Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 24km | Time 8hrs | Ascent 140m | Descent 190m

I was quite slow to get going and didn’t leave the cabin until 1000. It was overcast and there was a gentle westerly breeze, which thankfully would be behind me.

After closing the cabin up I set off along the Gjende lake which is 19 km long. The snow was deep and sometimes I didn’t see my skis as they travelled beneath the snow without breaking the surface. It would be a slow journey.

There was the occasional flash of blue sky as I ski up the lake especially in the east and over Besseggen arete. Pretty soon these occasional flashes combined into long periods. It was a spectacular sight to look down the frozen lake in its deep slot flanked by dark mountains on each side with Besseggen glowing in full sun.

As I reached Memurubu lodge, which was closed for the winter, the wind started to get up a bit and soon it was a strong force 6. The lakes surface was a flowing sea of spindrift heading to the east end at 15 metres a second. It was bitterly cold but at least I was not going into it. The snow was not so deep now but still deep enough so the wind did not push me along or assist me even.

The views however were getting clearer and clearer. Besseggen was looming above me on one side and the crescent shaped arete of Knutsho on the south side of the lake. Many people suspect it was Knutsho which Henrik Ibsen described as the arete by Gjende lake rather than Besseggen.

Soon Gjendesheim lodge appeared. This is owned by the DNT and is one of their flagship lodges. I reached the end of the lake passing the two summer passenger ferries hauled out of the water and siting in a snowfield being lashed by spindrift.

The lodge was open but not for business. I went in for a chocolate and a chat with the manager who I knew from some years ago. He phoned Bessheim lodge to arrange a room for me which was kind.

There was still 5 km to go. It was along a road. In the summer it was a busy thoroughfare. Now it was closed for the winter higher up, so effectively was a cul de sac serving a few barely open lodges. It was deserted and although snow ploughed still covered in snow.

I skied down the middle of the road for the 5 km to Bessheim lodge. It was a nice sunset and the bitter wind had now vanished because I was away from Gjende lake. I reached Bessheim at 1800 while it was still dusk.

I was given a room with a shower. Fantastic. I could enjoy my fifth shower this year. After that a nice simple healthy Norwegian meal. I then went into the rustic lounge to write the blog.

The blog takes about an hour a day and is sometimes a chore when I have had a hard day. Today was relatively easy though. My phone started behaving erratically again and I had to wrestle with it so it would send the blog and some emails.

Today was the first day for about 2 weeks I dropped below a 1000 metres altitude. Trees were still limited to birch though. Tomorrow however I descend further to Randsverk and enter the reassuring comfort of the pine forest. Deep snow and pine trees will give a winter wonderland ambiance which I am looking forward to after 5 weeks of raw mountain winter.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 8:37 pm and is filed under Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.