Northern Norway, day 7
Peaks visited:
| Markahornet | 856m | 308m | Bindal, Norway |
| Hildringsfjellet | 786m | 236m | Bindal, Norway |
Continued from Breidvasstinden…
My short visit to mom in Brønnøysund had come to an end, and I could look back on some very memorable hikes, both solo and with mom.
Today would be somewhat memorable too, because on my way home I would stop by Bindal to hike Markahornet and Hildringsfjellet – which would be my new pf100 top #99 and #100 in 2018 – hence my annual goal of 100 new peaks – would be met. Again.
The weather was not great at all, and I had no illusion of getting away with this hike dry.
This was actually my first visit to Bindal, and the GPS lead me to the trailhead near Hornelva. If it hadn’t been for Marianne Nielsen in Brønnøysund, I wouldn’t have known about this route. Ever since Markahornet came on my radar, I assumed I would be following Heilhornet route from RV17.
I parked by a barn and followed a tractor road upwards. I could see Markahornet in the distant.
Eventually I got on a forest path and the weather soon deteriorated.
It was raining good and hard when I reached a Gamme by lake Tosktjørna – a Sami hut. It was open, so I took a look inside. Given the weather, it was tempting to stay there, but I had to move on.
I followed the path for a little while, but eventually I asked myself – where is this path really heading? to RV17? It sure didn’t look like it would take me up the mountain. So I decided to go off-trail – in soaking wet grass.
First, I aimed for lake Hornvatnet between Markahornet and Heilhornet.
Then I tried to follow the easiest route up to Markahornet. The good news was that the fog seemed to be lifting. I must admit I would not be happy being wrapped up in fog up here.
I eventually reached the top of Markahornet, took a selfie to prove my presence and then focused on the road ahead.
Markahornet’s west ridge was never difficult, but it could have been cumbersome in fog.
On my way up Hildringsfjellet it was raining quite hard, and I decided to take shelter under a huge rock until the evil shower passed. And afterwards, it was just gorgeous…
Hildringsfjellet summit has two 780m contours, so I visited both to be sure. I’m pretty sure the eastern contour has the high point. This was my new peak #100 in 2018, but I wasn’t in mood for celebration. I still had a long and cumbersome way down the mountain and I looked forward to a change of clothes.
I decided to descend *straight down* from Hildringsfjellet, and deal with whatever terrain I was presented. I was amazingly lucky to keep a good pace down a huge and steep slab area. It could easily have been a whole lot more cumbersome.
Eventually, I reached the forest path, which I followed back to the car. On my way out, I passed this local…
Trip statistics: 13,1km, 1100 vertical meters, 3h:47m
Pictures from the hike:
