July 27th: Furu
Camping – Vollan (34 km) plus hike toward Kråkvasstinden
The forecast called for rain
in the morning, then clear weather later in the day, and that turned out to be
quite true. The amount of rain was pretty astounding – I was soaked after just
a quick ride to town for groceries – but we managed to get ourselves fed and
packed everything inside the tent.
We started the ride up the valley
in the pouring rain, following small local roads as long as possible. The rain
started to lighten up a bit after an hour or so, and it was nice to see the
mountains emerge from the clouds! There were a few more serious slopes, but
nothing too hard to manage, and we arrived at the campsite next to the
turquoise river in good time to set up our soggy tent to dry in the sun, and to
eat some lunch before heading on our hike. Getting to the trailhead gave us a
sneak preview of the hill we’ll face again tomorrow morning (4 km at 9% climb)
– we were both drenched in sweat despite not carrying any heavy load!
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The low clouds after the rain
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Removing some layers as the sun came out
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Campsite by the river, and pre-hike application of sunscreen
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We turned off the main road
onto a gravel farm road – still climbing, but much gentler – and (eventually)
found the trailhead. The hiking trail climbed steeply at first, then followed a
pretty flat stretch west just below the treeline, with beautiful views of the
valley and surrounding mountains. Another climb took us to pastureland, and we
continued to climb up – but not on the correct path. I had gotten distracted by
a huge cairn – which did provide a nice view, but didn’t bring us toward to the
lake we had intended to reach. Once we realized our error, we trekked off-trail
through the marsh, rocks, rivers, and snow in the mountain landscape in order
to follow the correct path back down.
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Cycling to the trailhead
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Views during the hike
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Views during the hike
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Despite not reaching our
original target, the hike was definitely enjoyable – the nice weather helps –
and we were glad to have some variety in our physical activity. I’d better get
some rest now if I’m going to get the loaded trailer up the hill, though!
July 28th: Vollan
to Breesgården (20 km) plus a leisurely ride along Gjevilvatnet
We had a windy morning by the
river (which did dry out the tent, at least!) and enjoyed a sunny breakfast as
the clouds rolled in. It was cloudy enough to switch back to regular glasses
(rather than sunglasses) before we rolled out through the mist from the
waterfall next to the road. The big uphill seemed easier than the day before. I
guess that fresh legs really help!
Nonetheless, it was a relief
to get the trailer over that hill. There’s a long gentle downhill and a gentle
uphill the rest of the way to Breesgården. What we really noticed, however, was
the wind. I got a bit scared at one point because the gust was so strong that I
lost all forward speed, and struggled to keep my balance. The gust passed, but we
had to cycle the rest of the way in an unusual formation for us: Dražen in
front to break the wind, with his lighter bags and a bit more power. I usually
like to ride first so that I can see a bit more of the road (and views) ahead.
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Typical farm buildings near Oppdal
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We arrived at Breesgården at
11 am and the weather was looking threatening. The owner of the campsite said
we could just settle in the cabin we had reserved, as it was free. So, we got
to have a mid-day break, and enjoyed some indoor relaxation. Dražen was falling
asleep, and that’s usually a recipe for a bad night, so I managed to convince
him to go for a short, flat ride to get a view of the lake. We made it a bit
longer by following the dirt road on the south side of the lake (about 7.5 km
each way, plus getting there). It was a very pleasant ride, definitely one I
would recommend.
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| Gjevilvatnet |
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| On the road next to the lake |
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From the road next to the lake
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The weather continued to
threaten without actually doing much more than drizzle, and we managed to get
some groceries and back to the little cabin (they might have refurbished a
woodshed…) without getting too wet or cold. Nice to enjoy an indoor evening,
too!
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Home for two nights
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July 29th: Hiking
Storhornet
We got up early – based on the
forecast of afternoon rain – and rode up to the trailhead (a pretty steep hill
to start with!). We started walking around 7 am and enjoyed a sunny trip up
next to the river, then over the treeline and into the snow and rocks. We were
definitely the first people up and it was fun to have the top to ourselves.
(It’s especially nice to be able to change out of a sweaty bra – the wind coming
over the glacier was quite cold). The views from the peak are great, and it’s
interesting to see the different regions at 1500+ m: some areas are really
barren rock, others have pretty significant vegetation, there were even a few
flowers.
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The hike up Storhornet has plenty of opportunities for refilling water bottles.
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On the way up
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Getting close to the top
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View from the peak toward Gjevilvatnet
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Happier at the peak after putting on some extra clothing
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View from the top
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We walked down at a very leisurely pace (the rain seems to have shifted later
in the day) and enjoyed a long break by the river. Quite a few others were on
their way up by then, it seems like a pretty popular hike for families. Now, we
are again enjoying our cabin luxury and watching the rain clouds approach…
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