Norwegian Mountains, Nordland
Ingebrigtvarden on Kvaløyfjellet, Aug 21 2008
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Vennesund
(Click for larger image)
This was my second day of my short vacation up in northern Norway, and I was now on my way to Kvaløyfjellet after having been to Sømnesfjellet. I stopped by the local kiosk at Vennesund and ordered a hot dog. City life has made me accustomed to hot dogs served within 30 seconds. But this one took 10 minutes. The girl in the kiosk gave me no warning about having to defrost and boil it first. So, being the proud owner of the most miserable hot dog I've seen in my life, I asked the girl if she knew about a path to Kvaløyfjellet. My irritation about the hot dog vanished when she gave me a crystal clear description of how to get to the trailhead.
Minutes later, I was at this trailhead, only to realise that the path led to the wrong mountain. I was now at the Sørfjellet trailhead - a lower top on the southern part of Kvaløya. It seemed that I had to figure this out on my own. I looked at the GPS and chose a starting point which would give me a direct (and short) route up the mountain. A rough forest road would save me a few hundred meters of walking, and I left the car near some ill-tempered cows. These cows "forced" me to take a detour, and this was NOT my last encounter with ill-tempered cows on Sømna.
Things went smooth in the beginning, but then I ran into a wide cliff wall that seemed impossible to ascend. But because of trees, I hadn't the necessary overview. I had to stand directly below the cliff in order to decide whether there was a chance or not. I decided to give it a try. I scrambled up a boulder field, and found a convenient access point to the terrain above the cliffs.
Once above the cliffs, the hike to the top was straightforward. From the top, I could see red paint on rocks towards the north. I wouldn't mind following a path back down, but I didn't want to go north. And since I was now in the habit of making round trips, I decided to go south instead. I passed point 288m before I descending into Urdvikskardet pass, between Kvaløyfjellet and Brunfjellet. I noticed a black grouse, and tried to sneak up on it, hoping for an excellent picture. But I must have moved like a tractor, because the grouse flew away before I managed to take the picture.
From Urdvikskardet pass, I descended the valley to the north/northeast and was led into a "gorge" (a small one, at least) with steep cliffs on both sides. This was very off-trail, but also fun. I reckon that not many hikers have passed through this gorge. After a minor bush-fight, I entered open space, and the ill-tempered cows forced me on my second detour of the day. I was back at the trailhead 2:55pm, 1h:17m after leaving it. I considered visiting Sørfjellet also, but abandoned the idea when mom called and said that meatballs were awaiting in 45 minutes..
Above the gorge
(Click for larger image)
Next day: Malmsfjellet/Bjørufjellet
