Norwegian Mountains

Hjortahorgi, 1351m
Skjemmehorgi, 1350m (not ranked)
Torfinnshorgi, 1343m
Hermannsnuten, 1219m (not ranked)

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Voss
Maps : 1316-III Voss (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : Hjortahogi: 1103m
Primary factor : Torfinnshorgi: 153m
Primary factor : Skjemmehorgi: 80m
Hiked : Aug 1999, Oct 2004
See also : Skorane
See also : Kaldenuten
See also : Eggjane
Hjortahorgi seen from Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet

Hjortahorgi seen from Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet

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Introduction

Hjortahorgi ("Deer mountain") is the high point on a large mountain plateau between Voss and Hardangerfjorden. There are two large lakes on this plateau - Torfinnsvatnet and Bjølsegrøvvatnet. There are no higher mountains towards the west and the ocean. The views from the summit are simply astounding, as you can see most of the significant mountains in central Hordaland. The tremendous views are due to Hjortahorgi's central location and to the high primary factor. In fact, only Folgefonna S. have a higher primary factor in Hordaland. Folgefonna S. and Hjortahorgi are the only mountains in Hordaland whose primary factor exceed 1000m. As there are only 85 Norwegian mountains in this category, this adds an extra "feature" to the mountain.

As said, the views are astounding. From the summit, you have a good view towards (I mention only some) Raundalsegga, Vassfjøra, Hardangerjøkulen, Store Ishaug, Hårteigen, Folgefonnhalvøya mountains including the glaciers, Rosendal alps, Ulvanosa, Tveitakvitingen, Fuglafjellet, the rest of the Kvamskogen/Bergsdalen high mountains, Kvitanosi (Stølsheimen), Lønahorgi, Fresvikbreen and Syrdalsbreen. If your're looking for a Hordaland 101 introduction, then Hjortahorgi is probably the place to go. Unfortunately, Hjortahorgi does not stand out because of the flat plateau. Like Kaldenuten, Skjemmehorgi and Torfinnshorgi, Hjortahorgi is hard to identify when viewed from distance. But don't let the lack of characteristic features outweigh the amazing views.

Although Hjortahorgi is located quite central in the western part of Hordaland, the mountain is a bit off the beaten track. With a quick pace and knowledge of direct routes, it is possible to reach the mountain within 3 hours, but the easier routes take longer time. This page will describe access from Hornaberg near lake Hamlagrøvatnet and from Tesdalen - a more direct ascent.

Primary factor:

Hjortahorgi (1351m) has a primary factor of 1103m towards the higher Horndalsnuten (1461m). The saddle is found near the Voss - Granvin road, just west of Monsvatnet. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 250m contours on the high route, but not 245m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 248m.

Torfinnshorgi (1343m) has a primary factor of 153m towards the higher Hjortahorgi (1351m). The saddle is found near the east side of lake Vetle Torfinnsdalsvatnet. Ref. M711 map (20m contours), you cross the 1200m contours on the high route, but not 1180m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 1190m.

Skjemmehorgi (1350m) has a primary factor of 80m towards the higher Hjortahorgi (1351m). The saddle is found on the high ridge between the two tops. Ref. M711 map (20m contours), you cross the 1280m contours on the high route, but not 1260m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 1270m.

Height

On the older versions of the Voss map, Skjemmehorgi appeared as the highest mountain (1351m). On Skjemmehorgi summit, this height is carved into wooden plank on the summit cairn. Hjortahorgi's height was 1m lower - 1350m. On the new Voss map, the situation is now opposite.

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Tesdalen - Torfinnshorgi - Hjortahorgi - Hermannsnuten round-trip (summer/autumn)

Difficulty : Class 2
Exposure : No
Comments : Long and strenous hike
Distance : Approx. 17Km round-trip
Time : Approx. 7-9 hours (w/o pause)
Starting Elev.: Approx. 500m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 1200m

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Voss (coming from Bergen), go straight ahead ("Gjernes") in the main junction by the traffic light. Do not follow highway E16 towards Oslo (left). Drive approx. 300m towards Gjernes, then turn right. Immediately after you've turned right, turn left towards "Rong". Follow the road towards Rong for approx. 8,2Km. The road Y-forks here. Turn right and follow a gravel down to the river. Cross the river via a bridge. After the bridge (700m from the Y-fork), turn left in the upcoming junction. Drive up to the Tesdalen farms and proceed up a narrow forest road (you will see trailsigns here). You may drive approx. 1,4Km with a small passenger car. You will see a trailsign towards "Roksbotnen", pointing two ways. The sign means you can walk up on either side of the river from Roksbotnen. Find parking nearby. Your hike will begin and end here.

The route

Torfinnshorgi

Follow the forest road upwards. The forest road runs all the way up to Roksbotnen, and you see a hut to your left across the meadow. You will be passing this hut upon your descent. Proceed across the meadow (not in the direction of the hut) and gradually aim for a distinct grassy hillside. A stream from lake 1145m comes down here. Hike up on the stream's south side (to the left of the stream, looking upwards). You may see a path here and there. Don't spend time trying to follow the paths.

After passing 900m elev., you arrive a small waterfall coming down cliffs from the lake. Turn left and climb up slabs. If the slabs are wet, then choose a route near the cliffband above you. Alternatively, cross the stream from the waterfall and hike up to the right of the waterfall. In dry conditions, simply head up to your left. Assuming you climbed up the slabs, you will enter the high plateau east of Torfinnshorgi, and soon you should have the mountain in view. A snowfield on Torfinnshorgi's east side is a good route to follow up to the summit, which is marked by a proper cairn.

Hjortahorgi

Descend southwest from Torfinnshorgi (bypassing the steep south cliffs) and follow a small valley down to lake Vetla Torfinnsdalsvatnet. Follow the west shore (narrow at one place) to the drain from the lake. You can cross here. Proceed directly south and use the snowfields to gain the high ridge between Skjemmehorgi and Hjortahorgi. Then turn west and continue towards Hjortahorgi summit, which is marked by a proper cairn. If you find the snowfields difficult to follow, then seek further east (closer to Skjemmehorgi) before you ascend the ridge.

Skjemmehorgi, Hermannsnuten

From Hjortahorgi, follow the high ridge to Skjemmehorgi, whose summit is marked by a proper cairn. The terrain is bumpy, but you already know this from your ascent. From Skjemmehorgi, proceed southeast down to a lake below point 1309m. The terrain is rough here, and you will have to look for the best route for descending. Walk around the lake on the south side and ascend up to the ridge towards Skjemmehovudet. You pass Fuglahorgi on the north side. Follow the high ridge until you have a clear view towards Hermannsnuten. Then set your course directly towards the peak. The summit is marked by a small cairn.

Descent

From Hermannsnuten, descend to the southeast until you are below the cliffs. Head north and locate the first stream that drains from the plateau, and all the way down to the valley. The stream may be dry, and then you will need to figure out the drain. Descend down Roksbotnen by (more or less) following this stream downwards. This is rough terrain, and a long cliffband allows for only a few passages. Some routefinding is necessary unless you paid good attention to this hillside on your way up the mountain. Once down at 740m elev. you will find a trail that runs towards the hut in Roksbotnen. Follow this trail all the way down to Tesdalsstølen cabins. You will see a gravel road below the cabins. Do not enter the gravel road. Instead, seek left and locate a trail and a trailsign. Then go left and follow the trail down to the river. Cross the river via a bridge and follow the river shore back to the gravel road you drove up.

Trip Report Oct 09 2004

Torfinnshorgi

Good weather forecast for the week-end. I called my friend Torbjørn and checked if his schedule permitted a good walk in the mountains. It did, and we discussed various options before we settled for Hjortahorgi. I knew that Hjortahorgi had been on Torbjørn's wish list for some time. I had done Hjortahorgi a few years ago, but not the neighbour Torfinnshorgi. So, we decided to go for both.

We left Bergen early morning and by the time we arrived Voss, the fog hung low. We took it for granted that we would rise above the fog pretty soon, and 10 minutes after turning onto the road towards Rong, this assumption became true. It was simply a beautiful morning. I was driving cautious, as the temperature was down to 0 deg. C, and I had summer tires on. We stopped by a farm in Tesdalen and got some useful trail information from a local farmer. We drove all the way up to a cabin where we would need a 4WD car to continue. We parked next to the cabin, and by 08:50AM, we were on our way up the 4WD road towards Roksbotnen.

We didn't have a specific plan about where to ascend the mountain. The inner valley was in the shadows, and we anticipated an icy hike if we attempted a route up there. A distinct ridge in the inner valley caught our attention. It looked like there might be problems gaining this ridge, as it rose quite steep from the valley. On our way down from Hermannsnuten later in the day, we saw that there probably would have been no problems following this ridge upwards. Instead, we chose to walk up along the stream from lake 1145m. From being a slightly cold morning, it was now a hot day, and several layers of clothes had to come off during this ascent.

The further route up to the mountain plateau suggested switchbacking between slabs before we got to easier terrain. After ascending a small snowfield, we were on the mountain plateau and had a clear view towards Torfinnshorgi. We headed towards the mountain and ascended via a larger snowfield. By 11:10AM, we were standing on Torfinnshorgi summit. The hike up had taken us 2h:20m. Troll (my small dachshund) had walked up to Roksbotnen. I had carried him from there, but as we entered the mountain plateau - and the snow - he walked on his own up to Torfinnshorgi.

We certainly enjoyed the break on Torfinnshorgi. This was a tremendous viewpoint, and we could see most of the significant mountains in central Hordaland. We took great pleasure in identifying almost every single distinct peak in the horizon. I felt pleasure in knowing I had been to most of them, and Torbjørn has also put his feet on a great number of significant mountains in this region.

Hjortahorgi

My main goal for the day had been reached. Now it was time to give Torbjørn what he came up here for. I put Troll in the backpack and we left Torfinnshorgi. We found a good route down to lake Vetla Torfinnsdalsvatnet. During the descent we saw a huge flock of grouse - more than 30 in total. They were most likely taking a sunbath in the sunny hillside below Torfinnshorgi. I felt happy not seeing any hunters around. It was much more recreational seeing this flock in motion, rather than dead. Right there and then, shotguns didn't match the pretty picture.

From the lake, we crossed the drain to lake Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet and climbed directly up to the ridge between Skjemmehorgi and Hjortahorgi. The snow had been a pleasure to walk on, as it wasn't too deep. When we had to climb up some slabs in order to gain the high ridge, the small amount of snow made the slabs a bit slippery, and we had to look for a good route up to the ridge. Even the best route required some efforts. Nothing difficult. Just a bit cumbersone.

We reached Hjortahorgi summit 12:35PM. The summit was quite cold, and we didn't stay longer than it took to do a few rounds of pictures. The views from Hjortahorgi of course were even better than from Hjortahorgi, but we decided to move on.

Skjemmehorgi

Skjemmehorgi is, in my "book", not an independent mountain. However, I was a bit curious to get the altitude reading from my GPS. The GPS had been quite troublesome along the way up to the mountain, but I got it running on Hjortahorgi. The reading on Hjortahorgi was 1362m. Normally, the GPS reads approx. 6m too high. On Hjortahorgi, the difference was 11m. On Torfinnshorgi (1343m), the GPS read 1255m - a 12m difference. When we arrived Skjemmehorgi 13:30PM, the GPS read 1361m - a 11m difference from the official 1350m height. On all summits, the GPS got at least 5 minutes before I did the final reading. The important thing was that Skjemmehorgi was most likely 1m lower than Hjortahorgi.

Hermannsnuten & descent

We descened Skjemmehorgi to the east. It was quite icy down the cliffbands, but we managed. On the way down we came on top of a small lake. This lake wasn't on the map, and it was most likely a snowfield after summer melt. We walked around this lake and got up on the Skjemmuna ridge. We had heard gunshots on our way across the mountain tops, but here we saw the first grouse hunter of the day. The man with the shotgun took away some of the feeling of being "far away" from civilization, but heck, this mountain is big enough to fit everyone.

By 14:55PM, we were on standing on top of Hermannsnuten. This is a proud peak when viewed from below. Coming from above, it was more like a hump. The views were however quite good, and we got a good view down towards Roksbotnen. We already knew that there were good options for descending here, and without any problems, we were soon down in Roksbotnen. We picked up a trail that we followed all the way back to the trailhead. We reached the car 16:20PM, 7,5 hours after we started the hike. An unforgettable day in the mountain was over. It was time to start the 2-hour drive back to Bergen, and live on the memories.

Pictures from the Oct 09 2004 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. On the way to Tesdalen (71KB) 2. Funny dude near Roksbotnen (271KB) 3. Arriving Roksbotnen (153KB) 4. Hermannsnuten (71KB) 5. Starting the ascent (95KB) 6. Interesting ridge deep in Roksbotnen (322KB) 7. Leaving grass for hard rock (172KB) 8. Slippery when wet (206KB) 9. A bath is tempting... (210KB) 10. Torbjorn looking for a way up (162KB) 11. Troll working his way up snow (66KB) 12. View towards Lonahorgi (243KB) 13. On the high plateau (484KB) 14. Lonahorgi (128KB) 15. Raundalsegga (313KB) 16. Grouse on the look-out (112KB) 17. Snowfield below Torfinnshorgi (201KB) 18. Torfinnshorgi summit (621KB) 19. Kvitanosi seen from Torfinnshorgi (461KB) 20. Northeast view from Torfinnshorgi (482KB) 21. Summit view from Torfinnshorgi (590KB) 22. Summit view from Torfinnshorgi (611KB) 23. Summit view from Torfinnshorgi (380KB) 24. Troll and the famous backpack (86KB) 25. Lake Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet (278KB) 26. Descending Torfinnshorgi (281KB) 27. On the way to Hjortahorgi (184KB) 28. On the way to Hjortahorgi (141KB) 29. On the way to Hjortahorgi (95KB) 30. On the way to Hjortahorgi (84KB) 31. On the way to Hjortahorgi (69KB) 32. On the way to Hjortahorgi (189KB) 33. Haarteigen seen from near Hjortahorgi (148KB) 34. Hjortahorgi ahead (283KB) 35. Hjortahorgi summit (548KB) 36. Hjortahorgi summit view (682KB) 37. Hjortahorgi summit view (585KB) 38. Hjortahorgi summit view (751KB) 39. Me on Hjortahorgi (120KB) 40. Ulvanosa seen from Hjortahorgi (158KB) 41. On the way to Skjemmehorgi (97KB) 42. Skjemmehorgi summit (342KB) 43. Skjemmehorgi summit view (397KB) 44. Rosendal alps seen from Skjemmehorgi (103KB) 45. Troll on Skjemmehorgi (212KB) 46. Further route from Skjemmehorgi (383KB) 47. Small lake below Skjemmehorgi (160KB) 48. Eggjane (274KB) 49. Icy lake near Hermannsnuten (112KB) 50. Hermannsnuten ahead (434KB) 51. Ridge deep in Roksbotnen seen from above (204KB) 52. Roksbotnen (374KB) 53. Hermannsnuten summit (164KB) 54. Hermannsnuten summit view (355KB) 55. Descending Hermannsnuten (112KB) 56. Local challenges (144KB) 57. Roksbotnen (228KB) 58. Hermannsnuten (104KB) 59. Troll in Roksbotnen (161KB) 60. Tesdalstolen (178KB)

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Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Hornaberg - Hjortahorgi around lake Torfinnsvatnet (summer/autumn)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : No
Comments : Long and strenous hike
Distance : Approx. 26Km round-trip
Time : Approx. 9-11 hours (w/o pause)
Starting Elev.: Approx. 590m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 950m

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
(No Javascript)

Access

From Bergen, follow E16 towards Oslo. At Dale, approx. 33,2Km after you exit Arnanipatunnelen outside Indre Arna, turn right and follow the Bergsdalen road upwards. Approx. 32Km after you left highway E16, turn right towards "Hornaberg".

As an alternative, continue another 30,1Km on highway E16 from Dale and turn left towards Hamlagrø. Follow signs to Hamlagrø and after 11,9Km, turn left towards Hornaberg.

From the Hornaberg junction, drive 1,3Km and find parking in the cabin village.

The route

Walk up a short hill, and exit right when you reach a telephone pole with "T" painted on it. At the last cabin on your left, turn left and follow the "T" trail upwards to Torfinnsheim hut by lake Torfinnsvatnet.

At Torfinnsheim, turn left and follow the "T" trail all the way to "Timeglaset" ("the hourglass") near Torfinnshorgi. This is a very distinct rock, and you will soon understand where the name comes from. Leave the trail here. Pass lake 1243m to the west and descend to the western drain of lake Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet. Walk the shore towards Hjortahorgi's northwest side and proceed up to the summit.

From Hjortahorgi, walk west/southwest (off-trail) to the upper part of the Gili canyon. Find a route on the east side of the river from lake Giltjørni. At times, this canyon is slightly cumbersome, but there are no signficant obstacles. Down by lake Torfinnsvatnet (Blindtarmen), locate the "T" trail that follows the western shore back to the Torfinnsheim hut.

A good option is to sleep over at the hut before starting on this long hike. Drive up on a Friday afternoon. It only takes you about an hour or so up to the hut.


Pictures from other hikes:

1. Timeglaset (213KB) 2. Lake Store Torfinnsdalsvatnet (199KB) 3. Lake Torfinnsvatnet (205KB) 4. Bjolsegrovvatnet mountains seen from Storegroeggi (472KB) 5. West view from Byrseteggi (802KB) 6. Hermannsnuten is a landmark (117KB) 7. It was nice to see Tesdalen again (173KB) 8. Haugane lies ahead of me (317KB) 9. Summit view from Haugane (689KB) 10. Summit view from Haugane (238KB) 11. Graasida by Voss (420KB) 12. Torfinnsvatnet detail (336KB) 13. Lake Torfinnsvatnet (436KB) 14. Eggjane near Torfinnsvatnet (225KB) 15. Voss-Hardangerfjorden region

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