Massiv day 20.
Distance: 19.6km (403.5km), time spent: 9:53 (166:09).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1028m / 724m / 1633m.
Weather: Heavy rain in the night, rain in the morning, then overcast.
It poured down during the night, feeling like a deluge of almost biblical proportions. At one point, I looked out of the inner tent to see the wind pounding the outer tent so hard that it hammered the rain straight through it. It was raining inside the tent as well. It is probably high time to re-impregnate my tent. However, I was still warm and dry where I lay inside the inner tent.
Fivlemyrane in the morning, looking towards Fortundalsbreen.
It is still raining outside when it is time to wake up, but it has abated some. I eat my breakfast and then start packing. It is completely useless to try to get the tent anything dry. The moment I have finished shaking the tent partly free from water, another shower begins and it gets just as wet again. I will carry some additional kilos on my back today. Not a cherishing thought, as I carry far too much already.
Walking up from Fivlemyrane, Fortundalsbreen in the horizon.
Thankfully the rain stops shortly after I start my final walk on Massiv, although the clouds still lies oppressively across the mountains. At the end of the valley, one arm of the Fortundalsbreen glacier is appearing from underneath the drifting clouds. One route to Sota Sæter does cross that glacier, but to choose that way you need to have experience in walking on glaciers (and the necessary equipment). I will instead have to take the route going past the Illvatnet lake. On the way to the junction between those two paths, some tiny patches of blue sky appears.
Looking out across Illvatnet, rocks on all sides of the lake.
The path up to the infamous Illvatnet goes upwards through a barren area with a feeling that I never really get there. I have not expected to meet anyone soon, with the time it takes to walk from Sota Sæter and that the terrain around Illvatnet is said be almost unsuitable for camping. Even so, on the way up I come across another person. A sole mountain runner, which explains the fast time used to cover the distance from Sota Sæter. He is running to Sognefjellshytta, so has still some distance and elevations ahead of him. It looks chilly to run in this weather, but if he keeps it going he will hold his warmth.
A cold river crossing. It appear that it was possible to jump from stone to stone across, but the current was strong and would have driven the water above the height of my shoes.
Reaching Illvatnet, I can somehow see how it has gained its reputation. It is a quite large lake surrounded by large rocks on all sides. Last evening at Nørdstedalseter I met a man who told me that his father and mother had never forgot the time it took them over three hours to walk around the lake. In my mind, I feel that I should be able to do it quicker.
Illvatnet.
However, after walking for a while, I might need to confess that I might have been way to bold in that statement. It goes fine at the start, but gradually the rocks becomes bigger and the path more or less disappears. Only the red t-waymarks guides me through the rocks. Funnily enough, the walk feels like that I walk fast, but are making very little progress. The last part going through the aptly named Illvassuri (uri means scree), is exceptionally slow. It is tedious walking, no doubt of that.
View down Tundradalen.
Timewise, it does not get any better that I have to vade over two rivers. There is a strong current in both rivers. This kind of surprise me, as I had expected it to be less water after the heavy drought this spring and summer. Stupidly, I had also put my towel at the bottom of my backpack. So at the first fording, I had to stand at the top of a large rock unpacking everything in my backpack to get the towel. And then pack everything back again. I had first tried to find a way to cross the river without needing to take of my shoes, but could only get as far as this stone. It must have looked stupid if you had come upon me while I was doing this. Should probably just have sacrificed one of my other clothes to dry my feet after the crossing.
The Sekkebreen glacier.
The first hiker from Sota Sæta appear in the middle of Illvassuri, not giving me much encouraging news regarding the remaining surface for my part (I might not be giving him the most encouraging news either). I am going to do a lot of small jumps from stone to stone today. I eat lunch, then I cross the third river with my shoes hanging around my neck. On my feet, I have sacrificed one of the pairs of wool socks that I carry with me. It gives me a better grip when walking on the slippery stones underneath the chilly water. Finished wading, the pair of socks hangs dripping at the side of my backpack.
Tundradalskyrkja with Tverrådalskyrkja behind.
Although, the path is not as cumbersome as it was around Illvatnet, the continuing path is still rocky. On the positive side, the somber clouds are now appearing to break up, giving the landscape a brighter feeling. I meet a couple having started late from Sota Sæter, which provides me with some hope regarding the time I will arrive. Warning them about the rocky surface and the rivers that needs to be forded, and advising them on the best place to find a campsite, we return to our divergent paths.
A view back towards Sottjønnin and Tundralskyrkja.
However, even though I got a boost from the news (I felt I was going to use ages to come through this landscape), the walk soon becomes tedious and cumbersome again. I have nice views of Tundradalskyrkja with Tverrådalskyrkja behind, and the Tundradalen valley from where I go, but the view underneath my feet never changes. Eventually, I reach the final top, above Sottjønnin, before I will start the steep descent down towards Sota Sæter. Fortunately, the path here improves.
View before the descent to Sota Sæter of the Mysubyttdalen valley and surrounding mountains.
I am far from being dissatisfied with the walk today, as my writing may give the impression of, but I am feeling very tired. With my heavy backpack and the unrelenting surface, it has been some hard days. The views where I now stand are however wonderful. Looking down at Sota Sæter with the rivers and lakes, the Mysubyttdalen valley to the left of me down in the valley, and the Sekkebreen folded out like a cloth on top of the mountain on the other side of the valley to me.
Looking down at Sota Sæter.
As always, even though you see the destination, it often takes time to get to it. At first the descent is not so good, a little bit slippery, and hurtful for my tired feet. Then the vegetation gradually changes, increasing. Until I start walking through another beautiful birchwoods. Finally, I come down to a gravel track, leading me to the end of the Massiv trail for me. Or what is the beginning to most of the other hikers on this massive and wonderful trail.
Walking through a beautiful birchwoods on the last part of the hike (the marked path you see is not the path I was walking on though).
Having finished the trail, I have made a deal with myself that I will spend the night at the cabin. There are a lot of guests at Sota Sæter, as it is reachable by car. And the childrens club of the Norwegian Trekking Organization has a gathering here. I still get a room for myself. The shower may not longer be warm, but it still fells good. And I can hang up my soaked tent to dry. Sota Sæter was a large and old mountain farm and so consists of several small houses around a large grassy courtyard. The various sleeping quarters are spread out in the various buildings.
Before reaching Sota Sæter, I was walking through this forested area in the valley bottom.
Dinner is served inside the main building, in a nice, but quite confined room. Sort of my little celebration of finishing Massiv. The dinner is good, and I get to talk a little bit with the people sitting next to me at the table. Otherwise, most of what I hear is a little bit drowned in all the sounds the guests are making. The rest of the evening, I sit and relax with a cold beer.
A mountain farm near Sota Sæter.
It has been a massive hike, and a great one too. Not the best weather. I wish I could have done it in one go, but sometimes it cannot be done. Tomorrow, I will continue my hike in Breheimen, but that is an altogether different story.
Sota Sæter.
<- Fivlemyrane
