Eldrevatnet, Vesle Juklevatnet & Juklevatnet
It was supposed to be another autumn trip but I ended up walking in winter scenery. In the south of Norway, you still don’t think about winter. It’s only the beginning of November, after all. Some still run on summer tires. Two weeks earlier, there had also been no sign of snow in the mountains near Rjukan. So why should it be any different now? The thought of winter did not cross my mind while planning this trip. Even more, I was seriously considering an overnight stay in the mountains. I packed the tent and sleeping bag into the car thinking that I would not be back until the next day and I will have two days for hiking in the mountains. Reality slapped me in the face as I neared my goal more and more, and from the darkness of Saturday morning emerged the snow-capped peaks I passed. The frost on the road made me realize how badly my plans were for this weekend.
Get Directions
I wasn’t give up and go back. I needed just modify my assumptions. It was cold and windy, but it seemed that there will be some clear sky during the day, so I wanted to use that. I decided to walk a little bit with no approach ambition and maybe take a few pics before winding back south.
The place I visited this time was the area between Hemsedal and Filefjell Mountains. For several years I have been thinking about climbing one of the local mountains, Breisnosi (1641m above sea level). In the middle of the slope there is a lake, to where couple of streams flow down steep walls into it, creating a spectacular view from the level of a road a few kilometers away. I could only guess what it had to look like from above. And that’s why I wanted to go up there. By the way, I set a route to another nearby mountain and with this attitude I was going on a weekend trip to the mountains. My route was to begin at the eastern shore of Lake Juklevatnet, accessed by a minor road. This one begins at the northern edge of Eldrevatnet Lake, on the road No. 52. However, I was not able to get that far, because I had barely turned into this side road, I encountered a barrier. I already realized that I can’t go to any peaks that day. There was no path leading to the two mountains that I planned to hike, and the cross-country march in the snow is not the most pleasant trip. So I made a quick plan B, leaving the car at the barrier and walking to the end of the road, to Lake Juklevatnet and back again.
The road on which I had to walk was covered with snow, fortunately quite thin. The wind was not a problem either, which did not cause any problems for me almost throughout the entire route. It was worse with the temperature. The sensor in the car while driving indicated that outside were minus 2 – 4 degrees. I don’t know how it was on the route, but despite the thick gloves, my fingers were frozing. But despite this, walk was incredibly pleasant, and this is probably due to the amazing views at almost every step. I managed to get there before the sunset, so I had the opportunity to admire this light show live, and the combination of the colors of pure snow, blue sky and golden sun rays is a delight for the eyes.
There is no need to describe the road itself in more detail. As mentioned, it begins on Route 52, passes Eldrevatnet Lake, and then splits into two arms. I went straight east to the next lakes: Vesle Juklevatnet and Juklevatnet. The second branch is much longer and leads north to the dam on Sulevatnet Lake for another 10 km. „My” road also ended with a dam on the narrow isthmus separating the lakes Vesle Juklevatnet and Juklevatnet. Passing the first reservoir, I also encountered a dam regulating the level of water flowing down from the mountains. Probably the level adjustments were made during the spring, when the melting snow created a risk of flooding in the lower parts of the terrain. The route from the place where I left the car to the end of the road is about 8 km long, and the beautiful weather that accompanied me made the trip not monotonous for a moment. The views were breathtaking. The camera rarely left my hands, and soon its battery began to moan for mercy. Fortunately, this time I took the spare one with me. On the way back it started to get a bit cloudy and for a moment I was even hoping for some pictures in the falling snow, but in the end not a single white flake fell down. All that was left was to pack into the car and spend the next few hours going home.
