Thank you so much for the kind words TomD, but as I have friends that compete in the Wasaloppet in Sweden, (90 km in about 5 hours!) I am only in the middle of the group. Had to show the text to my wife also. She is jogging with some friends, and she complains always of beeing the slowest in the group.

But the hut system in Norway is really unique. DNT has about 450 huts all over the country. http://www.turistforeningen.no/english/ They have tree types of huts. Staffed, unstaffed with self-service and unstaffed with no-service. The self-service huts are the most astonishing for foreigners. These huts have a complete food supply free to use. No staff or electronic registration checks that you pay, the system is based on trust. Selfservice huts are only in the south of Norway.

In addition to DNT we have the huts belongin to the JFF (hunting and fishing organisation) It is probably as many as DNT, but there is not a standard key for all these huts as DNT have. You have to obtain the key from the local JFF. One advantage to this is that you have the hut solely to yourself. In the DNT-huts you may get company with some other hikers.

But this is not all. In addition to JFF and DNT we have a number of open huts, most of these are owned by Statskog (state forest administation). Not so many in south Norway, but here where I live there is several.

Also I must show you that we have a good site for planning trips in my district using http://www.friluftskart.salten.no/ Zoom into the map, and you may point to huts or tracks and get additional information. Sorry that it is only in norwegian. If you have a friend from Sweden or Denmark they will also understand norwegian.

Prices are not so bad either. Here I pay 100 NOK (18USD) for one person per night in DNT and JFF huts. The open huts of Statskog is free of charge. Some are big and some are small, but very cosy. Pictures of a small open cabin here http://www.friluftskart.salten.no//pdf/hytter/Staupadalen.pdf

/Otto