Skorve
Seljord is a beautiful small town situated between the mountains in the Telemark area. Long up to 15 km lake Seljordsvatnet supposedly hides a sea monster, cousin of Lessie from the Scottish Loch Ness. You can get to Seljord by the E134 road, crossing town from east to west or by road 36 from eastern south. To the east of the town center are two mountain ranges: Mælefjell and Lifjell. Both are covered by a net of hiking trails.
However, I was interested in the third one, located on the north, rising to 1370 m above sea level (highest peak – Gøysen), Skorve mountain range. Goalof my trip was to climb on the two highest Skorve points: Gøysen and neighboring Nordnibba (1364 m above sea level). The weather forecast showed great conditions, except for the strong wind, which could cause some troubles in the mountains. The most important thing was that it was not to rain, and the large yellow sun on the yr.no site ensured that the views would not be obscured by clouds.
Get Directions
I arrived at Seljord after eight in the morning. I found a narrow, winding serpentine road that led me to a small parking lot in the Kivledalen Valley, where the trail begins. It is a private area, and a small fee must be paid for leaving the car in this place. I threw 20 crowns into the appropriate box, grabbed a backpack and headed up the hill.
The beginning of the trail is a slow journey along a gravel road. It is sharp uphill and the views obscure the trees. After some time, the road is replaced by a narrow path and the trees grow less often. And soon you can see in all its glory what we have seen so far only in the company of tall pine trees: a view of the Seljord and stunning Seljordsvatn lake. Finally, the terrain is slightly milder but just before top you have to sweat again. On the route, under the Gøysen peak, a guide board was installed leading to the place where the American bomber crashed in 1944. I will write more about this in the next post..
The final ascend at Gøysen may not look too bad, but I had serious doubts about my condition. When at last a small tower made of stones appeared, I was hit by furious gusts of wind. I quickly hid behind that tower and took some photos from there. From the top, there is a view that you can enjoy for hours. From the south, the long Seljordsvatnet lake, meandering between the mountain. Lifjell and Mælefjell ranges on the east. In the north a fantastic panorama of the various hills and mountains, with a characteristic outline of Gaustatoppen.
A few minutes later, a pair of Norwegian hikers joined me. Dressed almost like for winter conditions, with jackets and hats, they were probably a little surprised to see me in the fleece jacket. I didn’t wanted to embarrass them, so I pulled a thin rain jacket out of my backpack and put it on.
The Norwegians, just like me, headed to the next summit, Nordnibba. I overtook them, but our paths crossed several times during this journey.
And somewhere in this place something was wrong. The Ut.no app showed a shorter route, running east and connecting to the road, which was supposed to lead me to my car. The longer route led south to the same road, but much further away from starting point. I got to the place where the trail was supposed to branch, but I could not see the path leading east. Breaking through the thickets of the forest, overcoming swift streams and climbing a steep rock in search of this mysterious trail was unsuccessful. The path shown on the map was not exist. My search took me at least half an hour and a lot of nerves. Finally, I returned to the path I had followed earlier and continued my walk along the longer route.
I got to the gravel road and followed it, heading east. Despite recent experiences, I decided to use another shortcut that appeared on the route. This time without any adventures. The trail led through a ravine, and an additional attraction was a picturesque waterfall along the way.Finally, I managed to get to the car. However, I couldn’t afford to rest. I had to spend at least three hours driving home.
