Nipa
Nipa is the second peak I was going to visit that day.So when I came down from Molden, I got in the car and went to the place where the trail has its beginning.The settlement of Joranger is picturesquely situated in a valley between the slopes of the mountains and the outlet of this valley is directed towards the Gaupenfjorden.The whole place is located somewhere at a height of 50 meters, so the views from the settlement were very impressive.
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I parked in a small parking lot by the white church.It was the middle of the day, the sun was shining, Norwegian flags were flying over the surrounding houses due to the national holiday.Warm and pleasant.It was going to be a very interesting trip.Earlier, before coming to this area, I made inquiries about the weather conditions in the nearby mountains.I was informed that Molden can be climbed despite the snow, but that there is no snow at all on Nipa, unlike other peaks in the region where there are still conditions for ski.With such information and experiences from Molden, where the snow didn’t bother me much during the hike, I decided that snowshoes and gaiters would not be needed here.So I left them in the car to not carry them unnecessarily.As it turned out later, this was a serious mistake.
Not yet aware of the difficulties ahead, I plunged into the woods behind the Joranger houses.It was sunny, warm and pleasant.Snow, indeed, at this stage it would be in vain to find on the trail.The path, however, gradually climbed up, squeezing liters of sweat from me.It took forever to go beyond the tree line.
In the meantime, the higher I climbed, the more and more often I encountered spots covered with snow.I avoided them as much as I could, but at some point it was impossible to avoid them.I walked carefully then, so as not to fall into deep snowdrifts.I even managed to do that for a while.Finally, I came out into a fairly open space.I reached an old, probably shepherd’s hut and a crossrpathes.Snow was everywhere here. Using a snowshoes would be nice.These, however, rested comfortably in the car.So I went on, glad that at least I had brought my sunglasses, because the sun reflected off the snow was really hurting my eyes.
Walking in the snow is tiring. So much so that at some point I had had enough of this mountain. In addition, I discovered that by following the path (I could only find it on the app in my phone) I would never reach the top. The trail passed by and descended the mountain on the other, northern side. On second thought I decided I wasn’t going all the way to the top, the summit is pretty flat so the views won’t be much more spectacular than the ones I had a little lower down. My second conclusion was that I had no desire to go through the trouble of going down the same route I had come here. Since the path continues, descends on the other side and returns to the starting point on flat ground, why not take advantage of it. I admit, I don’t know how I could have come up with such a crazy idea. I guess fatigue (remember that I had already all the way to Molden in my legs) took away what was left of my mind.
So I walked on, and more and more often sank into deep snow.This one poured into my shoes mercilessly.Soon I had a small portable fridge in them.I was hoping to get down quickly, find my way, and leave the snow behind me.But it wasn’t that simple.However, I did not give up.I pushed forward like a Russian tank, regardless of the cost.Finally, I noticed some buildings among the trees.They were holiday cabins, probably empty, because there were no cars, snowmobiles, or fresh footprints anywhere.The map on my phone showed that the road wasn’t far away.So I passed these cabins and kept walking.
I suddenly discovered that I was no longer sinking in the snow, and upon closer examination I realized that it was because I had stepped on a frozen lake.I must have howled in the middle of it, the ice didn’t even crackle, so there was no point in stressing out or turning around.But apparently that day I didn’t have the head to make good decisions.When I was near the shore, the ice broke and I landed in the icy water.Actually, only one of my legs.The other was still standing securely on the more stable part.It also turned out that the water level reached at most the middle of the calf.It’s obvious that someone up there is watching over me.Or that I have more luck than brains.
Since I was already standing with one foot in the water and there were only a few meters to the shore, what prevented me from getting the other foot wet?I took another step.The ice failed again.I waded through the icy water until I finally came out of the lake.It wasn’t over yet, though, for there was still a field of deep snow in front of me that I was knee-deep in with every step I took.Muscles burned with fire from the effort and feet almost fell off from the cold.Finally, I made my way to a larger rock sticking out of the snow, sat on it, and took off my boots and soaked socks.They were pouring like buckets of water.For a few minutes I dried my feet in the sun, but in the end it was time to get up, put my soaked clothes back on my feet and move on.
Somehow I made it and get to the road, and soon after I stepped out of the snow onto the packed ground. I still had a long way to go, but the worst was behind me. A few kilometers later I was back at the car. Nipa turned out not to be as easy a hill as I had hoped. Overconfidence and wrong decisions once again showed me that you can’t climb mountains. They are the ones who graciously allow you to enter them, if you show humility and prepare yourself accordingly. That was my lesson when I left Joranger.
