Distance: 34.5km (232.9km).
I had planned to camp this night as well, but the end of the day saw me lodged in one of the Norwegian Trekking Associations (DNT) cabins that is found on the trail, Skjellbreidhytta.
The reason why started all the way back at the chilly morning at Lunken, where I after having eaten breakfast found myself shaking off the morning dew from my tent. While shaking the tent, one of the enclosed small poles got loose and disappeared into the woods. I spent close to twenty minutes searching for the thin and small pole.
That is where a low motivation and tiredness comes into play. In normal circumstances (when I am motivated) I would have shrugged this off, but my mood was not bright when I had continued walking.
I did get better, however.
Naturally.
But that was not until I had passed through a seemingly remote cluster of hamlets and farms in the Snertingdalen valley and had walked on a gravel track above the three Svarken lakes. I could have pushed myself to reach one of those lakes yesterday, but was content by my decision.
There had been a mild moment of frustration again, as the trail had diverged into three paths and no waymarks to tell me not to take the one that I chose. Thankfully, the walk had been rather nice afterwards. Heather had started appearing around me.
Morning mist at Lunken.
On an unclear path between Svarken and Engomsætra.
Engomsætra.
Lundsætra.
Crossing over the bogs after Lundsætra before Storlonsdammen.
Lundsætra was a quiet interlude in the forest on open grounds with a mix of old and new buildings. There is supposedly a shelter or lean-to (gapahuk) here that could be used to spend the night in.
Then more woods and bogs had followed before I had felt the hard punch of asphalt beneath my shoes. The road went past the southeast side of Storlonsdammen, where I found some chairs conveniently located next to the lake. A good spot for lunch, and not very much traffic on the road.
On a sidenote, I had used the map and route found on the ut.no website to mark on my paper map where the trail was going. This was the reason for some of my confusion on the way when I had found myself on the wrong path. Such as after Storlonsdammen, where I had followed the road upwards before taking a footpath that eventually took me to a gravel track. With waymarks showing that the trail actually had been going on the gravel track and not the path I had walked following my map (the track went down to the lake).
There were cows running across the path as I had walked down it, as well as around me in the woods.
And then I sat down on the porch of Skjellbreidhytta with a hot coffee in my hand, while watching a purple-pink coloured sky above the mountain farm scenery outside. The sun was about to set.
For the last of the walk had been great, although I had ended up tired and opted for getting a cabin still. All the way the scenery had taken on the view of nature closer to the tree limit, and I had passed by some more old farms and bogs.
And when the landscape had opened up, passing by some mountain farms at Åltjerna, with a view of mountains ahead and a feeling of finally being walking on higher grounds, I had started to feel good.
Chillin at Storlonsdammen.
Åltjerna, and finally mountains close in the horizon.
Boardwalks (and ladders) and bogs again.
Another remnants of an old mountain farm, Brahus.
Evening at Skjellbreidhytta.
The mountains tomorrow.
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