Hydalshjallen
I arrived in Hemsedalen on Friday evening. My destination was Ranastongi, the mountain I hoped to hike the next day. I still saw a lot of snow on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, and it was in the case of a large amount of it that there was a chance that I would not get to the top. But that was what I was to worry about tomorrow. I had another peak in the area up my sleeve, as an emergency option. It was a 1581m high Harahorn. I arrived at the parking lot by the trail around 7.30 p.m., the sun was not supposed to go down until 10 p.m., so I still had a lot of time to kill.
I decided to go to Hydalshjallen, a viewpoint that I had the opportunity to visit before (see here). Information by the trail indicated that the route was about 3.5 km long and that it could be covered in 1.5 hours. Based on my memory, I assumed that these numbers refer to a round trip, so I should be at place after about 40 minutes of walking. So I had sufficient time to wander around and set up the tent afterwards before it starts to get dark.
The route was exactly as I remembered. Only then the path was covered with snow. Now, I saw snow only beyond one of the hills. It was melting into puddles and mud. I got there in thirty minutes. It was chilly and windy. I skipped the nearby peak I had climbed previously, content with the view from the ledge hanging over the cliff. I was tempted to drive along the road visible from here to the end of the Hydalen Valley and see what views await there, but if I had to do it, it would not be until the next day, after my return from Ranastongi.
I returned to the parking lot and set up the tent. Just in time because it started raining. Luckily, it was fleeting and not hard enough to worry about getting wet. It was after 10 p.m. when I slipped into the sleeping bag, but it was still a long time before it got completely dark.
