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INTRODUCTION

When all the world has grown a bore,

And all your life hard lines,

Come hither! Peak and pine no more,

‘Mid Norway’s peaks and pines.

An ancient vane

Let’s take a closer look at the Land of the Midnight Sun. Norway, forming the western side of the Scandinavian peninsula, shares a common border with Sweden in the east and in the north with Finland and Russia. The North Cape, northernmost point of the European continent at 71°N, lies on a latitude parallel with Point Barrow, Alaska. Norway’s southernmost point, Lindesnes, at 58°N falls on a parallel with northern Scotland. To the south across the North Sea lies Denmark. Norway, at its longest from the southwest to the northern tip, extends about 1752 kilometres. At its widest it measures 430 kilometres, and at its narrowest 6.7 kilometres. Its immense jagged coastline is thought to total about 50,000 kilometres long, greater than the distance around the world. This figure includes the fjords and the 150,000 offshore islands of which only about 2000 are inhabited. The entire country encompasses 386,958 square kilometres, 30% covered by forests, rivers and lakes, and 70% consisting of rugged mountainous terrain. Less than 4% of Norway’s land is cultivated, leaving 96% as a playground for the walker and ski tourer. The Open Air Act of 1957 guarantees every Norwegian’s (and visitor’s) freedom to roam in the countryside. One-third of Norway lies above the Arctic Circle, where for at least one full day per year the sun never sets and for one full day it never rises.

The population density of Norway is the lowest of any country in Europe. Most of the 4½ million Norwegians live along the southern coast, half in cities and built-up areas. The Sami, the indigenous people of the Far North, number about 40,000 and are a distinct ethnic group with their own language and culture.

I hope that this book will encourage visitors to explore the Norwegian mountains. You will find some of the most beautiful mountain landscape in the world. Unlike what you find in many of the alpine areas of Central Europe, these mountains are relatively free from crowds, and few roads criss-cross through this remote landscape. Providing an ideal setting for the walker, cairned routes twist through splendid scenery and link up with comfortable mountain lodges. You will meet a kind and proud people who will enthusiastically share with you their love for their mountains.

A keen walker can be remarkably self-sufficient within this system. Provisions and bedding are supplied at over 320 mountain lodges, most maintained by Den Norske Turistforening (Norwegian Mountain Touring Association) and its associated organizations. Given ample time and energy, you can venture through the mountains of Norway for months without having to go into town for any reason. Your adventurous ramblings will be slowed only by the early swirling snows of September, as the reddish hues of autumn tone the mountainside, and hint of the coming winter.

Equipped with map and compass, you can wander onto other routes and trails toward your night’s destination. As some of Norway’s mountain areas have had to be excluded here, the book’s descriptions are not to be considered comprehensive. This book cannot be taken as a substitute for common sense and good judgement. Nor is it a manual for the novice. Walkers should have some previous experience before venturing out into the mountains alone. Inexperienced visitors would do well to take advantage of the guided tours available. Though low elevation and seemingly gentle slopes invite the eager beginner, she/he must not forget that these mountains harbour all the usual hazards and challenges of any alpine area.

View the jagged spires of the Jotunheimen, climb the high peaks of the Rondane, explore the isolated arctic mountains of the Troms Border Trail, and ramble along the mountain plateau of the Hardangervidda. You can wander for days without a bother, and leave the cares of the city behind. Feel, as I have, as if you are on top of the world. God Tur!

Near Breisjøseter looking towards the Rondane, Alvdal Vestfjell. (Route 10)

Troll welcomes you to Norway, (these legendary creatures live throughout the mountains of Norway)