Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Haddalshornet - Blåtind round trip, Jan 22 2009
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The route, seen from the northwest
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The route, seen from the northeast
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This Thursday was a good weather day, and I wanted a longer evening hike than usual. And preferably while visiting new terrain along the way. The choice fell on a round trip across Haddalshornet and Blåtind, and with a visit to Eiksundsætra along the way.
I started out at Indre Haddal 4pm, while there still was daylight. I followed a path up Hammaren (on which there is a mast) and continued off-trail up Haddalshornet's west side. It was very tempting to follow the hard snow, but there was little grip, and I didn't want to risk a fall. Fortunately, there were other options. There are some steep parts on this route, and with ice all around, one has to be extra careful. I arrived on Haddalshornet summit 4:50pm, after a vertical ascent of 550m.
Darkness falls as I reach Haddalshornet
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I hadn't hiked the ridge between Haddalshornet and Blåtind before, so I was already in "new terrain". I hadn't been to Grøthørnet (595m) either, which I passed 5:13pm. Instead of heading up Blåtind's southwest ridge, I took a direct bearing towards the summit, which I reached 5:26pm.
Blåtind was a very, very windy place, and I had to put on another jacket, the headnecker, and wind-proof gloves over my woollen gloves. It was as dark as the night by now, and it was tempting to just call it a day and descend from the mountain. But I decided to stick with the plan, which included Eiksundsætra. I headed down the southeast ridge, and this descent had its nerve, as I felt I was heading into a dark abyss (the fjord) and moreover, the snowfields were hard and slippery.
But I made it safely down to Eiksundsætra (approx. 400m). The time was now 5:50pm, and I had been walking almost non-stop for two hours. And ahead of me was a 300m re-ascent up Blåtind, via the valley leading up to Hundelaupsvatnet.
A cabin at/near Eiksundsætra
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I hadn't brought anything to drink, which I regretted during the Blåtind re-ascent. But I had brought two mandarines, which tasted heavenly and gave me some needed energy. The weather was still gorgeous, and I enjoyed the silent mountain and the starry sky.
6:20pm, I had re-ascended Blåtind, which was just as windy as when I left it. I immediately headed towards the northwest ridge. This ridge is wide, and I didn't want to end up too far to the south or the north. I pulled my Pila torch out of the backpack, and it came into good use, lighting up the valley below me. I hit the Klungsdalen trail right where I wanted to, and was back at the trailhead 6:56pm, almost 3 hours after leaving it. And - after having satisfied my thirst in the Indre Haddalselva creek. The 1050m vertical gain was quite respectable for an evening hike in January.
I had 6 more mandarines in the car. They were processed in 5 minutes, which is the time it took to drive back home.
