Hellandsnuten
The Hellandsnuten mountain (747m above sea level) is located next to the town of Sand in the Suldal region. A decent marked trail is about 3.5 km long but the route to the top is classified as demanding or very demanding. Having a free day, I decided to check what could I see from the summit, and while already there, I would additionally walk to the neighboring peak, Månastølsnuten (806m above sea level).
I left home early in the morning. It was still dark outside, but when I ended in a small parking lot near the Joagarden kindergarten in Eide (housing estate in Sand), it was already light and I could go straight on the trail. The path runs through the forest. And actually, this is where I could finish the route description, because the trees ended just below the top. It is not for nothing that the trail is described as difficult. The walk was hard, arduous, and only in a few places, in the gap between the trees, I was granted by some nice views. However, when I stepped above the tree line, I saw a sight that compensated all my hardships.
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Low-slung clouds poured over like the sea below, obscuring the waters of the fjord and the lower parts of the mountains. Going on this hike, I was expecting to see a great view at the intersection of three fjords: Saudafjord, Sandsfjord and Hyldsfjord. In the distance, I could probably see the fourth, Vindafjord and the whole spectrum of the surrounding mountains. Instead, I got an equally impressive spectacle of the clouds below.
It took me a few (or a dozen) minutes to make the last stretch between me and the top. Traditionally, I recorded my name in a notebook placed in a box next to the stone structure and started taking photos. The hike uphill tired me so much that I wondered if I should not give up the walk to the next peak. According to the map there was no official route leading in that direction. In addition, going to Månastølsnuten, I would be far from the starting point, so returning to the car would be quite long.
I had already decided beforehand that I would go down by a different route, a bit longer but less steep. It is from that trail I should leave, heading for Månastølsnuten. Now, with this mount in sight, I decided that it does not really seem too far away and I could go on it. So I did it. While still on the trail, I realized that the way down will not be easy. The muddy path and wading through the wet brush were a foretaste of what awaits me as soon as I leave the trail. But as I seldom abandon a once-made decision, I kept walking stubbornly. I estimated the best places to leave the path and how to continue the route.
It was wet, and the lack of a path meant that I had to change the direction of the march several times, when it turned out that the mountain I took for Månastølsnuten was not one at all. The ut.no app with active tracking of my location on the map turned out to be helpful in determining the correct direction. There is nothing like modern technology.
I finally got there. As I have already found out several times before, I had to admit now that the lack of a marked trail leading to a seemingly attractive mountain is not accidental. From the top of Månastølsnuten, I didn’t see anything else than what I had seen from Hellandsnuten. The view from the previous peak seemed even more interesting. The clouds below still be there, although they were less frequent. I spent a moment documenting this memorable moment and headed back.
Before I reached the path, I stumbled upon a group of sheep that had run away scared at my sight. Then I got lost, twice before finding the right trail, and once I managed to get to it, the rest of the way seemed easy. But of course it was not, because the fatigue was already making itself felt, and soon I received clear signals from my knees that they were already on a long journey and they were starting to express their grievances. The good thing was the fact that the clouds were already parting and in rare moments between the trees I saw the waters of the fjords far ahead of me.
Somehow I managed to get back to place where I left my car. I was relieved to sit behind the steering wheel and set off on my way home.
