An incredibly nice hike!
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 31.05.25 | Leikongeidet – Gjerdsvika | 160m | 0m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | – | MAP |
Saturday: From time to time, Anne asks me – “why do we always have to go to a mountain top? Why can’t we just go for a hike, sit down, enjoy lunch, take it easy”. Well, I *do* listen and today I wanted to give her exactly this.
I suggested that we should hike from Leikongeidet to Gjerdsvika – where we would have a car awaiting. Not only would this match Anne’s criteria for a nice walk, this would also be perfect for Karma – with not so much uphill and the rest downhill or flat terrain.
New since last time I was here, was the beginning of a new gravel trail – probably going all the way up to the pass between Rjåhorhet and Røddalshorn.
They hadn’t gotten very far, but it was a good start. Lots of people hike here and the path is a disaster. We were a little uncertain about the groundwork. They seemed to just have been dumping gravel straight onto the ground. Not sure that will stand heavy rain.
Karma didn’t mind the uphill up to the pass. She has never refused to hike when Anne is with us.
In the pass, Karma responded with expressive joy when she understood we would not be going further up the mountain, but *down*. Apparently, her back problem is at its worst when going uphill.
We now had lake Raudsandvatnet in clear view. Anne really looked forward to taking a swim in the lake.
After a while, we got the valley wind and Anne put the hood on. Still, she looked forward to the swim.
I was happy just waiting around.
Anne said she was a bit tired before we got to the lake but got an energy boost afterwards. The waters were shallow, and she was barely able to get under, hence not swimming. But it did wonders for her.
And then we moved on. In lack of a path, we stuck close to the lake.
Then we stumbled upon a path that took us through the nice birch forest.
When we got to the western end of lake Raudsandvatnet, it was time for a lunch break.
It was a really nice break in wonderful surroundings.
Above us, we could see Røddalshorn. I had a vague feeling that I would be standing on top of that mountain, later in the afternoon…
Then we moved on towards lake Sædalsvatnet/Storevatnet. I’m not sure if the lake is divided into two parts (it’s physically not) or if it’s two names of the same lake. Probably the latter.
Karma was on fire. Maybe a little more tired than in the beginning of the hike, but she was not sending the disturbing signal – falling in behind. I really felt she was having a good time, no matter how hard this hike was for her.
This was new territory for me. There was 1,3km of this entire route that I hadn’t done before.
I looked forward to getting to the next lake. I knew that the terrain near the lake would be easier for all of us, at least until we had to turn north. Then, Karma would be in for a hard 0,5km pitch.
The first part was – as expected – easy enough.
Then it got hard.
Quite hard.
Karma isn’t as steady as she used to be, and I had to guide her through the worst parts.
But eventually, the bad terrain was history, and Karma was back into exploring – everything.
When we reached the road to Gjerdsvika, the hike felt like it was coming to an end. Karma was still leading on, and it really warmed my heart.
Like last time, when Karma and I came down from Nørdbergsheida, we took the pipeline route down to Gjerdsvika.
It was such a fun hike. Many thanks to Anne and Karma for sharing it with me.
Trip statistics: 11,4km, 330 vertical meters, 3h:41m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max/Samsung Galaxy) from the hike:
