Saga // day 10 // Gautåsætre - Reinheim

Saga, day 10.
Distance: 29.3km (241.8km).

A nice, chill morning and no mosquitos, except for a few uninterested morning-risers. A soft light lies over Dovre, from where the pilgrims on their way to Trondheim are passing through, more on that later, but I wonder if I will meet or see anyone today. The river next by is softly making itself heard, I fill up from its water and prepares breakfast. Then getting away passing by a stone monument.

Waterfall in the Gautåe river.

I have nearly finished this stage on the Saga trail, not my stage, but the usual stage. From Grimsdalshytta, the trail is going over to Hageseter and the cabin and campsite there, but for me that is just a short walk down. I could see the buildings and the cars passing by from my campsite. So most of today will be on the penultimate stage of Saga, going to the Reinheim cabin in the kingdom of the musk ox.

Musk ox head at Hageseter, which can be viewed at closed range and still be safe.

I do hope to spot some of these majestic animals, but hopefully not too close to me.

The pilgrim path to Nidaros going through the Hjerkinn area.

Although having had my morning coffee, I find time to indulge myself in a cup of coffee at Hageseter. This is a private cabin and campsite, with a capacity of 70 beds. From here, the route does not follow the path marked with the usual red T and I have to admit that it caused me a little bit of headache. The thing is that the T-marked path only goes towards the train station at Hjerkinn, but that is not my way. Instead, the route I am supposed to take, follows the pilgrim path to Nidaros, marked with its own set of waymarks (the cross of St. Olav inside the Norwegian icon for a landmark or sight).

At Vesle Hjerkinn.

Bridge over the Folla river.

Following the cross of St. Olav, I walk through a pleasant culture landscape dominated by low and sparse mountain trees. At Vesle Hjerkinn, I can look at the remains of the first facilitated accommodation for wayfarers over the Dovrefjell mountains, dating back to the medieval ages. Here archaeologists found the biggest discovery of old coins that has been found in Norwegian mountains. One of the old dwellings has been partially reconstructed. After the Black Death in 1349, the place was deserted.

Eysteinkyrkja at Hjerkinn.

Crossing over the Folla river, marshland takes over the scenery, before a gravel track leads me and the pilgrims (although there are none to be seen) towards the Eysteinkyrkja church and Hjerkinn Fjellstue that provides accommodation. Eysteinkyrkja was built as a pilgrimage church and the design inspired by the mountain formations around Snøhetta. Usually there is a local pilgrim office here, but both church and office are closed when I arrive. The church also boasts a nice view over the Hjerkinn and Dovre area.

Looking back at the area around Hjerkinn.

Den Gamle Kongevegen leading upwards Hjerkinnhøe.

Hjerkinn Fjellstue is situated close by, an alternative place to stay if you do not stay at Hageseter (for those staying at paid accommodation), sleeping 70 people. There are also accommodation to be found near the train station, about 2km away.

Rondane in view far away.

The hike over Hjerkinnshøe is one of the highlights and iconic parts of the pilgrim path through Dovrefjell. Over this mountain, both trails are following ‘Den Gamle Kongevegen’, which is the old king’s road. There have been roads over these mountains dating back many years, mostly accounting for nothing more than footpaths or bridleways, but at the beginning of the 18th century the king’s road was constructed. Being a king’s road meant it was a public road, but heavy burdens was laid on the farmers in terms of maintenance duty.

At Hjerkinnhøe, the stone marker says it is 208km to Trondheim.

Descent from Hjerkinnhøe.

Being a ‘road’, the path is wide, going upwards to increasing views of the area around Hjerkinn. Next to the road, I find both the waymarks for the pilgrim path and the blue crown waymark for the king’s road. The path reaches its highest point at just above 1200m, where a stone marker tells me that there are 208km to Nidaros (Trondheim), but that is for the pilgrims. I am not going that far on this walk. On both sides of the road, there are paths leading up to nearby summits, but unsure of my time, I leave them for later (remember, I will pass by here later in the year when I will be doing the pilgrimage myself).

The end of the Saga trail in view, the Snøhetta massif (the summit of Snøhetta is to the right).

The walk down is just as nice, and I cannot help myself from stealing glances at the towering Snøhetta to the west. At the bottom, the pilgrim route and Saga trails split paths, the pilgrims continuing towards Kongsvold and Trondheim, and me towards Grønbakken, Stroplsjødalen valley, the Reinheim cabin and the possibility of musk ox encounters.

At Grønbakken.

Grønbakken once offered accommodation and was also a holiday home for the railway's office staff. There is also a smithy here in good conditions, built in 1942 when there was road construction work in the area. It is a little bit strange that the route to the Reinheim cabin is taking this path up through the Stroplsjødalen valley, as the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) clearly wants the hikers to take the route from Kongsvold instead. On this route, the waymarks are faded and not maintained, but the path is clear enough. Probably they feel that the stage from Hjerkinn to Reinheim will be too long if the hikers have to go by Kongsvold. The reasoning for letting this path disappear is probably to give the musk ox some more free space (they do have a very small intimate limit).

Lunch spot next to the Kaldvella river.

Musk ox eyeing me from where it is grazing.

Time has made its usual way and if I have not paid any attention to it, my stomach has. Next to the flowing water of the Kaldvella river, I find a suitable place for lunch. Sitting down, I unlock a memory from my previous visit here. When I had my lunch then, further up the valley, I remember seeing a man with his dog walking up a ridge above me. Not long after, I could see them both retreating quickly down again. Puzzled, I saw the reason moments after. A musk ox family came sauntering down the same way.

In the Stroplsjødalen valley.

Moving on, I have my musk ox encounter. At a safe distance, I spot a solitary ox. When it becomes aware of me, it eyes me constantly. Such a beautiful animal, so I stand there eyeing it constantly too for a while. However, in a staring contest, I would not stand a chance I guess. Later, I spot other musk ox moving, but far away from me.

Walking towards Snøhetta.

Looking up at Snøhetta.

The hike up to Reinheim is mostly easygoing, but it comes with a sting at the end. It has been a long day and the additional height gain is making itself felt. On the positive side, I get a good view of Snøhetta with its installations on top and the Reinheim cabin below. Clouds are dramatically making its way on the sky, a premonition of the coming weather.

Rays above Snøhetta.

Reinheim is a self-served cabin that sleeps 36 people and the cabin guard is actually the same person as the last time I was here, he seems to remember me. For unknown reasons, I have not bathed so far this year, but now is a good time. I have gone some days without showering, and the water of the Stropla river is beckoning. Except that it is really really cold. However, the cold touch of the water is soon forgotten, as the cabin is well heated and it is a good feeling to loose the grime on my body.

Mountains looming above the Stroplsjødalen valley.

An evening calm descends upon the landscape. Quite quiet in the cabin, as there are not that many guests (despite being almost fully booked, but that is due to the limitations given by the pandemic). Bacalao for dinner (in my mind the best food you can get on the self-served cabins in Norway).

Reinheim cabin.

Tomorrow Snøhetta awaits and the end of the Saga trail. Weather forecast is not good, but I should not complain, as I cannot say I have been unlucky so far with the conditions. Things are good, it has been a ride so far. Highlight of today was definitely the musk ox.

Evening light at Reinheim.

<< Gautåsætre // day 9Snøheim // day 11 >>

Saga // day 9 // Haverdalsåe - Gautåsætre

Saga, day 9.
Distance: 24.3km (212.5km).

I am laying both days and mountains behind me, while days and mountains still remains ahead of me, but the end of the trail is inevitable closer. The ninth day and I will head into the Dovrefjell mountain range, being the last area the Saga trail is passing through. As yesterday, how far I will go is uncertain. The light outside my tent reveals another day with lovely weather.

Walk next to the Haverdalsåe river in the morning.

From my campsite at Haverdalsåe, the path follows the Haverdalen valley westwards for a short while, with the surface soon turning wet and slightly boggy underfoot. I must confess that I remember little from this area when I hiked through here years ago. While not as majestic as the center of Rondane, the walk is pleasant, soon going through sparse mountain birch.

A view back from above Haverdalen valley.

Leading upwards on the eastern side of Gravhøe, the landscape opens up. While still being mountains, they are leveling out, getting rounder in the edges. The more imposing peaks of Rondane are yet obscured from the view by Stygghøin, which is where the Dørålglupen crevice is cutting through. Even so, the views are inviting to the eyes.

Path below Gravhøe, Snøhetta is visible in the background.

Grimsdalen and the Grimsdalshytta cabin in sight.

Over Gravhøe the path is a meandering line pointing towards Snøhetta in the horizon. Given that I had to pre-book the cabins I want to stay at, I know that I will be there the day after tomorrow. With more undulating and rolling hills to dwell my eyes on, I reflect some on the Saga trail so far. Now I feel a little bit back to the setting before Rondane, with gentler mountains leading up to the higher peaks. In this case, it seems like a short respite between the harder climbs.

Winding path through a birch forest on the way to Grimsdalshytta.

Grimsdalen is an idyllic and one of the longest pasture valleys in Norway. Also a popular valley to go biking in. It is in this valley that you find the Grimsdalshytta cabin, another staffed cabin and if you follow the Saga trail going from cabin to cabin, the endpoint of a shorter day from one of the cabins at Dørålseter (unless you go all in for a really long day from Rondvassbu).

Grimsdalshytta.

Grimsdalen valley with old mountain farms and pastures.

The descent to Grimsdalen goes through another birch forest, pleasantly lit by the sunlight. The Grimse river is crossed by a bridge, leading onto a camping site with a mix of cows and caravans. Between newer cabins, signs of old mountains farms are visible. In the area there are also several catch pits located.

Walking above the Tverråe river from Grimsdalshytta.

Grimsdalshytta cabin sleeps 54 people. I see the great weather and good location as a good excuse for a longer break. The cold sip of a juicy beer. The sour cream taste of a vaffle. The healthy bite of a sandwich. The not so healthy energy of a coke. Then grimacing a little due to the bad weather forecast for the last day. If only the spell of good weather could last one day longer.

Tverråe meandering towards the Fallfossen waterfall.

View back towards Grimsdalen from above Tverråe, one lonely Rondane peak is peeking out behind.

After the Grimsdalshytta cabin the trail finally leaves Rondane and heads into the Dovrefjell mountains. It does so by climbing up alongside the Tverråe river, emerging out on a rolling mountain plateau before heading down towards the area around Hjerkinn. Somewhere on that other side I expect to find myself a camping space for the night.

Upwards path with Pikhetta in the distance.

Sunrays over Kattuglehøe.

The walk up is 'slow' at start, before I find it becoming increasingly interesting as the Tverråe river sinks further into the landscape next to me. The path is winding upwards next to the slopes leading down to the river I can hear well from my position. In the short distance, the valley below closes in where the Fallfossen waterfall is seen. Then I manage to drop my camera to the ground, but thankfully it seems to have escaped any injury and looks fine.

Rondane peeking up behind me.

The plateau above appear and at last I can get a view of the pyramids of Rondane again, maybe for the last time (except from the summit of Snøhetta). A couple of hikers are approaching, on their way to Grimsdalshytta, all in a good mood thanks to the scenery. Clouds have taken a hike on the sky, providing some interesting light play over Kattuglehøe.

Steinbuehøe with its cairns and Snøhetta behind.

When I hiked here years ago, the path was going east of Steinbuhøe, but now it has been changed to go on the west side. The reason for the rerouting is the reindeer herds in the area. I remember there was several cairns erected on the highest point, so I want to see those again. They still stand there, pillars of stones overlooking Snøhetta.

A small hut below Steinbuehøe.

A rolling scenery of moss, lichen and heather.

I could have pushed on further today, but not far away from Hageseter I spot a nice place to camp. And as doing another long day today would mean a lot shorter day tomorrow, I feel fine leaving my feet to rest. From my campsite, I overlook the valley leading up towards Hjerkinn. The cabins around Hageseter is clearly visible below.

View of Hjerkinn.

Maybe the campsite was not that good after all, the air is crawling with mosquitos.

Sun through a tree next to my campsite.

The warm colours of the sunset are coming to my rescue, taking away the attention from those tiny bloodsuckers. It is a nice ending to a day containing less excitement than the previous days on Saga. There were no summits to climb today, no towering mountains, just a pleasant walk through a more undulating plateau.

Coffee at sunset.

With the sun away on its journey to shine on another place on this earth, I seek the confines of my tent. The last one on this hike. Tomorrow I will head for the Reinheim cabin, and with that a foretaste of the pilgrimage I intend to do later this year. The trail shares the path with Gudbrandsleden, the pilgrim route to Nidaros.

Warm sunset colours above Dovre.

A saga coming to an end, but it has been a good saga.

My campsite above Gautåsætre.

<< Haverdalsåe // day 8Reinheim // day 10 >>

Saga // day 8 // Rondvatnet - Haverdalsåe

Saga, day 8.
Distance: 22.8km (188.2km).

Breakfast take longer than usual, but this is to be expected due to the rules regarding the pandemic. Maintain distance, keep in line, point out what you want to the staff, retrieve your desired food items, sit down at the table, find out that you forgot something, repeat procedure. Then after finishing first round, find out you are more hungry, repeat procedure. At least I managed to prepare a pack for lunch.

Rondvatnet.

The next stage of the Saga trail takes you from Rondvassbu to Dørålseter, but my plan was for walking one hour longer. Which would see me stranded in a place not suitable for camping at all, but more on that later. I usually does not like to bind my self to a plan or book things in advance, but as you have to book a bed at a cabin in advance due to the pandemic and I have no means of doing that while underway, I had to make as much a flexible plan I could. This is the result.

Rondvassbu underneath the pyramids of Rondane.

Rondvatnet and Rondane.

For the next days, I will more or less follow the same route as I walked the first time I hiked through Rondane some years ago, only in reverse. I meet Stig upon departure, ready to go up to the castle. There is barely a cloud on the sky, Rondvatnet is almost dead calm with the scenery equally visible in both air and water. Everything is in order for another great day.

Up towards Rondhalsen with Svarthammaren above.

View of Rondslottet, Vinjeronden and Storronden.

The path to Dørålseter goes around the Rondvatnet lake over Rondhalsen before going steeply down to the Rondvassdalen valley north of Rondvatnet. Under the eyes of Digerronden the trail goes through the Bergedalen valley down to Dørålen where the landscape is opening up and becomes more vegetated before it reaches the private cabins at Dørålseter.

The path to Veslesmeden, with Storesmeden to the left.

Seeing the weather as it is, I see the chance to put Veslesmeden on the itinerary for today. This is the lowest of the ten peaks above 2000m in Rondane and a somewhat easy climb from Rondvassbu, which makes it a popular target for people going on a hike with their kids. For those in need of a bigger challenge, extending the climb to Storesmeden or further to Trolltinden could be an option. After climbing up Rondhalsen with nice views of Rondvatnet and the pyramid piles of rocks behind, I find a place to 'hide' my backpack before I start the climb up to the little blacksmith.

Veslesmeden summit, Storesmeden behind.

View from the summit of Veslesmeden, Digerronden to the right.

The first ascent is quite steep, but easygoing, soon leading you up into the barren kingdom of rocks again. There is a flat plateau to traverse where the wind gets a good grip on you before the inclination increases again. The final part up to the summit is the steepest part, but it looks worse from afar than it is.

At Veslesmeden, with Digerronden, Høgronden and Rondslottet behind.

Veslesmeden only stands one meter lower than its big brother Storesmeden, at 2015m. It might be counted as an easy climb, but the views does not stand back for other peaks deemed harder to climb. This is the better place to take in the view of the most majestic peaks of Rondane, with Digerronden, Høgronden, Rondslottet and Storronden lining up across the valley.

At the top of Rondhalsen, looking out over Rondvassdalen. Dørålglupen directly ahead and Digerronden to the right.

Digerronden.

After the steep descent from Rondhalsen, which might appear less steep than it is if you come from the opposite direction, the walk is fairly even in terms of inclinations. Walking through the Rondvassdalen valley, I see a cloud form above the summit of Digerronden. It does not really get big, but it reminds me of the cloud forming above Tahtalı Dağı (Mount Olympos) in Turkey when I hiked the Lycian Way back in 2015. The cloud seemed to appear out of nothing, only to slowly expand outwards until it engulfed the mountain. Digerronden seems to escape that fate.

Bergedalstjønnin and Digerronden.

Bergedalstjønnin.

I have my lunch next to the Bergedalstjønnin lakes. A recommended scenic beautyspot between Rondvassbu and Dørålseter, complete with seating and table arrangements in stones.

Leaving Rondslottet behind.

Next to the path, the Bergedalsbekken river is burrowing down into the ground, forming a sort of rocky and grey canyon. The last part before Dørålseter appear like a lunar landscape, cut short by another canyon formed by a river. Down in the canyon the walk goes through a mountain birch forest until it ascends to meet the cabins at Dørålseter (upper and lower).

Above Bergedalsbekken river.

Burrowing river.

In the nice afternoon weather, I take a longer break at the Øvre Dørålseter cabin, confessing to have a few cold beers while overlooking the pyramids of Rondane. This is a private cabin that can accommodate up to 100 persons, there is another private cabin here as well, Nedre Dørålseter that can accommodate 25 persons.

Through birch woods before Dørålseter.

While my plan was to walk another hour after Dørålseter, it is not entirely feasible. Walking one hour after having left the cabin will find you stranded in the middle of Dørålglupen, a famous crevice also known as 'Porten til Rondane' (the Gate to Rondane). There will be no places to pitch my tent there, the cleft consisting of no other than rocky scree surrounded by steep mountain sides. I either have to camp before the crevice or walk all the way through it. The evening is still young, I decide to walk through and head for the Haverdalsåe river further ahead, it will be a late evening today.

A lamp with a view, at Øvre Dørålseter.

Evening light descends over Rondane as I venture into the shadow of Dørålsglupen. Rocks and stones lies piled at the bottom of the crevice. No one there but me. It is all quiet, except for the sound of running water hidden underneath the stones. No regret in deciding to go through late, it is an exciting walk.

Above Dørålseter with view of Rondane.

Dørålglupen.

On the other side, the view is opening up to a sky becoming increasingly warmer in hue. The sun is about to set and I hope to get a view of it before it disappear behind the mountain, but the side to my left (and west) is constantly blocking the view. I almost reach it, but I am too late. The sunset is still lingering in the clouds above as I head down towards the Haverdalsåe river.

Into the crevice. Rocks, stones and Rondane.

Porten til Rondane, the Gate to Rondane.

Crossing over the river at a wooden bridge with very steep stairs leading up to the bridge itself. I find a spot for my tent nearby, tucked in on one of the few available spaces. The clock was almost ten in the evening when I arrived, leading to a short end of the day, sitting outside preparing and eating my dinner before getting into my tent for the night.

Out of the crevice, Haverdalen below.

Descent to Haverdalen.

The highlights of today was undoubtedly Veslesmeden and Dørålglupen. Another day feeling at ease with the flow of the trail. Not the longest day in distance, but definitely the longest day on this trail in terms of walking time, which is felt by how little time I spend in the tent before I get the need to fall asleep.

Evening light, Haverdalsåe river.

<< Rondvatnet // day 7Gautåsætre // day 9 >>