Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Rødlandstua in snowstorm, Jan 26 2007

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The wind in Ålesund earlier in the day was simply amazing. Powder snow was whirling up 6-7m up in the air, and being outside was just unpleasant. On days such as these, Rødlandstua is the preferred destination for the evening walk. The forest gives plenty of shelter, and the top is just above the tree-line.

When I parked at the Rødlandstua trailhead in Brusdalen, the weather was quite OK. Nice colors were still lingering in the cloudy sky. The trail was (fortunately) already broken by other hikers, which meant that my dog Troll would be able to descend most of the route.

Just as we reached the top, 20:00PM, a nasty combination of strong winds, a hailshower and snowfall made the stay at the top unbearable. The dog was too exposed - both in and out of the backpack. I picked him up and protected his head with my arms. During the minute I had the backpack off, hail was working its way up my back and up to my neck. The weather was just of the bad sort. I was well equipped from head to toe, except glasses. Without glasses, one can't be out in this weather. However, the combination of darkness and glasses, often gives very poor visibility.

I had to make a very rapid exit and follow my tracks before they vanished. Without my tracks, I would not have been able to navigate, and the descent would have been time-consuming. Not that I was in any kind of danger. I actually "treasure" these moments where mother nature is giving you a hard time, if you're not equipped and prepared. There are ALWAYS lessons to be learned. "Don't get sloppy" is one of the most important of them all.

Once back down in the forest, the wind settled, and Troll could walk. He seemed to be in a hurry to get back down. Back at the house, he ran towards the front door and barked at me for not already having opened the door. That was unusual behaviour, but probably a fair way of telling me how much he enjoyed the "evening walk".

1. Rødlandstua trailhead in Brusdalen (170KB) 2. Heading up the forest (186KB) 3. Nice colors in the sky (202KB) 4. Forest landmark (265KB) 5. View from the ridge (172KB) 6. View from the ridge (142KB) 7. Rødlandstua ahead (131KB) 8. The moon is disappearing (72KB) 9. On top (151KB) 10. Bad weather sets in. Time to get out (238KB)

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