Pre-hike checklistJul 11 2018

Back at it

Jul122018
Map thumbnail of location

Had to hike until I was below the tree line Feels good to be home, even if it's a foreign and unusual home

So here's the gist of this trip: take the train to Bergen, walk home. Simple.

So let's catch a train!

Not your typical hotdogs-or-legs picture, I supposeNot your typical hotdogs-or-legs picture, I suppose

When the train finally showed up, I boarded and want pleasantly surprised when the woman next to me asked if we could switch because she doesn't like the window seat. Yes please!

So I got to watch beautiful scenery for six hours and get a preview of what my hike is going to look like.

Scenes like this.Scenes like this.

I also got to see a thunderstorm that we went through -- I'm really hoping I don't see another one on the hike.

Yikes.Yikes.

Another really cool, really scary thing I saw was the glacier. I got a bit panicked because I didn't bring my snow gear (crampons, micro spikes, etc) and was wondering what I could do about that. Then I looked at the map and it indicates that the glacier ends far north of where I'll be hiking, so I should be fine.

I hope.

A glacier feeding this lakeA glacier feeding this lake

Another wake up call was that the plateau where I'll be hiking is above the tree line. I knew this, and Google Earth showed me patches of trees near lakes and stuff, but still, it could be interesting with a hammock. Maybe I'll be able to buy a sleeping pad in town before I leave.

Anyway, I finally reached Bergen, and I was off! .. to the grocery store, because I'd forgotten my cheese and sausage in my fridge. Damn!

Also, the train was delayed, so the outdoor shop was closed when I got there. Looks like I'll have to play it by ear on the plateau!

Bergen!Bergen!

Once I was all settled, it was time to hike, and hike I did! I was treated to phenomenal views of the city on my way up, lit by the evening sun and clear-ish skies.

Bergen from aboveBergen from above

It was lots and lots of climbing, but it felt good to be back it, just doing my thing. Even my heavy pack loaded with 8 days of food felt right.

It's hard to turn down this being homeIt's hard to turn down this being home

One of the coolest sights I saw was around 9:45. The sun was still up, but there were clouds rolling in, so I couldn't see it. However, the clouds weren't fully here yet, so I saw the sun reflecting off of the fjord below me. It was cooler in person, but you weren't there, so here's another thousand words:

A fjord on fireA fjord on fire

After that, it was just hiking along the ridgeline in the clouds, passing day hikers every now and then.

There are cairns to help you find the way, if you can see them in the cloudsThere are cairns to help you find the way, if you can see them in the clouds

Even if I had wanted to stop, I couldn't -- I was above the tree line. So I had to keep on hiking. I knew I would cross over the ridge at some point, so I wasn't concerned. Eventually, there was a giant decent down into a village, where I found some trees on a farmer's land. I set up my hammock near some sheep and called it a day. I didn't make as much progress today as I wanted because of the nonsense on the train and in Bergen, but I'll hopefully make it up tomorrow.

It's good to be home.It's good to be home.

Oh yeah, my mileage distances are going to be guesses. I don't have a fancy app to tell me exactly what my mile marker is, but I'll go back afterwards and figure out the correct distance. You've been warned :-)

MountainsJul 13 2018