So, what’s this E-bike thing about?
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 10.09.24 | St. Hanshaugen | 85m | 25m | Oslo, Norway | – | MAP |
| 11.09.24 | Ola Narr | 78m | 8m | Oslo, Norway | – | MAP |
| 12.09.24 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 13.09.24 | Holmsåsen | 590m | 97m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 14.09.24 | Bondehaug | 723m | 220m | Luster, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 14.09.24 | Bike Solvorn – Sogndal | – | – | Luster/Sogndal, Norway | – | MAP |
| 15.09.24 | Storehaugfjellet | 1173m | 990m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 15.09.24 | Byttejuvkampen | 561m | 1m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
St. Hanshaugen (85m), Sep 10 2024
Tuesday: I flew to Oslo on Monday evening, from Sogndal. Anne would baby-sit Karma while I was gone a couple of days. I don’t particularly enjoy going to the Capital of Norway (I used to live there…), but it’s nice to meet up with the colleagues once a year. Since last year, we got two new colleagues, working out of the Spanish office. I keep repeating that next year’s gathering should be in Alicante…
After the working day ended, we had a couple of hours off before dinner. I decided to make this Oslo stay “worth something” also when not working. So, I decided to go for a walk up to St. Hanshaugen.
I have history with St. Hanshaugen, although I just remembered fragments of the hill. When I went to a nearby High School, our Physical Education (PE) grades were set based on how we performed in running, swimming and football (soccer). Running was the most important activity and there were several distances involved. Running across St. Hanshaugen was one of them…
I enjoyed walking through the city. Memories that I could never produce on demand without actually being there, came back.
When I got to the top of the hill, I had no recollection of the place. It was completely foreign to me, but I assumed that it looked pretty much the same back in the beginning of the 80’s.
Just as I was turning back, it started to pour down. I had seen the forecast and was equipped with an umbrella. I seldom use an umbrella, and never in western or northern Norway. They haven’t built umbrellas that can handle the type of wind we get along the coastline…
In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Brasilia restaurant. It was a different concept from what we were used to and enjoyed the buffet and being served fresh meat directly at the tables. Afterwards, we went out for a few games of dart. That’s yet another thing I used to be good at. Now, I just suck at it…
It was also nice to stroll back to the hotel along Karl Johan – Oslo’s main street.
Trip statistics: 5,4km, 100 vertical meters, 0h:55m
Ola Narr (78m), Sep 11 2024
Wednesday: I decided to get up early, so I could do a walk before breakfast. There would be no time in the afternoon, as I was flying back to Sogndal.
I decided to head for the Ola Narr hill, in the Tøyen part of Oslo. After a nice 2,6km walk, I arrived on the top.
I didn’t want to return the way I came, and so I walked on the east side of the Botanisk hage park.
Eventually, I returned to the downtown area and the hotel…
At least, this part of the town hadn’t changed all that much since I used to live here…
Later in the day, we had lunch on the top floor at the hotel. That was nice…
This was altogether fun. I’m already looking forward to next year, where I hope to reach other new “tops”. I’m pretty sure it will be in Oslo and not in Alicante.
Trip statistics: 5,8km, 100 vertical meters, 0h:59m
Stedjeåsen (624m), Sep 12 2024
Thursday: Back in Sogndal, and this was a low-on-energy day. I finally pulled myself together and decided to walk the dog up to Stedjeåsen.
I chose one of the less travelled paths, which I enjoy more than the regular routes.
Of course, we stopped by the only viewpoint on the west side of the forest.
Then it was just a matter of crossing the wet meadow…
…in order to get to the true high point.
Glad we did the hike. The evening is got much better.
Trip statistics: 7km, 600 vertical meters, 1h:41m
Holmsåsen (590m), Sep 13 2024
Friday: The Chiropractor tried to call me about the MRI results. He didn’t get hold of me but sent me a SMS with the analsysis from the Radiologist. I used various sources to decompile the incomprehensible language and took away that the results were both good and bad.
Good, in the sense that there were no signs of arthritis. Bad, in the sense that the meniscus had some notable issues. As such, it was a disappointment. I had been clinging to it being an inflammation after a busy summer. But OK, this needed to be followed up.
Later in the day, I went to another Chiropractor for dry needling therapy on my neck problem. I get the overall idea, and I have faith in it. It’s somewhat painful, but nothing I can’t handle. But afterwards, I felt like being hit by a truck. I’ve never been hit by one, but I imagine this is roughly what it feels like.
I didn’t have to think about walking Karma this afternoon, as Anne brought her along for a work trip.
Logistics – in this context – cars, can sometime be a challenge. But we do the best we can…
So, because of the knee, I tried to reduce hiking, but also – because of my bad neck (caused by biking on a bike that was too small for me), I accepted Anne’s offer to let me use her E-bike.
The bike fit me perfectly. I felt good and relaxed when sitting on it. That is – as relaxed it’s possible to feel when having been “hit by a truck”.
I decided to do a proper test run and aimed to visit Holmsåsen near the Sogndal airport. The weather was nice, and I really looked forward to the trip.
I tried to avoid the main roads at all costs and went (of course) past Vikane.
I was also on forest roads when I got to Kaupanger.
But I had to follow the airport road from Kaupanger, until I could turn onto the Haukåsen road just before the airport. And then I decided from where I wanted to do the hike up to Holmsåsen.
The hike was not particularly fun. Cumbersome terrain from beginning to end.
Eventually, the top was reached. I hadn’t been here since 2010 and then it was called “Holsåsen” – without the ‘m’.
I more or less took the same route back to Sogndal. I couldn’t figure out how to reduce the amount of “help” from the bike. The power up/down buttons didn’t respond. It gave me much more power than I wanted, and I felt a touch of “range anxiety” and understand the expression a bit more now.
Trip statistics: 44,9km on bike, 1,1km on foot, 1000 vertical meters, 2h:50m
Bondehaug (723m) & biking Solvorn – Sogndal, Sep 14 2024
Saturday: Today, Anne and I went to good friends in Solvorn, to help them pick apples and pears.
That is – I picked. Anne helped with the pressing process.
It felt good to stretch the arms high. I had got ridden of the 5am headache. Moreover, the stomach pain seemed to have gone away. But the knee was radiating pain. It feels silly to moan about minor things like this, when so many have much, much serious problems. Like, the ongoing human disaster in the middle east is almost beyond comprehension.
Still, I have to be present in my own life.
After a while, I got a bit restless and used the dog as excuse to get a hike.
I drove up to Krossen – not to hike Molden, but Bondehaug.
I had forgotten about the terrain up here. We were on a forest trail that – according to the map – didn’t lead to the top. But I assumed we would find a way.
The forest trail forked, and we went up to the left. Now, we were just below the top and had a nice view towards Indre Hafslo.
I didn’t understand where the path we were on was going (it was not going to the top) so we went off-trail up to the top of Bondehaug.
I tried to the Stedjeåsen “joke” one more time. Karma still didn’t get it.
Of course, we had to take a different route down and we hiked off-trail for a while.
Eventually, we found a path that I hoped would take us to the trailhead.
It was a nice hike, but we were both dreaming about higher tops…
When I returned to the others in Solvorn, the juice was flowing. Man, it tasted heavenly. We got a couple of bags to bring home.
I said to Anne that she could take my car when she was decided to call it a day in Solvorn. I borrowed her E-bike for the 2nd day in a row, to bike back to Sogndal.
Again, I really looked forward to taking this bike on another trip…
From Solvorn, I followed “Gamlevegen” up to the main road.
I wanted to bike as little as possible along the main road, so when I got there, I biked down to Hestneset and along Hafslovatnet.
I was forced back on the main road, but only stayed on it for 0,5km, before turning onto the old road by Okleviki.
Then I biked “Kongevegen” down to Årøy.
At Årøy, I was forced to bike along the main road back to Sogndal, but it was OK. Most people are considerate and pass with a good margin or wait for the road to be clear.
Excellent trip, but perhaps I should not continue borrowing the E-bike. One could grow fond…
Trip statistics: Bondehaug: 6,8km, 250 vertical meters, 1h:22m
Trip statistics: Biking Solvorn – Sogndal: 18,6km, 505 vertical meters, 1h:15m
Storehaugfjellet (1173m), Byttejuvkampen (561m), Sep 15 2024
Sunday: This morning started like every Sunday morning in Sogndal – Anne went for the morning swim together with other similarly crazy persons.
I was just there to give her a lift back home.
Anne was planning to spend the day preparing an extraordinary meal together with a friend. I clearly didn’t want to be in their way and borrowed her E-bike for a trip up to Storehaugfjellet. There is a service road going all the way to the top and I figured Karma could come along.
It was overcast in the beginning, but then it started to get really nice. E-biking up here was just ridiculously easy.
Karma didn’t seem thrilled about the – somewhat boring – service road, but at least she had good access to water. She’s so thirsty these days. The previous round of testing for known issues that can explain excessive thirst came out negative. But I’ll do another, just to be sure.
Eventually, we were up. I’m fairly sure the high point is located behind the north tower, and not where the cairn is. The north view isn’t that exciting.
But the fjord view is nice!
I’ve been running up and down this mountain. I’ve hiked it. I’ve skied it and I’ve biked it. It’s a “versatile” mountain and I like it a lot.
Then it was time to head back down…
Back at the trailhead, by the airport – I left Karma in the car and went for one more ride – towards Byttejuvkampen. They still haven’t repaired the road/trail and I guess they never will. This is not a place you want to pass unfocused. It’s a long way down to the fjord…
This place is also where you can hike down to Tingastad. Check this link for our Tingastad hike.
To my surprise, I was able to bike all the way to the top of Byttejuvkampen. Well, it’s not a top – but a named point.
Returning to the car, I took the road on the south side of the airport and “crossed my tracks” from Friday, when I biked from Sogndal to hike Holmsåsen.
The trip was big fun. Now it was time to return back to Anne and check out what they had been preparing for dinner – which we would enjoy with friends in a couple of hours. The middle east inspired dinner tasted heavenly! Great work, ladies!
Trip statistics: 24,8km on bike, 1030 vertical meters, 2h:37m