Day 10 - Hiking in Jotunheimen

Jotunheimen means "Home of the Giants", a name for the highest mountain range in Norway and Scandinavia, coined by Norwegian poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, and it perfectly reflects the wildness of this landscape. Today, we will embark on an easier hike in the giant's realm, driving back on E16 for a bit and then climbing steeply up to Lake Tyin, which rests peacefully amidst towering mountains. At the beginning of the lake, we take the road that always runs along the right shore. Its condition is terrible, with deep potholes and washboard-like grooves popping up frequently, and it's also a long road. However, driving slowly in this case is anything but boring, as the scenery in front of us is what Karl May probably imagined the wild nature of North America to be like in his dreams. Tall, pointed peaks ahead, many of them glaciated, the Fjell on the right, and the lake on the left. Suddenly, a herd of reindeer gallops up the Fjell to the right, probably startled by our approaching car.

The journey ends after a quite long drive along the lake in the settlement of Eidsbugarden, located on another lake called Bygdin. Here, in addition to a hotel built in typical Norwegian wooden style, there is a boat landing place that takes excursionists to the other end of the elongated Bygdin. Our hike begins here, initially leading along a wild mountain stream that is most likely fed mainly by the meltwater from the higher glaciers. The hiking guide mentions a "bathing pool" at the base of a waterfall, but unfortunately what we find is not really identical to the image that I had imagined in my mind beforehand. Nevertheless, I take the opportunity to bathe in the cold water, even though my better half can hardly understand my plan due to the cold wind and the lack of sun warmth.

Afterwards, we climb steeply up to the Fjell. Unfortunately, the terrain does not develop like on the hike to Hardangervidda this time; it constantly goes steeply uphill without a visible path. The ground is covered with lichens and moss and interspersed with smaller and larger rocks, making the walking relatively strenuous. However, as with every mountain hike, the reward is the view from the summit and the feeling of having achieved something. The view is stunning, overlooking Bygdin, Tyin, and glaciated mountain peaks. It is absolutely quiet, and besides us, no one else is here. A contemplative place where I could spend hours, if not for the ice-cold wind.

The descent is once again more unpleasant than the ascent. It goes steeply down the mountainside towards the lake, with a good stretch having a gravelly surface that requires increased attention. Luckily, we brought our trekking poles in foresight.

Once we reach the lakeshore, in my recklessness, I decide to take another dip. The meltwater from the stream wasn't that cold after all. This turns out to be a mistake, as the lake water is insanely freezing, almost taking my breath away. But the feeling afterwards - priceless. In the meantime, my travel companion is being attacked by what she believes to be all the mosquitoes in the vicinity of the lake. A practical side effect of this is that I am largely spared. One person's joy is another person's suffering.

Back at the campsite, we move to a spot by the lakeshore where a space has become available. The wind is not as bitterly cold as the previous evening, and thanks to my girlfriend's selfless effort in installing the cold protection in the pop-top roof, I don't freeze tonight.