Later the path made a rising contour traverse to the base of Mellomfjellet. The was a complex undulating plateau with a few tarns and a lot of up and down. This part of the journey took longer than expected, with me wondering when I would finally start to descend. The descent started properly at the minor summit of Skallen. Soon I was back down below the tree line. The path on this route was generally good by Norwegian standards being well worn and dry. Getting to Trollheimenshytta involved back tracking along the river to a new bridge location, the old bridge having been swept away by floods. It was warm down in the valley and finally I got the box of matches I needed. They were free too, not part of the shop inventory apparently.
My new destination was Snota, a shapely summit to the west. Diespite its appearance from afar, it is a complex mountain and the way up to the summit would not be immediately obvious were it not for the marked path. The approach to it from Trollheimshytta was both long and rather wet. The climb out of the forest was up a boggy eroded path broken by patches of marshy grass. It was only the traverse across the minor plateau of Bossvasshøgda that offerred any respite from the otherwise tortuous conditions. Soon the path descended into the basin of Bossvatnet for some more bog trotting before finally reaching a junction where the path for Snota headed off west. I ascended to the lip of a shallow corie where cropped heather and extensive views awaited. It had taken nearly four hours to get from the hut to this point, a distance of only 7km with 550m ascent. The day was a bright one, and it was the first day when I needed serious amounts of sun cream. I hate the stuff as it always leave my skin feeling dirty and manky. A good wash of myself and my clothes that evening was very welcoming. Thurday 1st September
This was a point of some concern for me. The path crossed the top of this glacier to the neck where you join a larger glacier. My concern was crevasses, however all the literature and anecdotes suggested that this route was safe from such problems, so long as I stuck to the route. A series of large red T's were painted on the rock wall at the top of the lower glacier, assuring me of the correct way - however the edge of a glacier near such a rock wall is where you normally get bergschrunds. I opted for caution and kept a modest distance away.  Deep crevasses beneath Snota Once past the glaciers, you reach the final summit ridge where progress to the summit is straightforward. The summit cliffs join in a sharp V here. With stepp drops all three sides, summit has a commanding stance. Looking straight down on to the glacier below lie deep yawning crevasses. Out to the west and south lie some of the more shapely summits of Trollheimen while to the east lies the great bulk of Trollhøtta and to the north lie the gentler hills before the Norwegian coast. It took 1 ½ hours to reach the summit from my tent and just an hour to get back down to it. After packing up, I returned back to Trollheimshytta along the sodden paths I took yesterday. The winds were strong as was the sun, a recipe for dehydration and a source of dangerous comfort should you not feel the need to continually put on suncream. The thermometer at the hut registered 20oC, not bad for the first day in September! After lunch, I headed north and then east for the summit of Trollhøtta. Progress was slow, but only due to my discomfort in the heat of the valley. Once I hit the steeper slope, the path dried out and I become more exposed to the stronger wind, providing a degree or two of relief. At 900m, the path levelled out on the edge of a exposed plain below the summit of Trollhøtta. Here I camped by one of the numerous streams. The wind was strong, but seamingly coming from any direction, so it was difficult to get shelter in my porch. My plan tomorrow was to bag the summit, return to my tent and then intercept the path heading north to Ringdal. The view out west was starting to look menacing again.  Dark threatening clouds Friday 2nd September Depsite the early rain, the weather dried off a little with visibility remaining good. The clouds above were overcast and thick, but rather high up. The terrain I was walking through was much more rounded and gentle than of late, slowly departing from the the wilder mountains. The path descended down to a narrow stream between the two large lakes of Ytre and Austre Bøluvatnet. Out west, thick cloud was rolling in and slowly smothering the mountains one by one. Soon it would be my turn, and soon after light persistant rain started falling. The rain had settled in for the rest of the day. Nothing escaped the cloud, and keeping to the path became a challenge. At the altitude of just 700m, the vegetation was generally rather thick and I was hoping my planned camping spot beside a stream would be suitable enough to camp on. A 2pm, I found the perfect spot and after lunch I took a long afternoon nap. At 10pm, the rain finally cleared, the temperature plummeted, and I had my first view of the lights of civilisation 10km away in the valley of Surnadal. With hindsight, it isn't a route I would choose again, it's not a grand finale to the trip.  The last day, and my clearest Saturday 3rd September The day dawned bright with some of the clearest skies I had seen for the whole trip. The path continued its descent down to the tree line before crossing a stream it had been following for 3km. After 2km of bog trotting in the forest I finally arrived at a forest track taking back down to the familiar sounds of people going about their daily lives around Rindal. This was the end of my walk. Up until this point, I had only spent 100kr since landing in Oslo, a complete disgrace by the standards of any tourist board. Now I had the task of trying to get to Trondheim. I generally plan my route to finish on a bus/rail route. However hitchhiking is always my first resort. After 2hours of trying for a lift, I gave up and simply waited patiently for the bus. This was the worst experience of hitchhiking, and was a huge contrast to my success at the beginning of the trip. Eventually the bus arrived, relieving me of 150kr for the short 100km trip to Trondheim. Arriving in Trondheim, I had my first Hot Dog of the trip, mmmmmm! Now it was just a matter of finding a campsite near the airport and resting my head on grass for the last time. Washing myself under a hot shower was most welcome. The next day I cuaght the first bus to the airport and took my flight back to Oslo and onwards back to Manchester. The end of a fine trip, and some rather interesting weather! |
