Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 28km | Time 7.5hrs | Ascent 280m | Descent 670m

The inside of the tent was covered in thick frost when I woke at 0700. It was impossible to move without a shower of it landing on my sleeping bag. It was minus 9 inside the tent and minus 16 outside.

It took ages to eat breakfast, then pack up the slightly damp sleeping bag and other equipment. Eventually everything was in the rucksack by 0900.

I continued down through the snow. Luckily it continued down as the snow was getting still deeper. Occasionally it was nearly up to my waist. At one point I disturbed about 5 female capercaille which were gathered in a grand old pine tree.

Soon I came across some barely visible buried old ski tracks. I followed them as they were firm under the loose cover of snow. They led me past a very idyllic cabin in the forest and then soon after I reached the old farms at Bellsvikvangen. There was a cleared road here as I suspected. I had only done a km so far but it had taken nearly an hour.

Bellsvikvangen was a collection of some 3 or 4 summer farms. All were solid old and rustic. They looked like they were still used in the summer. The logs used in the buildings were strongly spiralled pine logs.

From here the cleared road headed north. I followed it for 3 km and then headed east to the summer farm at Grasgodtvangen, which lay tranquail in the pines. From here it was an quick easy descent to Savalen lake. At the lake I got a clear view of the hotel a km to the north.

There are very few, if any, compliments I can say about Savalen hotel or resort. It was a downhill ski centre with a eyesore of an large hotel. The hotel had a spa and arranged father Christmas competitions. There was one very helpful guest however who knew the area well.

He said my intended stop of Vingelen was still 40 km and he thought the trails only went half way. This would mean a long slog in the forest with another night camping. A better option would be to ski down the road to Tynset and spend the night there. Then tomorrow take the ski trail from Tynset to Vingelen along the old pilgrims route. This is what I wanted to hear.

I set off down the road and managed to ski about 8 of the 12 km to Faset before the snow got too gritty and I had to walk. The descent was fast and took me past some wonderful all year farms, especially in Fadalen.

At Faset the skis went back on again as I could now follow the old road to Tynset. It was cleared but very quiet and covered in snow. It was a good 8 km with farms and agriculture on the south of the road and the pine forests to the north. Many of these all year farms were large and traditional with many beautiful buildings. To add to the idyllic setting snow was falling gently while smoke from wood fires rose quietly from the chimneys. The setting almost erased the vulgar memories of Savalen resort.

Of the old buildings found on farms one of the most distinctive is the stabbur. A stabbur is a two storey log building, often taller than it is wide or long. The second storey is often wider than the first giving the building a top heavy appearance. The stabbur was used as a food store. As such it was well constructed and often build on mushroom shaped stone supports to deter vermin. Every area in Norway has unique stabburs. I photographed a fine one along this road.

Just before Tynset this old road came to an end but I could follow a snow covered cycle path all the way to the the bridge over the arterial river Glomma, the longest in Norway, to the campsite. I managed to get a very nice cabin in the campsite and did my chores like hang my tent and sleeping bag to dry, wash my clothes and write up 2 days of blogs. I also did some food shopping and gorged myself in the evening.

Tomorrow I will go to Vingelen where I have arranged accommodation. Everyone tells me that there are ski trails all the way there. I hope so as it is 25 km, which is too deep to wade through woods.

Today was really a bit of a dissapointing day. Savalen resort was an intrusion into my peace and quiet and skiing along a road make me feel a bit of a fraud. However there was no alternative. Hopefully the trails to Vingelen will redeem this.

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.

Distance 34km | Time 8.5hrs | Ascent 300m | Descent 700m

With the encouragement of the other 4 in the cabin we all got up at 0600. It was very dark outside and about minus 10. By the time I managed to do the washing up, breakfast and pack it was 0730 and I was ready to go. It was light now but the sun had yet to rise.

I skied down the tracks the other 4 had made yesterday for 3 km until they veered north. As I skied here the sun came up in a blaze of purple announcing its intentions for the day. I now followed the stony moorland for another 5 km.

There was very little snow here. Apparently the rainfall here is less than half a metre a year and it is the driest place in Norway.

I decided to take a chance as what snow there was supported my weight quite easily. I cut through the gap between the hills of Storkringla and Veslekringla. It would save an hour but if the snow became loose and deep it could cost me many hours. There were some very old ski tracks which though filled in and blown over were firm underneath.

The gamble paid off and I enjoyed a very fine ski through the upper pine forest. The light was superb and the green pines were almost luminous against the sunny white background. After a good hour of skiing in this high pine forest the old ski tracks became more obvious and plentiful. They led me down to a bridge over the river Grimsa, as it flowed through a gorge encrusted with ice formations.

After the bridge there was a short section of mature pine forest for a good km to reach the small farming settlement of Fallet. This was a very pretty hamlet. Ponies wandered in the snowy fields and all the barns, houses and cabins were adorned in reindeer and moose antlers.

It was a quick km to the main road. I looked for an alternative but there was none and the snow in the forest was prohibitively deep and soft. I therefore skied along the quiet main road for 4 km until the old wooden farm buildings at Sletti. Just beyond a road branched off to the right which I took.

This road was wonderful. It was partly cleared but there was an abundance of snow along it. It was lined by sunny pine forests. There were tracks of moose and fox every where. I stopped for lunch here and tried the self timer on the phone camera. After lunch I continued this on this wonderful forest track to the farming hamlet by the river Folla and Folldal church.

There were some people about and they told me the best way to Grimsbu was to cross the river and main road and head up the hill on the north side of the valley to near Moseng. Here I would find a prepared ski trail which contoured around the hill for 10 km before descending to Grimsbu. It sounded good advice.

The climb to Moseng was hot but only a half hour. Once there I found the wide ski trail. It was perfect. I followed it through a magnificent pine forest above old farms. To the south of the valley were the high rounded mountains of Avdal Vestfjell some 30 km away. It was a very idyllic run, but I noticed on the uphill sections I was tiring. Again moose and fox tracks were everywhere.

Folldal, which was the main valley I was now following, was once a copper mining centre. Operations continued here for a couple of centuries and the place is covered in museums from this pioneer period. All mining here has stopped now because it is not economic.

After about 7 km contouring across the hillside the ski trail started a very pleasant and somewhat exhilarating descent down to Grimsbu for 3 km. I had the luxury of being able to snowplough at will to slow my speed round blind corners in the forest. Soon Grimsbu was before me.

Grimsbu was a bit of an eyesore really. It was a small rustic wooden motel with a caravan park. What it lacked in aesthetics it made up for in friendliness. I got a nice cheap room with shower and a fry up of chicken. What was really useful was the local knowledge about the route to Roros.

There had very recently been a famous dog sled race along the valley called the Femundslopet. 40 teams with about 12 dogs per team had just completed a 400 km race. I could follow their tracks and some prepared ski trails to the next overnighting place of Savalen tomorrow. Thereafter there was an abundance of trails through quiet hamlets north of the Glomma river all the way to Roros.

Today had been one of the best days of the tour so far. I think I am still luxuriating in the newness of the pine forests and the interesting things their in, including the quaint cabins and traditional farms.

Distance 16km | Time 4.5hrs | Ascent 180m | Descent 290m

Rondvassbu lodge off course provided a traditional breakfast including pickled herring. I had more than my fill and then set off at 0830. It was overcast with the odd snowflake and mist on the mountaintops. It was also windstill and only minus 6.

I went straight onto Rondvatnet lake and skiied the 4 km up the length of it. The lake is long and narrow lying in a deep slot between some of the biggest mountains in Rondane. Huge ice formations dripped from crags where streams had frozen since November.

At the north end of the lake there was some open water where the stream flowed in. Beyond it was a valley full of piles of moraine debris. The snow was sparse in places here, especially on the north facing side of these moraine mounds.

I weaved a path between the mounds, glancing over my shoulder from time to time to admire the magnificent north face of Rondeslottet. It was a 700 metre nearly vertical wall cut by ice filled gullies.

I soon reached a gentle watershed and started down to the Doralen valley through more mounds of snow covered morraine. Through the mist I could just make out the very wild valleys and corries on the north side of the Smiubelgen massif.

As I reached Doralen I skirted an area called Skranglhaugen. This remarkable area was recently a delta in an inland lake. The lake was caused by a glacier damming it further down the valley. Masses of sediment was deposited here. There were also a lot of ice bergs in this lake which grounded here. The sediments were deposited around the icebergs. When the glacial dam melted and the lake vanished, the icebergs remained trapped in the sediments. They melted slowly and where they lay the left a large depression in the sediments. Some 10,000 years later these depressions or craters form a large pockmarked area. As a skier I avoided it.

When I reached the Doralen river I had to cross it. It had carved a deep steep slot into the sediment from the surrounding terrace. It was difficult to drop into this steep slot down the 25 metre deep banks but nigh on impossible to climb out of it in knee deep snow on the other side. The whole crossing of 100 metres took nearly an hour.

Once up on the terrace on the north side it was a simple km ski through sparse birch to the self-service cabin. This area was sparse in snow as it lay in a rain shadow from virtually all directions.

I could see the exposed ground was thick with lichen and reindeer moss. Rondane is a very important area for wild reindeer and a major calving place in May.

The cabin was large but had some small bedrooms and a small easy to heat kitchen. It did not take long to get settled. As I was ensconsed 4 others arrived with 2 dogs. It was the first time I was not on my own in a self-service cabin for ages and I was grateful for the company. They were young but very knowledgable.

We chatted into the evening with the stove going and candles making an easy atmosphere. Eventually at 2200 I had to excuse myself to write this before I got too tired.

It had been a good day. Not many kilometres on the clock but I am set up for the long day tomorrow to Grimsbu. I have changed my plans and will now go along the north side of the Glomma river to Roros rather than the south side. This is because the snow in Avdal Vestfjell could be very deep and uncompacted, especially in the forests there.

Distance 27km | Time 7.5hrs | Ascent 1110m | Descent 190m

It took a while to get breakfast started and pack up. At the same time the journalist who interviewed me yesterday for the North Gubrandsdalen paper wanted more photos. Eventually I said my goodbyes and got going at 0930. I had enjoyed the company and with the rest day off and felt pretty good.

I walked the 2 km to Otta and then started up the zig-zag road up to Mysuseter. I met the journalist here and he took some photos with Pillarguri hill in the background. I suspect the article will be as much about the Scottish mercenaries under Sinclair as it will be about the Norge Paa Langs ski trip.

The zig-zags initially went through spruce forest and then pine forest. There were some nice working farms en route but generally the road was not remarkable as it climbed up the valley side.

Eventually it turned east and headed up a spur above the deep Uladalen valley to reach Mysuseter. Mysuseter must once have been a very pretty place and still was to an extent. However there has been a lot of cabin building here over the last 50 years. A lot of this would have been because it was such a lively summer farm centre. The cabins are fine but there is a large parking area, shop, café and accommodation which intrude.

Leaving this service area I quickly climbed through old summer farms and quaint cabins to the treeline. Here a wonderful view of the mountains of Rondane unfolded quickly.

In the mountains of Rondane and eastwards from it, the predominant rock is sparagmite. This a mineral poor sedimentary rock formed in a deep basins or estuary many millions of years ago. It differs from the hard gabbro of Jotunheimen and the tough granites and gniesses of the other areas I have recently skiied through.

Indeed the valley of Gudbrandsdalen was a real divide between not only geology, but also climate and vegetation. East of Gudbrandsdalen valley the climated was far more continental with drier weather but extreme temperatures. The vegetation will now be more dominated by spruce and pine and less so by birch. The great forests of Scandinavian start here. The wildlife will change also. Moose will replace deer. Lynx are more common and the in the summer months rare bears are found in the forests.

From the top of Mysuseter it was an easy 10 km ski across the treeless plateau to the mountain citadel of Rondane. It was a very pleasant and easy ski in the late afternoon. It took about 3 hours from Mysuseter.

I arrived at Rondvassbu lodge which opened for the winter season today just as the sun was setting. This created a rose coloured alpenglow across the snow cover mountains, especially Storronden. It was very pretty and a bit dramatic.

The lodge was comfortable and I was the years first guest. I got a nice simple room and had a delicious meal. The managers were a couple of young lads from Otta. They seemed to cope well with me, the only guest but there will be another 10000 this year.

I wrote the blog after supper but quickly became tired and went to bed early. It had been a very good day. Especially beautiful was the cabins around Mysuseter and the alpenglow of the sunset. The temperature remained around minus 20.