Husedalen
I didn’t think that another mountain trek would take place so soon. Returning to Poland, a new job and everyday duties made the prospect of returning to the country of the fjords and recharging the internal batteries with views and northern climate more and more distant from day to day. Quite unexpectedly, an opportunity arose for a few days trip to Norway to settle some urgent matters. The first thing that ran through my head was whether I would find time for a quick trip to the mountains.
Initially, I planned a few-hour hike to the Stokkadalen area, to one of the peaks that I haven’t been at. However, right after arrival I realized that despite the sunny weather, there is still quite a lot of snow in the mountains. My trip become questionable. Yes, I could go anyway, but given my current condition, such a hike combined with forcing through the snowdrifts would be agony. So I decided to implement plan B.
Plan B was to go to Husedalen. The valley, which is about two hours away, was my hiking destination last year. I couldn’t make it then. And now I was wondering if I could. There was always the risk that there was now plenty of snow there too, and hiking would be impossible. I checked the weather, I checked the webcams. The view of Kinsarvik, located on the fjord, from where the trail started, looked inviting. But, unfortunately, they did not show what was happening in the mountains. Nevertheless, I decided to go.
On the first day I took care of most of the things I was supposed to do and in the late afternoon I drove up to Stokkedalen for reconnaissance. Lake Stokkadalsvatnet was still covered with a thin layer of ice, even though the temperature during the day reached 20 degrees. I parked my car in the same place where I started my hike to Hovåsen a few months ago and set off on the trail.
I found a wide gravel road and followed it uphill. I didn’t count on reaching the top, so I wasn’t disappointed when after about thirty minutes I had to turn back because of the snow that was lying on the slope, also covering the road. It could only get worse from there, so turning back was quite a natural decision.
The next day I set off shortly after five in the morning towards Kinsarvik. It is a small town on the shores of the Hardangerfjord, on road 13. Ferries run regularly from the pier, taking passengers either to Utne or to Kvanndal. There is also a small amusement park for children in Kinsarvik, Mikkelparken and Kamping. It is also the place from where you can get to the Hardangervidda plateau. The Husedalen valley is just such a gateway to the plateau. The town has only 519 inhabitants (data from 2013), but it boasts a rich history dating back to the 11th century. It was then that the church in Kinsarvik was built, one of the first churches in Norway (the first version was built of wood, today’s brick appearance is the result of later reconstructions). The settlement itself in the Middle Ages performed important functions as the center of the Hardanger region and was an important center of trade.
Along the over 7-kilometre route, you can encounter four powerful waterfalls, feeding the Kinso River flowing into the fjord. Of course, the Norwegians would not be themselves if they did not take advantage of this fact and built a hydroelectric power station in the valley. The Kinso Kraftverk building from 1917 can be seen already at the first of the waterfalls: Tveitafiossen. The others are called Nyastølsfossen, Nykkjesøyfossen and Søtefossen.
I parked in the center of town, put my backpack on my shoulders and set off on my way. The trail itself starts a bit further, which is probably easy to check on the Internet or in the advertising leaflets of the region (free maps with trails can be obtained at the tourist information point or at the Kinsarvik gas station), but I wanted to see as much as possible. Initially, I passed the houses of residents who were going to work or taking their children to school at that time. An asphalt road ran uphill through the forest. I passed the fenced-in industrial plants and reached the parking lot for tourists heading to Husedalen or beyond, to the Hardangervidda plateau. After crossing a small bridge, I was already on the trail. A gravel, forest road led along a slope and several meters below I could see the wide, rushing Kinso River. The sound of water has since become an inseparable companion of the hike, drowned out only by the sound of water falling with a bang at the successive waterfalls. The steep slopes of the mountains on either side of the valley were covered with snow.
I saw the first waterfall shortly after. Right next to it was the aforementioned hydro plant building and a huge pipe for transporting water disappearing into the sky. I was able to continue my journey up the road. At the bend, I saw a path that I could go on, right next to the far pipe. The stony path was wet and probably slippery. So I stayed with the arduous hike, the safer route.
Another crossing on the road showed a chance to reach the Stavali cabin. Some time later I saw another of the waterfalls in the distance. I stopped at the end of the road. After a while of searching, I found a path that I could continue walking. It ran through the forest on the rocky ground in close proximity to the river. I reached the shore, refilled my water bottle and after crossing a stream I found myself in the picturesque Nykkjesøy valley. Behind the roofs of two tourist huts I saw another waterfall. The Kinso River was rushing nearby, and somewhere in between was the edge of the snow. The path was lost under white drifts. This meant the end of my journey, but to wipe my tears, I still poked around this charming place.
Having returned to Kinsarvik, I saw (unfortunately only from the outside) a medieval church, located right on the shore of the fjord. The tourist office was also closed. They probably only opened in the summer.
The trip to Husedalen turned out to be very successful, even though I didn’t manage to get to all four waterfalls. The hike itself is not demanding and the wide gravel road leading through a large part of the route seems to be an ideal idea for a family walk.
Contrary to what you can see in the graph above, my legs walked only 19 km that day.
This post was originally published 2018-04-29 on https://kraina-trolli.pl.
