Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Herdalsibba & Kjerringane, Nov 9 2008
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Route to Herdalsnibba
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I did this hike with Svein Myhre (fjellinordvest.net). This hike was some kind of a milestone for Svein, as this was the only Strandadalen peak that he could see from his cabin on Strandafjellet, that he yet hadn't been to. My own Strandadalen portfolio is also gradually growing, and the day before, I had visited Båsenibba and Sætrenibba. But of all the tops surrounding Strandadalen, Emdalstindane is the absolute high point.
I took the 8:30am ferry from Magerholm, and it was a beautiful Sunday morning. I picked Svein up on Strandafjellet, and we were on our way to Herdalsnibba.
Sykkylven peaks, early morning
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We had some information about the
route we would be following, and did not expect any obstacles. We headed out
from the Herdalsbrekka trailhead 9:38am, found a convenient way to cross the
creek and headed up the forest. We found a path up the forest ridge and agreed
that the upper forest was steep. Not steep as in spooky, but our heels
probably never touched ground between 500 and 600m elevation.
After a boulder section, we reached the pass on the mountain ridge and began our hike up the long hillside. "Here comes the pain", I said to myself, quoting a scene from the movie Snake Eyes. The only good thing to be said about this hillside is that for every minute, you're (probably) higher than you were one minute earlier. I had brought gaiters for this hike, which was a good idea. The snow between the rocks was deep enough. Svein hadn't brought gaiters, and from time to time, appreciated my footprints.
11:30am, we stood on top of point 1213m. The view down towards Strandadalen was awesome, and the walk along the edge towards Herdalsnibba was just splendid. We reached Herdalsnibba 11:52am, and had a good look around. I had even brought lunch! I never bring lunch for hikes this short, but I wanted to keep Svein company for his lunch. He always brings food. I was a bit surprised when I learned that he hadn't brought any. So I found myself a nice spot, sheltered from the wind, and enjoyed 3 sandwiches while taking in the views that Strandadalen had to offer.
Nice sky
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We had discussed returning via Båsenibba and Herdalsbrekka, but the amount of snow made us settle for Kjerringane. When we returned to the pass where we joined the ridge upon ascent, we continued across the northern Kjerringane hump and reached point 848m 1:27pm. It was tempting to attempt the descend couloir from Kjerringane, but we ended up by descending our ascent route. We were clearly not in the mood for variables today.
We were back at the car 2:21pm, 4h:40m after leaving. An uneventful, but very nice hike. Herdalsnibba probably does not receive a lot of visitors. It's almost like it's an exclusive top, without any form of difficulties. Glad to have been there. The southwest ridge looked superb. If you're a climber, reading this, why not check it out?
Strandadalen
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