Maja in Norway: The beauty of living between mountains

Many thought I was crazy moving to a small place like Sunndalsøra: What was I going to do there and why would I want to live so far away from everything?

One of the privileges of living in a rural area is the short amount of time spent between work and home and the short amount of time needed to get to any outdoors activity. For me it takes more or less 10 minutes of cycling to get to work, depending on the direction and strength of the wind. Some hikes starts within walking distance from home, and within a 20 minutes drive I can just pick and choose hiking options. This makes it possible and easy to go hiking after work, even when the days get shorter. An other great thing about this place is that many other people like to do outdoors activities. So of course we have a facebook group for those of us who like getting on top of summits both winter and summer=) It is very easy to find someone who wants to join a trip! And hiking with others is the best way to learn shortcuts and to learn more about the mountains:)

One of the hikes I've done after work was to Salsnebba. This was a nice hike that started in a neighbouring valley, Øksendalen. On the way to the top you pass a mailbox at Prestgaardssætra, where many people choose to turn and head back down. The rest of the hike is without any path, but is in a lovely terrain and without difficulties. From the summit at 1020 masl there is a nice view in all directions. Unfortunately there was a change in weather while we did the hike, from sun to rain and then all of a sudden snow at the top. So we did not get to see much:( The hike took approximately 2 hours to the top and is definitely manageable for more people than the once who had been there so far this year. It's sad that people that have this opportunity at their front door does not take advantage of it. I'm glad I did because it was a lovely afternoon and the evening had just begun by the time I was home=) love it!