Trolltunga: Through Ice and Fire

I don't think the trip to Norway would have been complete without visiting Trolltunga. This was a trek that I had planned out back in March after doing research on the best places to hike in Norway. Located in the south-western part of the country, this region is known for its looming peaks, cascading waterfalls, and huge fjords. It was so awesome to see this part of Norway; I had yet to see any real countryside during the spring time when everything is green and luscious. It was a big change. With all of the spring melt from the snow, every mountainside had water pouring out of every ravine. It finally made sense to me how the country could have so much hydro power; a small population and huge amounts of water flowing after winter (99% of Norway is powered through hydropower).

I made the journey with Alex Binns, Will Bennett and Trond. Will was the only one without solid camping/hiking experience. In fact, this was his first time he had ever camped. Little did we know how much of a wild ride we were in for.

Reviews from hikers from online said that troll Tongua was one of the more challenging hikes in Norway. This is mostly due to sudden changes in weather. Due to the high levels of snow, it's strictly forbidden to hike Trolltunga in the winter months, and April and May you have to have a certified guide to take you up. So being the college kids we were, we took the risk of going up in May, hoping to dodge any type of authority we might see. We had access to virtually limitless gear through our "Fjell Mountain outing club" memberships at school (around $20 a semester), so we grabbed crampons, ice axes, 50meters of rope, and other mountaineering equipment.

We started off at about 6pm, hiking up a super steep rise which was grueling. When we reached the first kilometer mark, we had already climbed 1000 feet in elevation. We had gained so much that we began to see snow around us, and soon there was at least a meter everywhere we looked. After this rise we had reached a marshy plateau that was dotted with vacation hyttas, all vacant because it was so early in the season. It was already 8pm, so we began to look for a wind-protected camp spot. Unfortunately the small stream that drained the marsh area had grown to the size of a river and had engulfed the trail due to huge amount of run off. Even worse, all of the good protected camp spots were on the other side of the river. It was either cross it now and freeze our asses off, or spend the night unprotected without a fire, freezing our asses off. After spending 45 minutes searching for a dry place to ford it, we eventually came to the realization that we would have to wade through it.

Probably everything I've learned about camping/hiking told me that wading through an icy river with night quickly approaching was the worst idea ever. With heavy packs weighing us down, one small slip could have ended this whole trip instantly. Especially with Will, who had never camped before, escaping unscathed was seeming unlikely. We needed to cross the river that night or else go without wood or a protected spot, so we took off our boots and socks and slowly crossed the raging river. I can't describe how happy I was the second the last of us got across; we all shared a laugh at our lunacy on the other bank (note Will's gigantic smile at how warm he is)

Just a quick note, after putting up this picture I forgot to mention the biggest danger of hiking here; hidden underwater flows and snow-cornices. You might be walking on what seems like solid snow, but you could easily be on the edge of a huge snow cornice, a large pool of water or even worse, an underwater river. One heavy step and its gg noobs.

After the deathly river crossing we set up our tent by one of the hyttas for the night. I've realized how interesting to camp in another country. There's always things that I think are static in the environment while camping, but when in a totally different land things that you take for granted can be drastically changed. For example, even though Norway seems like Vermont, the temp doesn't ever get below about 20 degrees (at least in southern Norway or along the coastline throughout most of the country, mostly due to wet sea air). People always think of Norway as a freezing place, but I've definitely had colder mornings in Vermont.

The next morning we woke up to good and bad news. The bad news was that Trond was up pretty much up the whole night throwing up outside the tent cause he was sick, so he decided to split off from us and head back to the trailhead. It was a bummer but probably a good call in the long run. The good news was that after rainy, misty weather all of the previous day, we woke up to a completely cloudless sky, something that rarely happens in this region of the country. We were stoked. After making sure Trond passed back over the river safely, the three of us began the 9 km ridge trek to Trolltunga. The weather was super warm, so we busted out t-shirts and enjoyed the sunshine. We were in no rush since we started hiking at 7:30am, especially since the sun had risen so early that it was already light out at 3:30am. The going was a bit slow since we were pushing throw annoying soft snow cause of the warmth. The upside to this meant resupplying on water was as easy as putting your water bottle into any of the many streams we crossed. We had some breathtaking views of the area around us as we hiked along these mountain ridges.

By around 12, we finally caught up to these three Danish students who had whipped by us while we were cooking breakfast. They were near the last kilometer mark looking for tongue, and we eventually found it together. I can't really describe how epic this spit of rock was in words, so I'll let the pictures talk. I still don't know how I summoned the courage to sit on the edge. I'm not scared of heights, but 2400 foot drops made me a bit queasy (My mom wasn't too happy with me when I showed her these)

I was so happy that we actually made it here. Before we made the trip, there was really no way we could be sure if the mountain passes would be navigable, if rangers would turn us away, or we would be injured somehow and waste a ton of money and time traveling. We were blessed that none of that happened and that we had the best possible weather. After a relaxing break on the cliffside for some lunch, we began the long trek back. That last km downhill was super rough, with a heavy pack my knees were shot by the end.

I know the dangers of sun burn with the added reflection of the snow, but I didn't think that the sunshine would be the biggest threat. Alex and I didn't have hats, so for a good 5 hours we had full sunlight on face neck and ears. We used scarves as burkas to cover up after the peak, but we were still absolutely roasted. Didn't know I'd end up turning into a troll by the end of the trip!

On the long ride home sitting in the back of the car with my face radiating heat like a blast furnace, I got to think about all the awesome things I've been able to do in Norway. I was so lucky to be able to hit almost every region of the country in just a semester; the country is deceptively big for such a small population. Passing the now-green colored hills and being able to smell all of the life around me was a huge contrast to when I first arrived here in the middle of winter. It made me super excited to get back home to summer in Vermont and see all my family and friends I've been missing. The next two days I'll be studying for my last two exams, and then I head over to Denmark to visit Rasmus Eriknauer and then head off to Iceland! This will probably be my last post, so I hope you've enjoyed following my travels! If you ever decide to go to Europe and you have any love for the outdoors, make Norway a priority. This country is the most beautiful place I've ever seen; it's impressive landscapes beat all of America's National parks any day.