Røldalsleden, day 5.
Distance: 26.7km (156.7km).
When I wake up to the most anticipated day on the pilgrimage, a clear blue sky greets me. For many, or most, the passage over the Haukelifjell mountains is the hardest one on the trail, but also the most rewarding. Today will be all about hiking in the mountains above tree level, and with threats of snow. I expect to see some stunning scenery today.
Looking back at Tyrvelistøylen and the little lake I camped next to.
Behind the mountain pasture of Tyrvelistøylen, the route is again following the 'Ålmannvegen', the old mountain passage from east to west. This route is waymarked with red blazes (squares, triangles and circles). You will not find any Røldalsleden waymark on this path over the mountains, not until you get to the Ulevåvatnet lake. This is the oldest known way over the mountains that we know of.
The walk on the Ålmannvegen over Haukelifjell goes next to idyllic creeks.
Ålmannvegen towards Hermodsholskaret. The Hermodshola cave is located underneath the apparent knoll to the left (Kreklingdyrnuten) and not underneath Nutemillomnuten (in the middle).
Being thrown straight into the scenic landscape is uplifting. With some exceptions, when walking next to the busy E134 highway, the air has been fresh, but it is so much fresher here. You can almost get high just by breathing in this clear scent of the mountains.
Kreklingdyrnuten seen from the top of Nutemillomnuten.
Hermod was according to rumours an outlaw that lived in a cave up here in the Middle Ages, Hermodshola. The cave is still possible to find. It is located underneath a knoll southeast of Krekledyrnuten, which the route passes by. In the guidebook, however, the location of the cave is wrong on the map. There the top named Kreklingdyrnuten on the map is actually Nutemillomnuten. To get up to where the cave is situated on the map, I have to leave the route and climb up a steep hillside covered by snow. No cave is found, only a huge number of overturned and large boulders. Giving up, I instead climb up to the top above for a good view of the picturesque surroundings.
View from Kreklingdyrnuten, Kjelavatn lake below.
Inside the Hermodshola cave.
Then I climb up to the lower knoll or top (which is the actual Kreklingdyrnuten). A fortunate move as I meet two women, and they know where to find the Hermodshola cave. In fact, I am almost standing on top if it. The entrance is easier to find now, but getting into the cave still requires some awkward moves as the opening is narrow. Once inside, the cave opens up and you can stand up inside of it. Forgetting your headlamp when getting inside a cave is not a good idea, but that is what I have done. Light is still coming from the entrance of the cave, but further in it gets dark (I use the light from my cellphone to give me some illumination). It is a cool sight to take a detour from the path to.
The entrance to the Hermodshola cave.
North of the route lies Havradalen. During the Tokke power development in 1961, the mountain farm was dammed. The main farmhouse from 1848 was removed before, but the rest of the houses was taken by the water. The sheep barn was however retrieved from the water and is now used as a boatshed.
Hermodsholtjønn.
A 'bogastille' at Hermodsholtjønn, probably used by hunters to hide when waiting for prey.
Next to the Hermodsholtjønn lake there is a fenced in area, where the fence is built by large stones. What it was made for is not clear, but some think that it is a 'bogastille', which is a place where hunters was hiding behind the rock fence to catch reindeer when the herd was coming through the valley. In those times, the used bows as weapons, 'bog' means bow.
Walking on the Ålmannvegen.
This section of the Røldalsleden pilgrim path is what is best described as the juiciest part of the trail. There are still plenty of patches of snow around, and in the lakes passed by, ice are floating like icebergs in the water. And we are interestingly getting near the end of August (although, there was actually a freak snow storm here a couple of weeks ago). Higher up, there are even more snow. The combination of blue sky, green grass, white snow, azure lakes and grey rocks and simply put beautiful.
Across the Haukelifjell mountain.
Still ice on the lakes.
These are also my old playgrounds. Not far away from where I walk, lies Haukeliseter, a staffed cabin run by DNT (the Norwegian trekking association). Located by the road and also reachable by bus, it has been from where I have started many of my hiking trips in the mountains. Near the Loftdokkstjønn lake, the trail crosses the DNT route to Hellevassbu, a mountain cabin in the Hardangervidda plateau to the north. Hardangervidda is the largest high mountain plateau in North-Europe. This also means a lot more people, having met no one else so far on my pilgrimage (other walkers that is), I now cross over a path where I can see several hikers going up or coming down. Haukeliseter, a couple of kilometres further south, is the last possibility of accommodation until you reach Røldal.
A happy pilgrim at lunchtime.
In a sunlit spot, I sit down for lunch, while watching people come and go on the DNT path. In a way, it reminds me of the morning when I left Los Arcos on the GR1 Sendero Historico (read about it
here). There I crossed the famous Camino Francés. While I watched the line of pilgrims leaving on their journey towards Santiago de Compostela, I knew that I would be walking completely alone in the direction I was walking.
A stunning view of the Ulevåvatnet lake with snowclad mountains around.
The first Røldalsleden waymark of the day, at Ulevåvatnet.
Undoubtedly going in the unusual direction, 'Ålmannvegen' is heading towards the Ulevåvatnet lake. When the vista is opening up, it is almost near perfect. A crystal clear lake with snow-clad mountains on all sides of it. Let us just forget about the road cutting through the image.
Makeshift bridge over a waterfall of the Nupselva river.
At the eastern end of the lake, the pilgrims have to make a decision as the path splits in two. One northern and one southern route. I was initially unsure of which route to take, even contemplating prolonging the walk by doing both, but walking down with Ulevåvatnet in view the decision is easy. The southern route, which was where the old footpath was going, is almost covered by snow. Finding the path would not be easy. The northern route, which is the very old road, has some snow, but not as much. The biggest trouble lies at the end, the passage over the Dyrskar pass, where the routes rejoin.
Looking back on the northern route around Ulevåvatnet lake.
Picturesque walk on the old way alongside Ulevåvatnet.
While the highway is visible on the other side (south) of Ulevåvatnet, it is still a stunning and picturesque walk. The lake is calm and quiet, almost no ripples in it, with the snowclad mountains around and the sky reflected in the water. Crossing over rivers and waterfalls on makeshift bridges. Goat cheese is sold at some of the farms passed by.
The mountains reflected in the Ulevåvatnet lake.
On the first day, while walking through Brunkeberg, I saw a traffic signpost informing that it was convoy driving over the Haukelifjell mountain. My initial fright was that the whole area was covered by snow, which is the usual reason why cars has to drive in convoys across the mountains (wintertime). It is partially correct, there is a lot of snow, but that is not the reason for the convoy. Maintenance is being done in the Haukelifjell tunnel and the cars has to take the old road instead. Close to the tunnel entrance I can see the lines of cars waiting for the convoy to bring them over the pass.
Cars waiting in line for the convoy to get them over the Dyrskar pass.
One of several snow dunes lying over the way on the way towards Dyrskar, seen at the back. If you slide here you will get a very cold bath.
But snow is eventually a problem. When the old way that I am walking on (not the same road that the cars are going in) begins to climb up towards Dyrskar, large snow dunes lies on top of the way. This goes all well until I reach the final climb up towards the pass. All the rest of the way up, the old road is covered by snow. Below the convoy is driving past, first in one direction, then coming back the other way (it is only allowed to drive in one direction at a time).
Looking up at the Dyrskar pass. The old way is seen to the right, disappearing into the snow.
Debris and fallen stones from the mountain above are colouring the snow grey. The very old Dyrskar tunnel, apparently the first one built in Norway in 1886, is not seen, hidden by the snow dunes. It becomes steeper, and I worry that I shall unloosen the snow or a stone so that it would slide down and fall on the cars below. I decide to turn back, and follow the road instead, becoming a walking part of the convoy. The cars quickly gets away from me, but I manage to barely reach the pass before the returning convoy arrives.
View back of Ulevåvatnet from the climb up towards Dyrskar.
Dyrskar was once the highest point on the road between east and west (but not on the pilgrimage, that point I passed by earlier over Haukelifjell), and is that now only temporarily due to the maintenance of the Haukelifjell tunnel. A small red house at the top of the pass was the old road barracks. This was where the workers used to stay while they were working on the road, shoveling away the snow from the road after wintertime was one of the hard tasks they were doing. The snow could reach as high as 12m. Returning from work, the cabin soon became a soggy sauna when they began heating it up.
From here on and up there was snow all the way up to Dyrskar. The convoy driving past below me.
On the road to Dyrskar. The old way not visible above.
Waymarks are all but lost from the pass, and the path is sometimes hard to discern. It is not really difficult to get in the correct direction, but if you want to follow the exact path it is. I make use of the old cairns still standing, as well as the broken foundations of the old telegraph poles going over the mountains. It has gotten late again, I laugh a little bit of myself. Thinking I would have time to walk around the Ulevåvatnet lake.
The old road barracks at Dyrskar.
From the top of an unnamed hill above Øysteinsvatnet there is a nice view. The line of cars slowly driving in one direction over the pass is to my right and below are the dimming sky reflected in the water of the lake. Øysteinsvatnet, the only lake not being regulated in the area, is where I set up the last camp on my pilgrimage. The sounds of the convoy are almost indiscernible and not invasive.
On the way down from the Dyrskar pass, using the foundations of old telegraph poles as waymarks.
Walking down towards Øysteinsvatnet.
Would I have got an even better sunset if I had walked further? I wonder, seeing the sun disappear rather unceremoniously, but I am wrong. Even without the sun itself, the sunset is spectacular, as the red rays from the setting sun reflected on the sky is again reflected on the lake. A red sky and a red lake in unison. What better ending to an alltogether beautiful and exciting day.
Campsite at the Øysteinsvatnet lake.
Tomorrow is the last day towards Røldal and the end of my pilgrimage.
Stunning red sunset over Øysteinsvatnet.
Tips for this part of the Røldalsleden (from Tyrvelistøylen to Øysteinsvatnet):
- * The red waymarking of the 'Ålmannvegen' path is adequate to find the way and the path clear enough, but it can be difficult to find the way if there is much snow.
- * No Røldalsleden waymark is seen until you reach the Ulevåvatnet lake.
- * On the north side of the Ulevåvatnet lake the path should be apparent enough, even with the very few waymarks visible.
- * There are two bridges that you have to cross if doing the northern route. The first river might be possible to cross over if the bridges are not there, but the second river might be impassable if the waterflow is high. With a low waterflow you might be able to cross the river further up. With a high waterflow, you should either take the southern route or walk on the highway until you get to a junction where a gravel road leaves to the right and cross over a bridge (possible marked with a 'Geitost' sign), this road will join the route on the northern side of the lake.
- * As the south side of the lake had a lot of snow I did not walk that route and so cannot give any status of finding the way there.
- * There are no stores and the only accommodation to be found is at Haukeliseter, a DNT staffed cabin located next to the highway a couple of kilometres away from the path. There are two paths leading down from the route to the cabin, both marked. You can also follow the road back to the cabin from the Ulevåvatnet lake.
- * In the old times, pilgrims used large rock slabs as shelters, along side the Ulevåtnet lake you will find several of these: Piparsteinen, Tolvmannshelleren and Helleikshævet.
- * A possibility if paid accommodation is wanted or needed is to make use of the Haukeliekspressen bus service. This bus runs between Oslo and Bergen / Haugesund and passes by both Haukeliseter and Røldal (where there are accommodation). It would mean that you have to adapt your walk to the schedule the bus runs at, but it is a possibility. You can find info and timetables here.
- * The path up towards the Dyrskar pass might be covered in snow. Pay attention to rock falls from the mountains above. If it is too much snow and you feel uncomfortable climbing up on top of it, use the road up instead, but watch out for any eventual cars.
- * Depending on how much snow there has been, the waymarks may not have been put out from Dyrskar. In that case, use the old cairns and foundations of the old telegraph poles as waymarks. The direction you should be going is easy, just keep the road to your right (you do not need to walk on the road). When arriving at the Øysteinsvatnet lake, the path goes on the north side of the lake (below the road).
- * The normal stages on this part are Vågsli to Ulevå, Ulevå to Svandalsflona.
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