Still feeling rotten, but got some OK walks
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 16.01.23 | Røddalshorn | 563m | 100m | Sande, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 17.01.23 | Leinehornet | 364m | 364m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 17.01.23 | Leinebjørnen | 271m | 108m | Herøy, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 18.01.23 | Rambjøra | 132m | 109m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.01.23 | Rjåhornet | 600m | 107m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.01.23 | Dragsund | – | – | Herøy, M&R, Norway | – | MAP |
| 20.01.23 | Øyrahornet | 417m | 42m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 20.01.23 | Sandvikhornet | 352m | 14m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | MAP | |
| 21.01.23 | Melshornet | 668m | 560m | Hareid, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 22.01.23 | Fløtravarden | 869m | 59m | Gloppen, Norway | WCP | MAP |
Røddalshorn (563m), Jan 16 2023
Monday: I wasn’t on antibiotics this week and while I probably should have rested, I didn’t. Still, I chose quite moderate walks compared to what I otherwise would have done – given opportunity, shape & form and weather.
This afternoon, I chose to hike Røddalshorn. I wasn’t in great shape, and it was soon clear that this would be a strenuous hike.
It was a beautiful afternoon, even if there had been a light snowfall and despite it was probably quite windy on the mountain.
The small amount of fresh snow made the hike even more strenuous. I was wearing hiking shoes (not boots) and they were slipping in the snow.
If we wanted shelter from the wind, we would have to stay in the lee side of the ridge, but that would mean that we would walk in deeper snow. I chose the wind.
The best part of reaching the top was that we would soon be on our way down.
Still, even if I wasn’t in shape for this and the wind was stronger than I cared for, I was very happy having done this walk.
Trip statistics: 4,1km, 415 vertical meters, 1h:19m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike:
Leinehornet (366m), Leinebjørnen (271m), Jan 17 2023
Tuesday: Anne was still up here, so this afternoon I invited her to the same round across Leinehornet and Leinebjørnen that we did last year. But in reverse order this time.
The weather was OK, cloudy, but with some colors left in the sky.
We were alone on the mountain and had a nice walk up to Leinehornet.
One top down. One to go.
The little light there was, was fading but the lingering glow was beautiful.
We then continued towards Leinebjørnen.
It was getting quite dark by the time we reached the top, and the question was if we would make it down to the car without having to turn on the headlamps?
If we had followed the west ridge we wouldn’t have to, but we decided to head into the forest instead. And as it was quite dark in there, the headlamps were convenient to use.
All in all, a very nice hike.
Trip statistics: 6,2km, 530 vertical meters, 1h:54m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike:
Rambjøra (132m), Jan 18 2023
Wednesday: This was a bad day for me, and I had to rest before I found the strength to walk the dog. As such, this became an after-dark walk. Also, Anne had gone back to Sogndal. Misery all around…
Once back down on the roads, we took a detour via Jonseholmen and Tua.
I probably wouldn’t have done this walk if I didn’t have a dog. Still, it always feels better afterwards…
Trip statistics: 5,3km, 210 vertical meters, 1h:16m
Rjåhornet (600m), Jan 19 2023
Thursday: I was not feeling any better than the previous days, but there was no way I would miss a good walk on this beautiful afternoon, and chose to walk from sea level and all the way up to Rjåhornet at 600m elevation. In the snow.
Karma was super-happy…
I was still hiking in my (low) hiking shoes, but the snow wasn’t very deep.
I felt 50% rotten and 50% happy. A strange mix, but I just love being outdoors on evenings like this.
It felt really good to reach the top. 600 vertical meters straight down from here!
Back at the car, a local company was burning off something in a container, and I found the motif fascinating and had to take the time for a picture.
Trip statistics: 6,5km, 620 vertical meters, 1h:54m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike:
Dragsund, Jan 19 2023
Thursday: Later in the evening, I had enough energy to give the dog a much longer evening walk than she usually gets – to Dragsund and back…
Trip statistics: 3,4km, 60 vertical meters, 0h:46m
Øyrahornet (417m), Sandvikhornet (352m), Jan 20 2023
Friday: This was just supposed to be a short hike up to Øyrahornet. That was all I felt I had the energy for.
The path up the mountain was incredibly icy, so most of the hike was off-trail.
At the bench, we had to stop for the traditional picture.
And one minute later, we reached the top.
Instead of making a good decision to return the way we came, I managed to think it was a good idea to continue to Sandvikhornet. Still with low hiking shoes and a good bit of snow on the meadow between the two tops.
When we reached Øyraelva river – the rocks were glaciated and I took my chances on walking on the ice. That was a bad choice, as the ice didn’t hold my weight. Suddenly, I was standing in the river with both feet under.
We were a little more than halfway on our round, and my first thought was that this was not good at all. I imagined very, very cold feet within minutes. But that didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, I didn’t feel any discomfort during the rest of the hike. The woolen socks (thick) saved the day.
It was quite dark by the time we reached Sandvikhornet, and it was dead dark when we were off the mountain.
Trip statistics: 5,9km, 465 vertical meters, 1h:39m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP) from the hike:
Melshornet (668m), Jan 21 2023
Saturday: Another dead rotten day, and I could feel a touch of depressing thoughts. I had been sick for almost two months, been through two rounds of antibiotics and barely felt better. I had an appointment with a specialist well into February, so it was just a matter of holding on…
Today, I chose to drive to Ulset to hike Melshornet along the normal route. The side roads were insanely icy, and I chose to drive to Ulset via Hjørungavåg. Along the way, I understood that we should expect a windy mountain…
But the forest part was OK. No wind there…
When we rose above the forest, the wind picked up significantly, but not enough to consider turning around.
From experience, I knew that it was just a matter of minutes before turning around would be something I had to consider. Not for my part, but the dog was quite exposed to this whipping.
And sure enough, in the final hill, it was really unpleasant. I was closely watching the dog. If she came to me for shelter, I would turn around. But she didn’t.
As she was OK, we just had to push for the top. It wasn’t far to go.
On top, it was an inferno. The lee side behind the cairn looked like heaven from distance, but I also know that the turbulence is awful behind this cairn. I just took a couple of pictures before announcing departure.
Our first attempt didn’t go so well. Karma was sliding on the ice and the wind pushed her towards the west slope, which is quite steep. I was able to get a hold of her and drag her back to the cairn.
The second attempt went better, with Karma on leash. The first 5 minutes were horrible, but it helped to get off the very top.
A bit later, it was all good and we had a nice walk down the mountain.
Trip statistics: 6,9km, 560 vertical meters, 1h:40m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike:
Fløtravarden (869m), Jan 22 2023
Sunday: It was time to return to Sogndal and I had all day to get there. No rush. I stopped from the time to time to take some road pictures. There is a lot of nice scenery on this route to Sogndal.
When we got to Utvikfjellet (~600m), I decided to go for a ski-trip. The plan was to go to Snøfjellet (1006m)
There wasn’t a whole lot of snow and the little there was, was icy. No problem uphill, though.
But as we approached Fløtravarden, the wind was picking up and I realized that Karma wouldn’t enjoy being exposed to the wind at a higher elevation.
So, I settled for Fløtravarden. It was good to be in shelter behind the cairn.
At least, we would have to do a round-trip – even if that would be windy for a while. But Karma seemed to be OK.
It was a good trip. I felt uplifted and forgot about my sorrows for the rest of the drive…
Trip statistics: 7,7km, 235 vertical meters, 1h:30m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike + road pics:
