Gråskarvet 1731m asl

When it came to planning my next trip to the mountains, I didn’t have to think too much about where to go. Having in mind last weekend’s view from Ranastøngji, I knew that I wanted to see the place that I was looking at back then. The map of this area on the ut.no website showed some interesting routes to choose. So I planned a Saturday-Sunday trip and in the meantime I ordered a new, warmer sleeping bag to avoid last weekend’s freezing night.

The road did not lead to Hemsedal this time. I didn’t even pass that way. To get there, I had to take a different route and go to the village of Vang. That location is known in Poland, because one of norwegian wooden church was moved in the 19th century from here and reconstructed in Karpacz (south of Poland) And now this is the most famous wooden temple in Poland. In Vang I turned into a side gravel road leading to Lake Helin and to the Smådalen valley. Unfortunately, the ride is paid. Pretty soon I found the right way to the parking lot at my destination number 1. It was supposed to be the summit of Gråskarvet, 1731m above sea level. and the route was supposed to be 6.5 km one way. Piece of cake, considering that the ascent is not steep, and you only need to climb some 530 meters vertically. But it was exactly the summit that I was able to see last week from both Hydalshjallen and Ranastøngji.

When I got out of the car, the first thing that hit me was a cold wind. Despite the sun and few clouds in the sky, I had to take a jacket for this hike. For this trip I took my new, unused shoes for the first time and the moment I put them on I felt that something was wrong with them. Strange, because they fit like a glove in the store. And here it is kind of mismatched. Well, I had no choice but to struggle with them a little. I slung my backpack over my shoulders and started walking. There is no marked path on Gråskarvet, although you can find small mounds of stones here and there. You go across a smooth plain with a slight slope. Very low vegetation dominates. Only grass, some mosses or heathers. Nothing that goes higher than the middle of the calf. Therefore, nothing obscures the views, and these are insane. I just left the car and I could see the Hestebotten Valley and the vertical slope of Ranastøngji. From this perspective, it was as impressive as it was from above.

The route may seem monotonous because you walk on flat terrain in a straight line, and the landscape does not change much over the distance of these few kilometers, but I was delighted with the view of distant Ranastøngji, the Smådalen Valley, Lake Helin and even the Jotunheimen mountains visible in the north. And the higher I went, the more extensive the panorama became.

At some point, or rather at a height, the vegetation beneath the feet began to give up to more and more stones, and soon the ground turned to rubble. My feet suffered from such a surface in new shoes. In addition, I felt that the wind was getting stronger as well. Soon I realized that the mountain has several peaks, and to get to the right one I have to climb a few lower ones first.

I managed to get on the top finally. It was blowing so hard there that the only reasonable option was to either turn back immediately or hide from the wind behind a large stone tower. I chose the second option, giving my aching feet a rest and savoring the sandwich. But I couldn’t stay there forever, so it was time to go back.

I took a different route, hitting two extra peaks. The feet protested, but as I was headed back north anyway, it shouldn’t have made too much of a difference. Soon I started to descend, but it was a while before I finally got out of the stones everywhere. On even and softer ground, my shoes did not annoy that much anymore. And on the way back, I found Gråskarvet to be a much more popular mountain than I thought. First, a few runners passed me, then a family of several people with a dog, and then another wave of runners. I think there was some competition that day.

I got to my car and was relieved to take off my shoes. After several hours of walking and passed 14.5 km, they definitely did not look like new ones anymore. I was surprised by the fact that I did not see the expected blisters or abrasions on my feet, but only slightly reddened skin. Nevertheless, I was wondering what to do next. Give up on the rest of the weekend plan and go home or continue the trip? In the end, I decided that I would go to the next mountain, which I wanted to climb, and that is where I will make a decision.

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