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CHAPTER 3:

Life in the Mountains

II n’est plus beau ni moins beau que les Alpes, il est autre

Louis Neltner

DEN NORSKE TURISTFORENING

Den Norske Turistforening (Norwegian Mountain Touring Association or DNT), along with its associated local organizations, manages over 320 mountain lodges in Norway. Established in 1868, DNT maintains trails and waymarking in both summer and winter, sponsors climbing courses, publishes a quarterly magazine and a yearbook, and maintains a list of the opening and closing dates for the huts throughout Norway. Mountain huts are unevenly distributed throughout Norway, with the majority in the south, and considerably fewer located in the north.

DNT Oslo office provides general information on all walks in Norway, and you can write to them for information published in English. Membership can be purchased at any DNT office or DNT staffed mountain lodge. The main post offices in Bergen, Oslo, at Fornebu Airport (Oslo) and Oslo S (Oslo Central Railway Station) sell memberships as well. Membership offers a 40% discount on hut and food charges. Families or married couples can buy a family membership. Members over 50 are guaranteed a bed at all DNT lodges. At self-service lodges, preference for bunk space is given to members, and only members can borrow keys to self-service and unstaffed huts. Some private lodges and glacier guides grant a discount to DNT members. DNT membership does not provide reciprocal privileges with other alpine clubs.

As many as 50 local touring organizations function in association with the DNT. Information on routes managed by local touring organizations is available at local touring offices. Trondhjems Turistforening in Trondheim manages huts in the Trollheimen and Sylene, and their office in Trondheim has maps and specific information on their area. Bergen Turlag in Bergen handles the Western Hardangervidda (see Appendix D). However the Oslo DNT office also has extensive information on these two areas.

In the mountain areas north of Trondheim huts are usually unstaffed, and belong to DNT branches. In the Far North the staffed lodges in Finnmarksvidda (fjellstuer) are owned by the state. It is wise either to visit or telephone the offices of Narvik og Omegn Turistforening (see Route 18) and Troms Turlag in Tromsø (see Route 19) before starting out and to make sure you have the correct key. Information on walking in Finnmark (see Route 20) is obtainable from Alta og Omegn Turlag in Alta (see Appendix D). The Oslo DNT office has limited information on these three areas.

MOUNTAIN LODGES

The mountain huts in Norway (turisthytten) are efficient, clean, and courteously run. They comprise three different levels of service: staffed, self-service and unstaffed. There are also private lodges which resemble a DNT staffed hut (see details below). Lodges, as described in this book, are located a day’s walk apart, usually 4-7 hours walking time. Mountain lodges provide food, shelter from the rain and comradeship, and make it possible to travel long distances with a relatively light pack. Use of a sheet sleeping bag is required.

Staffed Lodges (B)

Staffed lodges, larger than self-service lodges or unserviced huts, some with over 100 beds, provide full-service, such as meals, showers, drying rooms and limited supplies. Food is often transported long distances and reaches some huts on the backs of loyal employees. Prices at the huts differ little from mountain huts of Central Europe. In Norway, however, you usually have a choice of a room with 2 beds, 4-6 beds, or 8-plus beds. In most instances you will have your own bunk and not be crowded into a small cramped area. Food and accommodation at either DNT or private lodges are of the highest quality. Charges are standardized at DNT huts.

Self-service Lodges (SS)

About 200 self-service huts can also be found in the mountains of Norway, and some full-service lodges maintain a self-service section outside the high season. Since you do your own cooking, food charges are lower than at the staffed lodges. Payment is on the honour system. Fees for the overnight stay and provisions used should be noted on the envelope provided and payment (cash or credit card slips) deposited in the box on the wall.

All self-service lodges are well equipped with bedding, kitchen utensils and canned and powdered foods such as margarine, crackers, jam, dried potatoes, soups, canned meats, porridge and dried milk. You do your own cooking and cleaning, and a chore or two around the hut such as sweeping, tidying up, airing blankets, etc. The huts are often equipped with a standard DNT lock but many are not locked during the summer season. Some have caretakers who are in charge of assigning beds for the night and chores for the evening.

Before and after the main season, some full-service huts operate on a self-service basis. One section is left open for overnight stays, and a key is obtainable from a neighbouring hut or from the local touring office. Opening and closing dates for lodges can be obtained from DNT.

Unstaffed Lodges (U)

Characteristically smaller than the other types of hut, unstaffed huts are locked. They are supplied with bedding, pots and pans, kitchen utensils and gas. You will need a sheet sleeping bag. Some walking areas of northern Norway with unstaffed huts not described in this book (e.g. the mountains south of Bodø) require a full sleeping bag.

Private Lodges (P)

These lodges resemble DNT staffed huts in almost every way. Charges may be higher, but DNT members often qualify for reduced rates. Most private lodges accept reservations. In high season I would call ahead from a neighbouring hut, where they will have the current telephone number, and reserve a space. You can also get the current telephone numbers from DNT offices and call before you leave town.

FOOD/MEALS

You can purchase all three meals at staffed lodges. Breakfasts are hearty, with various selections of hot and cold cereals, eggs, cheese, bread and crackers, butter and jam, herring and sardines, along with milk, coffee and tea. At DNT lodges you can prepare your lunch from the breakfast buffet and fill up your thermos with a hot drink. At some private lodges, lunches are sold separately. Dinners include soup, a main meal of fish or meat, vegetables, potatoes with gravy, dessert and coffee. There is always plenty to eat, with multiple servings for everyone. Smaller servings are available for children and for anyone else preferring them. Meals served at these remote lodges are of the highest quality.

KEYS

You can get keys to self-service and unstaffed huts from local DNT offices and associated organizations, e.g. Bergen Turlag, Trondhjems Turistforening, Troms Turlag and Narvik og Omegn Turistforening. You must be a DNT member to check-out a key, and a small deposit is required. For walks in the Mountains of Narvik, the touring organization has an office in the Narvik Fire Station. For the Troms Border Trail, keys are available in Tromsø and at other designated locations. Call them for specific information.

In the past few years there has been an attempt in Norway to standardize the keys used in all mountain huts throughout the country. This has required the coordination of all the local touring organizations. In the south, locked DNT huts use a standard lock and the key is easily obtained at any DNT touring office (see Appendix D). In the north (north of Trondheim) some areas still do not use the standard lock, but have their own different lock and key. It is worth your time and peace of mind to check that your key is the correct one for the local area. All northern areas in this book (see Routes 18, 19 and 20) have different procedures. At the time of writing, the unstaffed huts in the Mountains of Narvik (Route 18) used the standard DNT lock. Along the Troms Border Trail (Route 19) the lock of Troms Turlag was used. In Finnmark (Route 20) the huts are staffed and open in the summer.

RESERVATIONS

At DNT huts no reservations are accepted, and beds are allocated on a first-come first-served basis. If you arrive too late to get a bed, you will be given a mattress and a blanket and assigned to a common area for sleeping. Though I spent several summers walking in Norway, I slept in a common room only twice. Norwegians are proud of the fact that no one is turned away.

SEASON

As one would expect of a country so far north, the walking season in Norway is short. Although it is possible to camp freely throughout the year, the opening and closing of mountain huts loosely defines the walking season. Huts open in the third week of June, and close in mid-September. You can expect them to be overcrowded in high season, from 15 July to 15 August. The latter half of August is the quietest and possibly the most pleasant time in the mountains, as a chill comes to the air, red hues tint the alpine grasses, and rain in the lower elevations brings snow to the mountain tops.

Some walking routes may still have snow into late June. Walking areas usually clear of winter snows by late June include: Hardangervidda Central (Route 2), Rondane (Routes 7,8,9), Alvdal Vestfjell (Routes 10,11), Sylene (Route 16), Femundsmarka (Route 17). The crossing between Finse and Geiterygghytta in Aurlandsdalen (Route 3) can have snow into July; it is possible to begin from Geiterygghytta (see text). It is best to visit all the other routes described in this book after 10 July.

WEATHER

Summer is short in the mountain regions, but the Gulf Stream and westerly winds provide Norway with a much warmer climate than its northerly location would suggest. Warmer, drier summer weather usually does not begin before the first week of July and continues into early September.

In the summer, days on the Norwegian coast are warm and the nights are chilly. Temperatures in the mountains drop a bit lower, although remain pleasant during the main summer season. I have found the temperatures in the mountains not unduly hot or cold and thus ideal for walking. During the summer Norway experiences more light than any country in the world. There is no real darkness between the middle of April to the middle of August. I enjoy the long days, and I’ve no worry about getting to the hut after dark.

The western fjord mountains (Western Hardangervidda, Tafjord, Dovre, West Jotunheimen, Aurlandsdalen and Trollheimen) are prone to more precipitation than other parts of Norway. The more central and eastern ranges (Sylene, Femund, Rondane, Alvdal Vestfjell, Central Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen East to West and Jotunheimen South) are drier. Northern Norway can experience long periods of sunny, warm weather throughout the summer. As in any mountain region, the weather can change abruptly and dramatically, and you must travel prepared for extremes of weather.

CAMPING

Norway grants you the right of free access to the mountains, and the Great Open Air Charter of 1957 allows you to camp freely with certain obligations. You may not litter, disturb animals or damage trees or plants. Camp fires are prohibited from 15 April to 15 September. You may camp anywhere for one night, as long as you are not within 150 metres of a building. In the Rondane and Jotunheimen this rule has been modified so that camping is not allowed within one kilometre of a hut, except in designated areas. Near some of the staffed lodges camping is permitted and an additional fee allows you to use hut facilities.

CAIRNED ROUTES/WAYMARKING

Routes are marked with a typical stack of rock cairns. DNT’s red T on rocks is a welcome sign during days of low visibility. Signposts mark almost all junctions, but some are small and have stood for many years. Although waymarking in the Norwegian mountains is quite good, you should purchase area maps.

CROWDED TRAILS

You will find overcrowded trails in the Rondane, Jotunheimen and Central Hardangervidda during the high summer season. Fewer people frequent the Western Hardangervidda (Route 1), Trollheimen Circle (Route 15), the Tafjord (Route 12), my favourite areas in the south. Some of the finest, remote and less crowded mountain walking in Norway is found in the north along the Troms Border Trail (Route 19).

SAFETY IN THE MOUNTAINS

Except for the high season in the Jotunheimen, Rondane and Central Hardangervidda, there can be few people on many of the mountain paths in Norway. You should plan your route before starting out, study the maps, know how much elevation will be gained or lost, and estimate the time you will need to your next stopping point. You should not set out without emergency equipment, extra food and clothing appropriate for cold and wet conditions. Watch for bad weather approaching.

GLACIER TRAVEL