Vidden at night
Published: 18.07.2021
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June 6th - June 7th, 2021
A frequently made hike is the path from Ulriken over Rundemånen to Fløyen or vice versa. In the summer, it is also a cool opportunity to do the tour at night to fully enjoy the light. The experience with the light is something that always gives me a 'wow' feeling. Vidden is the plateau between Ulriken and Rundemånen, but it is also simply called 'highland' in Norwegian. Originally, we wanted to do the 18-kilometer hike together with many people from the dormitory, but because some had also celebrated the day before, they were too tired to come along. After Pia and I had moved more than planned on Saturday, we took it easy on Sunday. Of course, as always, with a pancake breakfast. It was also the last one with Pia's kitchen roommate, who had been keeping us company regularly since Easter. Maybe also because he always snagged a few pancakes. ;)
The rest of the day, we lounged in our rooms until we took the Bybanen towards the city center at half past nine. We had decided on the option with Ulriken as the destination. This way, we would start with the sunset on Fløyen, hike with the light towards the east, and greet the sunrise on Ulriken. Since we had started a bit late, we had to hurry like crazy on the way from the city center to Fløyen. Within 40 minutes, we were at the top and then realized that the sun had already set so far in the northwest that it couldn't be seen from the Fløyen viewpoint anymore. Nevertheless, we could still enjoy the colorful sky above the city. After exchanging our sweaty t-shirts for sweaters and refilling our water bottles, we were ready to go. Before that, curious ducks visited us, hoping for something to eat. The duck should not be our last encounter with animals.
There are various paths to take to Rundemånen. At the junction, we met a small black and white cat, which we greeted friendly at first. Eventually, we tore ourselves away from her and continued, but she followed us. We thought she would turn around after a while, but she didn't. We tried ignoring her and later tried to shoo her back towards Fløyen. But after passing the last junction and her showing no signs of turning back, we decided to go back the kilometer we had already walked and leave the cat where we had met her. We had plenty of time anyway and would have felt guilty otherwise because once at the top of Rundemånen, there really was no civilization anymore. So we said hello to Fløyen again, and she actually said goodbye to us all by herself and disappeared where she came from. I'm convinced that she had gotten lost because she didn't want to leave the hiking trail, and the flora around her seemed suspicious. I hope she found her way home quickly and safely.
Meanwhile, it was midnight, and we set off again for the second time. To make sure that the cat wouldn't reappear, we took the path past the small lake Skomakerdiket. This detour was so worth it. In the semi-darkness, a misty fog floated over the water, and in an instant, we understood why people here believe in trolls and other creatures. It was impressive and eerie at the same time. After circling the lake, we returned to our original path, and we panicked that we would encounter the cat there. I had already had some hallucinations and mistook rocks on the side of the trail for her. Fortunately, she didn't show up, and we could continue our way in peace.
We soon arrived at Brushytten, which we got to know during our ski weekend in winter. It is located at Blåmansvatnet, which was also covered in fog, and at the foot of Blåmanen. From there, I really wanted to take the path that I chose alone on skis back then and show Pia the viewpoint of Ulriken and the view over Bergen. Along the way, Pia saw some big bird sitting in a tree that I could never spot. It was darker between the tall spruce trees, but we didn't need any light. I was briefly startled when a toad hopped in front of my feet. You can definitely be scared when you're alone there. From the viewpoint, our destination looked so close, as if we could touch it with outstretched arms or simply jump over. But that wasn't the case, so we continued on foot in a traditional way. When we arrived at the southern end of Store Tindevatnet, which is dammed with a small wall, Pia started wondering how I managed the path back then. I hadn't seen the lake back then and hadn't noticed the official trail either. So this time, we walked along it and got wet shoes from the damp grass, but our feet stayed dry. We got a little lost next to Lille Tindevatnet and trudged through wet meadows that required more resistance from our shoes than the grass. We arrived at the famous antenna of Rundemånen around 1 am and enjoyed the still colorful sky. Now the actual 'Vidden' route started.
From the just 'conquered' Rundemånen, you have to walk down a bit to later have to climb steeply uphill again. After we were at the bottom, we decided to take a bathroom break at one of the stone heaps that lined the path. Since we were completely alone, Pia only went a few steps further from the stone heap, which stood on a small hill. I disappeared to the opposite side of the path into the heather. I was just about to squat down when I called 'Pia'. I stood back up and stumbled back onto the path when Pia finally emerged from behind the stone heap with her pants not fully pulled up yet. She looked at me confused, as I hadn't called anything. I looked along the path, and Pia followed my gaze. Indeed, a hiker was coming towards us, and it could always be someone who understands German. That's why I refrained from calling out 'Pia, don't pee! Someone is coming!' The hiker was also visibly surprised to see us and started talking to us in Norwegian. But since we were still a bit perplexed, we didn't understand anything and just made it clear that we didn't speak Norwegian. After exchanging a few short words, he continued on his way. Then we burst into laughter. I don't even know how my brain had realized that a person was approaching us, and the thought of Pia with her pants down and a confused expression on her face had me laughing for a few minutes. Anyway, he hadn't shown any signs of having seen Pia in a squatted position on the hill. What were the chances of encountering the only person we would meet on the trail at the moment of peeing!? After we had recovered, we finally went to pee.
Feeling relieved, we continued. After passing Øvre Jordalsvatnet, it goes steeply uphill to continue at the same altitude towards Ulriken. On this steep stretch, we were greeted by a herd of sheep and their lambs. We had already heard their bells at Rundemånen. Once at the top, we put on windproof pants and jackets because it was quite cold from the north. Our bodies also politely questioned what we were still doing outside at 2 am. To silence them for a moment, we ate a few cookies while walking. Looking north, we could still see the colors of the sunset. They just shifted further east. It stayed evenly bright, and we had already left behind the darkest part of the night.
So we walked in the cold wind along the Tursti, the hiking trail, for quite a long time. We had only done the tour in the snow before, which was a bit easier for our liking because we only had to lift our feet higher over the rocks. Around 3 am, twilight set in, I can't say exactly. But what I can say is that around half past three, the body made itself known or audibly demanded a bed. The last three kilometers felt like an eternity. We often didn't believe the kilometer numbers on the signposts and I checked their distance with the app. Unfortunately, they were telling the truth. Our legs and feet were tired, and my pace slowed down. Even cookies couldn't help anymore. As we headed towards 4:30 am and thus towards sunrise, Pia, who had regained her ambition, took the lead and picked up the pace. I was happy about that and followed her more freely. Near Ulriken, we saw a group of people on a hill who also wanted to watch the sunrise. I think we also saw two women there who had Vidden on their itinerary.
We arrived at Ulriken, exhausted and tired but happy about our achievement, as the first rays of the sun reached there. For breakfast, we packed the remaining pancakes from Sunday's breakfast. Pia opened her thermos mug with coffee and took a few sips while the sun shone on her face with its morning greeting. Then she turned to me and said with a wrinkled face, 'I had imagined this moment better.' Her coffee had become ice-cold by now and no longer warmed her exhausted body. I just grinned at her. Unfortunately, my tea was also cold; the pancakes were definitely better. During breakfast, a mother sheep visited us with her two cute lambs. As our body temperatures continued to drop and it still didn't get warm, and we also wanted to go to bed, we finally got up shortly before half past five. On the other side, we enjoyed the view over Bergen for the last time and started the descent on the 1333 steps.
There, I had a new experience because the leg trembling from exhaustion that I had often heard about started when I stopped. I also had to pee again. It was a big challenge for me to make it safely down with a full bladder, trembling legs, and a tired mind. But we both managed it and made our way to the bus stop further down in Bergen. Pia was hardly responsive by then. Around half past six, we arrived at the dormitory and both took a shower first before going to bed.
For me, this was the most exhausting tour of all because the effect of the tired body, which was not used to exerting itself at this time, played a very big part in the exhaustion. Nevertheless, it was simply incredibly cool to hike at night and never need a flashlight. The colorful sky was a great companion, and the first rays of the sun were a sweet reward at the end. At the same time, a little melancholy joined the mood because it was our last hike in and around Bergen. It was the first one in winter and now the last one in summer.
Here's our route again (in the end, it was actually 23 km):
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