Rollag
In winter, there are usually not many opportunities to wander around the mountains. It is known that hiking in deep snow is not easy, unless you can use snowshoeing. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to test this invention yet, but who knows what the future brings. Longing for mountain paths appears, however, regardless of the season of the year, and taking into account that the winter we have now (yes, yes, there is no snow in the lowlands in Norway), I decided to go to some low hills. Searching the map for undemanding routes, I found the small settlement of Rollag, located about 50 kilometers north of Kongsberg. Uncle Google told me that the trip to this place would take me over 2.5 hours. The weather for the weekend in early February promised to be calm and sunny. But looking at images from webcams in the area I knew that the conditions on site are radically different from those in the Oslo area. It was white. Very white.
I decided that I would go anyway, because the other option was stay all Saturday at home. At least I’ll see a piece of the world. An additional attraction was one of the stave churches that I could see in Rollag.
There isn’t much information about it on the internet. It was probably built in the second half of the 12th century, initially with a simple rectangular nave. About five centuries later, it was expanded by the initiative of a local priest to its present shape. In the 1930s, the church was renovated, revealing, among other things, the decorations on the walls hidden under a layer of blue paint. Today, for a small fee, the church is open for visitors, however, this option is available only during the summer.
The hill I was going to climb was called Langsetervarden. It has 859 m high and it lays a few kilometers from Rollag. The side road from the settlement ran uphill with typically for Norway serpents. It was full of snow around and the road that led me to the parking lot, where I was about to start wandering, was covered with packed snow. I managed to arrive to parking place and left my vehicle to another car that must have come here before me. It turned out that the area is covered by net of ski routes and in winter the locals are skiing here.
I started hiking. Initially, it led along a wide road, probably cleared of snow a day or two earlier, so the snow was not too deep. In front of me there were ski tracks in white fluff leading from the red Suzuki at the parking lot. Then the skier (or skiers) turned towards another mountain, which I considered when planning this trip, to the Geiteskallen peak. I went straight on, enjoying the loneliness, calm and real winter. After passing 2, maybe 2.5 kilometers, I came across another trail crossing. My route went straight ahead, but the plow, clearing the road, did not intend to take it and its tracks turned north.
The march became a little more difficult. Legs sank in the snow up to the middle of the calf. Fortunately, the sun was shining brilliantly, encouraging me to continue the journey. However, it did not last long. Soon, the road, invisible under the snow, ended up and then the path through the forest continued. There was no point in going any further. Since I had a problem finding out where the wide road is, I would quickly get lost in the forest, unable to find a narrow path between the trees. And even if, because I had a phone and a GPS and the ut.no app that showed me the way, such a journey, in the snow much deeper than on the road, would not be a pleasure anymore. In addition, one careless step and leaving the path could end up falling into a hole or a stream flowing under the snow. I decided to turn back.
On the way back I still enjoyed the sun, fabulous winter views and fresh air. I encountered couple of skiers enjoying the weather and right next to the parking lot a snowmobile passed me, which smoothed the entire route.
My whole journey took about two hours. It was less than it took me to ride to Rollag, which can be a bit depressing, but with the alternative of spending a day at home, possibly a short walk in a flat as table area, I had nothing to complain about. Finally, I saw what real winter might look like.
