Spending the weekend with good friends
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 03.08.24 | Hesteggi | 907m | 149m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 03.08.24 | Fjordstien | – | – | Sogndal, Norway | – | MAP |
| 04.08.24 | Amlaholten | 508m | 265m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 04.08.24 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
Hesteggi (907m), Aug 3 2024
Saturday: We were expecting friends from eastern Norway this afternoon and so I had a little time for hiking. As I hadn’t been to Hesteggi in 2024, that was a natural candidate.
I took the route from Kjørnes (~750 vertical meters) and to entertain myself, I hoped I could get to the top within the hour. Just hiking, no jogging.
When I reached the top, I was quite happy about getting there in 58 minutes.
58 minutes isn’t impressive. It’s just a steady pace. I’m quite happy with 44 minutes sharp back in 2015. With Karma.
Karma should have been here too, of course. But I decided to let her rest. She had done her fair share of hiking this week. And the week before that. And …
No need to hang around. This was my 18th visit to the top, so I was already quite familiar with the views.
On my way down, I stopped by the Loftesnesfjellet viewpoint. It’s always worth a visit.
I decided to follow the tractor road and return via “Masti”. Here, I met a Swedish couple with a baby carriage. I said they had chosen a pretty bumpy road (It IS a bumpy road) for a stroll. Yes, they were quite surprised. They had read somewhere that this route was suited for children. I suggested that “suited for children” in trail language, does not necessarily comprise baby carriages…
Trip statistics: 9,1km, 800 vertical meters, 1h:48m
Fjordstien, Sogndal, Aug 3 2024
Saturday: And then our friends Eva & Bjørn came to visit us.
After “checking in”, it was time for an afternoon walk along Fjordstien.
But first, a detour through the local forest where Anne is talking Karma in the mornings.
Then, “Tour de Sogndal” could begin.
Walking along the river is nice. But after several walks here, it gets less and less exciting. So, I had to think of something…
Then I found a route that we hadn’t done before.
The others were shaking their heads (as usual when I propose a fun route) but they followed (like they always do).
Down by Fjordstien, we were in less “exposed” terrain…
You can’t pass a boulder wall without at least a little bouldering…
There is more fun stuff to do along this popular fjord path.
Eventually, it was time to get back home and make some dinner.
Anne was going “all in” for dinner. Dried & salted Lamb ribs (Pinnekjøtt), sausages, dark beer and Aquavit. Totally off-season, but who cares…
Trip statistics: 6,4km, 200 vertical meters, 1h:45m
Amlaholten (508m), Aug 4 2024
Sunday: It was a rainy Sunday morning, but that wouldn’t stop us from going on a hike. There was no visible hangover from the Aquavit the day before and after breakfast we sat course for Amlabukti bay – to hike Amlaholten.
99% hike Amlaholten from the regular trailheads in Festingsdalen valley. But as often as I can, I start at sea level.
When you hike from Amlabukti, you’ll also pass the Stave church-like “Ramnereiret” (the Raven nest).
It’s quite something else from anything else you will see nearby. Except for the actual Stave church in Kaupanger…
The roof gave us a nice break from the rain, but eventually it was time to continue.
Eva found this forest to be quite steep. I warned her that it would get a lot steeper…
Spirit was good, even with rain and no views.
Then it was time to get started with the steepest part of the forest so that we could reach the top!
Finally, on top. All downhill from here!
We knew that Bjørn’s knees didn’t enjoy steep downhills, so we had left another car in Festingsdalen. The normal route was not too bad for him.
Trip statistics: 6,1km, 530 vertical meters, 2h:06m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the hike:
Stedjeåsen (624m), Aug 4 2024
Sunday: In the afternoon, it stopped raining, and I saw an opportunity to hike Stedjeåsen.
The knee was really painful now. I was limping for the first 15 minutes until the knee got warmer. To occupy my mind with something else, I decided to explore routes that I didn’t know too well.
Yet again, I ended up in terrible off-trail terrain where I had to trust thin roots in order to advance…
Eventually, I was back on the trails and stopped by the Sogndalsfjorden viewpoint before moving on to the top.
There is no path leading up to the high point. I can understand why very few people decide to cross this (almost always wet) meadow just to reach the true high point. Most people don’t care about stuff like that. They hike to the mailbox and turn around or continue on the roundtrip route.
If conditions are awful, I settle with the mailbox also, but today I visited the actual high point.
With this hike, I was now closing in on 130 visits to this forest top above Sogndal.
With the rather heavy dinner the day before, it was time for something lighter. Anne turned the kitchen into a Sushi workshop area through a joint effort (me excluded), we could enjoy a delicious meal.
Karma said it best, without saying nothing at all…
Trip statistics: 6,2km, 600 vertical meters, 1h:27m