Apelandsfjellet 664 m n.p.m.
I’m already addicted to the mountains. I had barely returned from one trip and I was already drawn back into the bosom of nature. I decided to go up on the nearby Ramnanuten in Sandeid. I’ve never been on this mountain so it should be interesting. I took my backpack with camera and water bottle, put on my five fingers and headed to Sandeid.
I parked in the center and armed with my cell phone with the ut.no application, I set off. Initially, I was walking along the estate of single-family houses, but the road was climbing up almost from the very beginning. Soon, the houses were replaced by pastures and farms. There was a pretty nice panorama of the Sandeidfjord behind my back. I have already seen my destination, the Ramnanuten peak. In the distance, however, I noticed another hill that interested me. I checked on the map in the cell phone how far I am from it and whether the route could be done in a few hours. After a few moments, I had a new destination. It was called Apelandsfjellet.
It was sultry and hot. The sun scorched my back, and I was sweating before the real climb had even begun. The asphalt road I was walking is called Haukakvamsvegen, from one of the farms nearby. Shortly before it ended, I turned on the right side of this road, crossed a small river over the rocks and found myself into a forest, on a gravel road, gently climbing the slope. In the gap between the trees behind my back, I saw the highest peak in the area, Lysenuten, with its distinctive antenna mast on the top. Soon the trees thinned, so I had the opportunity to see both the Ramnanuten, which I finally did not come, and the Apelandsfjellet massif in front of me.
The road ended unexpectedly at a small cabin under construction. I didn’t see any path branching from the road, but the terrain in front of me didn’t seem particularly difficult. I decided to go cross-country and reach the hill, from where I hoped it would be easier to reach the top.
I climbed hills, tearing through the wet grass. Shoes, unused to such terrain, got soaked in a few moments, but I did not give up. Fivefingers are comfortable even when they are wet, and they dry quite quickly. I finally reached a wide ridge. Now I had a choice, go north and go directly to the Apelandsfjellet summit, or walk a bit south and set my foot on the smaller Børrefjelet (594m above sea level). I chose the first option.
Getting to the top was pure formality and a pleasant stroll over rocks, heather and grass. Nice views of the surrounding hills and a fresh breeze compensated for the earlier tedious walk in the sun.
I took some obligatory pics and turned back. I have now headed for the mentioned before second peak, Børrefjelet. The summit was not marked with any stone mound and I used my phone to check if I really got the correct place. Soon I could go back home.
I had to abandon the exhilarating wandering of rocks, heather, and other grassy features and face the wetland below again. Having reached the gravel road again, my shoes were completely wet. The way down was quite tolerable. This time I didn’t have to deal with pain in my knees and after some time I checked into the Saindeid center with my car. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, my route has not been registered, so today it is exceptionally without a map and altitude profile :(
