Rørfjell
Those who have licked at least a little bit of Norwegian know that if last part of the title has the word ‘fjell’, the entry will be about the mountains. Or at least one. Well, the good news is that yes, fjell means mountain in Norwegian and this entry will be about the hike to the top of Rørfjell. But there is this second message, a bit worse. Rørfjell is located in Østfold and is only 114 meters above sea level. To visualize what the peak with a height of 114 meters looks like, just look at the photo above. Yes, this is the top of Mount Rørfjell. Surrounded by trees and with an observation tower, because the mountain itself does not provide views.
The south-eastern region of Norway, the aforementioned Østfold, is a lowland area, where the landscape is more associated with forested areas of Sweden than with mountainous Norway. The highest peak is Slavasshøgda, which is 336 meters above sea level. This hill, like the hero of today’s entry, is hidden in the thicket of the forest and does not offer any stunning views. At least that’s what the pictures found on the internet suggest. As for Rørfjell, I wasn’t even aware of its existence. I was just looking for a nice route to spice up the weekend, as a trip to the real mountains was out of the question for weather reasons. I decided to do a few kilometer loop near the town of Tomb, just south of Moss.
When I left the house it was snowing and I enjoyed the thought that a walk in a truly winter scenery awaited me. Unfortunately, before I got to the place, the rain joined the snow and then stopped completely. I found a place to leave the car next to some farm building with information boards on the wall and went outside. Almost immediately I heard gunshots. There was a shooting range somewhere nearby, or someone was hunting in the woods, I thought. I was hoping they wouldn’t shoot me.
As expected, the route was not demanding. I walked on a flat road and then a path through the forests of Østfold, with no prospect of spectacular views. Which is not to say that it was totally boring and hopeless. Walking in the woods also has its charms. The route ran through an area with quite a rich history, which was indicated by a plaque in the place where I left the car. There was a household in the Tomb that hosted illustrious guests: kings, bishops and high-ranking army commanders. The heyday of the farm is between 1681 and 1850, but the historical records go back much further.
I traveled the next kilometers of the route, following the signs indicating the way, until I came across Rørfjell. There was no arduous climb to the top, no hard climb, nothing to suggest that I was approaching the top of the mountain. And if it wasn’t for the lookout tower on site, I wouldn’t even notice that I was at the top. The wooden structure perched on the rock seemed solid enough, but the higher I climbed the narrow, steep stairs, the less confident I felt. But I made it to the top. There I saw only the tops of the trees stretching in all directions and the distant city by the waters of the fjord.
I went downstairs and continued walking. The route led through the area that was destroyed by fire in 2008. The sight of burnt, twisted branches gripped the heart. I was slowly approaching the end of the loop. At one point I heard gunshots again. This time so loud and so close that I almost felt like a soldier in a trench under fire. Fortunately, they didn’t shoot at me. I was passing by the shooting range. A few minutes later I was at my car ready to go back.
