Håfjell and other mountains
Håfjell was on my ‘’to do’’ list for a long time. However, I could nowhere find the trail to this mountain. I realized that probably I will have to go there across country. I checked all available maps on internet and established a plan: entrance from Vestvoll to Friarane, get from there to Hovda (530m above sea level), descent, passed Friarane again and go to Litle Kjort, Brennestag and from there look for the way to the Håfjell. I wanted to descent to Blikra, which is very close to Vestvoll, so I could easily get to my car. I printed the maps and waited for the kindness of the Norwegian weather.
Kindness manifested in the least expected moment, last Sunday. After a week-long rain and the day after strong winds, the sun appeared on cloudless sky. My decision what to do with it could be only one. I’m going to Håfjell.
I arrived at Vesvoll, and left the car at the parking lot. Then gently rising country road went on tour. Exactly the same way I went a few months ago with my son. And although then it was a summer day, now, in the end of November I could enjoy much better weather. I passed some sheep on beginning my way. Not much has changed here since August but at some point I noticed a trail marked with red sticks went parallel to the road. I wondered where it might lead but is seemed that it comes exactly where the wide road goes. To the Friarane.
When I get there, I met an old man who like me was going to Hovda. I reached the top a few minutes before him, so I had a moment to look around in loneliness and made some photos. I signed in the notebook and noticed that there is one surname which repeats in the few last days. I wondered if this name belongs to the old man and he climbs up every day on the same mountain. When he reached the top, I asked him about the trail to Håfjell. I showed him my maps but he seemed to be not sure about that place. He warned me from dusk which comes very quick at this time of year. From this perspective Håfjell was in sight and getting there seemed to be quite easy. What I was worried was to find the right path there. I said goodbye to the old man and started to go back to Friarane.
One moment later I saw another man who ran to the top. Yes, he ran. He was even wearing training shoes and clothes. He was not as old as the one I left behind but he was still much older than me. He passed me and ran up to the top. It took maybe a few minutes and that runner returned. I stayed on the narrow path to let him pass and watched him with envy in my eyes. I’d like to have such a condition as him. I realized that it’s him who every day sign in the notebook up there. I admired him. He made this route every day for at last few last days, even when weather was awful. Tough man. He disappeared from my eyes and I continued descending.
I avoided ice on patch and when I had Friarane in sight I saw another man who came there with the horse. And this is not a joke. The horse was harnessed to a small trailer, but from the distance I could not see more. Few minutes later, when I got down, I said hello to the man, the horse owner. Once again, he was advanced in years and he also didn’t know how to get to Håfjell. I took a glance at this mysterious trailer and I saw the bench with a blanket inside. It seemed that the man did not arrived here on his own feet.
I went on a trail leading to Vardafjell and Åksla. Not so long ago I marched here with Tymek toward another point of fire på ein dag. Low temperatures make ground and grass frozen so the marching was more comfortable than last time. But there were still some puddles I needed to avoid. I came to a large rubble of stones and after I passed it, I had to use guardrail, which made some troubles to Tymek last time. I climbed quickly to the top and next few minutes I spend to go uphill to the next of the peaks: Litle Kjort.
I did not stay here for rest. Now, the path led me on relatively flat terrain. The sun hung low over horizon. I thought back to the warnings of the old man on the Hovda and I was wondering if I will manage to get to Håfjell before it gets dark. I decided to turn back if I won’t come there until 14.00. So I had still about two hours to this deadline.
It took some time for me to climb to the next mountain. I was already a couple of times at Brennestag, so I stopped there only for sign in the notebook. Behind another hill it was the road goes down to the Blikra. I passed this point and went toward Vardafjell and Åksla. On the map, which I took with me, I concluded that I can use part on the trail to Døldaren which started somewhere here. A moment later I walked the new patch, headed northeast.
The patch was a slightly stepped on the grass, soaked with water like a sponge. Each step could be ended with my shoes filled with water. I didn’t impregnate them by weeks. According to the map I could keep this direction up to the stream and first major hill behind it. Then it was necessary to consider the convenient route towards Håfjell. I got to the stream and I passed the hill. I stopped on the plain between two mountain ranges and looked south. It wasn’t any path there but the area did not seem difficult. And I stepped on terra incognita.
I realized that there was more dry than on the trail. Walking on thin layer of frozen snow was much better than on water-soaked grass. I passed partly frozen lake, went on several hills and valleys. I saw mini waterfall and began to climb into higher elevation, which was supposed to be the culmination of my trip. On Håfjell there was no pile of stones or entry notebook. The top wasn’t mark in any way so to make sure that I am in right place, I had to come around and step at the highest rock formations in sight. I didn’t experience the expected stunning views of the Gjerdesdalsvatnet or Ilsvåg, located 600 meters below. There was another hill on south which was obstacle to enjoy the view from Håfjell.
I glanced once more at the map. And indeed, there was one more hill, a little lower behind the Håfjell. It had no name. I estimated quickly that getting there will take me only few minutes. I decided to go and check this last mountain. And when I got there, the views took my breath away. So instead of trying to describe what I saw, I use some pictures that I captured in this place.
I enjoyed to be master of the world and ate piece of chocolate (at this point I could put some advertising if Freia would decide on a sponsorship). Then I ordered retreat. It was almost 14.00 and I had to go. I still haven’t see any path and I didn’t go back the same way than I came. But I controlled my routing with gps application on the phone and as long as I kept the right direction, there was nothing to worry about.
Soon. I saw the sticks with red ends, indicating trail to Døldaren. I arrived at the track. A dozen minutes later, I reached the road leading down to Blikra. It took some time to get there and only thing left to do was to walk to Vestvoll where my car was. After five hours walking and almost 18 kilometers I could go back home.
This entry was originally posted 2016-12-01 on https://kraina-trolli.pl.
