Hiking Flekkostind

About a week ago me and dad went for probably the last hike of the season - to Flekkostind, not far from Breitind that we hiked earlyer. This mountain is just a nice pathless relatively easy walk, quite steep in the end but with grass almost all the 700 meters up. Though the nearby mountain blocks much of the view northward, it gives you a nice view over the Northfold-fjord.

Northeastward. Breitind is behind the closest mountain. You can see this is fall - there even was small patches of early snow! Dad was hit by the seasons first snowball.

The flekkos lake, we both saw it for the first time - it's hidden from most other angles.

Above the mountain, there was only masses of bare rock up towards Kråktind, the tallest mountain in the range. At 1200 meters, it stands without vegetation, and as you can see it's allready quite covered with snow. I really hope to get to climb it sometime!

Too bad about the poor light conditions for photos, but i'm sure you've got the picture. A nice trip!

Hiking Breitinden

Breitinden ('The Broad Pinnackle') is the 700 meter tall mountain just above the Tommeltinden ('The Thumb Pinnackle', seen on the right) wich i've climbed earlyer. A week or so ago i went up there with my dad, brother and Aragorn.

First it is a bit of wood-walking, up to the Vetfjell-hut and trough hell street (hellgata). A nice and easy walk. Then the climb suddently starts. There is multiple routes up Breitinden, i know of two and there is probably at least one more. We took the most direct, but rather steep, route. Straight up from 2-300 meters, trough gravel and cliffs and somtimes loose or slippery rocks, straight up to 700 meters.

This is from the foot of the mountain looking towards Leinesfjord (North), and this is some of the climb.

I think this is a rather ugly mountain. Hardly anything green, and it looks so rugged and torn. I sort of get the impression that it looks like an evil mountain. Like one where the fairytale villan has hes dark castle. But! The view is all but ugly. Feel free to feast your eyes!

Eastward, then Northward.

And to demonstrate ruggedness, this is the view up towards Kråktinden, The Crow Pinnacle. Don't you agree that this could easily be the home of a villan? Like, the outskirts of mordor, only with too blue skies.

Hiking Kvarven

Since i started working here at Kjerringøy, i've been wanting to climb the nearby mountains. It took me a bit over a month before i managed to get so far as to climb Kvarven, but man was it worth the wait! Now i've had two trips up there, one überperfect 9-hour trip and another far less perfect, far faster trip where i also went to the second, taller pinnacle.

Normally the 9-hours trip would have been a 2 hour one. You are free to guess what prolonged it. I'll just leave it at saying that there is nothing more perfectly romantic then a mountaintop view.

The walk up to Kvarven is a particularily nice one. It starts out with a lot of forrest walking on a relatively good path. There is the odd bench to rest on, and after not too long a time walking you reach the first good views, where the forrest has a clearing or starts thinning for good. Perhaps two-thirds of the way up is Kvarvkjonna, the Kvarv-puddle as it translates to, wich is a small but stunning mountain lake. 

(Fullview)

Max, my sisters Cairn-terrier, is stick-crazy; hes favourite thing to do is fetching sticks that we toss. He is not, on the other hand, too happy about water. It's clear though, if it is craving or loathing that wins in hes mind;

Yes, we threw a lot of sticks! Poor Max wanted us to throw more and more, but eventually was so tired that he could hardly manage to get them. The last stick we threw he went underwater with twice before he finally had to give in and let go of it. 

There was a lot of insects. None of the particularily nasty biting buggers, but enough to make a unplesant buzzing at times. But there was one pequiliar thing there, that i've never seen before. Using my human encyclopedia, i found out it was a (in norwegian) Bjørnespinner, wich translates to bearspinner. Cool name, eh? Googleing now i find that the english name is none the less cool - It's called ether a tiger moth or a garden tiger.

Upwards from the Kvarv-puddle was the last and steepest part of the climb to the first pinnackle. No more trees, only rock and heather. But at the top was a soft green patch just in front of a steep plunge, wich provided a perfect spot to lay and rest for three hours.

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The secound day of kvarven the hike went on to the taller pinnacle close by. That meant climbing down a stupidly steep slope, maybe 100 meters, and up another long and steep slope. The top picture is the view from the first to the second pinnacle. I took my sweet time on this part of the climb, it was not possible to rush it or i would have risked a deadly roll.

Finally i reached the top, and it was epic! If the plunge on the first pinacle was awsome, this one was proper ninety degree, and i doubt that i am exaggerating if i propose a height of 400 meters straight down. It's not possible to photograph these plunges and make the scale visible, but this might give you an idea;

(Fullview)

Epic, eh?

There's one more particularity worth mentioning about this trip. The first day as we went down, one of the forrest benches wich we were looking forward to resting on had ben conquered by a herd of particularily giant, feroceous and rugged cattle. I'm used to cows, but most of the time they will run away as you approach. These ones sure didn't! We tried to make them move so we could reach the bench. I had to apply all the guts i have to make my way to it, and when we finally were sitting there the most furious of the cows repeatedly attacked poor Max who had been trying to seem tough towards the giant beasts. Lucky for Max he can run the fastest. Such ill-tempered cattle i have never met before! We had to eventually evacuate and settle for the next bench.

Hiking Sørskottaksla

I recently climbed sørskottaksla. That is the tall mountain under wich i have lived since i was 6. I've thought about climbing it the last year or so, and not long ago i finally decided to take the step outdoors and get on top of things. The first and last part of the climb was particularily steep; Ididn't choose the easyest path but instead went up a steep, loose scree at the foot of the mountain. 

Climbing in screes (that mass of crumbeled rock at mountains feet) is a lot of fun, particularily if it's a rough scree. There's a lot of places to exercise balance, and to climb with leaps and bounds. Climbing in loose scree is significantly less fun. You have to watch each step to see if the rock is loose or not, and you have to move slow not to cause a raze. In places, it's rahter idiotic to climb the scree, because a raze could at worst kill you. But - i should just tell you this sooner rather than then later - i am stubborn! 

Above the scree the climb flattened for a bit, with only a bit of climb. But by then, i had become hungry. I was walking completely in my own thoughts, somewhat in a bad mood for the hunger, when suddently i jumped because something made a loud flapping noice in front of me. It was the mother of these cute little guys, who i unwillingly spooked out of her nest.

Right now i wish my knowledge of species had been better, so i could tell you who this is. I know it's a common bird, so i am a bit ashamed to admit that i don't know. But these little people is pretty freshly hatched. Cute birds! I really hope i didn't scare the mother off for too long. (Edit pr 2. July - I've now found out that it was the very common Willow Grouse, nor: Rype)

The last part of the mountain was steep, but safe and easy to climb. I was getting very hungry, but i was starting to get a splendid view. I tried to eat some crowberry roots, and it eased things a bit, but probably mostly by fooling my stomach to think it was getting some food.

Then came the top, and the beautifull view, and a (significantly hunger-dampened) feeling of sucess. Lookie!

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The most beautiful way to enter Steigen

Steigen, my homeplace where i grew up and where i plan to eventually grow old, is to my knowledge the most beautiful place in the world. It has tall and small mountains, fjords and lakes. I love the mountains. You'll never run out of new mountains to try and climb, and each new mountain is a new experience and has a new view.

I just found the most beautiful way to enter Steigen - by boat from Kjerringøy, directly over the ocean southeastwards from home. After working on Kjerringøy and enjoying the view towards Steigen, I finally got to get into a boat and cross the blue mass. It's just splendid – the majestic mountains slowly getting closer, while the almost still sea is caressing the boat, until they are finally standing tall above me again just waiting to be climbed. It feels romantic, and fills me with longing and dreaming for that special someone sometime to be in the boat with me, sharing the experience.

I would wholeheartedly advice everyone to come see Steigen, and come hike mountains with me!