The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Traverse of the Jotunheimen, Norway

For nine months I had been anticipating this trip to Norway. While I had considered several different itineraries in Norway, the high in-country costs and desire to do a multi-day trek led me to choose KE’s 8 day trip to the highest mountains in the country. Although not high even by European standards, with tree line at about 900 meters (3000 ft) and considering the ruggedness and remoteness of the Jotunheimen (literally Home of the Giants), it proved indeed a proper trek. I’ll take you through the day-to-day hikes accompanied by a few of my Samsung phone photos.

Day 1: Gyjendesheim to Memurubu via the Besseggen Ridge

Length 15.4 km; Elevation gain 1,180 m

Without a doubt this is the post popular day hike in Norway, and for good reason. We arrived the prior afternoon at Gyjendesheim Hut (actually a hotel) right on the Gjende Lake. As a boat would take most of our kit to our next hut, we needed only a day pack, which was just as well. The sunny weather of the day prior was just a memory. . .

Above Gyjendesheim at the start of the hike
View to Gyjendesheim on the initial ascent
Velvetbells (Bartsia alpina)
Veslfjellet (1743m) summit group photo in the mist. Our high point of the day.
Our descent route with Bessvatnet (r) and Gjende lakes
Glacier crowfoot (Ranunculus glacialis), the highest growing flower of Norway, it has been found above 2300 m.

Day 2: Relocation day

The weather today effectively put the kibosh to actually traversing the Jotunheimen. Our intent had been to walk over a high pass from our previous hut to Spiterstulen Hut, but with bad weather forecast the decision was made to forgo the 25 km walk with 1330 m elevation gain, which because of our less than quick pace, would have got us into Spiterstulen well into the evening. Instead, we took a boat trip back to Gyjendesheim, followed by two public buses with a four hour connection in the mountain town of Lom to reach Spiterstulen in the late afternoon. I used the layover in civilization to good effect, replacing my years-old Keen hiking boots that were on their last legs (so to speak), and critically, not at all water-resistant, with Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite Mid Gore-Tex hiking boots for sale in a local mountain shop. A vast improvement!

Memurubu quay view. Shown in the ferry that will take us back to Gyjendesheim to catch the first of two buses. Public transport in Norway is superb.
The famous Lom Stave Church, dating from around 1170. It is a triple nave stave church that uses free-standing inner columns to support a raised section in the ceiling of the main nave.
Bovra River, Lom. Note the zip line on the left, which was closed that day due to high water.

Day 3: Svellnosbrean Glacier explore

Length 10.4 km; Elevation gain 760 m

The weather continued poorly the following day, so Peter our guide reversed the next two day’s hikes. As we were spending three nights at the Spiterstulen hut (actually more a hotel that a mountain hut), this was no big deal. A leisurely start as we vainly hoped for the weather improvement saw us making some swollen creek crossings late in the morning. . .

A stream crossing early in the hike. Some hut workers (in red) are installing a temporary bridge for us here.
View on the moraine ascent towards glacier. I took few photos as most of the hike we were either roped up and wearing crampons or it was raining. The glacier walking was surprisingly enjoyable, despite my having a fair amount of experience. Our novice group did very well winding our way around the crevasses for a couple of hours.

Day 4: Spiterstulen to Galdhøpiggen summit (2469 m)

Length 13.3 km; Elevation gain 1,480 m

This was my most-anticipated day of the trip: climbing to the summit of the highest mountain in Norway. Well rested (I had upgraded to a single room for the three nights in Spitestulen) and with superb weather, it did not disappoint. . .

Purple mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositfolia). Peter gave us plenty of time to stop and take photos on the long ascent.
The Keilhaus Topp and Galdhopiggen Summit (behind). We had to cross numerous snow fields, but no ropes or crampons were needed.
View of a glacial pond and distant mountains from Galdhopiggen summit
The Vagabond Hiker on Galdhopiggen summit (2469 m), highest point in Norway
The summit hut, a great place for a hot chocolate, and worth every Kroner

Day 5: Spiterstulen to Leirvassbu

Length 16.2 km; Elevation gain 640 m

After two day hikes from Sputerstulen it was time to move on, continuing generally west in the Jotunheimen.

Some of our group crossing a bridge in the morning on a day of (mostly) gentle ascent.
Kyrkja (l) view. This attractive peak was an option that none of us took up after another long day.
View from Leirvassbu hut. Once again, it was more a hotel and I upgraded to an en-suite single room.

Day 6: Leirvassbu to Skogadalsbøen

Length: 20.6 km; Elevation gain 350 m

Billed primarily as a downhill hike today, it felt anything but. The wildflowers were spectacular, however on the final two days of trekking.

A view early the following morning looking down the Gravdalen Valley. Our two days of good weather had vanished for the remainder of the trek, though to be fair it never got really horrendous.
Mountain-heath (Phyllodoce caerulea)
Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea)
Gravdalsdammen provides a part of Norway’s electricity, 92% of which is hydropower.
Cranesbill (possibly Geranium sylvaticum). These geraniums were ubiquitous the last couple of days trekking.
Arctic starflower (Lysimachia europea)
Hiding amongst the geraniums, possibly a wood violet (Viola riviniana)
Gravdalen Valley stream
View of mountains and the Storutla River

Day 7: Skagadalsboen to Utadalen

Length 19.0 km; Elevation gain 850 m

Our final full day of trekking as Day 8 was to be a one hour walk out to a bus stop at the road head. While primarily downhill, we still managed about 2800 ft of elevation gain!

One of Skogadalsboen’s traditional huts. The accommodations had become more rustic, though enjoyable nonetheless.
Dwarf cornel (Cornus suecica), a near constant companion as the elevation decreased.
Common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)
View above Avdalen.
An old hut above Avdalen. Many of these huts have been abandoned as some rural areas have been depopulated.
A torrent
Heath spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), the second of two orchid species spotted.
More Avdalen huts, featuring the traditional sod roofs
Vettisfossen, at 275 m the longest free waterfall in Norway, and the undisputed highlight of our final day trekking.

Our final night was a home stay with a charming local farming family. Although I took a few more pictures, the Vettifossen seems a great final photo so I’ll stop my journey across the Jotunheimen here.

Although only 4 to 5 hours by bus from the modern capital city of Oslo, the Jotunheimen stands a world apart. And, despite some unstable weather, the end of June was an excellent time to go, shortly after the huts had opened for the season, but before the summer crowds descended (or more properly, ascended).

I am now once again in the Val d’Aosta in the Italian Alps, this time for more than a month. My next blog should include some of this wonderful landscape and the alpine flora that peaks in early summer.

The Vagabond Hiker

Tragedy on Marmolada

Returning to northern Italy yesterday from Oslo, Norway, I was barraged with images and commentary from the Italian Dolomites, perhaps my favorite mountains in the world. After little winter snow and extreme heat the prior month, a serac on the Marmolda glacier had collapsed. Marmolada is the highest peak in the Dolommites and features a very popular Via Ferrata to Punta Penia, its summit. Seracs are stabilized by persistently cold weather, so the severe global heating in the Alps in recent decades has not only melted 80% of the Marmolada glacier’s volume, it has causes this beautiful landscape to be an increasing source of danger to alpinists. I had climbed the Via Ferrata Marmolada in 2018 with a guided group (see my post from September of that year). Below are some photos taken both by me and another client, Ron, who was our unofficial photographer, highlighting the Marmolada glacier.

Marmolada (3,443 m, 10,968 ft), the highest peak in the Dolomites, taken from Via Ferrata Trincee three days prior to our ascent. Our route was around to the right (North) here.

Our group photo at the start of the Marmolada Classico. Walter, our guide, is on the left and I am in the yellow t-shirt. The glacier is behind us here.
Ascending an ice field on Marmolada. Note the complete lack of snow this low on the mountain late in the season. Here I am leading the ascent.
Ascending a snow field on Marmolada, leading to the West Ridge.
Crossing the Marmolada glacier just below a crevice. Intersections of crevasses can create seracs.
Descending the Marmolada glacier snow field. Note the crevasse. ahead of us

My thoughts are with those killed, injured, or still missing on Marmolada.

This week I will be working on a blog from another amazing mountain range I trekked across last week, the Jotunheimen in Norway. Stay safe outdoors.

The Vagabond Hiker

Inland walks in Devon

Apart from the five days hiking along the South West Coast Path from my most recent blog post, I spent the last four weeks walking some of the many inland paths, including some of the more popular walks in Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks, as well as some local walks that required less driving time. From these dozen or so walks, I have distilled the following photos that I hope will give a flavor of the variety of Devon’s landscapes and nature.

Local Walks

In contrast to a 45 minutes to an hour plus drive necessary from my AirBnb in the mid-Devon village of Cheriton Fitzpaine for the closer of the national park walks, the local walks ranged from one right outside my door to about a 30 minute drive to reach the Exe River in the lovely city of Exeter.

A country lane on a Coombland Circular walk, about 20 minutes from my home
Surprisingly, bluebells were still in bloom at the end of May in Coombland
A typical Devon countryside vista seen on a circular walk from my house in Cheriton Fitzpaine
A field of barley near Cheriton Fitzpaine
View of the River Exe at the Quay in the city of Exeter. A 6 mile loop walk along the river was a great way to experience this lovely cathedral city.
The River Exe from Belle Isle Park in Exeter. This one park prohibits cycling and dogs, and as such is a peaceful oasis.
Countess Wear paper mill building along the river just south of Exeter. Some structures here date from the 17th century.
Gentrified apartments along the river in Exeter

Exmoor National Park

From my mid-Devon AirBnb in Cheriton Fitzpaine, I was about equidistant from the two national parks, the more wooded Exmoor and the higher, more rugged-feeling Dartmoor.

Exmoor, formerly a royal forest and hunting ground, is an area of wooded vales and hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon counties, named for the River Exe, whose source is in near its center. It was designated a national park in 1954.

Vista with a herd of about 40 Roe Deer, seen on a circular hike around Dunkery Beacon, the high point in Exmoor. This hike was technically in Somerset, not Devon.
Exmoor Ponies near Dunkery Beacon
Tarr Steps and Tarr Farm near the start of a circular walk to the village of Withypool. At 54 meters in length, the late medieval Tarr Steps is by far the longest clapper bridge in England.
The River Barle between Tarr Farm and Withypool. The long distance Two Moors Path follows the river here, connecting the south and north Devon coasts.
St Andrews church in the village of Withypool
A Withypool Cafe scone with jam and cold cream. A great snack break! And no, I didn’t consume all that cream.

Dartmoor National Park

Covering about 370 square miles, Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon that has been protected by National Park status since 1951. The landscape consists of moorland capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors. While it provides innumerable hiking opportunities, but because of its size I focused my efforts on the eastern and northern portions that were closer to my home.

View towards Yes Tor and High Willhays from near the trailhead at the (disused) Meldon Quarries
High Willhays summit cairn vista. At 621 meters (2,039 feet), it is the highest point in the park, indeed in all of southern England. This and the following photo were taken with my Panasonic Lumix. All others were taken using my Samsung A52 phone.
Vista with clouds on the descent from High Willhays. Far more dramatic than a blue sky!
Teign Gorge through which its namesake river flows. I did a 9 mile loop walk with Maggie through the gorge and on the hillsides above.
Dartmoor ponies grazing, hopefully not on the foxglove!
Teign River reflection in Teign Gorge
Fingle Bridge from the nearby cafe where we re-hydrated with a well earned soda water and lime
A house in the village of Scorriton at the start of a 9 mile circular walk I did last week up onto Holne Moor
PUDC boundary standing stone on Ryder’s Hill. The Paignton and Urban District stones, placed about every 200 meters, mark the catchment boundary of the nearby Venford Reservoir. (No, I did not know that at the time).
Cottongrass on Holne moor. My walk encompassed three separate hills, the highest of which was Ryder’s Hill.
Wild Dartmoor ponies near Ryder’s Hill summit.
Haytor (r) and Haytor rocks (l) from the Haytor car park. This short (5 mile) circular walk featured some very interesting scrambling opportunities and seemed much longer than the actual mileage.
View from Haytor towards the west. Maggie can be seen on the lower left.
The Vagabond Hiker standing on a rock slab at Houndtor. (Photo courtesy of Maggie).
Maggie at a Dartmoor stream near Houndtor. The riparian landscape provided a stark contrast to the nearby uplands.

When this blog posts, I will be in the midst of trekking in Norway, in the highest and one of the most rugged mountain ranges that country boasts: The Jotunheimen. Those eight days will be the subject of my next blog. Until then, enjoy the great outdoors wherever you happen to be.

The Vagabond Hiker

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