An increasingly troubled knee…
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 05.08.24 | Togga | 1205m | 15m | Sogndal, Norway | – | MAP |
| 06.08.24 | Austerdalsbreen | 420m | – | Luster, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 07.08.24 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 08.08.24 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 09.08.24 | Kaupangsholtane | 423m | 65m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 10.08.24 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 11.08.24 | Mehaugen | 655m | 170m | Gloppen, Norway | – | MAP |
Togga (1205m), Aug 5 2024
Monday: This hike is featured on a separate post…
Austerdalsbreen, Aug 6 2024
Tuesday: This hike is featured on a separate post…
Stedjeåsen (624m), Aug 7 2024
Wednesday: Our friends Eva & Bjørn had returned to eastern Norway and things were back in the normal routine. Except from my knee. It was getting worse and worse. What prevented me from saying “rest until you know what this is” to myself is still a mystery.
In any case, I decided to do solo hike to Stedjeåsen once it stopped raining. I let Karma stay back home with Anne. She was not in shape. I would have to get an appointment with the local Vet.
The first 15 minutes of the hike were quite painful. But then the knee got warm, and the pain disappeared. That was the answer to my question on how I could keep on going like this.
Besides, hiking is important to me. That is not something I just stop doing without knowing why.
The first half of my 61st year had been kind. No sickness whatsoever. It was only “just and appropriate” that I got some bumps in the road.
It was a nice afternoon, and I decided to visit the true high point – which very, very few people bother doing.
The wet meadow is part of the reason for that, but now someone has cleared a route on the back side, so one doesn’t really have to cross this meadow to get to the high point.
My regular hikes to Stedjeåsen are 6-7km roundtrips. This one was more than 9km. I really explored big parts of the forest today.
Trip statistics: 9,1km, 600 vertical meters, 2h:12m
Stedjeåsen (624m), Aug 8 2024
Thursday: I was able to get an appointment at the Sogndal Veterinarian clinic and the list of “issues” was long. Infection in the eyes, infection in the ears (which I already knew and were treating) and false pregnancy.
Meds for the false pregnancy, saltwater for the eyes and various rinsing and cleansing stuff for the ears. She looked better, as if it psychologically “helped” to see the Doctor.
So, I took her with me on yet another hike to Stedjeåsen.
The first 15 minutes were “murder” today also, but after that, things got easier. Karma was kind enough to wait for me, although she looked surprised about daddy being so slow.
I do enjoy this forest. There are a number of routes to choose between, but I would have liked to see even more. But not if it affects the wildlife (if any) in this forest, of course.
Like the day before (and many days before that), we stopped by the Sogndalsfjorden viewpoint. This is one of very few (less than five) viewpoints in this forest.
Once again, I took the “bother” to visit the true high point.
It was another nice hike, but how long could I go on like this?
Trip statistics: 7,2km, 670 vertical meters, 1h:51m
Kaupangsholtane (423m), Aug 9 2024
Friday: I was totally crap after work, and it was raining. I just wanted to take an unprecedented long nap but was able to pull myself together and get ready for a walk. Anne wanted to join and proposed Kaupangsholtane as the destination. As I hadn’t been there in 2024, that was a good suggestion.
We parked in the first sharp right bend on Haukåsvegen (the road to the airport) and followed the tractor road up to the ridge. My knee was aching all the way up and I felt totally rotten. But as long as my girls were happy…
We followed the forest paths along the ridge, aiming for the high point.
The high point is ~30m (off-trail) away from the path and Karma was torn when mommy and daddy parted for 2 minutes. She was a little closer to daddy than mommy, which is enough to warm a dad’s heart…
Like (almost) always, the general shape and form was better after the hike, than before the hike.
Trip statistics: 6,0km, 300 vertical meters, 1h:28m
Stedjeåsen, Aug 10 2024
Saturday: I was “hanging on the ropes now”. There was little will to go hiking, but I managed to get myself and the dog out the door and sat (once again) course for Stedjeåsen.
The “pain period” was now closer to 30 minutes before the knee got warm. And it was raining too. I was happy about reaching the mailbox (not quite the high point, but close enough) and giving the dog a walk, but that was just about all I was happy about.
I clearly had a severe inflammation in the knee, but to what extent was this affecting my shape and form? I was just feeling rotten.
Trip statistics: 6,3km, 600 vertical meters, 1h:13m
Mehaugen (655m), Aug 11 2024
Sunday: It was time to head back home to Sunnmøre and regardless of how bad the knee was, I would get myself a new top before “dealing properly” with the issue the following week.
But first, I had to go down to Sogndalsfjøra and pick up Anne and Karma, after Anne was done with her Sunday routine…
It is probably an excellent way to wake up the body. I prefer the time method…
Unfortunately, the weather was bad when I left Sogndal. All my potential tops were now out of the question and when I approached Byrkjelo, I had to make a decision. Take the LONG way home or just skip the idea of a new mountain top.
I went for the LONG way home, and at Byrkjelo, I sat course for Sandane, Hyen and Gjengedalen – from where I would hike Mehaugen. Most likely one of the most anonymous hills you can think of.
I parked where the Åstøylsvegen road begins. The road ahead was a toll road and would get me closer to Mehaugen, but this is where I chose to head out from.
The start was easy enough – a wet and slippery tractor road.
Then it got a bit more cumbersome…
There were markers on trees, indicating that I was close to a route. But where the route was, and where it was going was more of a mystery.
I decided to not pay attention to the markers and just head for the forest ridge.
This was not an epic hike…
My knee was aching from the get-go and all the way to the top.
It wasn’t difficult to find the high point.
We didn’t get a lot of good views today. But it’s OK. I just wanted to get off this forest top and get back home.
This wasn’t my first visit to this area. I hiked Åstøylsfjellet w/buddy Ove back in 2011.
There was no way I would return the way we came, and we went off-trail, aiming for the toll road.
My knee was warmed up now, so at least I could enjoy the forest descent.
Back at the car, it was nice to change into dry clothes. Now, I just had 166km and 3 hours to drive before being back home…
Trip statistics: 5,1km, 325 vertical meters, 1h:15m
