From Vietnam with “baggage”
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 02.10.26 | Hesteggi | 905m | 148m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 03.10.26 | Nuken | 919m | 126m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 03.10.26 | Stedjeåsen | 625m | 123m | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
This marked the end of week 40, which was spent in Vietnam and traveling home..
Hesteggi (905m), Oct 2 2026
Friday: I could have had a working day, but as I had already submitted a timesheet saying I was still on vacation, I ended up with just working 2 hours, so that I could get an easier start on Monday.
It was raining and I was happy about that, which meant I could have some quality time with my pictures from Vietnam.
But in the afternoon, the weather turned just great and I got restless at the same time. I might as well get back into my usual rhythm and decided to hike Hesteggi – from Tjødnali above Kjørnes.
I kept a fairly steady pace up the forest. Not fast, but not slow either. I was severely suffering from jet leg after returning from Vietnam the day before.
I had a good view towards Sogndal from Loftesnesfjellet, before taking on the final hillside toward the summit.
Then a guy (Simen) came jogging past me. He looked fit. But he was doing interval training, so I caught up with him after a little while. He then passed me once more, before I caught up with him again. He reached the top a minute ahead of me and told me that I had “psyched him out” by keeping up with him so “effortlessly.”
That was quite a compliment! I was feeling good, though, and didn’t feel like the pace was taking any effort at all. Then his girlfriend (Kamilla) arrived. I had a very pleasant chat with both of them. Simen was an AI specialist, and Kamilla was involved in glacier research. A fit couple! We said our goodbyes, and they jogged back down while I took some photos.
Inspired by this couple, I also started jogging downhill. I was wearing my most worn-out trail shoes, as my regular pairs were in the freezer following our trip to Vietnam. Anne’s freezer was also packed with everything we’d brought home, from sleeping bags to clothing and souvenirs. This meant I had to be extra careful, as the shoes offered absolutely no grip.
However, I have extensive experience in running down mountains, and I caught up with the others quite quickly. Given that I was likely 30 years older than them, it felt good to know that I can still move quickly and safely in mountainous terrain.
Trip statistics: 8,5km, 790 vertical meters, 2h:05m
Nuken (919m), Oct 3 2026
Saturday: Anne wanted to test her troublesome foot, which, fortunately, had held up well throughout the entire trip to Vietnam. She wanted to hike from Åsen to Nuken, and I joined her, even though I had been hoping for a bit more elevation gain.
At Åsen, we said hi to the locals.
Unfortunately, it rained. Not much, but I really wanted some sunshine…
We are both quite fond of the Åsen – Nuken route.
Then it stopped raining. Big bonus!
As mentioned earlier, my usual hiking shoes and hiking clothes were in Anne’s freezer, so I was wearing clothes that had long since been “retired.”
Vietnam was an adventure, but it was good to be back in familiar mountains, too.
And then we were up!
We even got a rainbow!
On the way back, I took the route on the south side of Skarpinov. Anne’s bad foot started hurting again, so she took the slightly shorter route on the north side.
It was a really nice trip, but 300 vertical meters was a bit too little for me, even though I felt rather lousy today. That was surprising, because I felt in great shape the day before.
Trip statistics: 5,5km, 315 vertical meters, 1h:30m
Stedjeåsen (624m), Oct 3 2026
Saturday: After our hike to Nuken, we went down to Sogndal for grocery shopping. Afterwards, I went hiking up Stedjeåsen.
I was feeling absolutely crap. I had no idea why, but it felt like some kind of inflammation or a stomach completely out of order. The only thing on my mind was to get up, get back down, take a shower and hit the bed.
Taking this trip didn’t feel like a smart idea in any way. But after my trip to Vietnam, I felt like I was well behind on my goal for the daily elevation gain..
As most routes are unavailable after the storm last year, I am getting a bit bored with the only route left. But the only – and somewhat limited – viewpoint is always the highlight of the hike…
Back at Anne’s place, I took a shower and went to bed. Getting up for dinner was incredibly difficult. My body was completely wrecked. What on earth is going on?
I had planned to drive home on Sunday, but as things stood, Sunday was going to be spent in bed…
Trip statistics: 5,3km, 600 vertical meters, 1h:37m
