Distance: 10.5km (356.5km).
I had finished my through-hike of the Jotunheimstien trail, but I had still some time left before I would travel back home again.
That is correct, for eventually I had ended up deciding not to go through with my plan. I will come back later with a short review of the Jotunheimstien trail, but for now let us focus on what I most felt afterwards was that most of the trail had eventually felt the same. I had seen the same forest, hills and bogs over and over again.
The prospect of spending another 300km of seeing the same forest and bogs, after the initial highlight of Rondane, did not appeal to me given my lack of motivation from the start of my hike. Maybe I will return again to do the Rondanestien in some years, but for now I had no interest in doing it.
Killing time before homeward bound was done by climbing up to the summit of Veslfjellet. As most other walkers hiking over the Besseggen ridge are taking the boat to Memurubu and walking back to Gjendesheim I had thankfully escaped most of the throng doing the hike.
I had turned back just after the summit of Veslfjellet, with great views over Gjende surrounded by the jugged peaks of Jotunheimen, tempted to just continue down the edge of the Besseggen ridge.
Back at Gjendesheim, I sat down for a beer before I walked down to the campsite at Maurvangen where I had met the father and sons who also had stayed at the Oskampen cabin. One of the sons lived in Oslo, so I had been so fortunate to get a lift back home.
Cabin and boathouse at Gjendeosen.
Gjende.
Up towards Veslfjellet on the stony plateau at its top.
Looking down at Gjende with Gjendehøe and Knutshøe behind.
Steep outcrop at Veslfjellet, with views down towards Gjendeosen and Gjendesheim below.
As I had struggled to come up with a trail that I really wanted to do this year, my motivation had suffered. Last year was no problem, it was obvious that I wanted to experience the pilgrim path in Norway to Trondheim, but there were no real alternatives left that I really felt interesting for this year.
I had considered doing the Østerdalsleden to Trondheim, but found that doing another pilgrimage to Trondheim was not what I wanted the most. In the end, I had come up with the plan to do both Jotunheimstien and Rondanestien after considering several other options. Which included a plan to make my own trail so to speak.
I had not been properly motivated for it.
So then my verdict should be seen with that in mind. In itself, each day had been nice, but in the end, they begun to feel the same. That said, I did not have a bad time on the trail.
As the trail had finally moved up into the mountains, things had improved, but the damage had been done.
However, one thing that remains with me after the hike is all the old farmsteads, both still in use and apparently abandoned, which I found particularly fascinating. Some with views, some secluded deep in the woods, all with histories probably to be told. The toil of old.
Jotunheimen.
Looking down at Gjende from Veslfjellet with the peaks of Jotunheim all around it, Bukkehåmåren and Høgdebrotet to the left.
A solitary red t waymarker in front of Bessvatnet with Bessfjellet behind.
Looking back towards Jotunheimstien on the way down from Veslfjellet, Sikkilsdalshøa in the background.
Old farms at Gjendeosen.
It is written that the Jotunheimstien trail is following the footsteps of old Norwegian writers and artists, maybe this is best seen through these old farmsteads along the way.
<< Gjende // day 12
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