is my country, not that I was born there, but I feel at home there, at ease, as if I belong there. This time I was fortunate enough to travel around this beautiful country for several months. With a convertible, that’s an adventure in itself, but that’s for another blog post… Norwegians are wonderful people, even though they can be quite reserved at first. Sometimes they’d even say stiff and cold. After so many trips to and through this country, my opinion on it has definitely changed, although I understand why.

During the coldest time of the year in eastern Norway, I was near Trysil. I regularly drove through the woods in my convertible. This isn’t the Hoge Veluwe National Park; it’s vast and deserted. You can drive for hours without encountering a soul. Beautiful! Even on regular hikes, you sometimes find yourself completely alone for hours. Just nature and me, along with the views and, if you’re lucky, some wildlife. You often see wildlife tracks in the snow. Sometimes small, like those of a rabbit or a fox, sometimes large, like those of a moose. Bears can also be found in this region, but in winter they’re usually sleeping. I say usually because I’ve heard that male bears, in particular, still venture out to forage for food. But bears are even rarer than moose, thankfully.

The road conditions are not comparable to those in the Netherlands. While almost all roads here are gritted, that’s not the case there. The roads are all plain white and regularly swept, which only removes the loose topsoil. Imagine driving through a forest where everything, absolutely everything, is white. The edge of the road is recognizable at most by a raised snow border (from sweeping the snow to the side), with a pole with reflector tape around it every few meters. As long as you stay between them, you’re on the road. It’s no wonder that winter tires are mandatory in this country from November 1st (usually until Easter weekend). Because under these conditions, they are more than desirable. They are truly essential! And once you’ve driven there for a while, you’ll get the hang of it and, just like the Norwegians, you’ll be driving at a reasonable speed on these wonderful white roads.

So, one afternoon I was driving through the woods. I’d been in Sweden for a bit (which is nearby), and on the way back, I was driving fast. I knew the road well by now and was thoroughly enjoying the trip. Until, after a right turn, I saw an adult female moose standing in the middle of the road. I braked, skidded, and came to a stop sideways, less than a meter from the imposing animal. It didn’t have antlers, which is how I knew it was a female, but they’re still big. And then, right in front of the car, it was quite a shock. The female moose was less impressed and looked straight at me in my car. She didn’t move, I didn’t move. It felt like this lasted quite a while before I realized I had to take a picture. I grabbed my phone and opened the door. Stupid, of course, because here she was, walking into the woods. I should have taken a picture IN the car first. Anyway, I filmed her walking into the woods. Not even running, just calmly walking away from me. Until I stopped seeing her.

I got back in the car and drove on, much more calmly, when I realized I had a drone with me. I turned around, drove back to the meeting place, and pulled out my drone. I launched it into the air, hoping to find her among the trees. Just as I was about to give up, a car pulled up. A woman was driving, and she pulled up next to me. She got out, walked over, and asked if everything was okay. I nodded that everything was okay and told her about my adventure. I then showed her the drone footage on my phone. She wished me a good “hunt” and, above all, good luck finding that one female moose in that immense forest. She got in and drove on.

A little later, I spotted the moose, took some footage, retrieved the drone because I didn’t want to disturb her any further, and drove back to my cottage at the end of a dead-end road. I met Brage, my host, and told him the story of the moose and the woman who stopped. Only when I told him I did realize the humanity in that woman’s gesture of stopping. She could have kept driving; she didn’t have to stop on that road. And who would blame her if she had? A woman alone in the middle of nowhere, no one around. But she stopped… Perhaps I was unlucky and needed help. Driving on wasn’t an option for her, despite the potential risks for a woman alone. If I had been unlucky, things could have turned out very differently. There’s no cell phone reception in that area, and at night, the temperature quickly drops to 30 degrees below zero. Someone with car, and I was with a convertible, trouble who has to spend a night in that cold (without the necessary gear) could be in serious trouble.

This woman’s humanity transcended her fear or risk of an unsafe encounter with a man alone. What seemed like an ordinary encounter became an experience of humanity. It still exists, and so this experience, a near-collision, with a moose became an unforgettable moment.

This too is humanity! Grateful for the beautiful gesture and the wonderful, now multiple, encounters!

Support “Walking for Humanity” by clicking this link and leaving a donation: https://www.gofundme.com/f/walking-for-humanity