Hiking in Drevja: Tovenfjellet

All along Drevja the mountain Tovenfjellet lies. It is a very long mountain with several summits. The summits are not as high as the ones in Sunndalsøra but they are more than high enough to give an incredible view. As in Sunndalsøra you do not get anything for free and have to start at just above sea level. On the other side of the mountain you have Leirfjorden, Sandnessjøen, Dønna, De Syv Søstre and of course the sea which together makes a beautiful sight. It is also possible to hike from one side of Toven and down on the other one, a hike I want to do is Leirfjorden to Toven. Apart from being a nice mountain for hiking and its incredible view, Tovenfjellet also has great fishing. Its many lakes are popular fishing spots for the locals who almost guaranteed I would get fish. But of course I did not.
This years hike at Tovenfjellet went from Toven and up to Brattlivatnet and was especially beautifull because of the clear weather and the colours of early fall. There is no path on this route, but a look at the map makes it clear where one should go and once you are on the right track the rest of the hike one just go where it seems natural. Sadly it is a bit overgrown at the beginning of the hike, but after one have crossed the first river the landscape is more open. I had good company in my cousin Knut Erik and ironicly the only people we met that day were on our age. And people say the youths are lazy and do not care about being outdoors...

Almost at the top Brattlivatnet suddensly shows up:)

A nice place to have lunch

An amazing view towards the other side of the mountain!=)

Halsen in Øksendalen

In the valley west of Sunndal, Øksendal, this is a popular afternoon hike. The path starts just above the small craft harbour.  If you walk past some old car wrecks you have found the right path. The hike takes approximately 20 minutes to the postbox with a book to sign ones name in. Any hike in and around Sunndal usually gives a great view even though it is not long. This is because almost all hikes are steep! Therefore I was quite disappointed at the end of the hike when we did not get any view of the fjord at all. It is possible to continue on several paths from the postbox, but they are all overgrown and narrow and doesn't provide a better view. The positive thing about the hike is that it follows a very soft path, no hard rocks. Also abnormal  for this area.

One of the car wrecks, impossible to miss...

Some view of Øksendalen on the way back:)

It is important to sign ones name in the book. That way people can see you've been there=)

Up the valley

Some 30 minutes up the valley Gjøra, a small settlement, lies. This is where Sunndal National Park Centre is located. The centre gives a nice introduction to what the park has to offer and what great adventures that can be found in the area. From tha national centre there is a path leading to several old pastures. They are not still in use, but are worth a visit. One also get a beautiful view as the path to them is rather steep.  

The view from Gravemsætra(Gravem pasture)

The fog can come very quickly, so be aware...

Nisjasætra (Nisja pasture)

A nice place to have lunch

If you continue up the mountains from the centre you get to see farms located high up in the mountain that are still running. Further ahead, in Grøvudalen, there is even an old pasture that is run traditionally each summer that offers products that are made the old fashioned way. The brown cheese made there is delicious. In the area there are also several spectacular waterfalls and on the way to Grøvudalen the road passes one of them.

Jenstad, one of the farms in the area

In this area there are lots of cabins and I can understand why: Visiting one of my friends this summer, my shoulders relaxed momentarily. It must be wonderful to have such a place to go to whenever you need to relax. Also the hiking and skiing opportunities are both plenty and spectacular.

This tree has its own story, a special tree for the people in the area

Grødalen

The view towards Gjøra from Grødalen

Hiking in Sunndal: Stortuva

In Sunndalen you have two opportunities if you want to train: run on flat ground or hiking up one of the mountainsides that are too steep for running. After studying a map, I found a place where I thought it could be possible to go for a run without it being just flat. A 20 minute drive from home the track to Stortuva starts. It's a summit at 1036 meters, and since it starts at nearly sea-level it makes for a good exercise:) It was just to follow the path all the way to the top except from one place: At the first mountain pasture I missed that the path took a right turn, but if you take it slow and take a look around the path should be easy to find:) It took me approximately 1,5 hr to the top and 1 hr to get back down. If you want to make it a hike, it could take a bit longer depending on the pace. 

An old mountain pasture

Ahead: The only part that wasn't possible to run 

The view towards Sunndalen

Enjoying the view towards Nesøya:)

Hiking in Sunndal: Vettafjellet

After a late and long lasting winter it was finally possible to start hiking late in June. But not many of the surrounding mountains in Sunndalsøra were free of snow. I got a tip that both Stortuva and Vettafjellet were free of snow, and decided to make my first hiking trip this year to Vettafjellet. It is not a high mountain, the summit is only at 969 meters. The trip is very easy and does not require hiking boots which I only use if it is absolutely necessary. Neither does it take long, and is possible to do as an afternoon trip. It is a nice path almost to the top and then it is just to follow the marks made to show the way. At the time we did the hike, it was still very wet and it was quite slippery. Downhill it was some falls, but since it is never very steep no damage was done. A hike for everyone:)

Service all the way to the top:)

The view down to Øksendalen

Sunndalsøra:) Notice the amount of snow in the mountains!

It is important to write ones name in the book placed in a post box at the top.

My traditional Easter holiday

I, as many other Norwegians, associate the Easter with skiing, preferably somewhere in the mountains, it is supposed to be sunny and warm, a lot of chocolate and marzipan and spending quality time with family at the cottage. This Easter was almost perfect. The weather was on and off, but well enough to go skiing every day. My family may be a bit more active than most families; while the usual skiing trip doesn't end to far from where it started and one sits down to make a fire to eat sausages and marshmallows, we go on long trips and high up. But one of the days we actually stopped on our way down from the mountain in our backyard, Tovenfjellet, and had a nice lunch outside.

Oh, I almost forgot. For many people, and indeed for my family, the holidays are all about traditions. And it seems like the amount of traditions just keepon increasing every year, and we are about to reach a point where there will be no room to be impulsive:S Traditions are good, but not too many!

The first tradition is a skiing competition up a mountain, a race I have participated in since I was 4 years old. I am sad every year I miss it. A new tradition that was started last year is afterski after the race. Nothing like alcohol after an exhausting race:p My brother brought tequila. As he had never drunk it before, he had no idea how it tasted and thought it tasted good. He was in for an unpleasant surprise...

I love tequila!:p

Really? Do I have to take an other one?

Here are some photoes from our skiing trips:)

The mountain in my backyear, Tovenfjellet:)

The view to the fjord...

One get a good view of the mountain, Luktind

The track home=)

My dad being very determined to reach the top. Where is the better way to reach the top?

My sister, Idun, with Syv Søstre in the background

The master of making a fire

My sister can be a bit too optimistic...

Every wednesday in the easter we drive a terrible road to get to a skiing race, Harvassdalsrennet. It is very hard to get up, the weather is usually very bad and some times not even enough snow. But because it is tradition and because it is a very social event we always make the trip:)

Nice to meet relatives:)

The wather changes fast up north!

Thursday is the day for the easterparty! It is a public party where everyone over 15 can attend. The music is allways good and it is a good opportunity to dance swing=) Really good atmoshere, but from time to time some people might drink a bit to much and do silly or stupid things. Common things are not being able to stand and ones feet and fall over all the time, getting undressed and of course getting into a fight.

Trying to get rid of the tequila at the preparty:)

My cousin was sober:( she was in the arranging committe and that means she violated a tradition!:-o

Crazy on the dancefloor

My parents are allways dancing at these parties=)

Happy sisters

And we're back to the main goal of the easter: skiing every day!

On the way up to Kveldtuva

A bit freezing on the top!

The start of a new tradition?

This easter we did something new: going out on Saturday too, to check out the pubs in the nearest town. We have to wait untill next year to see if is a new tradition or not.