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.…

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,…

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…

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…

Sandefjord, a seaside resort with almost 65,000 inhabitants, ranks 11th among Norwegian cities in terms of population. Although the city rights were granted in 1838, the history of the city goes far back in the past. It is on the outskirts of Sandefjord that the best-preserved Viking boat was discovered in Gokstad, which can now be seen in one of the museums in Oslo. In the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the city was a thriving base for a fleet of whaling ships, gaining fame and wealth. In 1837, the Kurbadet health resort was opened in Sandefjord, which functioned until 1939, hosting patients not only from…