Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Syltnebba & Strengen, July 18 2008


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Early morning at Bøsundet

Early morning at Bøsundet
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I was on this small Nordmøre tour, and the day before I had driven all the way from Ålesund, visited Hjelmen (978m) and Bølia (703m) and found myself a campsite near Bøsundet. According to my 4-day tour plan, I was already 2 days ahead of schedule. I woke up in my tent to the sound of heavy rain. Under normal circumstances, I enjoy waking up in my tent to the sound of heavy rain, but today I had a 20km walk ahead of me. I tried to picture how wet I would become, and ended up with an inner dialogue;

Arnt's negative side (ANS): You don't have to do the hike...
Arnt's positive side (APS): Yeah, right. I drove all this way to not hike?
ANS: Show that you're a man of free will!
APS: Why?
ANS: 'Cause you'll be soaking wet, cold and miserable!
APS: It might stop raining..
ANS: ....Koh!

7am in the morning, I was on my way to Surnadalsøra, because my positive side had decided to hike Strengen. Arriving in Surnadalsøra, I stopped by a local gas/petrol station to get some breakfast. I asked the guy working at the station for advice on how to get to the Strengen trailhead, and got it. The reason why I decided to hike from Surnadalsøra, was there were probably more pronounced trails on this side. And in case of fog, that would be convenient.

I left the Surnadal ski-centre 8:05am, followed a forest road that led me to a mountain service road. I couldn't help getting the feeling that this road was open for the public, but then why didn't the guy say so? God, that road was boring. But the upside was that it soon stopped raining. Hah!

Syltnebba, which I reached 9:10am was a bonus top. I already knew that this would be a long hike, but I hadn't mentally visualized how long it really would be. Seeing Strengen from Syltnebba, there was no need to visualize. I saw Strengen, and it was still a long way to go. I took a minute to gather positive energy and then headed out.

Strengen seen from Syltnebba

Strengen seen from Syltnebba
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Nothing much happened on the way to Strengen. Although the weather was certainly improving, I knew that my tour would end after returning from Strengen. It's the same ol', same ol'. I plan for days of camping, but end up with one night only. I do enjoy camping, but acknowledge that it's not all that fun doing it alone.

Getting on the Haugastrengen ridge, I finally felt that Strengen was within reach. After 3 more km and a good pace, I arrived on Strengen summit 10:55am. I had walked 10km non-stop for nearly 3 hours, and concluded that I had earned the two chocolate bars that I bought down in Surnadalsøra. Fog didn't allow me to get the fine views that I'm sure this mountain has to offer.

After 15 minutes on top, I turned back around, determined to return in less than 3 hours! The day just got nicer and nicer, and I just couldn't believe how lucky I had been, in terms of the weather. It was supposed to rain throughout the weekend! 12:38pm, I was back on Syltnebba, and after yet another boring leg along the service road, I was back at the trailhead 1:20pm. Total hiking time was 5h:20m, and total vertical gain was 1200m. I just had to check if the service road was open for the public, and it was. Oh well..

This was the end of an intense Nordmøre tour. 5:25pm the day before, I was on my way to Hjelmen from Settemsdalen. 18 hours, and 4 tops later, I was on my way back to Ålesund. I chose to drive via Sunndal and Eresfjord, where I had never been before. And 26 hours (not 100% sure, but close..) after leaving Ålesund, I was back home..

 

Indre and Ytre Sula seen from Syltnebba

Indre and Ytre Sula seen from Syltnebba
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To Syltnebba

0A. Trip tracks 0B. Route profile 1. Early morning at Bøsundet 2. To Surnadalsøra 3. Surnadalsøra 4. Surnadal Alpinsenter 5. The mountain service road 6. Honnstadknyken 7. On top of the trek 8. Surnadalsøra 9. Surnadalsøra 10. View from above the trek 11. On the way to Syltnebba 12. On Syltnebba 13. On Syltnebba

To Strengen

14. Strengen ahead 15. Sjøsetervatnet 16. On Haugastrengen 17. Strengen ahead 18. Sjøsetervatnet and Syltnebba 19. Approaching Strengen 20. View from Strengen

Descent

21. Bollåthaugtjørna 22. Sjøsetervatnet 23. Syltnebba. Again.. 24. Indre and Ytre Sula 25. Honnstadknyken 26. Trollheimen peaks

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