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PART I: HELPFUL INFORMATION

CHAPTER 1:

Using this Book

Now shall I walk

Or shall I ride?

“Ride,” Pleasure said,

“Walk,” Joy replied.

W. H. Davies

This book is organized into two parts. Part I, Helpful Information, gives general details on the book’s organization, how to travel around Norway, and tips on Norwegian mountain walking.

Part II, The Routes, describes 20 selected walking routes in Norway, covering the South to the Far North. Many tours can be shortened or lengthened as you wish. Walks are described as hut to hut tours, but it is always possible to camp. The Route Tables provide basic information such as distance, number of days needed, grading, the nearest base or supply area, the closest major access point, and start and end points. Each route description has a fact panel, day-to-day descriptions, and information on alternative routes and access.

ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS

The text gives details on each suggested route in the book. Routes are divided into daily segments, limited by the location of mountain huts. Estimates of both distance and time are provided, although time estimates are the most practical and safe way to guide the walker over projected routes. My estimates, taken when I walked without stopping carrying a 12 kilogram pack, are very close to the hourly estimates found on Norwegian maps. You may want an extra hour or more for rest, lunch, photography, and the like. The distances between points are calculated from topographical maps, and should not be considered exact. Remember that distances can be deceptive, especially to the inexperienced walker. Alternative routes, if applicable, are described at the end of each chapter.

MAPS

The entire country of Norway has been mapped by Statens Kartverk. The M711 Norge 1:50 000 series, with red and white covers, are the most detailed. Some maps have not been updated since the early 1960s. Since this time, paths have been rerouted, bridges washed away and new bridges built, and roads added. For some of the routes you will have to purchase several of the M711 maps to cover the entire walk.

Additional maps with a scale of 1:100 000 are available for several areas: Rondane, Jotunheimen, Hardangervidda (West and East), Sylene, Trollheimen, Indre Troms (Troms Border Trail), Narvik - Abisko (Mountains of Narvik) and Snøhetta (Dovre Mountains). Many of these maps have been recently updated, although the scale is large. Often only one of these maps will be necessary for your walk.

If unable to buy maps before leaving home, allow time for this when you arrive in Norway. DNT offices (Den Norske Turistforening) (see Appendix D) carry both the M711 series and the 1:100 000 scale maps but are closed on weekends. Several bookstores in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim that stock maps are listed in Appendix D. Most staffed huts carry local maps although supplies vary. You may find the 1:100 000 series at some larger railway stations and tourist offices.

This book provides maps of each walking tour. DNT and associated organizations publish free sketch maps of most of the walking areas in southern Norway. You will find both useful when planning your trip, but neither should be relied on when walking.

BASE

The base listed is the closest major area where services are available, such as accommodation, food and a range of supplies. Do not expect a base to provide the complete services obtainable in the larger metropolitan areas of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Narvik or Tromsø. Many walks in this book are only a few hours from larger metropolitan areas and use of these bases may not be necessary.

Routes 1-15 and 17 are a few hours’ train ride from either Oslo or Bergen. The Sylene (16) is a half-day bus ride from Trondheim. Routes 18-20 in northern Norway are easily reached from the bases listed, and air travel is the most efficient means of reaching the area. However, use of the train, boat and bus services to these northern areas gives you a fuller appreciation of the country and adds to the enjoyment of your trip.

ROUTE GRADING

I have tried to present an overview of each route by addressing the difficulty of the path, its steepness, and its obstacles, such as river crossings, snow, rock or talus. Some routes may be designated as one grading (e.g. Easy) although a few of its sections could lift its rating into a more demanding category (e.g. Moderate). In such a case, Easy refers to the overall nature of the route, and not to an atypical section. In addition, these ratings refer to the challenges of the route itself, and not to its length. Sections are graded along the following guidelines:

Easy: The walker encounters no major difficulties, such as scrambling, route finding, river crossings, talus, scree or snow. Level or gently undulating terrain predominates, and elevation gains and losses are less than 300 metres per day.

Moderate: Ascents are steeper, and gains and losses in altitude exceed those in the Easy category. The path may be rocky or there may be short sections of scree, talus or snow, although no scrambling is necessary. Altitude differences are usually 300-750 metres per day.

Strenuous: This route has sections which should be avoided in poor weather and may have some rough terrain with exposure or scrambling. The walker should be surefooted and unafraid of heights. There may be longer and more exposed sections of scree or talus, and snow may remain on the trail into late summer. Altitude gains and losses may fall between 600 and 1000 metres per day. Novices or parties with small children should avoid these routes.

DIRECTION

Most of the trails in this book can be walked in either direction. If a particular direction is preferred, I say so in the text. With respect to rivers, ‘true left and ‘true right’ apply to the sides of a river while looking downstream.

TERRAIN/ELEVATION/FEATURES

Elevation gain and loss as well as steepness of the trail are important factors in assessing the day’s difficulty. The rocky nature of Norwegian mountain terrain may make walking more tiring than you think it will be before starting out. For each section of the walk starting elevations are given, as well as significant high and low points. A guide to the trail’s general steepness follows:

Almost level: Elevation changes are under 30 metres per kilometre.

Rolling: The track undulates without significant net elevation change.

Gradual: Elevation changes are approximately 30-60 metres per kilometre.

Moderate: Elevation changes are approximately 60-100 metres per kilometre.

Steep: Elevation changes are approximately 100-125 metres per kilometre.

Extremely steep: Elevation changes greater than 125 metres per kilometre fall under this designation. You may need your hands for safety. Special features of each day’s walk are described, hazards are pointed out and other particulars of the walk (e.g. mountain views, river crossings, shelter) are listed.

ROUTE PROFILES

The route profiles provided for each of the suggested routes allow you to gauge approximate trail steepness at a glance. Distances used in the drawings are estimates. Note that the horizontal distance on the track is represented on the horizontal axis, and not by the length along the profile line. The steeper a segment as represented on the profile line, the more the segment will exaggerate the true distance between the points it connects. The book’s limited page size will make segments of the trail drawn on the route profile appear steeper than they really are when on the trail. This vertical exaggeration becomes especially apparent for longer routes. Routes longer than approximately 90 kilometres have been divided into two route profiles to lessen vertical exaggeration.

SUMMARY TABLES

Summary tables of each route (see Appendix A) provide estimates of how long it will take to walk from point to point along each route.