THE LONG RETURN
The Long Return is a collection of essays, field notes, and reflections written from Norway and beyond.
2026 marks several milestones: ten years since my first visit to Norway, five years since I left full-time life in the United States, and 165 years since my great-great-grandfather departed Norway in search of a better life in America.
Both journeys have reshaped my direction and the way I live.
Born and raised along the banks of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, I now find myself following my ancestor’s path in reverse. In 1861, he left his home in Marifjøra, at the edge of the Sognefjord, and crossed the Atlantic to begin a new life in the United States.
Part field journal and part creative practice, this site explores what it means to be rooted in two landscapes. I write about place, migration, music, loss, nature, and the ongoing work of reclaiming my one wild and precious life.
Notes from a life between landscapes.
Nord
Se oftere mot nord.
Gå mot vinden, du får rødere kinn.
Finn den ulendte stien. Hold den.
Den er kortere.
Nord er best.
Vinterens flammevirvel, sommernattens mirakel.
Gå mot vinden, klyv berg.
Se mot nord.
Oftere.
Det er langt dette landet.
Det meste er nord.
Rolf Jacobsen, 1907-1994
