Gaustatoppen summit, 1883 meters

Friday after work I jumped in my car and set off towards Tinn County and the slopes of Gaustatoppen. It was a shorter and easier drive than I had thought, just shy of two and a half hours. I drove past 2 possible starting points for the trek while looking for a camping spot.

The arrangement with my friend Polle, who would join me from the west, was to find a good camping spot, then sms the gps coordinates to him. I did find an excellent spot, but my phone had no connection. So I drove down the mountain towards the town of Rjukan. When I reached the town and still had no coverage, I started to suspect something was afoul in my phone. Fortunately I found a payphone and was able to call Polle and give him the coordinates.

Then I drove back to the camp site at 1200 meters and pitched my tent, set up my camping table and chairs and got comfortable while waiting for Polle. He arrived around 8 pm. He pitched his tent while I lit the barbecue and 30 minutes later we had food, drink, and a football match on the radio Polle had brought. It was a clear night with stars lighting the heavens. Unfortunately it was also rather chilly, and despite my layers of clothing and a cup of hot chocolate, I was forced to retire to the comforts of my tent before the game concluded. It turned out the next day, that Norway had come back from a goal down at half time to win 2-1. A good sign?

Saturday morning was fantastic. Clear blue skies, and a blazing mountain sun giving life and warmth already at 7:30 in the morning. Our trip was surely blessed from the start. We had a solid breakfast before taking down the camp and driving towards the start of our trek. The first alternative was so crowded we went for the second option, which was slightly better. Ample parking at least, and with packs on our backs, and dogs on their leash we were on our way.

The trek was uneventful, and not that hard. But after only 30 minutes the views start to impress, and there is little wonder why this trek is so popular. I’m not really a fan of these crowded treks, but the trip up was not so bad. We passed a few people, and were passed by a few people, but did not have to struggle too much with excessive company. When we got to the cabin I was a little disappointed about how easy the trek had been. But the best part was yet to come. Because between the cabin and the actual summit there is a ridge of boulders a few hundred meters (or maybe just a hundred, I don’t know…). Dante had a big challenge, and I had some good fun, and we all got a little exposure. Brilliant stuff! Snapped some pics at the summit and returned to the cabin to have our lunch. Only incident was Dante getting his leg stuck in a crack, but we got it out without injury, and were happily on our way.

The descent was pretty bad, with people everywhere. I swear I spent more time off the path than on it to avoid the hordes of people struggling towards the summit, or perhaps just the cabin which seemed to be good enough for most. But I have to keep in mind that it is a great gateway to the wonders of nature, and hopefully some of the jeans and sandal wearing folks will begin to realize all the enjoyment that can be had by challenging your body and experiencing natures wonders. And get out more often. If they don’t, I wish they would have stayed home…

I must say, that the easy trek, combined with the most spectacular view I have ever taken in, understanding the appeal is not hard. Because that insane 360 degree view is one of a kind in Norway. If there had not been so many people there, I would have liked to spend some time to take it all in, but as it were, I just wanted to get out of the crowd… I took some pics to illustrate what I mean, but by no means do they do the experience justice.

There is still hope that I will get to nab another couple of summits before the season is over. Weather will be the judge.

My Marmot Alpinist in it’s natural habitat. It was not challenged this time, but I am sure it will stand the test when it comes.

The little luxuries at base camp

The view from base camp. Not too bad, eh?

The view from about half way.

The cabin is just below the tower, and the summit a short distance out of view behind it. Still a ways to go, but I feel good.

Part of the view from the summit.

More view, this time enjoyed by a couple of enthusiastic kids. One of the better parts of the trip was seeing young people out and enjoying nature.

The ridge we had to traverse to reach the actual summit. Fun for me, a lot of hard work for Dante. But we both made it there and back again. Success!

When we got back down, there were thousands of vehicles parked on both sides of the road for miles. Abolute mayhem, and I have never seen anything like it before in the mountains. Seems a lot of people think we have just this one mountain…

Breitind

The fog was thick and low this morning, so my departure was delayed until it cleared a bit. I reached the start of the ascent at 11:40, and the sun was shining. Perfect conditions.

The start is pretty steep, until you reach Svartholvatnet. I felt good going up, and after the steepest part I enjoyed the easier trek from Svartholvatnet up to Breitindvatnet where I had a bit of a lunch break, before continuing past the lake and starting the ridge towards the summit of Breitind.

I had been warned that Dante might not be able to make the climb, and for once it turned out the naysayers were right. It quickly became a struggle to push Dante up over rocks, and we frequently had to turn back a little to find an easier path. After a while I decided I did not want to risk getting him up to a point where I could not get him down again, and I did not feel comfortable leaving him anywhere on the ridge to continue alone.

So we turned around before reaching the summit. We were  pretty close, I estimate about 100-150 meters of altitude remaining. We covered about 800 meters on our hike, which is respectable in my book for a days work.

No summit, but a beautiful trek through some amazing landscapes. And I am completely exhausted after another 5 hour hike. Great stuff, and the summit will be mine next time. Dante will just have to sit that one out.

Tomorrow I will try for Hjerttinden with its 1380 meters. It is more accessible, so Dante and I can get to the summit together.

Some sinister fog spilling out into the ocean. Glad I don’t have to trek through that…

The view of Mefjorden from Svartholvatnet. Only about 800 meters of altitude left…

Denied today by the mountain. Next time I hope to see the summit up close.

Kistefjell

I have decided to collect a 1000 meter summit every day of my stay here in Finnsnes. Today I started with Kistefjell at 1003 meters. It is not a spectacular trip, but it starts walking out the door at my parents, so I figured it would be a good start. It took me just over 5 hours, with a little break on the summit for some food and pictures.

I was really nackered coming down, so it felt like a really good workout.

Tomorrow Breitind awaits with its 1017 meters.

Dante was also happy to reach the summit

Behind the antenna on the summit. Good to top out.

Great views from Kistefjell. In the middle of the picture is Breitind, the summit for tomorrow.

Nord Norsk Klatreskole

Seeing as I had such a great time in Lofoten, I figured I would do a shameless promotion for the people who guided me through this last week.

Nord Norsk Klatreskole provided nice accommodations, wholesome tasty meals and great climbing experiences every day of my stay. Rain or shine. In fact we had far more rain than shine, but it never compromised the experience.

The instructors were obviously passionate not only about climbing and alpinism itself, but also about teaching. They were high in spirits even when the conditions made their job a lot harder. We shared the joys of climbing and laughter was never far away. In addition to their undeniable passion for climbing, they were masters of their trade as well. All of them skilled and experienced climbers, and the course leaders had many years behind them at Nord Norsk Klattreskole. A Danish instructor had been there so long, you might mistake him for a native based on his accent.

The school is also located in a spectacular part of Norway, with jagged peaks, ocean, sky and not much else. The rock is solid, gives great friction and routes are usually well protected. Some of Norway’s most famous mountains are in Lofoten, among others Vågakallen, Presten and Svolværgeita.

Lofoten is simply a climbing paradise. Don’t miss it.

Everything was wet. Yet we climbed. Amazing Kalle Bay.

Wednesday showed us Kalle Bay in sunshine. No wonder this area is called Paradise.

Mikkel is sublimely happy with his belay position after the first pitch on Gandalf.

The view of Henningsvær from Gandalf Wall

Line doing a bit of exposed climbing on Guns’n Roses at Gandalf Wall

Sometimes you just need to sit down and take it all in.

The first all student crew up Pianohandler Lunds Rute with instructors standin by. Second pitch. Peachy.

The route starts from the pole at he bottom and goes all the way up. 5 pitches. Nice route to start off on.

The sadness comes

Today I packed all my gear into the little Skoda and headed up to my parents place in Finnsnes. And as I turned out of the parking lot and started to put Henningsvær behind me, a sadness came over me.

I have met some truly wonderful people in Lofoten. Chance encounters far, far away from home, strong connections, possibly life changing stuff. I hope some of them will stop by and read this, since I don’t know that I expressed my appreciation during the week. Thanks for the support, laughs and belays.

And Mona, if you read this, I think the gold nut I borrowed is on the black and white rack. Sorry I forgot to get it back to you.

Climbing in Lofoten is unlike anything I have seen before. At home in Oslo I am a cragrat, crushing between the trees. In Lofoten I was exposed to climbing on a completely different level. It felt like I could see all the way to the ends of the ocean from the top of the routes we did. And we climbed in strong winds and pounding rains. Weather, rock, fairytale landscapes and the pure joy of climbing. And so many laughs.

So yeah, leaving Lofoten behind sparked a deep sadness in me. I still feel it as I write this. I think I have fallen in love.

Expedition Galdhøpiggen posted.

Just posted my trip to the summit of Galdhøpiggen, the highest mountain in Norway at 2469 meters. In words (quite a few) and pictures (not as many).

Check it out here. The pics at least. 😉