Yes, Norway is stunning!

Yesterday we did our first longer hike in Norway. Not really that long though. In fact, at just under four hours it was more of a training hike for some of our upcoming Norway adventures!

We had slept close by so that we could get an early start on the trail, and we managed to get going by 9:15am.

We were doing the hike to Ardalsknapen Peak, which overlooks the Setesdal Valley. From the trailhead, the sign says it's 8 kms (5 miles) and should take between 4-6 hours.

View across from the trailhead.

Trailhead sign.

Also very close to the trailhead is a big campground. We will not be staying in a place like this, although great for the people who do. It's a pretty spot, but a little too crowded for our liking and not our style. It's also too close to a fairly busy road. Low season runs until June 24th, and prices range from 390 kr to 490 kr ($52-$65 CAD, $41-$52 USD) per night, electric and showers included. High season in July and August is 445 kr to 545 kr ($60-$73 CAD, $47-$58 USD) per night.

Norway has quite a few campgrounds, and so far they look quite busy. We are seeing a lot of motorhomes on the road! Fortunately, there is also a lot of free camping available. Norway has an old law allowing the "right to roam" and you can free camp virtually anywhere that is not open cultivated land, and not within 150 meters of an occupied building. Even on private land without the landowners permission.

Seasonal sites.

Anyhow, back to our hike...

Uphill every step of the way, it didn't take long to start to get some nice views.

Looking down on the campground.

Notice the bue sky and sunshine.

It was an absolutely perfect day for a hike. Temperature about 21C (70F), not much wind, and no bugs. Perfect!

Heading higher.

The sign did promise lots of nice views!

This gives you a good idea of the size of that campground. Over 200 sites.

Norway is stunning!

Heading higher.

It was a really good trail. Just challenging enough to make it interesting, and very natural with no stairs or railings.

Heading higher.

Me, admiring the view.

Ruth and the view.

Ready to get going again.

Made it to the top! Altitude 762 meters (2,500')

It was 4.5 kms (2.8 miles) one way with a 529 meter (1,735') elevation gain.

Zoomed in on an old cabin way off in the distance.

Notice the vegetation growing on the roof!

Views from the top.

Views in all directions.

Ruth at the top.

We sat and had a snack at the top for 15 minutes or so and then headed back down. Until this point, we had not seen any other people! But just after we left the top we passed another couple heading up with their small dog, and several other people later on. In total, we saw 13 people and 3 dogs and all of them were on our return trip.

Heading back down.

We were gone just under four hours, and that included quite a few stops to take photos and admire the views, as well as a break at the top. We don't feel we were rushing at all, so when the signs advertise 4-6 hours, they're apparently being pretty conservative.

Back at Max, we drove a little further west and found a decent spot on a dead end gravel road in the middle of nowhere, but fairly close to the main road. Still, the main road was pretty quiet, with a car passing every ten minutes or so. By 10:00pm, (still very light out) three other rigs had joined us! But it was a large lot and they were all quite far away. Once again, we are grateful that most European motorhomes do not have generators! 

It was a totally quiet night!

Max, parked at GPS 58.52148, 7.614203

This morning, headed further west. Hoping to find a nice bike trail. It's another gorgeous day, but we had better enjoy it because they are calling for rain by Tuesday.

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