Summer vacation, day 7
Continued from day 6
Index
| Peak/Place | Height | PF | Location |
| Petroglyphs, Sagelva | – | – | Hamarøy, Norway |
| Lunch, Forsbukta | – | – | Steigen, Norway |
| Steigbergtinden | 342m | 242m | Steigen, Norway |
| Sunset, Engeløya | – | – | Steigen, Norway |
Petroglyphs, Sagelva, Hamarøy
This turned out to be a very memorable day! After spending the night on Saltfjellet, we continued north – with Steigen as the destination. But before going through the 7km long Steigen tunnel, we stopped by Sagelva as we saw the “Helleristninger” (Petroglyphs) signpost.
The reindeer carved into the rock didn’t do so much for me, but it was a welcomed break from all the driving.
The most fun part was to balance along the fishway…
Pictures (Canon EOS RP):
Lunch, Forsbukta, Steigen
Once past the Steigen tunnel, we looked for a place to stop for lunch. Sagelva wasn’t a place I wanted to enjoy lunch. Too much people.
But we found a nice picnic area by Forsbukta, with a nice view towards Hamarøy peaks – and Hamarøyskaftet especially.
Hamarøyskaftet was also a peak we were to climb 2 days later. We were quite excited!
Finally in Steigen – for the first time in my life. I’ve been close many times, but this was the first time I’ve gone through the tunnel.
I just knew that our stay here would be a good one!
Pictures (Canon EOS RP):
Steigbergtinden, 342m, Engeløya
We agreed that we should look for a place to spend the night on Engeløya island. We wanted to find a nice turnout alongside the road, close to the sea. We drove up to Bøsanden but didn’t find a place that matched the criteria. Spending the night in a camping area with a bunch of other people was totally out the question. Especially on a Saturday evening.
Eventually, we found a nice spot on the north side of Steigbergtinden.
As it was still early in the evening, I suggested to Anne that we should try to hike this top from the other side. Which meant a 2km bike-trip to Vollmoa, where I remembered having seen a potential ascent route.
The grassy hillside between Steigbergtinden and the eastern top looked very nice from a distance. It was however not so friendly when we got there. First, we had to fight our way through the forest, cross a boulder area and “grassy hillside” was really steep and the grass was high.
But eventually, we reached the saddle between Steigbergtinden and the eastern top. Little did we know that we would be visiting two of the peaks in the background the very next day.
The good news was that there was a path, albeit vague. But, it took us past obstacles along the ridge.
But the summit itself seemed to be the primary obstacle. I would be surprised if we were to find a safe way up there!
When we got to the only place it seemed possible to get to the top, we had to leave Karma behind. I went on an exploration mission and reached the top without any particular problems and returned to Anne to guide her.
The crux is a short climb from the forest and up to a ledge. Getting up isn’t difficult. At least not for those who are used to this type of terrain. Getting down here requires some coordination of hand- and footholds. It is quite understandable that some would turn around at this point.
Once on the ledge, there is a natural zig-zag route to the summit. It’s super-easy scrambling but one point is very exposed.
Anne was on the brink of tears when she reached the top. Not from being afraid about the scramble or the exposure but from the beauty that opened up in all directions. I was really happy myself, not because of the views but because it was so darn fun to find a route to the top.
Steigen! We are SO happy to be here!
We could look straight down on our (rented) car – approx. 340m below us.
Across Vestfjorden, we could see Vågakallen. I had absolutely no idea that I would be standing on top of this peak one week later!
After a short and nice stay, it was time to get back to Karma. I mentioned that one point is particularly exposed…
The “grassy hillside” was just as painful going down, but it felt easier because we had reached the top.
And then we sat course for the car and for a very nice evening!
Trip statistics: 2,1km (foot), 2,8km (bike), 380 vertical meters, 2h:13m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone) from the hike:
Sunset, Engeløya
When we returned to the RV, the first thing Anne did was to jump into Vestfjorden.
Getting to bed early was never an option on this gorgeous evening.
We visited the beach several times…
And then the view towards Lofoten turned into pure magic.
We stayed up until the final glow had gone.
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone):
