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Hemningsfjellet seen from the trail |
Hemningsfjellet is a hill in Austlendingen's backyard. The mountain is fairly easy reached from highway E39 (Bergen - Førde). A good trail takes you to the foot of the mountain, and after a short, but steep bushwalk, you are on the mountain. The views are not exactly extensive. The Austlendingen massif blocks most of the western views, and Gråsida - Blåfjellet range blocks most of the eastern views. You do however get a clear view towards Romarheimsfjorden in the south, but after hiking along the deep valley trail you will appreciate the views you get from the summit.
Primary Factor
Hemningsfjellet has a primary factor of 194m towards the higher Båtevassfjellet. The saddle is found on the east side of lake Båtevatnet. The last adjacent contour lines on the 5m Norgesglasset detail map are 460m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 458m.
Note: Class ratings are in reference to YDS (Yosemite Decimal System).
Note: The trail described below is not necessarily the easiest trail to this mountain.
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Eikemo - Hemningsfjellet (summer/autumn)
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Access
From Bergen, follow highway E39 towards the north. Drive over Nordhordlandsbrua bridge south of Knarvik. The toll fare for passenger cards per Oct. 2003 is NOK 45,-. From the toll booth follow highway E39 for approx. 31,7KM. You have now just gone through the Eikefet tunnel. Exit left towards "Eikemo". Follow the paved road upwards for approx. 1,1Km. You have a bridge in front of you. The trail begins up to your left. Drive across the bridge and park on a turnout on the right hand side of the road. This turnout can hold two cars.
The route
Go back to the start of the trail. The trail is not all that easy to spot from the road, but only after 30m, the trail becomes a proper forest trail. The trail follows the river from Båtevatnet. As the river curves towards the north, you must pass a couple of smaller streams before you cross the river across a bridge. The trail takes you past the Sætre cabins before it climbs towards the Eikemosætri cabins. Along this route you will see a bridge crossing the river. Do not cross here. Just before the bridge, the trail forks. Follow the one to the right. It takes you in a curve around the bridge before it runs back towards the river. Very strange indeed. At Eikemosætri cabins, pass the uppermost cabin on the left hand side and follow the trail towards lake Båtevatnet.
When you have a distinct ridge coming down to your right, leave the trail and locate a route upwards. The angle of the hillside isn't very steep, but the terrain is slightly cumbersome. You might have to use your hands for support now and then. There is however no exposure or dangers involved here. Once you get on the mountain plateau, head north until you reach the high point. The high point is the last high point before the mountain drops down to lake Båtvatnet. There is no summit cairn.
Note that the part of the trail that runs along the river can be extremely slippery when wet. Pay extra attention here.
Rainshowers had been the dominating weather type the last week, and this Saturday didn't start off any different. The term "rainshower" implies a non-contiguous type of rain, and a few rays of sunshine in-between was what I gambled on when I left Bergen. I didn't feel very strong for going hiking, but it was time to bring the dog back to the mountains. We hadn't done a hike together for over two months, due to his extensive summer break. When we left the car 14:00PM, he was all over the place. And even if it was raining cats and ...., I looked forward to the hike and the company. And just as I was leading on up the trail the fur developed the regular attitute and sat down. I gave him my sweetest smile, carried him for a few hundred meters and then put him down. The dog didn't move. I took on the role of the training officer in "An officer and a gentleman". No reaction. So it was backpack time. I swore I would eat his lunch box in front of him when I reached the top.
Suddenly the rain stopped and the sun popped out. I forgot about the mental fur living in my backpack and started enjoying the hike. The trail was excellent, although very slippery. After passing the Eikemosætri cabins, I left the trail and started hiking up the mountain. I zig-zagged on grass turfs, avoiding the slick rock. Higher up it became more cumbersome but it didn't last for long. We reached the summit 15:50PM. The dog started whining for his lunchbox. My nerves were back to normal, and I told him he would get the food if he promised to walk back down. He was just staring back, and I took it as a sign of good will. While the dog was chewing on his "fast-food" box of chicken and God-knows-what, I took a round of pictures. I noticed something grey and evil moving in, and 30 seconds later it was hailing.
After the hail had gone away, it was snowing light. All views were gone and I decided to head back down. The dog looked confused when I gave him the "come on, walk" sign. "WAAAALKKK!" helped much more, and he was running like he never run before. He knows indeed when luck can be pushed no longer. I felt a little sorry for him as we climbed back down to the trail. He fell, bounced and rolled. The terrain was that slippery. But he made it down and seemed very happy when he reached the trail. Going down on the slippery trail was a more risky project than going up. As we passed the Sætre cabins, the rain stopped and the sun came through once more. We reached the car 17:00PM. The dog went to sleep at once. "You're getting old, my friend", I thought to myself while driving away.
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Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.
Pictures are presented in the order they were taken.
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