Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 25km | Time 9.5hrs | Ascent 760m | Descent 610m

After a good breakfast I set off around 0830 after getting some good instructions as to the routes to Savalen. It was a bit overcast and there was the odd snowflake in the air which was relatively warm at minus 12.

Initially I followed the main road for 2 km until I got to the forest road which went up the hillside through the pine forest to the collection of summer farms called Gammelseter. This pleasant track was covered in snow so I put my skis on for the hours climb. Gammelseter was still in use during the summer months as the buildings testified.

At Gammelseter I came across signs of the recent dog sled race. 500 dogs had pulled 40 sleds and there was some debris left by the dogs. Underneath some 10 cm of new snow was a compact trail. I followed it up east of Bjornhoa and down into the birch trees again by a huge frozen marsh to the west of Einunnfjellet.

Crossing the marsh and heading north I passed some summer farms marooned and abandoned in the winter snows waiting for the spring to breath life back into them when the animals return. Soon I reached the Einunna river where there was a small dam at Markbulia.

I followed the dog trail north through birch and the upper pines to the quaint summer farm at Sivilhaugseter. Here the weather was getting very misty and the snow deep. I decided to abandon my original plan to go over Rodalshoa mountain, and head east at once and then cut over to the west part of Savalen lake. So I headed down through the forest to the leisure cabins at Klottvangen.

At Klottvangen I could find no trail heading east. Without a trail I would make no progress as the snow was thigh deep. There was a trail heading north west to my original route over Rodalshoa so I took it. It was a good trail and I made fast progress through the forest to the bare mountain side in thick mist. Here the trail just ended at Stortjorna tarn.

Out came the compass and the GPS as I felt my way through the mist. As always when the sight is poor progress was slow. However I made 4 km and started on the descent down the other side. I realized that the time was now 1700 and I would not make Savalen. I would have to camp.

I continued to descend through deep loose snow into the forest. The further I descended the deeper and looser the snow became. It would be almost impossible to ascend this route. I was up to my knees.

With fading light I continued down into the pine forest. The snow was still deeper. I spotted a mound where the snow was blown off and some blueberry bushes poked their tops through. It looked a good place to camp.

I stamped the remaining snow with my skis and within half an hour, when it was completely dark, I was in my sleeping bag melting snow for supper. As it was still overcast it was not that cold at minus 9. I fell asleep soon after.

It had been an interesting but hard day. It was the right descision to camp rather than push on as it was still a good 6 km through unknown terrain. It was the first time I had been caught out and forced to camp but the conditions were too difficult to make anything but slow progress.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 8:54 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.