Gudbrandsdalsleden // day 11 // Sygard Grytting - Sjåheim

Gudbrandsdalsleden, day 11.
Distance: 39.1km (381.5km).

Sleep well at night, no whispering from ghosts of former pilgrims at Sygard Grytting. Outside it is clear weather, fresh air and after breakfast I am ready to set off for a then unknown destination. It is not given how far I will go today, but I have a desire to make a large slice of the direction towards Dovrefjell.

Sygard Grytting.

From the farm with its old pilgrim loft, the trail will go higher up in the Gudbrandsdalen valley towards Kvam, with a small descent near Vinstra.

Wandering up alongside an acre from Sygard Grytting.

Nice light over rolling fields, a large burial mound from the Middle Ages (Kjempehaugen), and only a short feeling of asphalt underfoot before soft ground follows me a long way. The pilgrim path goes upwards, and I can eventually look down on Sygard Grytting and Gudbrandsdalsdomen further away.

View down towards Sygard Grytting and the Gudbrandsdalsdomen further behind.

The route seems to have a slightly different character today, with longer stretches where the trail stays out in the nature, with the forest as the nearest neighbour. When farms appear along the route, it almost seems like a glimpse of what once was. At Skar there is an old farmhouse that was inhabited until the beginning of the 1960s.

Pilgrim destinations.

Øvre Skar, a simple and modest accommodation on the pilgrim path.

At Øvre Skar there is also a simple hut that can be used as accommodation, but it is closed this year. The place otherwise looks like a cosy place to spend an evening in, especially for those who like it simple and down to earth (it costs NOK 100 to stay here, it is simple standard, food must be brought by yourself and sleeping bag / sheet bag must be used).

The pilgrim path passing by some dilapidated farm buildings.

Just beyond, I pass some farm buildings that have collapsed. The path meanders upwards, with walking along an edge and good views. Later on, I find a simple shelter marked as Pilegrimsrefugio.

Route going nicely up alongside an edge.

A waymarker with a good view of Gudbrandsdalen.

Then it seems the procedure is repeated. The pilgrims walk through the forest on a nice path, before a new abandoned farmhouse appears in a clearing and the trail meanders again upwards, for hiking along an edge and good views.

Shelter with a fence, marked with Pilegrimsrefugio.

The pilgrim path never goes all the way down to Vinstra, but still a good distance down so that one wonders if one could not have found another route avoiding the descent and ascent. Rock carvings on the rocks as you start the descent and strict messages not to enter the Peer Gynt farm, which Henrik Ibsen is said to have been inspired by.

On a nice ascent to Øyakleiva.

Øyakleiva, With a view down towards a farm.

The pilgrim path then goes deep into the woods again and it is a nice walk with alternating types of trees around the path you walk on. At Støslia, in another fenced-in gapahuk, I have lunch. A yellow giraffe stretches its long neck in the direction of a farm above.

Above Vinstra.

I have now made my way well up in the Gudbrandsdalen valley and have not yet met a single other pilgrim on the trail. Something I find quite disappointing, although I know that I probably wanders a bit out of season. Given the restrictions on traveling around the world, you would think that going on a pilgrimage in your own country would be interesting to many. Now I have realized for a long time that this will largely be a solitary walk.

After Tokse the path goes on wonderful path through the woods in the direction of Kvam.

Is this perhaps the reason why I do not feel completely there today? For the walk today has had more than enough of pleasant terrain and woods in order for me to be satisfied. Still, there is something I feel is missing, but what I cannot put a finger on. And it remains unresolved. For the path I continue on is nice, with light from the sun shining through the trees. I like the part where I walk next to cliffs on one side and rickety fences on the other.

A yellow giraffe looking up towards a farm.

The view over Kvam is nice, but my need to buy provisions at the store there causes a certain wonder about where the pilgrim route is laid. In itself a decent walk, but it gets a bit similar towards the end. For myself, I wish it had found its way down to the centre of Kvam earlier, instead of going around.

Illuminated path.

A little later I stand at the cashier in the Kiwi store and pack provisions in my bag when I hear a voice. "Is not your name Tarjei?" Always fascinating which places you meet acquaintances. I do not meet any other pilgrims, but I do meet an acquaintance. I studied with Øystein in Molde and now he is here at his cabin on Kvamsfjellet. We end up having a coffee at Ødegaarden Bakeri & Konditori. A pleasant surprise briefly summed up.

Bridge over Bosåå.

From Kvam, the trail follows the valley where it turns around and past Sjoa, but it never goes all the way down there. Rather extends upwards in the valley side. I pass 300km left to go to Nidaros, a small milestone there too. The path eventually ascends up in a slightly picturesque birch forest with moss-grown floor.

Where Lågen and the valley is bending around towards Kvam.

A clear and distinct, but at the same time soft path that meanders through grass and moss, around me the trees stand peacefully. It is a tidy forest. I have gone so far that now that the calm of walking has descended over me, this is perhaps the nicest stretch I have walked on so far today. Although the tranquillity is sometimes broken by small interludes on gravel roads.

In Kvam I met a former fellow student from Molde, Øystein.

Until now, I have not yet received a stamp in my pilgrim passport, but it works out when I pass a hostel, Dalum, which is not listed in the overview in my guidebook (although I do not have the latest edition either).

A path meandering through a nice birchwoods.

Down to Varphaugen, the route offers a slightly steep descent. Varphaugen is closed and quiet. From home I get bad weather forecasts for the next few days. While the kilometres and hours have passed, the destination of the day has been set. Above Varphaugen there is a vantage point called Sjåheim, I set my course there. The walk up is nice.

The path between Kvam and Varphaugen.

On rocks clad in lichen, there is a good view of the valley and Lågen from Sjåheim, further away I see Otta. A wooden cross faces the valley. It is a great place to spend the night, but finding a good place to set up the tent turns out to be not as easy. In the end, the matter is solved, but the tent can be said to have seen straighter days.

Path between a log and stone fence.

The hike today was of the varying kind. Maybe a natural result of the previous day being so eventful, but I was not quite as involved in the hike today. On the other hand, I believe I succeeded well in reducing the distance to Dovrefjell.

Sjåheim.

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