Another beautiful traverse!
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 16.07.26 | Saudehornet | 1303m | 825m | Ørsta, Norway | WCP | MAP |
Thursday: Time for the annual Saudehornet traverse and I was really looking forward to it! I started from the waterworks building (142m) in Vikegeila and prepared mentally for 1160 hard vertical meters up the mountain in the heat.
When I was done with the boring gravel road, I was sweating like I’ve never done before. I was wearing a shirt with 72% organic wool and 28% silk. More about that later, but the shirt was soaking wet. It was maybe around 23 °C, high humidity and no wind at all.
It was so hot and I felt that I was really hiking slowly. I hoped that I could get up in 1,5 hours but was mentally prepared for closer to a 2-hour ascent. To compensate for the heat, I tried to move as efficiently as possible, always stepping on firm rock and never on gravel or soil.
Soon, I caught up with other hikers that previously were high, high above me. Maybe my pace wasn’t so bad after all?
I was really tired when I reached the foot of the summit ridge, with 300 vertical meters left to go. But with people above me, I got really inspired and found energy I didn’t know that I had.
I reached the top in 1h:25m. Not awesome by any means or standards, except for my age and the heat. I was quite happy.
After a couple of pictures, I immediately moved over to the traverse.
After many trips between the two Saudehornet summits, I’ve learned that sticking to the crest is the best choice. Don’t start looking to the sides for easier routes just because it’s airy. The ridge is easy. Trust yourself.
Looking back on the top, I could see the guy that was there when I came up, was watching me. Maybe he had never thought about the possibility of going across and now was considering it – for now or later. Who knows. But maybe I inspired him. Not sure.
All of a sudden, I noticed that my shirt was completely dry! How in the world could that happen? Maybe there was a slight draft in the air, but holy cow! I need to investigate on this…
Next followed the knife-edge part. I will admit that I am more OK going in this direction rather than the opposite, just because of one single move.
It is a beautiful ridge and I always feel happy doing it. I don’t think I can achieve this specific happiness in my daily life. I don’t even want to analyze it. It is what it is.
On my way down, I stayed as much left as the terrain would let me and I’ve never done this particular route before. As a result, I had to traverse back to the normal route, opposed to going for the top of the road in Vikeskåla.
All in all, yet another fantastic day in the Ørsta mountains!
Trip statistics: 7,8km, 1210 vertical meters, 2h:48m
