Himingen, 1066m asl
The end of May is the right time for mountain hiking. Winter is over, the snow may still be lying around here and there, but it doesn’t really bother anyone. It’s warm and nothing but put on shoes and wander outdoor. That’s what we all imagine, right? Well, the reality this year turned out to be different.
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I was going to climb Slettefjell in the Lifjell Mountains, but when I arrived at the parking lot at Gavlesjå, I had to revise my plans. While the parking lot was snowless, everything beyond it, including the paths leading from it, was lost under a thick layer of this white contraption. Slettefjell, visible in the distance, was also covered in white. The road to the top was quite long and I did not like such agony, starting from the first meters of the trail. So I turned my attention to another hill. To the north of the car park was Himingen, a peak 114 meters lower than Slettefjell, with a much shorter route from the south, where there shouldn’t be so much snow. After thinking about it for a while, I headed in that direction.
Before I reached the foot of the mountain, I had to break through snow-covered terrain. Here and there it was only wet after the thaws. I finally started climbing. The higher I climbed, the more extensive the view behind me was of the valley and surrounding peaks. Everything was still covered with snow. The choice of the direction of the journey turned out to be right (for once). Occasionally I came across snow here as well, but it was easy to avoid or walk on it. I brought the snowshoes with me. After the initial ascent, the path turned east and did not rise much as it ran parallel to the summit ridge. But then it turned north again, or northwest actually.
And then the snowshoes finally came in handy. There was still a lot of snow in the passage between the two hills where the trail led, and I decided that it would be smart to test the new equipment here. Putting the snowshoes on the legs turned out to be quite easy. Moving in the snow was not too complicated either. Even and especially going uphill in them on my feet seemed easier than in the traditional way. Soon I reached the rocky ground and was able to remove the snowshoes from my feet and continue walking. I was actually uphill. The trail, however, leads further west, along the top of the ridge, to the highest peak. This stage seemed the most interesting. Walking along the relatively horizontal profile with views to the north and south was pure pleasure. I got there soon. The stone tower marked the end of the hike. After a short break, I could take return route. According to the map, there was another path from the top, down the western slope. However, it was much longer and I suspected that it was less marked. And because of the snow below, going down this side might be a bit of difficult. So I decided to come back as I came.
Although I did not complete the original plan (ascent to Slettefjell), the trip to Lifjell turned out to be successful. Himingen is a very nice peak and not too demanding. And in the summer, when there is no snow at all, it should be even easier. Only the fee at the entrance to the access road to Gavlesjå may arouse a slight distaste. It is 90kr (2023). The barrier was up that day, so I figured they didn’t charge at this time of year. Unfortunately they charge. A few weeks later I received an invoice for 144kr (they added 54kr for issuing the document).
Map of the route “Himingen, 1066m asl”: 7,515 m, 789 m of climbing and 636 m of descent, elevation between 643 m and 1,167 m, time 04:00:06. It is a loop that starts and ends at 59.55398, 8.94940 (latitude, longitude).
