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Jotunheimen "Norway's Land of the Giants" July 2003 3 Days Jotunheimen National Park in Norway is known as "Home of the Giants" It is located in the heart of Norway and is the biggest mountain range in the country. I thought it would be the perfect place to get off the beaten path in Norway and check out some of its wilderness. Making our way from Bergen by public transportation was not easy task, but as we found- it is possible. We were there for a total of 3 nights- the first 2 nights camping and the 3rd in a DNT mountain hut.
We were the only people on the bus on this dirt road route to the trailhead. I was excited as we drove deeper into the wilderness. Endless mountains could be seen on the horizon. It was not the first time I had taken Sam to some remote places by any means, but I had the feeling she was thinking, "where the $#$% are you taking me."
Sam hard at work preparing for our venture across the national park. We pitched the tent right next door to one of these DNT mountain huts called Eidsbugarden. Norway's law states that it is legal to camp anywhere 200 yards away from any public structure. So we set up our tent and had a bear next door. Notice the mosquito on Sams forehead- they could be nasty here.
We took a short day hike up a river valley.
This is camp on day 1 next to the hut. The next morning we were off to traverse the park. It would be seriously breaking the budget if we ate at the nearby DMT hut next door so we split a snickers for dinner. Sam still teases me about this.
The first mile of so led us along the lake before heading up a ridge. It was unnerving leaving the hut and heading straight into the unknown of this foreign land. Making our way along the lake at the beginning of the day was not easy. It was really wet/muddy and the trail was overgrown in some places. I thought if the whole thing is like this the trek will be a nightmare..
As we got higher above the lake and started making our way to the pass the trail got much better. I am ecstatic to be out here. Away from trains, buses and the endless delays of public transportation. Here I was enjoying the simplicity of walking in a pristine foreign land.
Sam slowly making her way across a scary bridge.
Dan following the train/tarns across this desolate but amazing wilderness.
We started in Eidsbugarden and were on our way to Gjendebu.
This is a picture of the DNT mountain hut. These Norwigians backpack in style. Each one is about a days hike apart through amazing mountains. They are in the middle of nowhere. Its a weird feeling walking all day long and feeling the wilderness set in and then encountering a hut filled with the goods of civilization. Gourmet food and wine is every night. Too expensive for us though. The only time we ate at these was for breakfast. And we also grabbed bread and meat for lunch. I felt like the "poor americans". Sam seen here at the breakfast buffet. Imagine one of these along the John Muir trail!
This is where we camped our 2nd night. Our camp at Gjendubu was along a river and near another mountain hut.
The next morning we had some time to kill. We were waiting for the boat that would take us to the trailhead of a legendary Norweigen traverse. Here I am thinking, if only I had more time to wander these hills. I was looking across the water into another valley filled with glaciers and swirling clouds- I wanted to go in there I thought. No time though, the rest of Europe is a waiting.
The boat picked us up the next morning and took us half way across the lake. You could take it all the way to Gjendesheim but if you did that you would miss the famous ridge hike that so many Norwegians make a pilgrimage to hike. We got off the boat and our packs continued on their way.
The first section of the trail was extremely steep , straight up from the lake. One thing I must mention- The boat dropped us off, but continued with our packs to Gjendesheim. That ended up being a life saver on this long day. Steep hand over hand climbing with those packs on this hike would have destroyed us, I'm sure.
Once on the ridge the view is fabulous. I felt like I was on another planet. Secondary to that was the rain and gusty winds. I was hiking hard up the trail most of the time way ahead of Sam. "He is like a goat," a lady commented to Sam as I powered up another steep climb. Well I guess my trail name was given to me by a old lady in Norway. Perfect.
The rain and wind was relentless but that did not spoil the breathtaking surroundings.
This is it. The trail gets razor thin in places with 2000ft drops at both sides. It is also so steep that hand over hand climbing is required. It was scary. The relentless wind and rain blasting made it worse. I actually liked the fact that there were lots of other people on this trail with us. It gave me Sam and I the feeling, if all these people can do it, we can too. MOVIE
Winds so strong it took the water off the surface of the surrounding lakes.
I am perfectly content in the middle of Norway in the blasting weather. I was in my element living up the moment. Once we got to the top of the steep narrow section we were on top of a large rocky mountain that was shrouded in a massive cloud. I don't have a picture of it, but it was extremely hard to see where the trail was. We basically just followed the silolutes of people in front of us. I hope they know where we are going!!
The hike was a total of 8 hours and we were finally done. Celebration included two $8 beers in the hut. Worth every drop. I remember thinking, I dont know if we would have made it if we had to carry our heavy packs over those ridges with all the rain and wind. That night there was no way we were camping, we were soaked. The hut was at the base of the water and slipping into my dry bag that night never felt so good with a roof over our heads. This pic shows the ridge that we ended up on top on thick with every element imaginable. This last day of hiking was an all-time dayhike. It was insane with the weather and difficulty, but with that makes the end even more rewarding. |
