Norwegian Mountains, Sogn og Fjordane

Orkja (948m), Oct 14 2012


To the main Orkja page (maps, pictures, other trip reports)
 

The route, as seen in Google Earth

The route, as seen in Google Earth
(Click for larger image)

 

In  the beginning of 2012, my girlfriend Anne Rudsengen went to Argentina to climb Aconcagua (6952m). So did a team of three persons from Jølster, but along a different route. Due to sickness and weather, none made it to the top but it had of course been an unforgettable journey and for this evening they had invited friends to come to Skei hotel to see pictures from the trip. This also gave Anne and me the opportunity to hike a mountain in the Jølster region first and we chose to visit Orkja - apparently a nice, quick and easy hike.

 

Orkja

Orkja
(Click for larger image)

 

We didn't know where the route went, so we drove up to Myklebustdalen and asked around. It didn't take long before we had found the trailhead. We headed out 12:15pm.

Although a bit vague in places, the path wasn't very difficult to follow and we made steady progress up the forest. The ascent went without drama of any kind and we reached the summit 1:30pm. There was snow on the summit plateau and ice on the small lakes. Some fun on ice seemed tempting...

 

On top of Orkja

On top of Orkja
(Click for larger image)

 

The Jølster region is completely new territory for me. I have only been on Grovabreen and Såtefjellet, and now Orkja. There were new peaks (to me) as far as the eye could see. This was uplifting and discomforting at the same time...

Now, time for fun on ice! We assessed the ice and figured it would hold. Then we had fun sliding across the lakes until I heard a really bad "CRACK" below me. But fortunately, it was just a warning and I remained dry.

 

Fun on ice

Fun on ice
(Click for larger image)

 

On the way down the mountain, we noticed a very sharp and pointy rock that just screamed out to be climbed, and I wasn't hard to ask...

 

The lonesome rider

The lonesome rider
(Click for larger image)

 

We returned to the trailhead 2:39pm and continued towards Skei Hotel, where we borrowed towels and swimsuits/shorts and had a pleasant hour up in the swimming pool. Then we had a nice dinner before the picture session began. It was fun to see the pictures and the video clips. I sure want to go to that mountain, but I'm not sure I once more really want to experience all the pain that goes with me and high altitude in combination. Time will show...

 

Aconcagua evening

Aconcagua evening
(Click for larger image)

 

Pictures

The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS 60D + Canon EF-S 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 IS +
GoPro HERO2

 

Javascript slideshow

(Full size images)

 

  Flash slideshow

(Images scaled down.
Right-click on images and select 'open in a new window' for full size version)
(No panoramas)

 

 

To Orkja

1. The route 2. Above Byrkjelo 3. Orkja 4. Orkja trailhead 5. Up these stairs... 6. Up this forest road 7. To the left here 8. Yum... 9. To the right here 10. Where is the path? 11. Gaining elevation 12. View towards Grovabreen 13. Getting the overview 14. North, south... 15. On the summit plateau 16. Icy lakes 17. To the summit 18. Testing the ice 19. Anne arriving on the summit 20. On top of Orkja

Wide-angle view from Orkja

21. Wide-angle view from Orkja

Other pics from the top + descent

22. Tindefjellet 23. Blægja 24. Skei 25. Årdalsdalen peaks 26. Peaks above Kjøsnesfjorden 27. View towards Helgheimsdalen and Skjorta 28. Snow is fun... 29. Where is... 30. Fun on ice 31. Fun on ice 32. Fun on ice 33. Fun on rocks 34. Heading down 35. A sharp one 36. A sharp one 37. A sharp one 38. Does this look silly? 39. Orkja

At Skei Hotel

40. Skei Hotel 41. Aconcagua evening. Anne is first out 42. Aconcagua evening 43. Aconcagua evening 44. Aconcagua evening 45. Aconcagua evening

Sunset pics from Kjøsnesfjorden & Skei, Aug 15 2012 (date is wrong on pics)

46. Jølster sunset 47. Jølster sunset 48. Jølster sunset 49. Jølster sunset 50. Jølster sunset 51. Jølster sunset

No Javascript:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

 


westcoastpeaks.com Other Sogn og Fjordane mountains Other Norwegian mountains