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Kon-Tiki Museum
Thor Heyerdahl was born on October 6, 1914 in Larvik in the south of Norway. His father was a brewer. Mother helda high position in the association of museums in the city. It was probably she who awakened in her son a love of science. Thor studied zoology and geography, and was also interested in anthropology. On Christmas Eve 1936, he married Liv Coucheron Torp. A day later, the young couple sailed to the islands of French Polynesia, wanting a escape from Western civilization. There, on the islands of Fatu Hiva and neighboring Hivoa, they made several scientific discoveries. It was then that Heyerdahl came up with the idea that…
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Mjærskaukollen
It’s the beginning of December, which means that there are already winter in the mountains. Norwegians take the opportunity to go skiing. Those who do not like snow and would only like to wander around must look for available routes elsewhere. I found mine near the town of Ytre Enebakk. Over 4 km forest trail leading to the Mjærskaukollen peak (300 m above sea level), where a wooden observation tower was erected in 2020. The route is quite easy, but don’t expect spectacular views on it. The area south of Oslo is rather flat and elevations of more than 300 m are rare. So even from the top of the…
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Fram Museum
What can you do when the weather offers only cold, rain and in the mountains you find winter already? Well, you can stay at home all weekend or go for a walk somewhere in the woods. Living near Oslo has the advantage that you can also explore the capital of Norway. For some time I was planning to visit the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset), unfortunately I decided to go there too late. In September it was closed and reconstruction started. A completely new, larger building is to be built and all the exhibits will be moved to a new location. The planned opening will be (watch out, don’t fall off…
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Steinfjellet 1398m asl
Mælfjell is the name of the mountain massif and its highest peak (1,413m above sea level) in the Telemark region, just outside the town of Seljord. On the south the much larger Lifjell Massif rises, and the two mountain formations are separated only by the Grunningsdalen Valley and the Grunåi River running at the bottom. On the eastern side of the Mælfjell massif are the Blåtønnfjellet and Heksfjell mountains (another Heksfjell was visited by me last year), both also separated by valleys. Out of all the hiking possibilities available, I chose Mælfjell for my next mountain trip. The reason was quite prosaic: it was the highest mountain in the area.…
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Hardangervidda & Nøtingshovda
Hardangervidda. The largest plateau in Europe (6500km², with average height 1100m above sea level). It is characterized by a cool, alpine climate. One of the largest Norwegian glaciers – Hardangerjøkulen is located on the Plateau. In addition, the extensive net of trails, holiday cottages and tourist lodges makes it an ideal place for outdoor enthusiasts. I realized that this year my foot has never stand on the Plateau. In the previous one, I took two one-day trips in different locations (here and here). Now, summer is over and soon the weather conditions will not be so favorable for mountain hiking. So I decided it was time to go to Hardangervidda.…
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Rondane & Rondslottet
Rondane is Norway’s oldest national park. Established in December 1962. The area has 963m³. It is located in the Innlandet region adjacent to two other protected areas: Dovre and Jotunheimen. In Rondane there are 10 mountain peaks with a height of more than 2 thousand meters. The highest of them is Rondslottet with 2178 m above sea level. The center point of the area is the narrow, 4 km long Rondvatnet Lake. On its southern shore, there is one of several tourist cabins (Rondvassbu). It is the place where most trails start to the nearby mountains, including the most popular one, Rondslottet. Rondane National Park is closed to motor traffic,…
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The surroundings of Bjordal
One more time I was heading to Vikebygd area. This time however I didn’t reach the town. About 6 km earlier I turned right and came to Bjordal farm. There are couple opportunities for hike from there. I found small parking lot next, paid the fee (30 kr) and started to hike. At the beginning I intended to reach two nearest summits: Bårefjell (403 m asl) and Store Skjerden (415 m asl), but when I climbed on first one, I founded out extension of the trail, leading north, enfolded Grautvatnet Lake and headed back to south. That option seemed much interesting, even if whole this route went in snow. Grautvatnet…
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Bjønneskortenatten, Søtelifjellet & Madonna med barnet
Cold weather didn’t stop me from going on another mountain trip. There was middle of November when I decided to go on the last trip this year. And this time I was going on Bjønneskortenatten (1020m asl). This mountain is known for the statue of Madonna with Child, that was erected on the summit in 2009. How this was happen? I am going to explain below. Keep reading 😊 In 1989 Sigdal Kommune was gifted of large forest estates in Trilledalen i Trillemarka area. The donor was Anne Margethe Bugge, 85 old woman, the current landowner. She inherited those lands after hers father death and for several years she was…
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Langfjell
After a month in Poland, I wanted to go back to the Norwegian mountains. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the first weekend was not optimistic. I changed my plans regarding location few times because of the weather and finally set up the trip to Treungen. Last summer, I visited this small settlement twice. First during my hike to Skuggenatten, and shortly after when I was going to Hægefjell. There are, however, many more interesting hills near Treungen and Lake Nisser, and right now I decided to take a look at one of them. Langfjell is located next to the already mentioned Skuggenatten. It rises to a height of 686m above…
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Åksla & Vardafjellet
When I was in Gudvangen, I noticed one problem. My shoes, the four-year-old Aku Tribute II, had a completely worn sole in the heel area, and in some places this sole was delaminated. It wasn’t looking good and I was afraid that the best days of my shoes were over. I was going to start my vacation in Poland soon and I wanted to organize one more trip to the mountains before leaving. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to walk barefoot. In such a case, I did not want to operate my shoes too much, as they could fall apart at any moment. It was supposed to be a…
