Pure medicine…
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 19.02.23 | Saursegga | 516m | 93m | Sande, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.02.23 | Gjøna | 531m | 163m | Sande, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.02.23 | Hanen | 414m | 21m | Sande, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.02.23 | Haugshornet | 431m | 53m | Sande, Norway | WCP | MAP |
Sunday: This hike was so nice that it deserves its own blog post, separate from the week report.
I was on round 4 of antibiotics, and every day was like – you know – when you feel you’re about to get the big flu. In other words, I was feeling crappy all week and today was the same – except for one important thing: the combination of fresh snow and blue sky. On days like these, a hike to Saursegga & Gjøna (aka Nipa) is just what I need!
Our starting point was Haugelia at Haugsbygda. And the plan was the usual round-trip; Saursegga – Gjøna – Saursegga – Hanen – Haugshornet – Vikelva – Haugelia. All along marked paths.
The ascent up the mountain was just a transport leg. The important thing was to get on the Saursegga ridge.
And eventually, we were en route for the ridge.
There was a lot of weather going on around us, but nothing bad.
There wasn’t a lot of snow, but still I managed to step into a mud pit. I got wet but didn’t feel any discomfort thanks to good socks!
A bit later, we were ON the ridge, and I really, really enjoyed myself. This is (arguably) the finest walk on the island!
I was curious if Gjøna would offer some challenges – like ice, but today it was all good. This mountain is just steep enough to make one feel a bit uncomfortable if there is a lot of ice.
A little bit later, we stood on top of Gjøna. My 16th visit. None of them dull!
And the view – awesome like always!
It would have taken a severe health condition to NOT do this hike today…
Then it was time to turn around and – for starters – get back to Saursegga.
There is a good portion of vertical meters on this round-trip hike. Approx. 900…
After passing Saursegga, we headed up to Hanen (414m) – a quite modest hump. Then we sat course for Haugshornet.
The plan was now to follow the sticks to Vikelva and return to Haugelia via Arskotet. But, I got a bit fed up going in the wrong direction and figured an off-trail short-cut would be just fine.
Bad decision. This short-cut was truly cumbersome, and I soon regretted it. But, it wasn’t a question of heading back up and so we had to finish.
Eventually, we got on the Vikelva – Arskotet – Haugelia path and returned to the car 2h:22m after leaving. A wonderful hike and pure medicine!
Trip statistics: 10km, 900 vertical meters, 2h:22m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Prox Max) from the hike:
Excellent!
Just out of curiosity if there had been ice would you have just kicked steps or do you routinely carry microspikes or crampons?
Hi John. Thanks! Depends on the problem and risk. For more gentle tops with small problems like this, I carry microspikes. But for more serious problems I would bring crampons and harness for the dog. Kicking steps, using sharp rocks as “ice picks” has also been tried…