Day 39. Fondsbu to Gjendebu
Posted by: James on February 8, 2009Distance 15km | Time 7hrs | Ascent 400m | Descent 480m
I eventually set off after a great breakfast at 0930 and headed straight onto Bygdin lake to ski eastwards. I felt very good. I was well rested and well nourished. In addition it was almost perfect weather. The snow on Bygdin was quite deep though up to 20 cm and this slowed me down.
Initially I was going to go up the east side of a huge crag called Hoystakkane. However, this route was up a sheltered bowl where even more new snow might have blown. Instead I went up the west side following the ridge beside the stream bed. It was a bit steeper but the snow was much firmer and in many places the old snow from last week was still exposed. I think my gamble paid off as I got up to the higher hanging valley quite easily.
The weather was improving all the time but there was a bitter north breeze in the higher valley which cut straight through my leggings. It was a small price to pay for the views and clarity. Behind me the iconic Falketind, much loved by Vinje. In front of me Galdeberget, the final 2000 metre peak I did.
As I went along the flat valley more and more of the “gaints” appeared. Sjogholstind, Slettmarkpiggen, Slettmarkho, Svartdalspiggen lined each side of the valley. I was familiar with all of them and it was nostalgic to be back amongst them.
With little haste I went up the valley admiring the views until I got the the highest point by a knoll called Geitho. A bit beyond I had a fantastic view down to the frozen Gjende lake. Its white unblemished surface fringed by the dark birch woods. At the east end of the lake was the snow covered bulk of Bessho and just beyond the famous Besseggen arete.
This arete first became established in Norwegian culture in the 19 century when Henrik Ibsen included it in his story on Peer Gynt. In the story Peer Gynt rode a reindeer along the ridge before he fell off. Although just marginally exposed it has become something of a Norwegian rite-de-passage. Even though some 30,000 Norwegians a year traverse it poor old Peer Gynt is the only one who ever met his end on it.
The descent down to the lake was lovely. I had taken off my skins and I glided down through the deep powder to the upper limit of the birch forest. Here the terrain flattened a bit and I had to push one ski in front of the other. As the forest thickened so did the traces of Ptarmigan or willow grouse.
Soon the most majestic of all the mountains in this area, Store Knutsholstind, “a fine mountain for a lady”, showed its very lofty and steep pyramid shaped summit.
It was early dusk as I skied through the last of the birch trees to arrive at the cabin at Gjendebu. This place is normally a lodge but when the lodge is closed a self service cabin is made available.
The cabin was poorly equipped but had a stove, good larder and most remarkably a copy of my book. Getting wood however was a nightmare as I had to wade through many hundreds of metres of knee deep snow to get to the wood shed.