Camping in the mountains bears something magical. Tired yet happy minds celebrate simplicity, wonder and appreciation. Senses absorb without a filter. And emotions come out raw and real. Our six-day-trek through Jotunheimen National Park, discovering Norway’s so-called “Home of Giants”, uncovered once more our love to be out there, absorbing, feeling and celebrating what nature and isolation have to offer.
- Jotunheimen National Park
- Gjendesheim to Øvre Årdal
- 6 day trekking
Day 1
Upon arrival in Oslo, we grab a couple cardamom boller (a Norwegian sweet roll) and a cappuccino each to fuel our grocery store run for last essentials and some fresh food. Our packs are monsters and ready to be carried through the Jotunheimen National Park.
After a semi-long bus ride up North, reveiling stunning sights left and right, we step off in Gjendesheim, fill all our bottles with water and head straight up the 700 meters in elevation to the infamous ridge. Last day-hikers pass us, as we are hauling our heavy backpacks up to the highest point. The sun stays with us, despite the late hour and rewards us with breathtaking views of the two lakes, Gjende and Bessvatnet. We pitch our tent by the higher one, Bessvatnet, passing a neighbor – a German lone wolf carrying a stunning 20 kg himself. The Norwegian moskitos finally make a show and the quick dive into our tent brings peace and sound sleep.
Transportation
Direct bus from Oslo to Gjendesheim
Season
Mid-July was ideal for us
Trails
Incredibly well marked with a red T
Navigation
Carrying a physical and waterproof map of the area still helped
Camping
Pitching a tent is allowed anywhere in the park, if near hut and using its facilities a fee ought to be paid
Huts
The Norwegian Trekking Association – Den Norske Turistforeningen (DNT) – has a network of mountain lodges each within approximately 5-hour hiking distance from the next one. Basic snacks and necessities available. Overnight stays should be reserved.
Payment Methods
Cards accepted everywhere, cash not always.
Water
Easily and readily available from streams and rivers. Although incredibly fresh, we filtered it.
Day 2
Hot! How is the sun there again? It seems to have never left.
We take note for better tent placement, skip breakfast and wash off in refreshing lake water. May the morning begin again. Passing loads of ferry boat tourists attempting the Bessegen Trail, we take a turn to enjoy coffee and oatmeal off the beaten track. Lake Russvatnet with sights of Gloptinden was incredibly stunning. Crystal clear water and some greenery after rather desolate ridges and mountains. People become scarce and only the odd man follows our example in taking off shoes for a stream crossing and others stop for advice on routes and ideal camping spots. We relish two more lake dives, before finding our second home after a long day on foot, cook a tasty (freeze-dried) meal of pork loin in dill and prepare to sleep in the everlasting light.
Day 3
Ten heavenly hours of sleep. Yet, our shoulders and backs are aching, as we are not yet used to carrying that much weight. The hut at Glitterheim welcomed us with a warming cup of coffee to which we cooked a big portion of oatmeal to prep for a long hike to the next hut. Winding our way alongside a river, we head towards today’s highpoint, passing people as we speed walk forward. Set between Norway’s giants, the hiking trail leads through a stone desert and after a long descent, finally into Spiterstulen. Pit stopping at the cafeteria, watching people make their way down from the highest national peak, we decide to move on, to a quieter spot and settle nearby a falling river. After a refreshing bath in a small side pool of the waterfall, we brush our teeth and wash our limited clothes supply only to happily spread across our mats. Stunning views of today are to paint our dreams.
Day 4
The sun reaches us only late this morning. And we’ve slept for another ten hours. We take our time to cook a nice little breakfast before heading toward Olavsbu.
Starting off today’s hike in hot and rough conditions, as we face the sun more and more while the landscape presents nothing but rock desert. The infinity of these valleys and how they are all connected is simply amazing. We don’t encounter many until a shortcut takes us to Langvatnet, a lake we seek shade at and whip up another meal. Due to wind, we do not fancy a swim but rather sprinkle off and lay down for a short nap.
Just at the mouth of the lake another river crossing awaits us, a rather difficult one. And then, surprise, surprise, another rocky uphill. The steepest one so far, we thought, before heading down toward the unstaffed hut. Trying to avoid people, we have a quick foot bath at the river and decide to continue on, finding a good place to pitch our tent at. This proved to be a bit tricky in this moist area, so our feet had to carry us just a little bit further. However, the most wonderful rock pool and nearby river let us forget any struggles encountered on today’s journey. Now laying in the tent we wonder if the announced rain will catch us tomorrow or whether we can head to our next destination with dry packs and clothes. Good night!
Day 5
A drizzle of what felt like five seconds first has us persevere inside the tent’s comfort, only to then quickly change our mind. So we pack up and get going. Passing the last bit of the home of giants, which Jotunheimen translates to, we fall in love with the greenery, the white fluffy flowers (Eriophorum angustifolium) and the once again infinite valleys and mountain peaks. Today’s lunch stop stumbles upon us in disguise of a wonderful pool of water, with a tiny cave underneath a bridge crossing. We dive in first thing and then prepare our meal.
Trying to take it a tad easier this day, we hang around, rest our feet and fool around the rock pool. After one more swim we take off hiking once again. Tiredness catches up with us fast, so we opt for a slower pace and march all the way to Skogadalsbø, a hut we decide to lodge at. Above their cottages, we pitch our tent to create some shade and devour a bag of chips within seconds. The highlight of the campsite is another swim underneath cascades, a place to refresh at.
Dinner we enjoy with yet another nice view and observe our many fellow hikers and neighbors as they come into camp, exhausted, yet happy and filled with a day’s worth of adventure. The second swim in the cascade pool and forth dip of the day cools us down enough to prepare for a comfortable night.
Day 6
Mmmh, breakfast at a hut – Norway style! We watch everyone loading up their plates with heaps of bread, slices of cheese, meat and condiments and think they cannot possibly devour it all in the morning. Turns out it is custom here for people to pack up and take along sandwiches for lunch. Looks hilarious, but we certainly and a bit shyly follow the example.
Our hike takes us up high to our positive surprise, as the views up top inspire awe. Maybe statements as the following are far-fetched, but this is certainly one of our absolute favorite parts of the six-day-trek through this national park. The mountains, the waterfalls and the fog creating this mysterious atmosphere engulfing the tiny huts with grass rooftops scattered across the valley. Our sandwiches are long gone when the rain catches up with us. We stumble on, as do all our fellow hikers and lodgers of Skogadalsbø. Vettifossen, stunning waterfall and landmark of the valley, shows us the quick and steep way down. So we follow, destroying our knees, all the way to our next pit stop – Vetti Gard. Time for a beer and official toast to celebrate a beautiful national park, an amazing adventure and a place we’d like to return to one day.
We know a bus leaves from Hjelle to Øvre Årdal, but the question is when? No timetables are available or to be found, so we hike on despite a hurtful ankle and a hungry stomach. We quickly debate cooking a meal inside a bus stop, but then spot a nearby camping site on our map. Once there, the priority is to build our tent in dry conditions and hide our packs away before the announced rainfall. The night’s soundtrack nicely drummed along our dreams.
Day 7
The rain had lasted a good part of the night and accordingly tent and some stuff is wet. After giving it most of the morning to dry, we finally head to the fjord – and the finish line of our first trek and journey in Norway – on foot.
Arriving in Øvre Årdal feels a bit odd. Civilization, people and Xpress to fulfill our every food dream. No signs indicate the location of the bus station, but we stumble upon it anyway spotting an accumulation of parked buses. A kind chauffeur tells us we can expect a ride to Fodnes within the next hour. From there, we hop on a ferry, free for hikers, and then onto another bus to Kaupanger. Making our way from the drop off toward the port, picking berries and enjoying views of the fjord, we realize our chances in catching the last ferry to Gudvangen. Ending our first adventure in Norway on a boat across the nation’s longest and deepest fjord, we reminisce of the packpacking trip through Jotunheimen National Park and look forward to what awaits us on the other side.
