Day 11. Taumevatn cabin to Storevatn cabin
Posted by: James on January 11, 2009Distance 6km | Time 3.5hrs | Ascent 270m | Descent 60m
It was snowing heavily when I got up at 0800. It would just have to be half a day to Storevatn, as Kringlevatn involved an exposed pass and the visibility would be terrible and the wind quite strong.
I had a relaxing breakfast with the two others and we all set off about 1000. It was still snowing heavily when I left and the temperature was just above zero. There was apparently a queue of low pressures waiting to hit southern Norway over the next few days.
The wind was less than forecast and the snow was settling everywhere. As I skied up through the birch forest it was a very wintery scene with the bare twisted branches thick with new snow.
I slowly weaved my way through the birch trees as I made for a pass at the south end of Storevatn. The going was slow as the snow was 20 cm deep and it kept clumping up under my skins and even freezing to the rest of the ski. The great clods which formed had to be beaten off regularly. Still the winter’s postcard scene more than made up for it.
By the time I climbed the pass to the south end of the Storevatn lake the wind had increased significantly and visibility was down to about 100 metres At least the weather, which was almost a blizzard, was directly behind me
I gingerly made my way over the lake for 2 km until out of the whiteness the cabin emerged. It was a very unusual cabin and was covered in galvanized plates. It was freezing inside literally, and I soon had the stove going. Within 2 hours it had warmed up.
I was glad I did not attempt the pass as the visibility was dreadful. Once on the north side of this pass it was open country to the next cabin and navigation would have been extreme. Indeed I would not have been able to see the snow in front of me without throwing snowballs ahead as markers.
The cabin at Storevatn was once part of a huge estate. A Mr Heiberg bought a lot of this mountain plateau some 100 years ago. On it he build some 30 hunting cabins. Then he charged rich Europeans to come and hunt wild reindeer on it. Storevatn is one such cabin.
The intention was not just carnage for the gentry, but Heilberg also introduced a benevolent system of wildlife management and preservation. However with the outbreak of the second world war the clients dried up and Heiberg was forced to sell to the state who maintain it to this day.
The state has not been a good a custodian as I am sure Heiberg would have liked and allowed the building of 3 huge hydro electric reservoirs in this midst of this land. These reservoirs are very important economically but completely messed up the wild reindeer’s migration routes and calving areas. None the less as long as there is no further encroachment this Heiberg legacy is a very important one to the preservation of the Setersheiene mountains and plateau where I now find myself.
It was a short but quite difficult day. The blizzard gave a taster of what I can expect from time to time on this trip. As least the area here is well peppered with outdoor cabins and if the days are hard, I can just do a half day.